MESSAGE TO M.A.S.H. CLIENTS
FROM DR. ROMAN’S LAWYER
For the last several years we have had the privilege of defending Dr. Roman against persistent persecution by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Veterinary Medicine (“the Board”).
As you all know, Dr. Roman is a very vocal advocate and developer of complementary veterinary medical therapies and techniques. She is recognized worldwide as an innovator. Among her many awards is her recognition as the Holistic Practitioner of the Year by the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.
Dr. Roman has always taken her Veterinary Oath to heart. She has always used her “scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the … promotion of public health and advancement of medical knowledge.”
Dr. Roman is a lifelong learner, studying, among other topics, acupuncture, chiropractic, ozone therapy (for humans and animals), herbs, and homeopathy (for humans and animals). This is consistent with the Principles of Veterinary Ethics (“Principles”) promulgated by the American Veterinary Medical Association (“AVMA”) which mandates (using the obligatory language “shall) that a veterinarian “shall” “study .. and advance scientific knowledge … [and] make relevant information available to clients, colleagues [and] the public.”
In complying with her Oath and the Principles, in March of 2020, in the height of the early days of the pandemic, Dr. Roman sent an email entitled “UPDATE ON CORONAVIRUS PRECAUTIONS AT MASH.” The email principally concerned the procedures at MASH to protect staff and clients. In the email, Dr. Roman also included information about homeopathic remedies, as well as identifying ozone therapy as a “possible” cure for coronavirus and, because of the disinfecting properties of ozone, a way to prevent the spread. Subsequent clinical trials in multiple countries in Europe and Asia established that ozone therapy was an effective treatment for covid. And multiple university studies at the most prestigious universities proved that ozone disinfects against covid.
The Massachusetts Veterinary Board issued a complaint against Dr. Roman alleging that she practiced her profession beyond the scope of her license, engaged in conduct which places into question her competence to practice the profession, made false statements with intent to defraud and engaged in conduct that reflects unfavorably on the veterinary profession. The latter two allegations were later dismissed.
Over three years of litigation ensued. The Hearings Officer presiding over Dr. Roman’s case essentially held that Dr. Roman’s status as a licensed veterinarian precludes her from speaking or writing about any topic to her clients unless it is limited to standard veterinary information. The Hearings Officer gave lip service to the Massachusetts Veterinary Board’s gag on Dr. Roman by declaring Dr. Roman “is confined to speak exclusively on veterinary matters on her veterinary platforms.” This incongruous notion presupposes that in order for Dr. Roman to preserve her Massachusetts veterinary license, she is required to ignore and even violate her Oath as a veterinarian.
Astonishingly, the Hearings Officer discarded the importance of the Veterinary Oath to veterinarians and to the community by declaring it is “just … an oath,” a ruling that prompts us to shake our heads in disbelief. The Hearings Officer attempted to rationalize by double talk: “[t]he Board does not prosecute cases against veterinarians who [ignore the mandate of the AVMA’s Principles and] have scientific knowledge and do not disseminate it.” We suppose this can only mean that Massachusetts veterinarians will not be damned if they do not honor their Veterinary Oath, but Massachusetts veterinarians will be damned if they do honor their Veterinary Oath and conform their conduct to the AVMA’s Principles.
Thus, the message from the Massachusetts Veterinary Board is “Free Speech and the U.S. Constitution be damned. Professional Oaths are to be rejected in favor of supporting unprincipled veterinarians.”
This month, in line with the Hearings Officer’s illicit remarks, the Massachusetts Veterinary Board voted to suspend Dr. Roman’s license for two years.
This is not the first time the Board has taken such unwarranted action against Dr. Roman’s license. In an earlier case, the Board meted out the same unmerited punishment, a two-year suspension, despite the fact that there was no legal or factual basis for doing so. The law in Massachusetts does not allow for injunctive relief, meaning there is no stay of a license suspension while the matter is appealed to the courts. On that previous occasion, after six months, while the matter was before the Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”), the Board was forced to withdraw the suspension but was never held accountable for the unlawful and baseless action that resulted in what was essentially a six-month suspension.
And so, now history has repeated itself. The Massachusetts Veterinary Board’s historical hatred of Dr. Roman’s innovative practice and her popularity with her national client base continues.
