Defending science, rejecting coerced or questionable medicine, supporting patient rights for all, always considering alternatives, doing research to bring clarity, leading instead of following when judgment tells you so (against criticism) -- in short giving yourself in the service of medicine, health, and people. Thank you Doctor.
Your moral compass is taking you to a new and better place. I’m sorry for the many challenges, and grateful for your work. With you. Many blessings. Onward.
As fully vaccinated NFL, NHL, and NBA teams are taken out of action by major COVID outbreaks, and as Cornell and other universities with near-complete vaccination of everyone on campus shutter and flee during similar major outbreaks, major institutions led by highly credentialed people are sticking with the premise that vaccination must be required because it's the only sure way to stop the spread of COVID. They must notice, at some level of consciousness, what they've done.
In any case, now that UCI is free of dirty unvaxxed bodies, the whole campus -- and UCI hospital -- should be completely COVID-free, proving the administrative premise. Good luck with that, folks.
A fascinating moment: Universities are led by people who are incapable of learning from real-world evidence.
Haven't they always been incapable of that? They function separately from the world and not in it. The theoretical study of reality. It is their Achilles Heel.
I was stunned by this. I had hope our academic institutions at least in regard to the sciences and medicine would honor their commitment to academic integrity, to informed debate, to critical reasoning about evidence, and to transparency of interests and process. If the UCal system is not strong enough to stand against the tide of authoritarian hysteria, what US institutions are? I feel that we as a nation have truly entered uncharted territory. We seem to have renounced the best of the Enlightenment: the promise and practice that we could better the human condition through the exercise of reason based on evidence, and not just defer to authority based on revealed and sacred sources beyond critical examination.
I wish you and your family all best in going forward.
It is obvious that you were highly valued as an educator, practitioner, and researcher by your students and colleagues. That your contributions were significant, appreciated, and to many essential. For now, that part of your life on hold. I won't say lost.
We are in – still in – a time of mass hysteria if not mass psychosis. The witch purges of the early modern period – a trans-European phenomenon with some belated spillover to the American colonies – come to mind. The red scare and McCarthyism, likewise.
I think it is of no consolation to you that you will be vindicated by history: that at some point in the future, you will be recognized as one of the voices of integrity in defense of sound, evidence-based science, and of ethical public health practices. This belated recognition when it comes will not make up for the lost income, the lost opportunities, or the harassment and vilification you are now enduring.
But like many others in the comment section, I must ask that that you keep fighting the good fight. This does not end until more people do what is right as opposed to what is expedient. You are an example and inspiration. And I can only hope this current fiasco is one of the markers of the low point, of the turning of the tide.
It brings a grown man to tears to see what these Authoritarian lunatics have done to good people like you. Jeff Greenwald just wrote about the far left Brittish politician Jeremy Corbyn coming out against mandates and supporting self bodily autonomy. Brave people like you and Corbyn, regardless of political affiliation, are speaking out. Faith and Hope will bring change. Thank you.
Comes a day, hopefully soon, when Dr. K will be Chancellor of the UC system. And then he will not gloat, he will implore everyone, at every waking moment, just to use their God given faculties of critical thinking, that we might preserve for our kids that which has been given to us. God bless Dr. K. See you soon!
An old Chinese fable tells of an old man who had two loves: his son and his horse.
One night the horse ran away. It was a great loss to him, and all the neighbors in the village came to comfort him and lament his bad luck. But the man was not affected and said to them:
"The only certain fact, here today, is that a horse has run away. Good luck or bad luck, who knows?".
A week later the horse returned accompanied by a mare. The neighbors went to visit the old man and congratulated him on his good luck. The man showed no signs of great joy, and repeated:
"The only certain fact, here today, is that the horse has returned with a mare. Good luck or bad luck, who knows?".
After a while, the farmer's son, trying to tame the wild mare, fell and broke his leg. When the doctor came he assured that he would always remain lame. The neighbors again came over to give comfort to the old man, but again he repeated:
"The only certain fact, here today, is that my son has broken his leg. Good luck or bad luck, who knows?".
Later a war broke out. The king's soldiers came to the village and forced all the able-bodied young men to enlist to go and fight. The old man's son was spared because he was lame. Then his father said to him:
"Do you understand now, my son? Facts are neither good nor bad in themselves, what makes us suffer are the opinions we have of them. We must wait to see how they affect our future."
