Today The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) has published another in-depth national investigation that reveals chilling new details about doctors accused of sexually abusing patients. It is available online at AJC.com/doctors. This is the latest effort by the paper in a groundbreaking analysis of doctors and sex abuse.
The AJC’s coverage shows a widespread issue that goes far beyond the high-profile public case of USAGymnastics national team doctor, Larry Nassar, and the #MeToo movement.
The newspaper’s latest report identifies cases of misconduct in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Highlights of the investigation include:
- 450: Doctors whose cases were before medical regulators or courts in 2016-17
- 350: Doctors whose cases involved sexual misconduct with patients
- 100: Doctors whose cases involved employees or sex crimes not related to practice
- 3,500: Doctors publicly accused of sexual violations from 1999 through 2017
“Cases continue to remain obscured because state boards and hospitals handle many sexual misconduct cases in secret, and some public orders are so vaguely worded that patients would not know that a sexual offense occurred,” said Editor Kevin Riley.
“No one had accurate data on doctors and sex abuse cases until the AJC reviewed thousands of medical board documents and published its first investigation,” Riley continued. “Without our work, many patients may think they are safe because their doctor is prominent and respected.”
RELATED: ABC GMA STORY BASED ON EARLIER WORK BY AJC:
The AJC’s award-winning national series, first published in print and online in 2016, exposes a culture of power, esteem and secrecy that gives doctors license to abuse patients sexually, even at a time when the public has realized other respected institutions, such as the military and the clergy, must be held accountable.
Here are just a few of the doctors discussed in this important article:
“Dr. Richard Martin Roberts is still allowed to see patients in Texas even though a medical board disciplinary panel in November 2017 found he repeatedly conducted unwarranted genital exams on young girls. “Only doctors get to do this,” he told one, a 7-year-old he was supposed to be examining for a learning disability.
‘Dr. Jorge Ysacc Burgos was permitted to return to practice this month in Nevada after he was found guilty in 2017 of three misdemeanor charges of open or gross lewdness involving patients.
“Dr. Om Parkash Kapoor was arrested in Jacksonville, Fla., for exposing himself and masturbating during an appointment in December 2017 with a male patient. Despite possible DNA evidence and a previous allegation of similar misconduct, the doctor remains licensed.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is a leading source – both in print and online – of news, information and advertising for metropolitan Atlanta, reaching a print and online audience of 1.6 million people each week. Every month, nearly 5.5 million unique visitors access the newspaper’s websites, including AJC.com, myAJC.com and accessAtlanta.com. Our newsroom is the largest in Georgia with more than 150 journalists. We report on a metro area that has more than 5 million people and covers five core counties and more than 20 city governments. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is part of Cox Media Group, a publishing, digital media and broadcasting subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises.
