‘One big misunderstanding’: OB-GYN denies sexual misconduct allegations
A Las Vegas OB-GYN accused of sexual misconduct with three patients questioned one of his accusers face-to-face during an administrative hearing by a state medical licensing board.
But first, during his opening remarks, Dr. George Chambers said, “It is my hope that you will see that this has been one big misunderstanding, one that has tarnished my once stellar reputation and has cost me dearly.”
The physician was without an attorney and represented himself at the hearing of the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners.
Chambers said there was nothing improper about the manner in which he examined one patient and offered two others $1,000 apiece to model nude for advertisements for his cosmetic gynecology specialty.
But an attorney for the board said that the doctor’s conduct with patients was humiliating and demeaning.
“He fundamentally disregarded the boundaries between physician and patient,” said Brandee Mooneyhan, the board’s deputy general counsel.
According to a complaint by a board investigative committee, Chambers “repeatedly exploited his relationships with patients and violated patients’ trust by engaging in sexual improprieties that constitute sexual misconduct.”
He is accused of disruptive behavior; engaging in conduct intended to deceive; failure to maintain accurate medical records; engaging in conduct that violates the trust of a patient and exploits the relationship with the patient for financial or other personal gain; continual failure to practice medicine properly; and disreputable conduct.
One of the first witnesses was Patient A in the complaint, who saw Chambers for a torn perineum resulting from childbirth.
The patient testified that on her first and only visit, Chambers used a slang expression to inform her that he had tried to insert his entire hand in her vagina. He also used the patient’s cellphone to document him inserting four fingers, without a nurse or other staff member present, she said. He asked her to text him two other photos for his records.
When questioned by the board’s attorney, Chambers said he could not recall if he used the slang term “because it’s not part of my language.” But he said he did use nonmedical terms with some patients.
He said he kept photos of patients confidential by keeping them on a secure iPad in a safe to which only he has the combination.
Patient A testified that for weeks after the exam she was in a lot of pain. During the exam, she told Chambers at one point that it was “very uncomfortable,” she said.
She testified that she didn’t see the doctor for a “cosmetic fix” and that the various aesthetic surgeries he proposed undermined her confidence.
“I was humiliated,” she said. “I didn’t want my husband to know about my body and what was supposedly wrong with it.”
In questioning Patient A, Chambers asked her if she had screamed during the exam, and she said no. He also questioned her about their “jovial conversation” following the exam, where the patient did not complain of pain.
“I know what happened was wrong,” the patient said. “I know what had happened was sexual assault.”
In his opening remarks, Chambers said there were “countless examples” of his good deeds as a physician, including helping victims of sexual trafficking.
“I am not the monster that they want you to believe that I am,” he said.
During questioning by Mooneyhan, he acknowledged offering $1,000 to patients to pose nude for advertisements. Two such patients are expected to testify at the hearing, which continues on Wednesday.
When the hearing is completed, hearing officer Nancy Moss Ghusn will present her findings to the medical board and make recommendations regarding any disciplinary action.
Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on Twitter.