Cornell University President Michael I. Kotlikoff and Dr. Robert A. Harrington, Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine, sent the following message on July 27 to the Weill Cornell Medicine community.
Dear Weill Cornell Medicine Community,
We are writing to let you know that we have resolved an investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office into former faculty member Darius Paduch’s gross misconduct at Weill Cornell Medicine. The agreement, which was publicly announced just minutes ago, concludes the government’s investigation into this matter, which included Paduch’s 2024 criminal conviction and sentencing.
This resolution is a significant step forward for us in addressing our former faculty member’s misconduct, which represented a profound betrayal of our mission and the trust that patients place in physicians and medical institutions. No patient should ever experience abuse by a clinician.
Weill Cornell Medicine is a safer organization today than it was when these events occurred. As the U.S. Attorney has acknowledged, we have already implemented significant reforms to enhance patient safety and prevent future misconduct. These include:
- Expansion of our chaperone requirements for sensitive exams, treatments, and procedures;
- Creation of a centralized process for patient complaints and the reporting and investigation of alleged sexual misconduct; and
- Development of new escalation protocols that reduce the risk that abuse could ever go undetected.
Our progress has been reinforced by the work of new members of executive management in partnership with outside legal counsel and external experts in abuse prevention.
Weill Cornell Medicine is also launching a first-of-its kind Institute for Safe Patient Care and Patient Empowerment that drives dialogue and action by healthcare organizations for early identification and prevention of sexual misconduct.
Given our work over the last several years and our commitments in the agreement – as well as the substantial settlements we’ve reached with survivors who brought claims concerning Paduch’s misconduct – the U.S. Attorney has decided not to take further action.
As always, we want to be very clear that there is no place in our community – or in any medical institution – for the type of misconduct that occurred here. All of us at Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medicine are committed to learning from these events, continuing to strengthen our safeguards, and continuing to advance our mission of patient care, research, and education.
Whether you are a staff member, doctor, scientist, educator or student, you make a difference in our patients’ lives. We are committed to a culture of safety so that every member of our community feels empowered to speak up about misconduct.
We understand that this has been a difficult time for our community, and we know these events have been distressing. If you need support, faculty and staff should reach out to the Employee Assistance Program Consortium at (212) 746-5890 or EAPC@med.cornell.edu at any time for free, confidential support.
Thank you for your dedication to our patients and to each other.
Sincerely,
Michael I. Kotlikoff
President, Cornell University
Robert A. Harrington
Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean, Weill Cornell Medicine
Provost for Medical Affairs, Cornell University
