An Ohio doctor accused of prioritizing her TikTok account over her practice had her medical license permanently revoked yesterday.
Dr. Katharine Grawe, formerly a plastic surgeon, was known for livestreaming as @doctorroxy on TikTok as she performed surgeries on patients from 2018–2022. But, according to The Hill, the doctor bungled the surgeries of three patients, who suffered "skin tears, infections, and other serious complications," and needed medical care to correct the botched procedures.
"I strongly recommend that there never be a Dr. Roxy or patient one, two or three – and protect the people of the state of Ohio from this reckless physician," said Ohio Medical Board member Dr. Jonathan Feibel.
From The Hill:
From 2018 to 2022, Grawe frequently livestreamed patients' surgeries on her TikTok, amassing thousands of followers who tuned in to watch the procedures. But a board member at Wednesday's hearing said Grawe prioritized her social media presence over her patients. …
Mary Jenkins, a former Roxy Cosmetics patient who successfully sued Grawe in 2019 after the tissue of her breast reconstruction died, said the board's revocation of her license will hopefully provide closure to other victims.
"It will never go away," Jenkins said, "because every time we look down, we see a scar and we will always remember."
The board, who temporarily suspended Grawe's license in October, said she had been warned as early as 2018 about patient privacy concerns regarding the livestreaming of their surgeries, often in intimate areas.
At Wednesday's hearing, Grawe said she filmed videos in the operating room "to make people smile in a world that is negative and difficult to navigate." Standing before the board, however, she said she understands how "many of those silly videos appeared unprofessional."