The Board knows full well that Dr. Roman’s suspension, which becomes effective on November 1, 2023, will remain in effect while we appeal this matter to the Supreme Judicial Court. The unhappy task of trying to defend the Board’s decision falls upon the Attorney General’s Office (“AG”). We are confident that, as in the prior case, the AG will refuse to defend the Board’s unlawful action and therefore the Board will ultimately be forced to withdraw the meritless suspension. However, again, as with the prior case, the suspension will remain in effect until that happens, which means that countless animals and their owners will be denied access to the innovative care Dr. Roman has shared with the Massachusetts community for over four decades.
At the Massachusetts Veterinary Board, we are not dealing with honesty or honorable people. We could give you many examples, but do not wish to extend this notice beyond just giving two examples. In another earlier case, the Chief Investigator provided to Dr. Roman and her legal counsel copies of documents underlying a complaint. Through other sources, attorneys for Dr. Roman obtained an email that was omitted by the Investigator that completely exonerated Dr. Roman. When confronted with the omission, the Investigator lied about why it was not provided, despite the fact that the lie was also documented. In this current case, the prosecutor lied about the existence of an aggravating factor. When confronted with the documentary evidence proving that what he said was a lie, the prosecutor doubled-down and repeated the lie. The Board, in its decision, relied on the false statement made by the prosecutor and ignored the evidence that established that what the prosecutor had said was a lie.
During the period of suspension, no matter how long it may last, Dr. Roman will continue to lecture around the country and around the world to doctors, veterinarians, dentists, and other healthcare professionals, principally on ozone therapy and Microbiome Restorative Therapy. Previous lectures in, for example, Brazil and Japan, have brought ozone therapy to those countries where there are now hundreds of veterinarians who use that treatment. Dr. Roman already has a number of lectures scheduled next month and early next year in this country and abroad. Furthermore, she will continue to consult with and advise veterinarians locally, nationally and internationally. Perhaps she will finally be able to dedicate significant time to the book she is trying to write about ozone therapy for clinicians. The limitations during the suspension mean she will not be able to directly treat your four-legged family members in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, until the decision of the Board is reversed.
MASH continues to have a very capable and knowledgeable veterinarian in Dr. Soco. Dr. Soco and the technicians at MASH are well schooled in the various modalities and treatments you have come to MASH to receive for your pets, and there will be no drop-off in the quality of the care you will receive at MASH, as well as the tools they will have for treatments.
Dr. Roman had no role in drafting this notice. This message is from her lawyer. At a later date, Dr. Roman may be speaking with you through an email or posting to this website. Please stay tuned for updates. Thank you for your attention, understanding, and support.
As you all know, Dr. Roman is a very vocal advocate and developer of complementary veterinary medical therapies and techniques. She is recognized worldwide as an innovator. Among her many awards is her recognition as the Holistic Practitioner of the Year by the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.
Dr. Roman has always taken her Veterinary Oath to heart. She has always used her “scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the … promotion of public health and advancement of medical knowledge.”
Dr. Roman is a lifelong learner, studying, among other topics, acupuncture, chiropractic, ozone therapy (for humans and animals), herbs, and homeopathy (for humans and animals). This is consistent with the Principles of Veterinary Ethics (“Principles”) promulgated by the American Veterinary Medical Association (“AVMA”) which mandates (using the obligatory language “shall) that a veterinarian “shall” “study .. and advance scientific knowledge … [and] make relevant information available to clients, colleagues [and] the public.”
In complying with her Oath and the Principles, in March of 2020, in the height of the early days of the pandemic, Dr. Roman sent an email entitled “UPDATE ON CORONAVIRUS PRECAUTIONS AT MASH.” The email principally concerned the procedures at MASH to protect staff and clients. In the email, Dr. Roman also included information about homeopathic remedies, as well as identifying ozone therapy as a “possible” cure for coronavirus and, because of the disinfecting properties of ozone, a way to prevent the spread. Subsequent clinical trials in multiple countries in Europe and Asia established that ozone therapy was an effective treatment for covid. And multiple university studies at the most prestigious universities proved that ozone disinfects against covid.
The Massachusetts Veterinary Board issued a complaint against Dr. Roman alleging that she practiced her profession beyond the scope of her license, engaged in conduct which places into question her competence to practice the profession, made false statements with intent to defraud and engaged in conduct that reflects unfavorably on the veterinary profession. The latter two allegations were later dismissed.
Over three years of litigation ensued. The Hearings Officer presiding over Dr. Roman’s case essentially held that Dr. Roman’s status as a licensed veterinarian precludes her from speaking or writing about any topic to her clients unless it is limited to standard veterinary information. The Hearings Officer gave lip service to the Massachusetts Veterinary Board’s gag on Dr. Roman by declaring Dr. Roman “is confined to speak exclusively on veterinary matters on her veterinary platforms.” This incongruous notion presupposes that in order for Dr. Roman to preserve her Massachusetts veterinary license, she is required to ignore and even violate her Oath as a veterinarian.
