Popular user aka Michael Mehlman alludes to sexual harassment & assault in his dating blog.

[sk0fwno3]

Disclaimer: I felt it necessary to share this to a larger audience, warn other students, women, and professionals, and bring awareness to the absolutely abhorrent behavior of a man who is actively involved in the education of medical students. I posted this in reddit as well.

Quick run down: Michael Mehlman is originally from the U.S. where he graduated undergrad from Boston University. He left to Australia to obtain his medical degree, and graduated, only to decide medicine was not for him and therefore ran off to Osaka, Japan. He now makes a living from $374/hour tutoring services and $260/hour "dating" coaching.

As some of you may already be aware, and I'm sure many of you not, Michael Mehlman advertises his services as a premium 1-on-1 Tutoring for USMLE, CBSE/COMP, Shelf Exams, Clinical Rotations, Medical Coursework. Within the last 6-12 months, there has been a substantial increase in interest for his free PDFs, paid tutoring, paid Anki decks, and videos. He also boasts a team of 21 physicians and medical students who he claims are involved in tutoring services. Michael is known to be active on Reddit, promoting his services as well as allegedly harassing anyone who brings attention to what I am now.

Michael graduated from University of Queensland in the MD-MPhil program in May 2016, yet, a brief search of UQ SOM clinician scientist student page (MD/PhD and MD/MPhil) does not include Michael. This page includes all students and graduates dating back to 2012. Just an observation.

He also lists his credentials as MD-MPhil (masters of philosophy) but his credentials as a First Aid author in 2015 lists him as an MD-PhD candidate. In addition, it states that he was in his sixth and final year of his program and yet (at the time of his enrollment) the MPhil route did not offer a six year option, only four or five. The PhD route offered a six year option, but per Michael's website, he did not pursue and obtain a PhD.

Edit: a user has pointed out that you can search for qualifications of previous UQ students. Michael does appear to have been awarded a Master of Philosophy in 06/2015 and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in 07/2016.

None the less, that is the least of my concerns. As I was googling, trying to find his educational website, I stumbled upon (and by that I mean it is literally the first result when you search his name) his "dating" blog with his educational website very clearly linked in the main menu.

I've seen recent reddit posts and comments about female students utilizing his tutoring services only to be seduced, invited to Japan to live with him, and subjected to creepy, predatory, misogynistic comments. Upon further investigation and talking to women from these posts and privately, this his happened more than acceptable (with acceptable being obviously for this to never happen). For privacy sake, I am not going to link their posts or profiles but I will share proof via DM if anyone is wanting.

Of course, everyone is entitled to their own personal interests/habits/activities, and one's character as an educator and medical professional should generally not be judged upon those personal attributes. However, I think it is absolutely deplorable that he openly promotes this ideology while simultaneously promoting his medical resources and services.

Here are some examples of his sexual/dating advice from various blog posts:

Moderator staff: edited for inappropriate content

anyway. just like my post on reddit, I'm sure there will be a fair share of people who couldn't care less, and that's fine, to each their own. I'm simply allowing people to make educated decisions about what resources they utilize and from whom, as well as what services they participate in as a professional medical educator and who they link their professional image with.

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[GoSpursGo]

Hello--the above post has been heavily edited as the content of the dating blog is not appropriate for SDN. Suffice to say, it was terrible.

Additionally, per our usual policy I've also removed the link to Reddit.

 

[Styrene]

Luckily I never used first aid in my life. Hopefully he is off these sites.

 

[Neopolymath]

This explains the absolutely bizarre thread he made long ago about how to act during your clerkships (spoilers: don't act like that). Not surprised.

 

[Lost in Translation]

This explains the absolutely bizarre thread he made long ago about how to act during your clerkships (spoilers: don't act like that). Not surprised.

How was he advocating acting like? Erik von Markovik?

 

[AnonymousDoctorGuyPerson]

How was he advocating acting like? Erik von Markovik?

Buying coffee for your interns 2-3x a week, and if they told you not to to keep doing it anyways, and to always get them a large coffee because if it's not large, they're not working hard enough. Something along those lines. It was unhinged.

That was the tip of the iceberg on the creepy **** he was spewing

 

[Lost in Translation]

Yikes that’s an easy way to get no higher than a Pass from me.

I don’t really care if my students steal away to get coffee but don’t let me find out you did it during work hours, especially if we’re busy on the floor. Had a student who almost every day would say they were going down to Starbucks and ask if my senior or I wanted anything; after he left the comment would always be “Why the **** are you going to Starbucks during a shift when there’s a multitude of things that need doing?” Just go, I’m not going to be as ticked off if I just see a coffee cup vs. you telling me you’re going off the floor right now.

