Important Update From Columbia University Regarding the Release of the External Investigation Report Into Robert Hadden

Dear members of the Columbia community:

We write to share an important update with you. The external investigation that the University commissioned as part of our response to the horrific abuse by former physician Robert Hadden has been completed. As we agreed upon with the investigator, and as we committed to our community, it represents her independent analysis of events. The complete report has been posted in full on the Rebuilding Trust site.

Let us be clear about a few things at the outset. The report will not be easy for our community to ingest. As Columbia stated in 2023, when we commissioned this effort, we are profoundly sorry for the pain and trauma that Hadden’s patients suffered and for the lasting harm his abuse has inflicted on survivors and our entire community. His actions were unconscionable.

We asked for this investigation to hold ourselves accountable, and the University remains clear about that responsibility. We are clear about the institutional failures that allowed Hadden to exploit the system, abuse patients, and avoid detection for as long as he did. While we cannot undo the harm of the past, we are firmly committed to ensuring that nothing like this can happen again. We have been determined to implement best-in-class patient safety standards, help our community heal, and provide sustained support for survivors, whose courage in coming forward has already helped improve patient safety nationwide.

To that end, coinciding with the start of the investigation, Columbia established a $100 million Survivors’ Settlement Fund, which has now been extended until June 15, 2026, and also has entered into voluntary settlements with more than 1,000 former Hadden patients for over $1 billion. Settlements are always an imperfect method for recognizing the pain and suffering of victims, but the University’s efforts reflect our recognition that his patients did not receive the care, respect, and safety they rightly deserved, and that this breach of trust betrays the values we uphold as educators, scientists, and health professionals.

The goal of the report, commissioned by both Columbia and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, was to determine how Hadden’s abuse was able to persist for such a long period of time, and also to provide a transparent and accurate understanding of the full extent of circumstances, environment, and behavior that allowed this exploitation of patients to occur.

The external investigator, Joan Loughnane, is a partner at Sidley Austin LLP who previously served in a variety of leadership positions in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. As part of the investigation, Ms. Loughnane and her team reviewed documents, interviewed witnesses, including current and former employees and others with knowledge of Hadden’s abuse, reviewed complaints and survivor statements submitted in connection with Hadden’s criminal case, and, importantly, spoke directly with dozens of survivors who bravely reached out to share their stories with her. The University cooperated fully with the investigation. The findings and conclusions in the report are those of Ms. Loughnane and her team, who pursued all avenues of inquiry as they determined. We thank Ms. Loughnane for the care she and her team have taken in producing a detailed and thorough report.

The report describes the factors that permitted Hadden’s abuse to occur over a sustained period of time, details the significant improvements that Columbia had made before the investigation began to address many of the weaknesses identified in the report, and sets forth a series of commitments that Columbia has made to enhance its policies and procedures to prevent sexual misconduct from occurring.

The investigation found that the following factors permitted Hadden’s abuse to occur and contributed to the abuse remaining undetected for so long:

• ineffective and uneven use of medical chaperoning;
• barriers to patients and staff reporting physician misconduct, including a hierarchical culture that suppressed or discouraged reporting;
• the lack of a clear complaint reporting procedure that would sufficiently enable patient reporting of complaints about physician misconduct; and
• failed institutional responses to the reports that were received about Hadden’s conduct, including insufficient record-keeping and the failure to conduct a full investigation, which contributed to the decision to permit Hadden to return to work after his arrest in 2012.

In recognition of the painful and traumatic contents of the report and the need to support survivors of abuse and trauma, the University has partnered with RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence nonprofit, to establish a free, confidential, 24/7 helpline for survivors, their loved ones, and others seeking support and assistance. The trauma-informed helpline offers support in English and Spanish through telephone, chat, text, and WhatsApp. RAINN’s trusted, highly trained helpline specialists will provide survivors and others emotional support, crisis intervention services, guidance on Columbia’s reporting pathways, and referrals and resources.

