So when Elizabeth Holmes approached her after she arrived at Stanford in 2002 with an idea to build a patch that would scan the wearer for infections and release antibiotics as appropriate, Gardner tried to explain to her why that might not work. Practically, the antibiotics she wanted to give needed to be given at higher doses than a patch could deliver.
When she saw that she wasn't getting through to Holmes, Gardner pointed her in the direction of other people to help her, including Gardner's husband.
"She was going to make it work and follow the model of try it until you succeed," Gardner said. "That is so completely ridiculous in terms of healthcare."
That approach worried Gardner, even then.
"When you have peoples lives at risk, you dont do that," she said.
Shortly after, Holmes dropped out of Stanford. In 2003, at age 19, she founded blood-testing startup Theranos .
Over the following years, Gardner would hear rumors about what the company was up to from people who had worked there. Theranos particularly attracted younger employees coming out of Stanford.
Gardner came back onto the Theranos story when Richard Fuisz a family friend of the Holmes's and someone Gardner had met during when she worked in healthcare at ALZA Corp. reached out to asking her for her opinion of Holmes. She was frank with him.
"I dont trust her. I dont know what shes up to," she recalled telling Fuisz.
Theranos and Fuisz eventually went to court over a patent dispute. The experience was difficult for Fuisz and his family. Gardner and Fuisz stayed in touch, eventually connecting with Rochelle Gibbons, the widow of Ian Gibbons , the former chief scientist at Theranos. Ian Gibbons killed himself in 2013.
The group would text each other with information about what they were hearing about Theranos, especially in light of the company's partnership with Walgreens . Theranos set up clinical labs in certain Arizona Walgreens pharmacies at which it performed its finger-stick tests.
By 2014, Holmes, was featured on the covers of business magazines and included on lists of top executives. Gardner wasn't pleased.
"I was just barfing all over the place," Gardner said.
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Stanford students would ask to invite Holmes in to speak as a female founder, but Gardner wouldn't allow it.
"I support women. I always have. Ive gotten in trouble for it. Ive pushed hard," Gardner said. "But Im not going to support a fraud I dont care what your gender is."
During the day of meetings. Holmes and Gardner sat on opposite sides of the room, Gardner recalled. Gardner said she didn't speak to Holmes that day and kept her distance.
In June 2018, Holmes stepped down as CEO of Theranos, remaining with the company as a founder and the chair of the board. She was then charged with wire fraud by the Department of Justice. She has pleaded not guilty.
For Gardner, the story still isn't over.
"I just want her convicted," Gardner said. "All I want is to see her in orange jumpsuit with a black turtleneck accent."
Her rationale for her dislike is simple. "You put people in danger, I dont forgive that."