 

[FutureInternist]

Buying coffee for your interns 2-3x a week, and if they told you not to to keep doing it anyways, and to always get them a large coffee because if it's not large, they're not working hard enough. Something along those lines. It was unhinged.

That was the tip of the iceberg on the creepy **** he was spewing

Ummm… wait… you’re NOT supposed to do that … 🤔

 

[Redpancreas]

It’s sad.

Maybe I’m a contrarian, but I thought he was trying to do the right thing and found some of his content helpful. I did think he had an affinity for teaching and some of his ideas/philosophies were well thought out in my opinion.

I also seemed to agree a lot with the medical school advice posts of another guy who ended up being exposed for posting girls pictures to fetishist websites or something of that sort.

Overall, I’m sure Mehlman’s blog is horrific if it had to be censored but let’s not all pretend like we all knew he was weird (and thus) terrible person. I think, to some extent, he was trying to find his passion/place in the world and along the way got lost/perverted.

Edit: Googled his name and read OP saying he has invited women to his home and made inappropriate, misogynistic comments and that’s obviously wrong. I’m going to distance myself

 

[PathNeuroIMorFM]

and ask if my senior or I wanted anything

Off topic, but wouldn't that count as a gopher task/non-educational chores, even if the student offers to?

That's an instant report at my school.

 

[MediCane2006]

Buying coffee for your interns 2-3x a week, and if they told you not to to keep doing it anyways, and to always get them a large coffee because if it's not large, they're not working hard enough. Something along those lines. It was unhinged.

That was the tip of the iceberg on the creepy **** he was spewing

Oh this was THAT guy?! I still remember his “pearls of wisdom” because the advice was basically all how to be the weird student no one likes on rotations

 

[Proudfather94]

Yikes that’s an easy way to get no higher than a Pass from me.

I don’t really care if my students steal away to get coffee but don’t let me find out you did it during work hours, especially if we’re busy on the floor. Had a student who almost every day would say they were going down to Starbucks and ask if my senior or I wanted anything; after he left the comment would always be “Why the **** are you going to Starbucks during a shift when there’s a multitude of things that need doing?” Just go, I’m not going to be as ticked off if I just see a coffee cup vs. you telling me you’re going off the floor right now.

What if the units not busy, everyone's sitting/talking and the person just wants to be nice?

 

[Lost in Translation]

What if the units not busy, everyone's sitting/talking and the person just wants to be nice?

It’s a labor floor. It’s never not busy.

Off topic, but wouldn't that count as a gopher task/non-educational chores, even if the student offers to?

That's an instant report at my school.

For this and other reasons the student barely made Pass from me. That’s punishment enough.

 

[FutureInternist]

What if the units not busy, everyone's sitting/talking and the person just wants to be nice?

It can come off as trying to kiss butt.

I always make it very clear to students that they are never to get a chart, find a nurse, find the Case Manager, or coffee for me.

Either I do it, or we all go.

BUT… I STILL ask where my coffee is the first time they get some for themselves and watch the horror on their faces 😂

 

[heartsink]

Sort of an aside, but I really think the outrage over "gopher" tasks is a little excessive.

On my IM rotation, we were crazy busy and the team of residents I was with were burned out to the nth degree. The intern I followed asked me to get him stuff like water that both of us knew I was told not to do to help him deal with the volume and pace, and I did it because there were limited ways I could help otherwise. But it wasn't the only thing I did and he didn't exploit it daily. I went along, and we got along. Because I was chill about it, he taught me very useful tricks and pearls, shielded me from malignant attendings, and he gave me a glowing honors eval. Everybody won.

 

[bGMx]

I think that's the issue ^, your ability to fetch water was rewarded either directly or indirectly with a clinical grade.

 

[Lost in Translation]

I always make it very clear to students that they are never to get a chart, find a nurse, find the Case Manager, or coffee for me.

I mean, getting a chart or finding other inter professional staff is something students can do without it being “gopher” work. That’s patient-care related stuff and falls under the responsibility of anyone on the team, students included. They’ll have to do that as residents eventually. A rotation is not just shadowing, it’s being an active member of a patient’s care team.

But getting me a snack or drink is not patient care.

 

[acapnial]

I mean, getting a chart or finding other inter professional staff is something students can do without it being “gopher” work. That’s patient-care related stuff and falls under the responsibility of anyone on the team, students included. They’ll have to do that as residents eventually. A rotation is not just shadowing, it’s being an active member of a patient’s care team.

But getting me a snack or drink is not patient care.

Agreed. Students should ideally do anything residents do, if nothing else, to get an accurate picture of what day to day life in a given residency is like.