Editor’s Note: This article discusses sexual assault in healthcare.
Former Weill Cornell Medicine assistant professor and urologist Dr. Darius Paduch was sentenced to life in prison by Judge Ronnie Abrams ’90 in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday after being convicted last May of sexually assaulting seven patients, including five minors.
Paduch, a 57-year-old fertility specialist, sexually assaulted young men and boys between 2005 and 2018 while he worked at Weill Cornell, and in 2019 while at Northwell Health, which describes itself as New York State’s largest healthcare provider, prosecutors said.
Hundreds more young men and boys have come forward in scores of civil suits to accuse Paduch of abuse across more than 15 years.
Paduch was arrested and indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2023, pleading not guilty to the charges. In May, Paduch was convicted of six counts of inducing a person to travel to engage in unlawful sexual activity and five counts of inducing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity.
In addition to serving life in prison, Paduch was ordered on Wednesday to pay restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date.
According to prosecutors, some of the sexual assault incidents against patients include masturbating victims without consent or warning, introducing his fingers in the victims’ rectums without gloves or consent and exposing his genitals to victims and masturbating in front of them under the guise of medical care.
At least 11 victims testified about being sexually abused by Paduch during the trial proceedings, according to a Wednesday press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
“Paduch’s abuse was perverse and pervasive, spanning over a decade and victimizing patients both inside and outside of hospital rooms,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. “He repeatedly violated his oath to ‘Do No Harm.’ Today’s sentence demonstrates that medical providers who exploit their position of trust to commit sexual abuse will be held accountable for their conduct.”
Paduch plans to appeal the verdict according to his attorney, Michael Baldassare.
“Doctor Paduch maintains his innocence and we are confident that someday he will be vindicated,” Baldassare told the Associated Press.
Former President Martha Pollack and Dr. Robert Harrington, dean of Weill Cornell Medicine, released a joint statement last April denouncing Paduch’s behavior and announcing new guidelines for Weill Cornell to promote patient safety.
“We feel deeply for the survivors and their families. No patient who entrusts us with their care should ever experience such appalling behavior,” the statement read.
The statement described three changes to programs offered by the medical center, including an expansion of requirements for the chaperone program. According to Weill Cornell’s website, medical chaperones are trained, objective observers who are members of the healthcare team and are present during sensitive or intimate examinations.
Many of the instances of sexual abuse occurred when Paduch was interacting with patients unattended, according to the indictment.
Weill also pledged to expand training modules and policies related to patient sexual assault. The statement announced the addition of a new module titled “Allegation of Sexual Misconduct Involving a Patient” and simplified processes for reporting harassment, discrimination and retaliation.
The Office of Professionalism was also established to ensure individual accountability, communication and mutual respect in educational, research and clinical settings.
Members of the Cornell Community may consult with the Victim Advocacy Program by calling 607-255-1212 and with Cornell Health by calling 607-255-5155. Employees may call the Faculty Staff Assistance Program at 607-255-2673. An Ithaca-based crisis line is available at 607-272-1616. The Tompkins County-based Advocacy Center is available at 607-277-5000. For additional resources, visit health.cornell.edu/services/victim-advocacy.