One of the most-quoted “Simone’s Maxims” (from a 1999 article in Clinical Cancer Research) is that “institutions don’t love you back.” Well, they may not love you, but they are increasingly paying attention to you.
My personal litmus test for if/when doctors should be disciplined for espousing radical views is when they advocate for things that could have a direct health impact and are well outside the accepted mainstream medical consensus. For example, someone may be a brilliant neurosurgeon, but if they spend their free time spreading misinformation like vaccines cause autism, that would be fair game. I am personally shocked that physicians like Vinay Prasad and Jay Bhattacharya that signed the Great Barrington Declaration and have only gone further down the conspiracy theory and quackery rabbit hole retain their faculty positions at prestigious institutions.
On the topic of purely political speech, I am inclined to agree healthcare providers should not be punished for espousing personal beliefs that I find objectionable. For one example, early in 2020, I was seeing a cardiologist in Tampa for a work-up of sudden onset palpitations. This MD spent the entirety of my stress test ranting about liberal plots to take down Trump (the combined effect of the treadmill and his political speech certainly pushed my heart to its limit!) I politely finished my appointment and never returned for follow-up. I don't think he should be fired or anything dramatic, although their conduct was certainly unprofessional and IMO crossed a line. Luckily there are a number of specialists in my area, but people in more rural areas may not have the luxury of shopping around if they're stuck with a doc like that one.
My personal litmus test for if/when doctors should be disciplined for espousing radical views is when they advocate for things that could have a direct health impact and are well outside the accepted mainstream medical consensus. For example, someone may be a brilliant neurosurgeon, but if they spend their free time spreading misinformation like vaccines cause autism, that would be fair game. I am personally shocked that physicians like Vinay Prasad and Jay Bhattacharya that signed the Great Barrington Declaration and have only gone further down the conspiracy theory and quackery rabbit hole retain their faculty positions at prestigious institutions.
On the topic of purely political speech, I am inclined to agree healthcare providers should not be punished for espousing personal beliefs that I find objectionable. For one example, early in 2020, I was seeing a cardiologist in Tampa for a work-up of sudden onset palpitations. This MD spent the entirety of my stress test ranting about liberal plots to take down Trump (the combined effect of the treadmill and his political speech certainly pushed my heart to its limit!) I politely finished my appointment and never returned for follow-up. I don't think he should be fired or anything dramatic, although their conduct was certainly unprofessional and IMO crossed a line. Luckily there are a number of specialists in my area, but people in more rural areas may not have the luxury of shopping around if they're stuck with a doc like that one.