Feature

Sexual assault allegations lead to arrest of Ohio gastroenterologist


 

A gastroenterologist affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic was recently arrested and charged with multiple felonies.

According to Cleveland Municipal Court records, Omar Massoud, MD, PhD, of Westlake, Ohio, has been charged with three counts of kidnapping, all first-degree felonies, and three counts of gross sexual imposition, all third-degree felonies.

The assaults are alleged to have happened during liver examinations on March 25, Nov. 11, and Nov. 28, 2022 at Cleveland Clinic’s main campus located at 9500 Euclid Avenue.

No further details were provided.

Dr. Massoud is the former chief of hepatology at the Cleveland Clinic.

In a statement, the Cleveland Clinic said it “immediately reported the accusations to the appropriate law enforcement agencies and are fully cooperating with the investigations.”

“Following a thorough internal investigation,” Dr. Massoud was fired, the Cleveland Clinic said.

“Cleveland Clinic is strongly committed to protecting the rights and safety of our patients, visitors, and caregivers from any type of inappropriate behavior. We care deeply about patient safety and any form of misconduct is not tolerated,” the statement said.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

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