Staff Report
A former UNM physician is facing questions after an allegation that she exaggerated and padded her rÇsumÇ with false titles and experience.
Christina Beato was nominated for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services assistant health secretary position in July, pending approval by the Senate.
According to a June 10 Washington Post article, Beato claimed she served as the medical attachÇ at the U.S. Embassy in Turkey, received a master's degree in public health from the University of Wisconsin, and started an occupational health program at UNM.
According to interviews done by the Washington Post, a medical attachÇ has never been heard of, there is no master's degree in public health at the University of Wisconsin, and she didn't start an occupational health program at UNM.
There are institutions Beato listed on her rÇsumÇ, such as TVI and Presbyterian Health Spectrum in Albuquerque, that have no file of her service on record, the article stated.
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Her rÇsumÇ states she was the medical director at All Faiths Receiving Home, a title she never carried, said executive director of the home Steve Johnson in the article.
There are also claims she refused health services to poor and uninsured patients when she worked as chief medical officer and hospital administrator at the UNM Health Sciences Center.
The article cited a lawsuit concerning this issue, where Beato was alleged to have refused to treat a comatose patient and her premature infant. The case was settled out of court.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (Mass.) sent Beato a nine-page letter in January asking about the inconsistencies in her rÇsumÇ, the article said.
According to the article, staff lawyers at the department are looking into the questions being raised, and the Bush administration refused to comment until all questions are answered.
According to the article, approval of Beato's nomination could be in jeopardy.
