We've heard our fair share of bad therapist stories over the years, but this one is pretty rough: a former model sued her therapist for setting her up on dates with his other clients and then demanding she recount the sexual encounters in vivid details. Hmm, men paying a middleman who encouraged his female client to have sex with them...what does that sound like? more ›

A Long Island pediatrician and civil surgeon has been arrested and charged with producing after child pornography after admitting to videotaping female patients—some as young as 11. After a raid on his office, police uncovered at least five videotapes of Dr. Rakesh Punn fondling patients, some of whom were blindfolded and naked. Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice said in a statement, "He victimized these trusting, young girls in the worse way imaginable." Investigators also believe Punn may have drugged some of his patients. more ›

Long Island cardiologist Vincent Pacienza was convicted yesterday of unlawful surveillance for setting up a surveillance camera in the bathroom of his medical office to watch women do their business. Back in June 2008, Pacienza closed an employees-only bathroom at this Manhasset office, leaving one bathroom for both employees and patients. He also informed female employees he had installed an air purifier across from the toilet, but according to the Nassau DA's press release, the air purifier "contained a hidden wireless camera with a direct video feed to a monitor underneath Pacienza’s desk." more ›

A 31-year-old man was trapped in his Hartford, Connecticut basement for days when his arm became trapped in a furnace. Jonathan Metz was trying to fix the furnace on Sunday when he got stuck. His calls for help were unanswered and two days later, the Hartford Courant reports, "He was in and out of consciousness, but Metz, 31, knew what he had to do. He had to cut his arm off." more ›

Harlem Hospital's bad press week continues now that Dr. Manish Garg is being accused of fondling a patient. The female patient was rushed into the ER on May 7th after apparently being dosed with a date rape drug, but allegedly awoke to find the 28-year-old intern kissing and groping her. Ever the gentleman, Garg immediately asked her on a date. more ›

Fire Department heart doctor Neil Coplan has been approved for $95,000-a-year pension for his heart illness, though he never actually fought a fire. According to the Post, any officer or firefighter who acquires a heart illness is assumed to have gotten it from fighting fires, and is automatically eligible for the plan if the disease forces retirement. Dr. Coplan has visited a fire scene only a few times in his career. more ›

In NY and elsewhere Christian science leaders say they're encouraging followers to go see a doctor in grave medical emergencies, despite the religion's century-old conviction in the evils of modern medicine. “In the last year, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called to pray at a patient’s bedside in a hospital,” national spokesman Phillip Davis told the Times, speaking from NY headquarters in midtown. more ›

Feds have busted a Park Slope anesthesiologist accused of writing Adderall prescriptions for phony patients, who filled them and sold the study drug on the streets. The doctor, Michael Hosny Gabriel, may have used his profits to fund a gambling habit. He “carried large sums of cash to Atlantic City” one informant told the Feds, adding that the medical man kept a gun in his bedroom. And though Dr. Gabriel was the Adderall ring's kingpin, he had help: the Daily News says other doctors at his Brooklyn hospital are also implicated in the case. more ›

New Jersey Health officials are trying to get the word out about a phony plastic surgeon whose botched “butt enhancements” have turned women’s rears into pocked “moonscapes.” Six Newark-area women, all from the Dominican Republic, visited the quack hoping to emerge with bubble butts. Instead, injections of what officials believe was silicone, petroleum jelly and “hardware-grade caulk” caused nasty infections. "What we've been hearing from the hospitals is that these women are presented with deep tissue infections and skin infections. Abscesses form in some cases," said New Jersey Health Department epidemiologist Dr. Tina Tan. more ›

This morning a doctor from the hospital visited by alleged victim of NYPD sodomy-by-police baton testified for the prosecution. Dr. Syed Ahmed said that contrary to the officers' testimony, it was "highly unlikely" that Michael Mineo's injuries were self-afflicted. Mineo went to Brookdale University Hospital on Oct. 15, 2008, immediately after the alleged attack inside the Prospect Park subway station. According to Dr. Ahmed, Mineo had elevated pulse and white blood cell count, which he said are "sure signs of a serious inflammatory response." more ›

A one-stop gynecology/plastic surgery clinic in Jackson Heights is under investigation after a woman died from complications during a routine abortion. The 30-year-old victim is believed to have visited the A-1 Medical clinic at 95-45 Roosevelt Avenue for an abortion on Monday, but things went wrong when an artery was severed during the operation. Bleeding profusely, she was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital where she was pronounced dead, reports 1010WINS. The second-floor physician's office, whose sign advertises gynecology and plastic surgery, actually specializes in laser wrinkle surgery, skin depigmentation and liposuction. more ›

A doctor based in Greenwich, Connecticut lost his New York medical license after admitting to using the wrong sperm to impregnate a woman who subsequently gave birth to twins. But Ben Ramaley is still permitted to practice gynecology and obstetrics in Connecticut, though perhaps not for much longer. After agreeing to pay a $10,000 fine to the couple and refrain from performing artificial inseminations, the case was sealed. But now Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal caught wind of it, and he's considering prosecuting Dr. Ramaley. more ›

At the end of March, a prominent Upper East Side psychologist was arrested after a patient discovered a surveillance camera inside a lightbulb in the bathroom. But earlier this month prosecutors dropped the felony charge of unlawful surveillance against Dr. Robert Reiner, an NYU psychologist who has appeared as a medical expert on MTV and talk shows. It turns out that the camera, which was not wired to a monitor, was unwittingly put in the outlet by a contractor Reiner hired to do some work at the office; Reiner insists he used it at his Westchester home to monitor his kids on the trampoline, and that he brought the inoperative camera into work because he needed the code number on the camera to order a new one. more ›

Yesterday's story about a fertility doctor's plan to help parents choose the eye and hair color of their babies triggered "a flood of calls" from would-be procreators eager for designer infants. But doctor Jeff Steinberg is still at least six months away from offering the service, and in a follow-up he tells the Daily News that for now, "We're going to limit it to people with genetic diseases because we just cannot keep up with what's going on." His institute also pulled an announcement about the controversial service from the website; the ad trumpeted: "PREDICTIVE GENOMICS TO BE AVAILABLE: Eye color, hair color, cancer tendency and more." These babies are insaaaaane! Besides offering genetic customization for parents with family histories of albinism and other disorders, Steinberg will still help parents predetermine their child's gender, a service that's already available at other clinics. But really this was all just an excuse to publish this photo of Steinberg, which might provide some clue as to the source of the good doctor's passion for genetic engineering. more ›

Greenpoint ladies, there's a new doctor in town, or at least an old one with a new marketing campaign. Dr. Leon Nitkin has posted ads for his OB/GYN practice on some "of the newly-renovated buildings on the south side of Greenpoint Ave b/t Manhattan and Franklin. Everything about it says 'please don’t let this man touch your privates, even in a medical context.'" Well, not everyone can be as web-savvy as Dr. Parkinson or his Hello Health franchise. Anyway, the doc appears to be legit, maybe he just needs to ditch the over-eager smile and bowtie. And Pistols and Popcorn saw the ads on Jay Street. more ›