Astonishingly, the Hearings Officer discarded the importance of the Veterinary Oath to veterinarians and to the community by declaring it is “just … an oath,” a ruling that prompts us to shake our heads in disbelief. The Hearings Officer attempted to rationalize by double talk: “[t]he Board does not prosecute cases against veterinarians who [ignore the mandate of the AVMA’s Principles and] have scientific knowledge and do not disseminate it.” We suppose this can only mean that Massachusetts veterinarians will not be damned if they do not honor their Veterinary Oath, but Massachusetts veterinarians will be damned if they do honor their Veterinary Oath and conform their conduct to the AVMA’s Principles.
Thus, the message from the Massachusetts Veterinary Board is “Free Speech and the U.S. Constitution be damned. Professional Oaths are to be rejected in favor of supporting unprincipled veterinarians.”
This month, in line with the Hearings Officer’s illicit remarks, the Massachusetts Veterinary Board voted to suspend Dr. Roman’s license for two years.
This is not the first time the Board has taken such unwarranted action against Dr. Roman’s license. In an earlier case, the Board meted out the same unmerited punishment, a two-year suspension, despite the fact that there was no legal or factual basis for doing so. The law in Massachusetts does not allow for injunctive relief, meaning there is no stay of a license suspension while the matter is appealed to the courts. On that previous occasion, after six months, while the matter was before the Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”), the Board was forced to withdraw the suspension but was never held accountable for the unlawful and baseless action that resulted in what was essentially a six-month suspension.
And so, now history has repeated itself. The Massachusetts Veterinary Board’s historical hatred of Dr. Roman’s innovative practice and her popularity with her national client base continues.
The Board knows full well that Dr. Roman’s suspension, which becomes effective on November 1, 2023, will remain in effect while we appeal this matter to the Supreme Judicial Court. The unhappy task of trying to defend the Board’s decision falls upon the Attorney General’s Office (“AG”). We are confident that, as in the prior case, the AG will refuse to defend the Board’s unlawful action and therefore the Board will ultimately be forced to withdraw the meritless suspension. However, again, as with the prior case, the suspension will remain in effect until that happens, which means that countless animals and their owners will be denied access to the innovative care Dr. Roman has shared with the Massachusetts community for over four decades.
At the Massachusetts Veterinary Board, we are not dealing with honesty or honorable people. We could give you many examples, but do not wish to extend this notice beyond just giving two examples. In another earlier case, the Chief Investigator provided to Dr. Roman and her legal counsel copies of documents underlying a complaint. Through other sources, attorneys for Dr. Roman obtained an email that was omitted by the Investigator that completely exonerated Dr. Roman. When confronted with the omission, the Investigator lied about why it was not provided, despite the fact that the lie was also documented. In this current case, the prosecutor lied about the existence of an aggravating factor. When confronted with the documentary evidence proving that what he said was a lie, the prosecutor doubled-down and repeated the lie. The Board, in its decision, relied on the false statement made by the prosecutor and ignored the evidence that established that what the prosecutor had said was a lie.
During the period of suspension, no matter how long it may last, Dr. Roman will continue to lecture around the country and around the world to doctors, veterinarians, dentists, and other healthcare professionals, principally on ozone therapy and Microbiome Restorative Therapy. Previous lectures in, for example, Brazil and Japan, have brought ozone therapy to those countries where there are now hundreds of veterinarians who use that treatment. Dr. Roman already has a number of lectures scheduled next month and early next year in this country and abroad. Furthermore, she will continue to consult with and advise veterinarians locally, nationally and internationally. Perhaps she will finally be able to dedicate significant time to the book she is trying to write about ozone therapy for clinicians. The limitations during the suspension mean she will not be able to directly treat your four-legged family members in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, until the decision of the Board is reversed.
MASH continues to have a very capable and knowledgeable veterinarian in Dr. Soco. Dr. Soco and the technicians at MASH are well schooled in the various modalities and treatments you have come to MASH to receive for your pets, and there will be no drop-off in the quality of the care you will receive at MASH, as well as the tools they will have for treatments.
Dr. Roman had no role in drafting this notice. This message is from her lawyer. At a later date, Dr. Roman may be speaking with you through an email or posting to this website. Please stay tuned for updates. Thank you for your attention, understanding, and support.