Physician Discipline: Covid Denier's License Suspended, but Not For Lying

Sherri Tenpenny, D.O., testified before the Ohio legislature that the Covid vaccine "magnetizes" recipients and interfaces with 5G cellphone towers. Soon after, her medical license came up for renewal and the Ohio Medical Board renewed it, no muss, no fuss, despite the good doctor having been named as "one of the 12 most prolific spreaders of COVID-19 misinformation on social media, according to research from the Center for Countering Digital Hate." (Becker's Hospital Review, Sept. 20, 2021).

At the time of the renewal, the Board said that renewal was an automatic process and did not foreclose a future investigation. After receiving approximately 350 complaints, the Board did start an investigation. Dr. Tenpenny, however, unwisely blew off the Board's discovery requests and a subpoena to testify, and for that she got her license suspended until she starts to cooperate with the Board's investigation. (Becker's Hospital Review,  Aug. 9, 2023).

This case offers two teaching points: (1) many licensing boards are slow to react to quackery, and (2) turning your back on a board’s investigation never pays off  

Meanwhile, Dr. Tenpenny's anti-vaccine and conspiracy-spewing firm rakes in an estimated $4.04 million in annual sales. There's gold in them thar lies!