NEWS

Doctor who failed to report Richard Strauss abuse at Ohio State surrenders medical license

Max Filby
The Columbus Dispatch

A doctor connected to the Richard Strauss abuse allegations at Ohio State University no longer has a medical license in Ohio.

Dr. Ted W. Grace failed to report Strauss' actions in the 1990s and made "a false statement related to the practice of medicine,” a report issued in March shows. Strauss, who died by suicide in 2005 in California, has been accused of sexually abusing hundreds of former students while he worked for Ohio State between 1978 and 1998.

On Wednesday, Grace volunteered to surrender his license to the State Medical Board of Ohio and board members accepted it as part of a settlement agreement, Jerica Stewart, a board spokeswoman said via email. The agreement, which wasn't yet available Wednesday, means Grace will forgo an administrative hearing that was originally scheduled for April 20 through April 23, Stewart said.

News:Ohio board reopens 91 sexual assault cases against medical professionals after Strauss scandal review

Grace's revoked license a 'vindication' for survivors of Strauss' abuse

A search of the state medical board's licensure listing shows the board took action Wednesday and that Grace's license has been "permanently revoked" and an investigation into Grace is "closed."

The action is the clearest "vindication" for survivors of Strauss' abuse, said Steve Snyder-Hill, who attended Ohio State as an undergraduate and graduate student between 1991 and 1998.

News:A look at Richard Strauss’ career, abuse, and death, and what comes next

Snyder-Hill said he was seen by Strauss when he made an appointment at the health center after noticing a lump on his chest. Strauss, after asking Snyder-Hill what the problem was, proceeded to examine Snyder-Hill’s genitals, even before examining the lump on his chest, Snyder-Hill recalls.

In this 1998 photo, Ted Grace is pictured in an examination room at Ohio State's Student Health Services, where he served as director from August 1992 through 2007.

Snyder-Hill previously told The Dispatch he wrote a letter in the mid-1990′s to an official within Ohio State’s student health center after he was examined by Strauss.

Despite the board's action Wednesday, Snyder-Hill said more people still needed to be held accountable for allowing Strauss' abuse to go unchecked.

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"Ted Grace wasn't the only one. There are a lot more people that are out there that can still have punitive action taken against them," Snyder-Hill said. "There's a lot more people that need to fall …Ted Grace is just the first one."

How was Grace involved in abuse allegations at Ohio State?

Grace served as director of Student Health Services at Ohio State from August 1992 through 2007. Grace told the medical board in March 2020 that he heard about a physician at Ohio State who had been "touching athletes," before he even started working at the university.

News:  Former students again plead with Ohio State board over Richard Strauss abuse

Grace told the medical board that he became aware of at least three separate complaints against Strauss involving different male students who were seen for medical appointments with Strauss at the Student Health Center. Two complaints were reported in January 1995 and another was reported in January 1996, according to a letter the board sent to Grace.

After leaving Ohio State, Grace became the director of student health services at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Grace informed Southern Illinois University-Carbondale on March 12 of his intention to step away from his responsibilities and retire after 13 years there.

A look back:  Medical board reviewing license of doctor who failed to report Strauss abuse

Grace notified the university of his intentions to retire two days after Gov. Mike DeWine's working group reviewing the Strauss investigation released its final report and findings.

The report called for the State Medical Board of Ohio to reopen 91 sexual assault cases against physicians and other licensed medical professionals that were previously closed. The group recommended 11 cases be referred to law enforcement agencies for possible criminal prosecution.

Allegations against Dr. Richard Strauss have shaken Ohio State University.

Reporter Sheridan Hendrix contributed to this story.

mfilby@dispatch.com

@MaxFilby