All physicians are taught, “First do no harm.” But what happens when a doctor does harm his patients? Dr. Robert Henderson was a veteran spinal surgeon in Dallas when he got an unusual phone call from a local hospital: a new surgeon had operated so poorly that a patient who’d walked in on her own two feet now couldn’t even wiggle her toes. Dr. Henderson had seen a lot, but he wasn't prepared for this. The surgery was so bad, in fact, he asked himself whether this person possibly be an impostor impersonating a physician?
Chris Duntsch was a promising medical student, with a bright future ahead of him. The friends who knew him were shocked at the doctor he would later become. Not Chris, they said. That’s not the man I know. The Chris Duntsch they knew was driven, hard-working, smart, with a twinkle in his eye. And no one believed they knew Chris Duntsch better than his best friend, Jerry Summers.
Kimberly Morgan was attracted to Christopher Duntsch from the moment she met him. He was charming and seemed destined for great things. But she also saw another side to him. Duntsch’s behavior led many people who came into contact with him to wonder: Was he an impaired physician? A terrible surgeon? Or a cold-blooded killer?
If a doctor is fired from a hospital, the hospital should report it immediately. That’s how problem doctors are prevented from getting hired elsewhere. But the places where Dr. Duntsch operated failed to report him to the proper authorities. If they had, maybe Duntsch’s path of destruction would have been stopped much sooner.
Dr. Henderson and Dr. Kirby were screaming for anyone to listen who might help them get Dr. Duntsch to stop operating. Kirby wrote to the Texas Medical Board. He and Henderson went to the police. But no one was listening.
Michelle Shughart has her work cut out for her, since no doctor has ever been prosecuted for crimes committed while practicing medicine. His patient’s lives would never be the same, but what would what would be the fate of Dr. Duntsch? The people in Dallas struggle to understand what drove him to do such horrible things. And what happens if the system faces another “Dr. Death.”
Reporter Laura Beil has a few updates on the story of Christopher Duntsch since the series was first released. She attends an appeals hearing for Duntsch's case, discusses Baylor-Plano Hospital’s response -- and the mysterious case of the disappearing billboard.
Patty Hester starts her care with Dr. Fata, but quickly realizes something is wrong. She’s not the only one.
George Karadsheh, the office manager at Michigan Hematology Oncology, learns several members of staff are quitting. He digs around to find out why they’re leaving and is alarmed by what he hears.
George continues investigating Dr. Fata’s practice. But it will be a race against time to stop Dr. Fata from harming another patient.
In court, Farid Fata has to face his victims. One by one, they get up and recount the damage he caused. And in the end, they have to decide - was justice done?
In this special follow-up episode to the first season of Dr Death, Laura Beil revisits the story of Christopher Duntsch’s best friend. When Jerry Summers needed surgery, he turned to his best friend. But the two buddies ended up living two very different realities. And after becoming paralyzed as a result of his botched surgery, Jerry is finally ready to open about what he went through, who he blames, and what he wants to say to Chris now. If you haven’t already, listen to the first season now, particularly the episode called “Chris and Jerry.” Tap here to see a picture of Jerry with his dog, Stella.
Imagine you're working at a hospital and you notice something isn't right: what do you do? Season One and Two of Dr Death featured medical professionals who crossed the line. Laura Beil speaks with Dr. Danielle Ofri, author of “When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error.”
In this season of Dr Death, we heard from people who went to Farida Fata for cancer treatment - but instead found pain and death. Laura speaks with Mike Hixenbaugh, a national investigative reporter for NBC News and host of the Wondery series Do No Harm about reporting Dr Death and what happens when institutions we trust turn against us.
Benita Alexander thinks she’s found the perfect surgeon to feature in her documentary: he’s charming, talented, and the creator of a groundbreaking surgery that involves implanting biosynthetic organs into his patients. Then Benita falls in love with him. Will she get her fairy tale ending?
After a medical scare, a single red rose from Paolo leads to plans for a grand Italian wedding with an impressive guest list. Things get serious fast with Paolo, and his work makes headlines.
At a world-famous institute in Sweden, four doctors work together to make sense of Paolo Macchiarini’s work, and discover that his scientific research may be more like science fiction.
With doctors investigating Paolo in Sweden, Benita begins an investigation of her own. She knows where she needs to go for answers: to the one place Paolo never took her.
The doctors who sounded the alarm became the target of an investigation themselves. And a fearless filmmaker finds that the answers lie with the patients.
When two bombshell exposes drop at the same time, Paolo is under more pressure than ever. But what price will he pay?
Benita Alexander is instantly drawn to Dr. Paolo Macchiarini’s ability to perform life-changing surgeries for his struggling patients. What she doesn’t know is that he will change her life, too. As Benita crosses professional lines, she learns how far Paolo will go to protect his secrets. And the doctors who work with him begin to ask whether his scientific research is actually more in the realm of science fiction.
Paolo Macchiarini has been on a month-long trial in Sweden. Now that prosecution and defense arguments have rested, Laura Beil speaks with Benita Alexander about the final day in court and what to expect in the coming weeks.
A verdict has been reached in the trial of Paolo Macchiarini. What happens next?