FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 29, 2021
CONTACT:
Ian Prior
HAIL TO THE VICTIMS:
DR. ANDERSON CONDUCT FAR OUTSIDE APPROPRIATE MEDICAL PRACTICE
ANN ARBOR - In the wake of the report detailing the decades of sexual abuse and rape at the hands of Dr. Robert Anderson, Spotlight Michigan is highlighting the hundreds of heinous accounts that University of Michigan officials turned a blind eye to. More than 850 victims have come forward with allegations of rape, sexual assault, and inappropriate behavior by a predator that continued to be promoted and protected by team leaders and university officials.
These are their stories.
Dr. Anderson Engaged in Conduct that Fell Far Outside the Bounds of Appropriate Medical Practice (PG 29-32)
● One patient described an instance of forcible rape in which Dr. Anderson put both hands around the patient’s waist and inserted his penis into the patient’s anus.
● A patient saw Dr. Anderson on the University of Michigan campus (likely at UHS) for a physical examination in 1965 or 1966. Dr. Anderson told the patient to “strip down” and instructed him to do jumping jacks while naked. Dr. Anderson then performed a prostate examination on the patient while simultaneously grabbing the patient’s penis with his other hand. Dr. Anderson “stroked” the patient’s penis until he ejaculated. The patient told DPSS that Dr. Anderson observed the ejaculate and remarked, “Nice color.”
● A patient saw Dr. Anderson at UHS as an undergraduate in 1968 or 1969 for treatment of a rash in his genital area. After examining the patient’s genitalia, Dr. Anderson pulled down his own pants and underwear, exposing himself and stating that he wanted to illustrate how a “penis and balls” should look. Dr. Anderson then instructed the patient to touch Dr. Anderson’s genitals, and as the patient did so, Dr. Anderson instructed him to “milk me.”
● A student-athlete sought treatment from Dr. Anderson at UHS in the late 1970s or early 1980s for a suspected STI. While examining the patient’s genitals, Dr. Anderson began masturbating the patient until the patient ejaculated, stating that he needed to “get some size” to the patient’s penis so that he could check for “crabs crawling around.” After the patient ejaculated, Dr. Anderson let the patient’s semen “stay in his hands” and asked the patient whether the examination “fe[lt] good.”
To state the obvious, Dr. Anderson’s suggestion and initiation of sexual contact with patients, as exemplified above, was grossly violative of the doctor-patient relationship. This conduct had no medical justification whatsoever. (PG 32)
Spotlight Michigan is committed to exposing these crimes and providing a voice to the community of victims, families, friends, and University of Michigan alumni that demand accountability from the University for its failure to put students before predators. It is also imperative that protocols and procedures be updated and improved to ensure such systemic failures that allowed for both the abuse and the cover-up never happen again.
To learn more about Spotlight Michigan visit our website at www.spotlightmichigan.com
