Report Confirms Columbia Ignored Decades of Doctor’s Sexual Abuse

ProPublicaCenter-LeftEN 4 min read 100% complete by Bianca FortisMarch 11, 2026 at 09:05 PM

AI Summary

medium article 4 min

A Columbia University report confirmed that the institution ignored decades of complaints about OB-GYN Robert Hadden, who sexually abused over 1,000 patients during his 25-year career. Prompted by a ProPublica investigation, the report details a culture of silence and lack of clear reporting procedures that allowed the abuse to continue despite multiple patient complaints. Following the report's release, two long-time administrators, Dr. Mary D’Alton and Dr. Lee Goldman, are leaving their positions. The report, initiated after Columbia announced a $100 million survivor fund and independent review, outlines how numerous complaints went unheeded due to a hierarchical institutional culture. The New York attorney general is also investigating Columbia’s response to the Hadden case.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

New York 35% ProPublica 40% Eva Santos Veloz ×250% Lee Goldman ×260% Mary D’Alton ×370% Columbia University ×790% Robert Hadden ×895%

Keywords

sexual abuse 100% columbia university 90% robert hadden 90% institutional cover-up 80% administrative negligence 70% culture of silence 70% ob-gyn 60% patient complaints 60% propublica investigation 50% lack of reporting procedures 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source

ProPublica

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

Network visualization showing 51 related topics

View Full Graph

sexual abuse columbia university robert hadden institutional cover-up administrative negligence culture of silence ob-gyn patient complaints propublica investigation lack of reporting procedures

Explore Full Topic Graph

Find Similar Articles

AI-Powered

Discover articles with similar content using semantic similarity analysis.