Boston Medical Center has restricted some of the practice rights of Michael Holick, PhD, MD, a world-renowned endocrinologist, in response to his widely-criticized testimonies as an expert witness in hundreds of cases defending people accused of child abuse, according to ProPublica.
Dr. Holick began testifying in child abuse cases worldwide earlier this decade. He has testified in over 300 cases, always on behalf of the accused, and as of last September he has never concluded that a child was abused. He nearly always says children's injuries are due to a rare genetic disorder called Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which has been linked to bone fragility in adults, according to a September 2018 report from ProPublica and The New Yorker.
Physicians who specialize in Ehlers-Danlos say there is a lack of research to support Dr. Holick's view that the condition can cause broken bones in young children.
Boston Medical Center said it stopped allowing Dr. Holick to treat or evaluate children under age 13 beginning in May 2017. The discipline was not reported to the Massachusetts medical board until February 2019, however. The board requires hospitals to report disciplinary action within 30 days.
"We complied with our reporting obligations," hospital spokesperson David Kibbe told ProPublica when asked about the 21-month delay. Dr. Holick, who is best known in the medical community for pioneering work on vitamin D, did not respond to ProPublica's requests for comment.