Palo Alto, Calif.-based Theranos is hiring a new laboratory director, which The Wall Street Journal coverage says comes "amid questions raised in laboratory circles about the qualifications of the physician who now runs the lab."
The director in question, Sunil Dhawan, MD, has supervised the blood-testing startup's Newark, Calif.-based lab for 10 months, according to WSJ. Dr. Dhawan is a dermatologist who is board certified in both dermatology and internal medicine. He has 21 years of experience supervising the lab affiliated with his dermatology practice, according to the report.
According to WSJ, Dr. Dhawan's lab experience and medical degree make him eligible to run a lab, though some specialists say he may not have all the skills needed to run a full reference laboratory.
Theranos is also seeking a lab manager, manager of quality assurance and quality control, and a laboratory general supervisor for its Newark lab, according to WSJ.
Theranos issued the following statement in response: "Today's [Thursday's] news attempts to portray ordinary recruiting and hiring as evidence of technical shortcomings. As a growing company, we are constantly working to bring quality individuals on board and build a world-class team. As engineers, scientists, and medical professionals, we are focused above all on improving the lives of the individuals we serve. We have more than 80 PhDs from the world's top schools driving innovation in lab testing. We are people like Dr. Waldo Concepción, a senior Theranos medical staff member working with our lab, and a leading pediatric transplant surgeon. Just because certain news outlets are not aware of the presence of these individuals does not mean they don't exist."
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