RICHMOND, Va. — Members of the Virginia Board of Medicine are hearing testimony in Dr. Attique Samdani's case on Friday after suspending his license in March when a female doctor from Pakistan accused him of inappropriate touching.
The formal hearing allows Samdani to argue why his license should be reinstated.
The female doctor, who came to the United States from Pakistan in July last year, testified before the board that she participated in an observership with Samdani in hopes of geting a recommendation for a U.S. residency program.
She told the board that Samdani came to her hotel room after taking her to dinner at McDonald's and said he performed lymph node examinations on all his students. She testified that he then began touching her neck.
The woman said she was in shock and described Samdani as tall and strong. She feared she might get raped.
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According to her testimony, Samdani touched her breasts and groin area before she got up and walked toward the door. She told him she felt uncomfortable during the exam.
The woman also testified that Samdani repeatedly told her not to tell his wife anything before the exam. She said she felt ashamed and blamed herself for what happened.
Her boyfriend, now husband and also a doctor, testified that he dropped her off for the observership and picked her up after she called him crying about the alleged incident.
He said he felt betrayed by what happened because he trusted Samdani, he told the board.
He said when he called Samdani after the alleged incident, the doctor asked, "What do you want? Do you want money?"
The husband drove his girlfriend to the Chesterfield Police Department and urged her to file a report. He explained to the board that in Pakistani culture, a doctor touching a young woman's private parts over her clothing is unethical and "the worst thing that could happen."
The board will also hear from a second woman who came forward in late May after Samdani's license was suspended. She claims he touched her inappropriately while she was shadowing him in 2021.
Samdani will testify in his own defense. In opening statements, his lawyer told the board that Samdani did not touch either woman inappropriately.
The lawyer said that there is no credible evidence that negates the fact that he did not behave in any way inappropriately.
The husband of the first accuser testified that his goal in supporting the complaint was clear: He wants to make sure this never happens to another student or patient.
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