Staff members at Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital were discouraged from reporting abuse committed by convicted gynecologist Dr. Robert Hadden, who sexually assaulted hundreds of women over the span of more than 20 years while employed at both institutions. A new independent report blames the systemic abuses on Columbia’s culture of silence as the university protected Hadden even after he was accused of assaulting a patient in 2012 and arrested. The external investigation says Hadden used his prestigious position to prey on women. Hadden was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2023. A statement from the survivors of Hadden’s abuse said, “Survivors and the public at large have spent more than a decade rightfully demanding the truth about what happened at Columbia. We are still waiting.” Click here to see our coverage of this case and interviews with survivors.