Sustained Improvements to Patient Safety

The University has made significant investments to strengthen patient safety since Hadden last saw patients in 2012. The University has implemented best-in-class protocols and procedures to ensure all patients are provided with a safe and respectful environment. The foundation of this work is the expansion and strengthening of patient safety systems, including visible and easily accessible ways for patients and staff to report concerns and misconduct along with rigorous tracking of all concerns and complaints to ensure coordinated evaluation and responses.

The University’s patient safety commitments include, among other things:

• clearly stated chaperone policies and requirements in alignment with our health system partner, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital;
• further expanded, trauma-informed training for designated medical chaperones as well as all patient-facing staff;
• strengthened mandatory reporting and anti-retaliation language in our policies and training;
• guidance for patients about sensitive appointments and clear information about relevant policies provided in advance of appointments;
• proactive communication to patients of information about reporting misconduct; and
• expanded board-level oversight of our sexual misconduct policies as it relates to ColumbiaDoctors and our patients.

The Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) Sexual Misconduct Allegation Response Team (SMART) also operates to ensure that sexual misconduct allegations are addressed and investigated immediately, in close coordination with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and in accordance with nationwide best practices, including trauma-informed care standards.

CUIMC is utilizing a new professionalism tool, developed at the Vanderbilt University Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy, to identify medical provider behavior that is not consistent with a culture of safety and respect and to intervene accordingly. The Patient Advocacy Reporting System (PARS) and the Co-Worker Observation Reporting System (CORS) incorporate data about both patient and co-worker concerns and compares that data to data from peer institutions, serving as an early-warning system to identify professionalism or patient safety concerns.

Additionally, we have established a new Center for Patient Safety Science to develop, research, and test innovative strategies for improving patient safety and health outcomes, and we are conducting research to improve the safety of healthcare delivery across the country. Collectively, all these efforts position CUIMC as a national leader in advancing patient safety standards and best practices for health systems across the country.

Our Commitment to Survivors

Along with these improvements and commitments, and as mentioned above, the University launched a $100 million Survivors’ Settlement Fund in February 2024, which was both publicized and communicated through direct outreach to former patients. During the investigation, the deadline was extended by more than a year. It is being extended again, until June 15, 2026, to allow additional time for survivors to apply to the Fund.

In addition, the University and NewYork-Presbyterian have jointly and voluntarily settled more than 1,000 claims related to Hadden, with payments to survivors totaling more than $1 billion.

Updates on CUIMC Personnel

With the external investigation now complete, Dr. Mary D’Alton has informed the University and NewYork-Presbyterian that she is stepping down as Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at CUIMC and obstetrician and gynecologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/CUIMC. The University appreciates her nationally recognized contributions to advancing maternal fetal medicine and reducing maternal mortality and morbidity, as well as her leadership in furthering education, research, clinical practice, patient safety, and policy development in women’s health.

Additionally, after nearly five decades in academic medicine, Dr. Lee Goldman, former dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine and chief executive of the Medical Center, has informed the University that he will retire. The University appreciates his contributions over the years to improve the Medical Center across its many missions, including supporting strong growth in federally funded research, eliminating need-based loans for medical students, transforming the campus with new buildings and public space, supporting critical reforms including new systems to enhance patient safety, and raising the academic and educational stature of the medical school.

In the aftermath of this report, and after the long and painful experience endured by so many, the University remains steadfast in our commitment to our ongoing responsibilities.

We must continue to operate with transparency and confront systemic failures when they occur. At the same time, we must do the important work of repairing the harm experienced by survivors, their loved ones, and our community. We must continuously monitor and improve our already overhauled systems to prevent future abuse and misconduct, acknowledging that the best organizations always seek to improve. And, we must restore trust in our ability to fulfill our mission and uphold the highest values of the University and the medical profession.

Sincerely,

Claire Shipman, Acting President, Columbia University in the City of New York

Katrina Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer of Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences