Wednesday February 16, 2011 year: 131 No. 26 the student voice of
The Ohio State University
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thelantern Man endures ‘house of horrors’
sports
Lawsuits claim Ohio State dentists botched patient’s dental procedures KELSEY BULLER Oller projects reporter
buller.10@osu.edu
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Ohio State rebounds
The No. 2 OSU men’s basketball team beat Michigan State, 71-61, Tuesday.
arts & life
Four fillings, four crowns, two root canals, about $6,000 and two years invested as a patient at the Ohio State College of Dentistry left Greg Morgan in what he calls a “medical and legal nightmare with no clear end in sight.” A simple toothache led Morgan, a 53-year-old handyman, to the OSU Emergency Dental Clinic in March 2006. His experience led him to file two lawsuits against the dental school claiming malpractice, breach of contract and fraudulent concealment, among others. He is seeking a total of $250,000. Last September, the case was temporarily postponed. A hearing is scheduled March 3 to determine when the case will resume. Morgan said his lawsuit stems from incomplete disclosure and lack of communication regarding his treatment. After being led down one treatment path and having a multitude of work done to accomplish his treatment goal, Morgan claims his plan was suddenly changed, leaving him confused, with unfinished dental work and no reimbursement of costs.
Morgan said he never knew the treatment plan he chose wouldn’t succeed. Dr. Peter Urbanik, a dentist at Brookview Dental in Sylvania, Ohio, said patients should be properly informed of possible disadvantages before the initiation of treatment. Urbanik said it is “stupid” that all departments involved in Morgan’s care didn’t consult with each other at the very beginning. “If your departments are so screwed up that they don’t want to sit in the same room together for five minutes, then they ought to be smacked,” Urbanik said. Morgan is litigating this case himself. However, Jeffrey Beausay, a trial attorney at The Donahey Law Firm in Columbus, believes Morgan will not get very far. “You better have a pretty good case if you take a medical malpractice case, otherwise you’re going to lose,” Beausay said, adding that medical malpractice suits are, themselves, arduous. At Morgan’s first examination in the emergency clinic, he was told he needed a root canal for his aching tooth, as well as other restorative work. After this visit, he was screened to determine if the work he needed was an appropriate “teaching case.”
Ohio State dental patient’s case to be heard in March Five years ago, Greg Morgan was told he needed emergency dental work. He’s filed two lawsuits claiming medical malpractice. 3/24/06
Greg Morgan is told he needs an emergency root canal in the emergency clinic.
Summer 2006
Morgan has four fillings and is referred to advanced prosthodonics department director Dr. Julie Holloway.
8/2/07
Joe Landry meets Dr. Holloway to outline two treatment options.
11/2/07
Morgan is told extrusion possible.
1/08/08
After two crowns placed, Morgan is told extrusion not necessary.
2/05/08
After four crowns are placed, Morgan meets with graduate prosthodontic resident Dr. Mohammad Abdelhamed for continued treatment.
6/13/08
Abdelhamed reveals new treatment plan.
9/18/08
Holloway admits extrusion was not possible. Morgan dismissed as patient.
3/22/10
Morgan files two lawsuits in the court of claims for medical malpractice.
9/7/10
Case is temporarily postponed.
3/3/11
Hearing scheduled to determine when case will resume.
Source: Reporting
EMILY COLLARD / Lantern designer
He was then assigned to a student dentist. “I wanted to restore my teeth not for the aesthetics, but because I didn’t want to lose all my teeth,” Morgan said. Over the next several months, Morgan endured four fillings, but still needed additional work. Morgan was referred to advanced prosthodontics, a specialty area that
focuses on complex cases. He met with Dr. Julie Holloway, department director, to discuss treatment options. Holloway advised him it was essential to open his bite, or increase the height of his back teeth, to provide room in the front of his mouth for the placement of crowns. She
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Gee regrets putting work before faith, family CORY SHAFFER Lantern reporter shaffer.294@osu.edu
Hot, hot heat
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The North Market is hosting the eighth annual Fiery Foods Weekend, which includes many eating contests.
campus
FOD issues falling ice warning online
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Law lecturer pushes for human rights weather high 51 low 47 mostly cloudy
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60/55 cloudy 57/34 showers 40/35 partly cloudy 47/40 few showers www.weather.com
Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee spoke about the importance of interfaith dialogue in understanding one’s own faith Tuesday night at the St. Thomas More Newman Center. “You can’t understand your own faith until you understand what other people are doing,” Gee said. OSU has the largest population of Catholics, Baptists and Jews than any university in the country, Gee said. This diversity creates an open forum for students to discuss their faith. “What that means is that it’s a place that’s very safe for those of you who not only want to practice your religion but also to be engaged in the kind of community-building opportunities,” he said. During a question-and-answer session, Gee showed a moment of vulnerability, admitting some regrets. “I think out of all of the mistakes that I have made, perhaps the biggest mistake is to believe that my work is more important than my family or my faith,” Gee said. “I’m 65, 66 years old. I need to get over that. That’s not the life I want to lead.” Even so, Gee said his faith still defines him. “I don’t always practice my faith the way I would like to, but it has always been a part of who I am,” he said. But Gee said students shouldn’t isolate themselves to their own beliefs. “Some of our religious communities draw a circle around themselves and say, ‘We’re right and
BIANCA BRIGGS / Lantern photographer
Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee speaks about his faith and its effects on his daily life at the St. Thomas More Newman Center on Tuesday. everyone else is wrong.’ We can’t allow that to happen,” Gee said. Joe Ciccone, director of the center, said interfaith dialogue is a two-way street. “It shouldn’t be a threat,” Ciccone said. “It should
be an enhancement. We’re always in dialogue with the rest of the world.” Austin Schafer, pastoral associate for Campus
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OSU AD, wife ‘team-teach’ business class CHRIS BIDERMAN Senior Lantern reporter biderman.1@osu.edu One of the benefits of a strong graduate program is learning from professors that can share their vast experiences within a field. In the case of Fisher College of Business’s Business of College Sports graduate course, it might have the most experienced professors possible. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith “team-teaches” the course alongside his wife, Sheila. The athletic program Smith oversees is the largest in the country in terms of number of student-athletes, sports, coaches and spending. “We both kind of share a passion for this thing called college sports,” Sheila said. “So it’s actually great fun, and it’s also challenging because the students are really smart.” Sheila handles most of what her husband calls the “heavy lifting” for the class and deals with the administrative and organizational duties of the class. Gene, juggling his duties as athletic director, takes time out of his schedule to conduct lectures twice a week during Autumn Quarter. “Probably one of the best classes I’ve had. I actually learned a lot and it was fun to go to,” said former OSU football player Scott Sika, who is earning his graduate degree in sports management. “(It had) a lot of guest speakers, which is good because you got all the aspects of the athletic department. Gene and Sheila did a good job of getting a variety of people.” Gene said he uses his clout to get some of the best guest speakers possible, including football coach Jim Tressel. The class takes a tour of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, culminating in a talk with Tressel about “our mission of creating an environment for student-athletes to be successful,” Gene said. The class also takes a tour of Ohio Stadium when it studies facility and event management. The curriculum covers all aspects of collegiate sports administration, including topics from compliance to marketing. According to the syllabus, the class looks at “the often delicate balance between its educational and business missions.” The Smiths said they work hard to keep the issues discussed in the class current.
AD Gene Smith and wife Sheila teach business class Gene and Sheila Smith teach MHR 870 and EDUPAES 842 — The Business of College Sports — every Autumn Quarter.
MHR 870 & EDU PAES 842 Course topics Event management: Security, crowd control, AV systems Facility management: Tour of the ‘Shoe Compliance: NCAA, Big Ten and OSU rules and regulations Contracts: Nike, Sodexo, Advertisers/Sponsors Ticketing: Suites, group sales, complimentary tickets Source: Class syllabus
EMILY COLLARD / Lantern designer
Sika said some of his favorite portions of the class were discussions involving the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, for which Gene is committee chair.
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