COLUMBUS, Ohio — A former Columbus gastroenterologist faces serious allegations of misconduct, according to documents filed with the State Medical Board of Ohio.
The report states that between 2011 and 2023, Dr. David Wenzke is accused of at least six instances of inappropriately touching patients and a coworker.
It goes on to say that Dr. Wenzke worked for the Ohio Gastroenterology Group Incorporated in the Columbus area during some of those alleged instances.
The report adds that in 2017, the group investigated and fired him.
As of now, Dr. Wenzke works for Gastro Health in Cincinnati. According to a spokesperson for Gastro Health, he was hired in 2020.
In an email to 10TV, that spokesperson, Shannon Zemantauski, claimed that Gastro Health was unaware of the claims made against Dr. Wenzke before he was hired.
She released the following statement:
“Upon notification of the investigation, Dr. Wenzke was placed on immediate suspension and is not currently involved in patient care at Gastro Health. The health and safety of our patients is always our top priority. Based on the outcome of the investigation, further action will be taken.”
10TV also spoke with attorney Ben Andreozzi. His firm specializes in sexual abuse cases.
He told 10TV that in cases like these, the statute of limitations could prevent some alleged victims from seeking civil damages.
“It could be argued that in this particular case, the statute of limitations could be as short as one year,” he said.
10TV also got a hold of Dr. Wenzke’s attorney, Jason Gerken, who released the following statement:
“Dr. Wenzke is aware of the allegations pending before the state medical board. He vigorously denies the allegations, and he looks forward to presenting his case to the board.”
According to the State Medical Board of Ohio, Dr. Wenzke has a hearing scheduled for June 23-27, 2025.
After this story originally aired, the Ohio Gastroenterology Group Incorporated sent 10TV the following statement:
“Ohio Gastro trains all of our employees on numerous privacy and safety protections designed to protect our patients. When our employees told us in 2017 that Dr. Wenzke may have violated our patient protections, we immediately referred him to the Ohio Medical Board. They determined there was ‘insufficient evidence to justify further action’ and closed our complaint. And while Dr. Wenzke hasn’t worked for us for nearly 5 years, our staff and physicians have assisted with the Medical Board’s current investigation. We hope that the Medical Board will hold any physician who violated patient’s trust fully accountable.”