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Robert Anderson, a former University of Michigan doctor, molested hundreds of students, university athletes and other patients during the nearly 40 years he worked at the institution despite repeated complaints to university officials about his behavior, according to a report released Tuesday by the university.
"Over the course of his thirty-seven years as a University employee, Dr. Anderson engaged in sexual misconduct with patients on countless occasions," states the 240-page report by WilmerHale, the Washington, D.C., law firm hired by the university to conduct an independent investigation of the allegations. "Dr. Anderson’s misconduct ranged from performing medically unnecessary hernia and rectal examinations on patients seeking treatment for wholly unrelated issues, to manually stimulating male patients and causing them to ejaculate, to quid pro quo arrangements in which he provided medical services in exchange for sexual contact. Dr. Anderson’s misconduct prompted some student athletes to quit their teams; it caused some students to question their sexuality; it caused some students to seek counseling; it affected some students’ academics, including some who left the University; and it undoubtedly affected other students in myriad ways. The trauma that Dr. Anderson’s misconduct caused persists to this day."
The report says numerous UM officials, including at least one senior administrator, were informed of the sexual abuse by Anderson on several occasions and did not take appropriate action. Anderson worked for the university from 1966 to 2003, including 18 years in the athletic department. He died in 2008.
