Imminent Danger is a five-part investigative podcast series from the WNYC newsroom and NYC NOW podcast about an OB/GYN who managed to get medical licenses in multiple states after health officials in New York declared him to be an “imminent danger” to the public and revoked his license decades earlier.

CONTENT WARNING: This story is a difficult one. It deals with detailed accounts of medical injury, loss and grief.

In the second episode of our five-part series, we go back in time to uncover why New York state revoked OB-GYN Dr. Thomas J. Byrne’s medical license in the first place. And we meet Donita Henry, who — back in 1990 — was pregnant with her first child and seeing Byrne for prenatal care in Upstate New York. Initially, she trusted Byrne. That would change after she gave birth.

Henry was one of 11 patients — a group that includes five pairs of babies and their mothers — the state would later determine were harmed under the care of Byrne in two years. But within about a year of losing his license to practice in New York, he obtained one in another state. We meet the man who recommended that Byrne be allowed to continue practicing.

This series is supported by the Pulitzer Center.

• Subscribe to NYC NOW wherever you listen to podcasts: https://bit.ly/3LzuerS
• Listen to the full episodes of Imminent Danger on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3tlERYn
• Subscribe for more from WNYC on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3mzLqA4
• Like this video and leave us a comment!

Follow WNYC on social:
• Twitter:   / wnyc  
• Instagram:   / wnyc  
• Facebook:   / wnyc  

NYC NOW is a podcast of the most up-to-date local news from across New York City and the region. With three updates a day, every weekday, you'll get breaking news, top headlines and in-depth reporting. It’s all the news you need to know right now to make New York work for you.

Illustration by Golden Cosmos.
Video by Kim Nowacki.