Conclusion
This story teaches us that we never know what life has in store for us. Sometimes things happen to us that seem good but end up causing us problems. Conversely, at other times, things happen to us that we label as bad but which we are glad about later on.
Following the teachings of the old man, we should try to appreciate events for what they are, without labeling them as good or bad. Besides, why lament over circumstances that are not up to us?
Everything that happens to us tests our proactivity. We can always choose to be the protagonist or the victim of our own life.
Dear Aaron you are showing yourself to be the true "protagonist" of your own life, my congratulations!
A brand new wonderful beginning, more famous and revered than if he had stayed doing the same stuff for years. Why scholars are not seeing the opportunity to walk the talk, is stunning.
Thank you for your courage and standing by your convictions as a physician with ethics . I can’t say so much for your university but surely there will be justice for you even if delayed . I hope many financially subscribe to your substack and that God opens many new opportunities for you to be a voice and support your family . We need you .
Sorry to hear this. It’s possible I’ll be in a similar situation soon. Getting on this booster treadmill for a disease I’ve already recovered from just doesn’t seem like a viable way to live. Hopefully new doors will open for us all.
Just subscribed. You are the epitome of ethics and the standard by which all other medical ethics departments should measure. We know most will be woefully lacking.
I’m so grateful we have people of your stature to lead this fight at great personal & professional cost. Some things just MATTER. Thank you
I have been reflecting on what I will do if (more likely, when) my university forces me to make the same decision. I've found myself increasingly drawn to Old Testament stories in these reflections. One verse in particular that has informed my decision is 2 Maccabees 7:11. Congratulations, Dr. Kheriaty, you passed the test. You have the confident hope that from Heaven you will receive all that has been taken from you. You and your family are in our prayers.
You are a man of integrity, thank you for bravely standing up for facts, reason and logic.
If you have to go, fired for taking the ethical and reasonable position, contra the college, is the way to go. The shame is upon them.
as david (below) said: the shame is upon them.
bravo for fighting the ethical fight.
wishing you continued flourishing in your new pursuits.
“pathmaker, there is no path; you make the path by walking. by walking, you make the path.”
Thank you, Elizabeth. Love that line from Machado’s poem, by the way. 🥲
i love it too. it popped into the front of my mind as i read your piece. what a path you are making…
Defending science, rejecting coerced or questionable medicine, supporting patient rights for all, always considering alternatives, doing research to bring clarity, leading instead of following when judgment tells you so (against criticism) -- in short giving yourself in the service of medicine, health, and people. Thank you Doctor.
Your moral compass is taking you to a new and better place. I’m sorry for the many challenges, and grateful for your work. With you. Many blessings. Onward.
You left as the living example of what you were there to teach. Whether they know it yet or not, you won this battle. Much respect.
Like the ethics professor Dr. Julie Ponesse.
As fully vaccinated NFL, NHL, and NBA teams are taken out of action by major COVID outbreaks, and as Cornell and other universities with near-complete vaccination of everyone on campus shutter and flee during similar major outbreaks, major institutions led by highly credentialed people are sticking with the premise that vaccination must be required because it's the only sure way to stop the spread of COVID. They must notice, at some level of consciousness, what they've done.
In any case, now that UCI is free of dirty unvaxxed bodies, the whole campus -- and UCI hospital -- should be completely COVID-free, proving the administrative premise. Good luck with that, folks.
A fascinating moment: Universities are led by people who are incapable of learning from real-world evidence.
Haven't they always been incapable of that? They function separately from the world and not in it. The theoretical study of reality. It is their Achilles Heel.
I was stunned by this. I had hope our academic institutions at least in regard to the sciences and medicine would honor their commitment to academic integrity, to informed debate, to critical reasoning about evidence, and to transparency of interests and process. If the UCal system is not strong enough to stand against the tide of authoritarian hysteria, what US institutions are? I feel that we as a nation have truly entered uncharted territory. We seem to have renounced the best of the Enlightenment: the promise and practice that we could better the human condition through the exercise of reason based on evidence, and not just defer to authority based on revealed and sacred sources beyond critical examination.
I wish you and your family all best in going forward.
It is obvious that you were highly valued as an educator, practitioner, and researcher by your students and colleagues. That your contributions were significant, appreciated, and to many essential. For now, that part of your life on hold. I won't say lost.
We are in – still in – a time of mass hysteria if not mass psychosis. The witch purges of the early modern period – a trans-European phenomenon with some belated spillover to the American colonies – come to mind. The red scare and McCarthyism, likewise.
