Dr. Kevin Corless, an Oshawa family doctor, has had his medical licence revoked after a tribunal found he sexually abused a patient he had treated for 36 years. The Ontario Physicians and Surgeons Tribunal ruled that Corless violated professional boundaries, leading to a financial, social, emotional, and ultimately sexual relationship with the patient, identified only as Patient A.
Abuse of trust spanning decades
Patient A first visited Corless when she was 17 and he had just opened his practice. Over the next 36 years, she confided in him about mental health and relationship challenges, viewing him as a father figure. The tribunal found that Corless abused this trust, causing devastating and lasting harm.
Inappropriate conduct began in 2012 when Patient A was about 42 and continued until she stopped seeing him in summer 2023. Corless told her she was his best friend and he loved her, shared personal details and photos, lent her money, co-signed her lease, and had a key to her apartment. He often got into her bed with her.
A forensic examination of her phone revealed extensive communication: 6,475 text messages, 39 emails, 25 e-transfer notifications, and 11 phone calls between August 2017 and December 2023.
Sexual encounter leads to revocation
In July 2023, when Patient A was experiencing relationship difficulties, Corless booked a hotel room for her and gave her his credit card. He then came to her room, and they engaged in sexual intercourse, the decision states.
Patient A reported Corless to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario in October 2023. During the investigation, Corless failed to provide substantive responses to the allegations. He did not contest charges of sexual abuse, disgraceful conduct, or failure to respond to inquiries.
Under the Health Professions Act, sexual intercourse between a doctor and patient constitutes sexual abuse, leading to automatic licence revocation. The tribunal emphasized that physicians must maintain professional boundaries due to the inherent power imbalance.
Victim impact and consequences
The patient's victim impact statement described seeing Corless as a father figure and the violation of trust, leading to nightmares, sleep disturbance, low self-worth, social withdrawal, and mistrust of physicians.
Corless, who earned his medical degree in Ireland and is reportedly the father of seven daughters, was ordered to reimburse the college nearly $18,000 for counselling provided to the patient and pay $6,000 for hearing costs. He also signed an undertaking never to practice medicine again in any jurisdiction.
The tribunal stated: "The clear message is that there is zero tolerance for doctors who abuse their power and privilege by engaging in sexual abuse."
