Catch Me If You Can: A Pilot has played as a cardiologist

Milwaukee, WI - A former educator and researcher at William Beaumont Hospital in Michigan has been exposed as a bogus cardiologist [1]. While there is no suggestion that William Hamman—who is a trained pilot—took care of any patients, the news that he does not hold the medical and postdoctoral degrees or have the clinical experience he claimed to have has embarrassed many cardiologists and institutions.

Hamman, who is 58, led seminars teaching cardiologists what they could learn from simulation training and from his experience as a pilot. The irony is that he could have done this job without ever claiming to have a medical degree, Dr Douglas Weaver, former American College of Cardiology (ACC) president, told Marilynn Marchione of the Associated Press (AP) yesterday: "He could have been successful without titling himself. He really didn't need to be a physician to do what he was doing. He made a very serious mistake."

Via TheHeart.org: Pilot posing as cardiologist ran training seminars

That is very impressive that he was able to fool every credentialing process, very burdensome to physicians, and claimed to be a cardiologist for some 20 years. Credentialing process for a physician to practice in a new state usually takes between 6-12 months.