Christopher Duntsch — Dr Death

Christopher Duntsch was a Dallas neurosurgeon who, between 2011 and 2013, performed spinal surgeries that left 31 of his 38 patients permanently injured or dead. Two patients died. His malpractice occurred across multiple Dallas-area hospitals, which passed him on rather than reporting him to regulatory authorities.

Neurosurgeons Robert Henderson and Randall Kirby, outraged by the damage Duntsch was doing, campaigned for his prosecution. In 2017, Duntsch became the first surgeon in Texas to be charged under a statute typically used to prosecute elder abuse, after prosecutors argued his conduct amounted to intentional harm rather than mere negligence.

He was convicted in February 2017 of injury to an elderly person and sentenced to life in prison. The case prompted reform discussions about hospital credentialing practices and the failure of the medical system to stop a demonstrably dangerous surgeon who had moved between institutions. The Dr. Death podcast and subsequent TV series brought the case to international attention.