Dennis Kelly surrenders medical license following health concerns


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The Medical Board of California originally charged former men’s health doctor Dennis Kelly with a mental or physical impairment that would affect his ability to safely practicing medicine. (Twesha Dikshit | Daily Trojan)

Former men’s sexual health doctor Dennis Kelly surrendered his medical license Thursday after the Medical Board of California found that a physical or mental condition he was diagnosed with in November would impair his ability to safely practice medicine. 

According to MBC public information manager Carlos Villatoro, Kelly agreed and decided to instead surrender his license. 

“The mission of the Medical Board of California is for protection and the surrender of [Kelly’s] license meets that protection,” he wrote in an email. 

Though separate, this comes nearly a year after six former USC students filed a lawsuit against the doctor, accusing him of sexual battery, sexual harassment and gender violence. Since February, nearly 50 men, most of whom identify as gay and bisexual, have joined a class-action lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct and gender discrimination.  

“I think we’re obviously relieved to know that he will no longer be practicing medicine or seeing patients,” said attorney Kelly Van Aken, who represents several plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Kelly and USC. “So, you know, we see this as a good thing.”

According to court documents, Kelly’s condition is progressive and renders him “permanently unsafe to practice medicine.” Kelly has had his medical license since 1974.

“This is a personal decision and licensing matter between the medical board and Dr. Kelly; the university was not a party to this matter,” USC said in a statement. “USC is committed to a culture of respect and support for all patients, students, faculty and staff and, in these cases, the concerns of the LGBTQ+ community are especially important to us.”

Kelly’s lawyers did not respond to requests for comment regarding his surrender of the license in time for publication.

Kelly worked at USC for nearly 20 years before resigning in August 2018. He was the only men’s sexual health doctor at USC during his employment. Former patients have accused him of conducting unnecessary rectal examinations and refusing to give “standard medical covering, drapery or robe for privacy” to plaintiffs, according to court documents. He is also accused of discriminating against plaintiffs’ sexual orientations and using derogatory terms when asking about the plaintiff’s sexual history and practices.

“The case is continuing to proceed in the complex litigation department and Los Angeles Superior Court,” Van Aken said. “The parties are working cooperatively to move the case along, but we’re still in the pretty early stages.”

She is unsure if the diagnosed condition will impact the case. 

Kelly has worked as a men’s health specialist at Cal State Northridge since 2002, where he is still employed, though he was placed on administrative leave in February after the first lawsuit surfaced. 

Twesha Dikshit, Shaylee Navarro and Natalie Oganesyan also contributed to this report.