Plastic surgeon who livestreamed procedures on TikTok loses medical licence
An Ohio plastic surgeon’s state medical license has been permanently revoked after a medical board determined she harmed patients while livestreaming their surgeries on the social media app TikTok
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Your support makes all the difference.The TikTok famous plastic surgeon from Ohio, known as “Dr. Roxy,” had her medical license permanently revoked on Wednesday after the state medical board determined she harmed patients while livestreaming their procedures on the social media platform.
The State Medical Board of Ohio voted to ban Katharine Roxanne Grawe from ever practicing again in the state.
The board said Grawe, whose license had been suspended for the better part of a year, neglected her patients as she livestreamed parts of their surgeries, spoke into a camera and responded to TikTok users’ questions, while the patients were being operated on.
While asking the board to revoke the viral doctor’s license, according toUSA Today, a lawyer representing the state’s case said: “This case isn’t about some antiquated view of social media ... These patients trusted Dr. Roxy because of what they saw on social media. She made major surgeries with potentially life-altering complications seem like one big party.”
Ms Grawe also made her case before the board before their decision, explaining that she used social media to try to knock down the “stiff and scary wall between patients and practitioners.” Although she said she now understands that her method’s fell short of the medical board’s standards.
“As I stand here today, I see how many of those silly videos seemed unprofessional,” Ms Grawe told the board. “I understand how my actions at times seemed careless and offended my patients and colleagues.”
Ms Grawe was suspended by the board on 18 November and informed that “continued practice after receipt of this Order shall be considered practicing without a certificate.” The notice also referred to two other times in which the plastic surgeon had been warned about her online behavior—one in 2018 and one in 2021.
According to the notice, the board said it “cautioned you regarding the need to maintain patient privacy when sharing photos or video via social media” in October 2018. Then again in September 2021, the board relayed ethics concerns. “The letter articulated multi-faceted issues with your care of these patients, including concerns regarding the lack of informed consent, ethical concerns related to privacy and social media, and avoidable complications that requiredsurgical revision,” the notice said.
The Independent reached out to Grawe and her lawyer for comment.
While Grawe’s TikTok account is currently private, some of the videos she once posted have been reposted on other accounts.
The notice also mentioned three unnamed patients of Ms Grawe's who suffered severe complications and needed intense medical care after Ms Grawe’s procedures. “While looking at the camera and speaking to the camera, you were engaged in liposuction of” a patient’s abdomen, the board wrote, adding that the patient suffered from a perforated intestine just one week after the surgery.
This patient had deteriorated brain function and severe bacterial infections in her abdomen, the notice said.
Associated Press contributed to this report