Orange County Demands the Resignation or Termination of Dr. Chau, M.d., Ph.D*
Orange County Board of Supervisors, Dr. Clayton Chau, M.D., Ph.D*
*The asterisk next to Ph.D. is because he did not receive this degree from a real institution. As recently reported by Voice of OC:
Dr. Clayton Chau, who is leading OC’s medical response to the coronavirus pandemic, says in his official resume that he earned a Ph.D in clinical psychology from Chelsea University in London in 2004.
The state of Texas has a UK-based university with that name on its list of “fraudulent or substandard” institutions, saying Chelsea University “has never been recognized as a university with UK degree awarding powers.”
And last year, one of Britain’s largest newspapers highlighted Chelsea University as one of hundreds of “bogus institutions flooding the labour market with ‘thousands’ of fake degrees” where students typically “simply buy a degree and do not have to study.”
During a county press call on Tuesday, Chau took questions about it from Voice of OC. He said he took classes online for his degree and didn’t know the school had shut down until years later, while declining an opportunity to elaborate on what the schoolwork entailed.
“So that was an online school that I participated when I was working as a psychiatrist, a licensed physician. And I finished the degree in 2004 and [unbeknownst] to me that the school was closed. And I didn’t even know that until when I worked for CalOptima…in 2012. And that’s when I found out that the school was closed,” Chau said.
“I have never practiced as a licensed psychologist. And I believe that I am hired to work in this role as a physician. I’m a licensed physician [in] the state of California. And so, you can check my license with the state medical board. I have never had any problems with my license, with – as a physician. I worked for health plans – two health plans, CalOptima and L.A. Care health plan, as a senior medical director. There was never an issue,” he continued.
Dr. Chau, M.D., Ph.D* appears to be compounding his lies about his fraudulent degree, since the scam university's archived website does not plausibly show that it offered any such online curriculum in 2004.
Furthermore, Dr. Chau, M.D., Ph.D* has a history of public deception. As reported by Voice of OC in 2004, "Dr. Clayton Chau has agreed to pay a $2,000 fine issued by the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission for failing to disclose $12,033 in drug company speaking fees, according to a filing posted Monday on the FPPC’s website."
Despite having no public health background, the Board of Supervisors appointed Dr. Chau, M.D., Ph.D* to the role of Public Health Officer, responsible for responding to a deadly pandemic that has claimed over a thousand local lives.
Despite having an ongoing reputation for dishonesty, the Board of Supervisors has also appointed Dr. Chau, M.D., Ph.D* to the role of Director of Orange County Health Care Agency, responsible for managing local health care policy and overseeing a billion dollar budget.
Dr. Chau, M.D., Ph.D* has no credibility and no qualifications for either role, and he must immediately resign or be terminated.
Petition by
To:
Orange County Board of Supervisors, Dr. Clayton Chau, M.D., Ph.D*
From:
[Your Name]
Orange County demands, amidst a pandemic that has taken over a thousand of our residents' lives, that the Board of Supervisors immediately find a qualified replacement for the roles of Director of Health Care Agency and Public Health Officer.
The individual who occupies both of these roles has no credibility with the public. As widely reported, he has no public health background, yet he governs our local pandemic response. He received a fraudulent Ph.D. degree from a defunct "diploma mill" in the United Kingdom. When recently interviewed about his degree, he compounded his fraud by claiming he actually completed online coursework at this scam university. His claims of completing actual coursework are belied by the former scam university's archived website, which does not plausibly describe any such online curriculum. He also refuses to follow public anti-corruption law; he was forced to pay a fine to the Fair Political Practices Commission in 2004.
At a time when residents need to trust in our public officials, it is inexcusable that the publicly-elected Board of Supervisors has unilaterally thrust into two leadership roles an unqualified, disreputable individual. Dr. Chau must immediately resign or be terminated.