Accused UNC Doc Asks for Medical License to Be 'Inactive'

Chapel Hill, N.C. — A part-time faculty member at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine – accused of molesting young boys in Boston decades ago – has requested that his medical license be placed on "inactive" status.

A posting on the North Carolina Medical Board's Web site showed that Dr. Melvin Levine requested that the "inactive" status be effective today.

In the letter, he agrees that he "shall not practice medicine or surgery, diagnose, treat, or prescribe in North Carolina while my license is inactive." He signed the document today.

Levine, 68, has agreed to stop seeing patients, a UNC Health Care spokesman said Thursday.

Levine, an adjunct professor in UNC's Pediatrics Department and director of the Clinical Center for Development and Research, has been named in four lawsuits that allege he fondled seven boys over several years at Children's Hospital in Boston.

He was chief of pediatrics at Children's Hospital from 1971 to 1985 and specialized in children with developmental and educational difficulties. He also is a nationally known author of books on how children learn and has appeared on Oprah Winfrey's talk show.

Through his attorneys, Levine has denied the allegations. Both Children's Hospital and UNC Health Care issued statements saying they had never received any complaints about him from patients or their families.

Levine retired from full-time work at UNC in 2006 but continued to see patients twice a month. He offered to stop seeing patients because of the allegations against him, UNC Health Care spokesman Tom Hughes said.

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he did the professional thing - not practicing at all while under scrutiny. The initial article stated one the accusers "remembered" the molestation after seeing the doctor's face on a book cover. Given the now adult patient had "developmental challenges" the combination of "remembering" prompted by seeing the defendant's face on a book cover (in a book store) 20+ years after the alleged assault is too difficult for me to find believable. I am most curious how the other alleged "victims" were located (especially given they were all "challenged"). I am most curious about the accuser - background info please - who does he live with? what does he do for a living? what sections does he like to browse in the bookstore?

oldschooltarheel
April 4, 2008 4:27 p.m.

Another Chester. Last month it was the Dreamsports owner, the month before the Karate instructor, a few years back, the NCSU swim coach. And funny thing is people start falling out of the wood work to say how good they were to their kids. To me a "Chester" being part time good and part time bad, is like being a little bit pregnant.

ma2345
April 4, 2008 4:12 p.m.

I have said it before; this is a shakedown pure and simple. Even if these individuals meet their burden in proving the allegations true, what are their damages? How would a jury decide what in their adult life was a result of a one-time case of inapppropriate touching and what was a result of their underlying psychological patholgy which led to the need for an evaluation. I believe the attorney sued hoping for an out-of-court settlement.

seankelly15
April 4, 2008 4:02 p.m.

pack4ever - I'm sure he didn't bother your son, but that doesn't mean he isn't guilty of all the charges and accusations. Most molester don't molest everyone/child they encounter - that would be too obvious.

I hope he didn't do it, but then you have to wonder how you can get such a large number of people to make similar allegations.

Either way it's bad - either the doctor did it; or the people are making it up. Really makes you wonder what this world is coming to.

JAT
April 4, 2008 3:59 p.m.

I as talking children as adults that are lead into mis-remembering facts about molestation. There are a whole group of people doing this. NOT the doctor not remembering.