Decades after a patient first alerted Columbia University that one of its doctors sexually abused her, some university administrators are finally facing the consequences.
On Tuesday, Columbia University released a long-awaited report detailing the culture of silence that allowed obstetrician-gynecologist Robert Hadden to abuse more than 1,000 patients during his nearly 25-year career at Columbia University.
In releasing the report, the university also announced that two long-time administrators will be leaving their positions.
Dr. Mary Dalton, director of obstetrics and gynecology and Hadden’s former boss, has resigned. Dalton plans to continue his clinical practice.
Former medical director Dr. Lee Goldman is retiring. Both were administrators above Hadden. They were also among those CC’d on a 2012 letter in which a woman reported that he assaulted her and allowed Hadden to continue seeing patients after his arrest.
Yesterday’s report was prompted by a ProPublica investigation that revealed how Columbia fired women and ultimately protected predators. Amid outrage following the 2023 report, Columbia Airlines announced it would create a $100 million fund for survivors and launch an independent review.
The 156-page report was released more than two years after the review was announced and days after the New York attorney general announced it was investigating Columbia’s response to the Hadden incident.
The report outlines how more than a dozen patient complaints went unresolved, in part due to a lack of clear reporting procedures. The report also found that there was a “hierarchical organizational culture” in which doctors held “exalted” or “god-like” positions, making it difficult for staff to report concerns.
One patient, Eva Santos Veloz, was 18 years old when she came to Hadden in 2008 for an emergency delivery. At the time, she and her mother reported that Mr. Hadden subjected them to unpleasant touching, sometimes without gloves. Nothing happened after she filed the complaint. She said she came to believe she was making it all up because no one seemed to believe her at the time.
Santos said the report confirms she was right all along, but doesn’t tell us anything new. “The only peace that gives me is that they’re publicly saying, ‘We knew this and we didn’t do anything,'” she said.
The report also lists five different complaints that were reported to leadership but no action was taken against Hadden. Investigators say the university’s record-keeping was inadequate and that upper management failed to conduct a thorough investigation into his misconduct.
Andrew Toth/Getty Images Patrick McMullan/Getty Images As a result of the report, Dr. Mary Dalton, head of obstetrics and gynecology at First Image, and former medical director Dr. Lee Goldman, have both resigned from their administrative roles at the school.
In an internal email sent to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology on Tuesday and obtained by ProPublica, Dalton announced that she would remain on the faculty “to continue our department’s efforts to advance women’s health.”
“I cannot adequately express the sadness I feel for the suffering Robert Hadden caused his patients,” Dalton wrote in an email. “It pains me deeply, and it will always hurt me, that these actions were committed by a physician in our department, including while I was director.”
A similar statement posted on Columbia’s website made no mention of her continued employment.
Dalton did not respond to requests for comment.
“My heart breaks for the victims of Robert Hadden,” Goldman said in a statement.
He added, “During my tenure, we prioritized the ethical culture and patient safety at the School of Medicine and focused on continually reevaluating and strengthening our policies and procedures.”
The report also confirms that top executives at the organization, including former Columbia President Lee Bollinger and one of the directors of Columbia and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, a Columbia-affiliated system where Hadden was an attending physician, were informed of Hadden’s arrest the night of the incident.
Bollinger, who will retire in the summer of 2023, did not respond to requests for comment.
“The university remains committed to its continuing responsibilities. It must continue to operate transparently and confront systemic deficiencies as they arise,” a letter accompanying the release of the report said. Columbia provided no additional comment.
In a statement, survivors’ groups, including Marissa Hechstetter and Evelyn Yang, criticized the report for failing to examine what happened in the years after Hadden left Columbia, including the destruction of evidence, the university’s documented efforts to fight former patients in court and discredit survivors.
The statement also notes that the university’s current acting president, Claire Shipman, who signed Tuesday’s announcement, has served on the board since 2013, during the aftermath of the Hadden scandal. She did not respond to requests for comment.
“What Columbia released today shows minimal responsibility for failure.
“This should have been addressed years ago,” the survivor’s statement said. “This confirms the breakdown of the system that enabled Hadden’s activities. But it stops short of examining the culture of cover-up that survivors experienced first-hand after the abuse came to light.”
The deadline to request compensation from Colombia’s survivors’ fund, set up for former patients who do not want to file a lawsuit, has been extended to June 15.
