Sexual misconduct hearing for OB-GYN set to begin

A state medical licensing board is scheduled Tuesday to begin hearing a sexual misconduct complaint filed against a Las Vegas OB-GYN.

An investigative committee of the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners, which licenses physicians in the state, has accused Dr. George Chambers of misconduct with three former patients. The allegations include conducting an inappropriate examination of one patient and offering two others $1,000 each to pose nude to advertise his cosmetic gynecological surgical specialty.

According to the committee’s complaint, Chambers “repeatedly exploited his relationships with patients and violated patients’ trust by engaging in sexual improprieties that constitute sexual misconduct.

Chambers, who has been licensed in Nevada for 20 years, has denied any wrongdoing. In an email to the Review-Journal, he said his constitutional rights “have been violated in a well-orchestrated manner” and his name and reputation besmirched.

In addition to the three former patients in the complaint, several other women have more recently filed complaints with the medical board and have spoken with the Review-Journal, including one who claims she was sexually assaulted.

In an order issued April 24, hearing officer Nancy Moss Ghusn directed that all persons present at the hearing and related proceedings refrain from photographing or otherwise recording the likenesses of the three patients at the center of the complaint. In its motion to protect the patients’ likenesses, the investigative committee cited a Nevada statute stating that if medical records are used at a public hearing, the identities of the patients are to be protected.

Chambers argued in response that the patients had waived any right to confidentiality by inviting media attention to the case.

The original hearing dates in February were rescheduled at the doctor’s request to give him time to find new counsel after his attorneys withdrew from the case. Chambers has not asked that the hearing be further delayed, though no attorney has yet appeared on his behalf, said Brandee Mooneyhan, deputy general counsel for the board of medical examiners.

In February, Chambers agreed to have a trained chaperone or a nurse present when he sees patients. He also agreed to refrain from taking photos or videos of patients until resolution of the board’s complaint.

Patient B in the complaint spoke with the Review-Journal on the condition that only her first name be used. She has alleged that Chambers offered her $1,000 to pose nude, betraying her trust in him as her doctor.

She said she hopes that the board will revoke his medical license rather than any other form of disciplinary action. “I don’t see how anything could change if his license is not revoked,” Angela said Thursday. “I don’t see how he could practice as a safe physician.”

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Tuesday and to resume Wednesday morning. The proceedings on these days will be held at the board’s Las Vegas office, 325 E. Warm Springs Road, Suite 225, and its Reno office at 9600 Gateway Drive. The hearing will be videoconferenced between the two locations.

On June 1, the hearing is scheduled to continue via Zoom or a similar platform, during which time the testimony of two remaining witnesses, including one of the patients, will be heard.

Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on Twitter.