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About this investigation
Resources for patients

Doctors & Sex Abuse: 50-state investigation found doctors often get therapy instead of punishment

A recap of what the AJC’s investigation into sexual abuse by doctors has uncovered so far.

Video by Ryon Horne

Doctors & Sex Abuse

Until the AJC in 2016 published its national investigation of doctor sex abuse cases, no one had accurate data about the extent of the problem or whether doctors were being held accountable. After analyzing more than 100,000 medical board documents, the AJC found that more than 3,100 doctors had faced public accusations of sexual misconduct from 1999 to 2015. The investigation also revealed a broken regulatory system that too often shielded doctors from accountability.

In 2017, to see if the system had changed, we again reviewed public disciplinary actions by medical regulators in all 50 states. That investigation found that more than 450 doctors had been brought before medical boards or courts in 2016 and 2017 for cases involving sexual misconduct. Many doctors, we found, continue to be shielded.

The AJC invests the time to do this reporting as part of its mission to help protect the public and hold regulatory agencies accountable. The AJC is nationally recognized for its work on the topic of physician misconduct, and its Doctors & Sex Abuse series was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution welcomes its readers to share their thoughts about this series, Doctors & Sex Abuse. If you’d prefer to call, you can reach us at 404-526-5370.

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