I think it is of no consolation to you that you will be vindicated by history: that at some point in the future, you will be recognized as one of the voices of integrity in defense of sound, evidence-based science, and of ethical public health practices. This belated recognition when it comes will not make up for the lost income, the lost opportunities, or the harassment and vilification you are now enduring.
But like many others in the comment section, I must ask that that you keep fighting the good fight. This does not end until more people do what is right as opposed to what is expedient. You are an example and inspiration. And I can only hope this current fiasco is one of the markers of the low point, of the turning of the tide.
Thank you. I will never stop fighting the good fight. I promise.
Agreed, who of us wouldn't want all that achievement and recognition and partnership experience in our background?
It brings a grown man to tears to see what these Authoritarian lunatics have done to good people like you. Jeff Greenwald just wrote about the far left Brittish politician Jeremy Corbyn coming out against mandates and supporting self bodily autonomy. Brave people like you and Corbyn, regardless of political affiliation, are speaking out. Faith and Hope will bring change. Thank you.
https://greenwald.substack.com/p/listen-to-this-article-led-by-jeremy?r=4z7m3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
It is Glenn Greenwald
Comes a day, hopefully soon, when Dr. K will be Chancellor of the UC system. And then he will not gloat, he will implore everyone, at every waking moment, just to use their God given faculties of critical thinking, that we might preserve for our kids that which has been given to us. God bless Dr. K. See you soon!
An old Chinese fable tells of an old man who had two loves: his son and his horse.
One night the horse ran away. It was a great loss to him, and all the neighbors in the village came to comfort him and lament his bad luck. But the man was not affected and said to them:
"The only certain fact, here today, is that a horse has run away. Good luck or bad luck, who knows?".
A week later the horse returned accompanied by a mare. The neighbors went to visit the old man and congratulated him on his good luck. The man showed no signs of great joy, and repeated:
"The only certain fact, here today, is that the horse has returned with a mare. Good luck or bad luck, who knows?".
After a while, the farmer's son, trying to tame the wild mare, fell and broke his leg. When the doctor came he assured that he would always remain lame. The neighbors again came over to give comfort to the old man, but again he repeated:
"The only certain fact, here today, is that my son has broken his leg. Good luck or bad luck, who knows?".
Later a war broke out. The king's soldiers came to the village and forced all the able-bodied young men to enlist to go and fight. The old man's son was spared because he was lame. Then his father said to him:
"Do you understand now, my son? Facts are neither good nor bad in themselves, what makes us suffer are the opinions we have of them. We must wait to see how they affect our future."
Conclusion
This story teaches us that we never know what life has in store for us. Sometimes things happen to us that seem good but end up causing us problems. Conversely, at other times, things happen to us that we label as bad but which we are glad about later on.
Following the teachings of the old man, we should try to appreciate events for what they are, without labeling them as good or bad. Besides, why lament over circumstances that are not up to us?
Everything that happens to us tests our proactivity. We can always choose to be the protagonist or the victim of our own life.
Dear Aaron you are showing yourself to be the true "protagonist" of your own life, my congratulations!
Thank you, my friend. I love this fable, thanks for sharing.
A brand new wonderful beginning, more famous and revered than if he had stayed doing the same stuff for years. Why scholars are not seeing the opportunity to walk the talk, is stunning.
Thank you for your courage and standing by your convictions as a physician with ethics . I can’t say so much for your university but surely there will be justice for you even if delayed . I hope many financially subscribe to your substack and that God opens many new opportunities for you to be a voice and support your family . We need you .
Sorry to hear this. It’s possible I’ll be in a similar situation soon. Getting on this booster treadmill for a disease I’ve already recovered from just doesn’t seem like a viable way to live. Hopefully new doors will open for us all.
Just subscribed. You are the epitome of ethics and the standard by which all other medical ethics departments should measure. We know most will be woefully lacking.
I’m so grateful we have people of your stature to lead this fight at great personal & professional cost. Some things just MATTER. Thank you
I have been reflecting on what I will do if (more likely, when) my university forces me to make the same decision. I've found myself increasingly drawn to Old Testament stories in these reflections. One verse in particular that has informed my decision is 2 Maccabees 7:11. Congratulations, Dr. Kheriaty, you passed the test. You have the confident hope that from Heaven you will receive all that has been taken from you. You and your family are in our prayers.
You will land squarely on your feet and go on to do great work. Thanks for being an example of shining integrity.