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: The start of this episode includes a detailed telling of loss and the death of a child.

Four years after Amy Lam died in 2016, court records show Dr. Thomas J. Byrne was involved in another incident at Harlem Hospital. A baby was allegedly lacerated down his back and buttocks during a cesarean-section.

For the people whose cases were central to Byrne losing his license in New York more than 30 years ago, the fact that he is able to practice in the state again stirs up difficult memories and feelings of anger and betrayal. “They even said he'll never practice medicine again in New York state,” said John Henries, whose son was delivered by Byrne in the 1990s. “That's a lie.”

In this episode, we examine what the record shows about New York’s decision to restore Byrne’s medical license. And share a discovery made along the way that may help explain at least one reason he has managed to continue practicing all these years.

This series is supported by the Pulitzer Center.

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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. Subscribe to NYC NOW wherever you listen to podcasts: https://bit.ly/3LzuerS

Illustration by Golden Cosmos.
Video by Kim Nowacki.