The state of Alabama's medical licensing commission has launched an investigation into whether Arpit Saxena, the Michigan State University medical resident accused of sexually assaultingat least six patients at an East Lansing clinic, may have committed the same acts when he was working in Alabama.
What happened in Michigan "is really concerning," said Wilson Hunter, general counsel for the Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners and Medical Licensure Commission.
But what's equally troublesome, Hunter said, is that documents filed in the Michigan Court of Claims allege that before Saxenacame to Michigan, he also was accused of sexually assaulting patients at Cahaba Medical Care in Centreville, Alabama.
From August 2021 to December 2023, Saxena
held two medical licenses in Alabama — a limited Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine license and a full, unrestricted controlled substance license. The commission's website says his licenses were used while Saxena was training as a medical resident through a University of Alabama at Birmingham family medicine program at Cahaba.
Hunter said neither UAB nor Cahaba Medical Care notified the commission of any disciplinary actions or sexual assault accusations involving Saxena during that time.
"There is a state statute requiring such notice and we are now investigating whether or not there was an issue following that statute," Hunter said. "We are going to investigate what happened here and make sure it doesn’t happen again. ... I am very troubled by this and we’re going to dig into it."
In a statement emailed to the Free Press, Cahaba Medical Care did not confirm or deny the allegations involving Saxena, saying only: "The safety and well-being of our patients is our highest priority. This individual is no longer affiliated with Cahaba Medical Care. Because this is an active legal matter, we are unable to comment further."
If the commission had been alerted to a sexual assault claim against Saxena, Hunter said: "The state medical board would have taken an action. Our policy is zero tolerance on sexual assault. The system is supposed to work where if one state board does something, it gets reported to the databank and everyone sees it."
The National Practitioner Data Bank Hunter referenced acts as a repository for reports of malpractice payments and disciplinary action taken against licensed health care providers and suppliers. It was created to ensure medical professionals can't jump from one state to the next without disclosing past misconduct.
Michigan agency alleges MSU violated state law
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs says MSU broke the law by waiting 17 months to report that it was investigating Saxena after getting reports that he sexually assaulted patients, the agency's spokesperson told the Detroit Free Press.
Although MSU police launched an investigation on April 3, 2025, into Arpit Saxena's conduct at the university's Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Clinic in East Lansing, it took until Sept. 9, 2026, for anyone at MSU to alert LARA, said Anastasha Osborn, director of communications for the agency.
By failing to report within 30 days disciplinary action "that results in a change of employment status or adversely affects clinical privileges," MSU violated the Michigan Public Health Code, Osborn said.
MSU also violated state statute when it did not immediately notify LARA when Saxena was dismissed from its residency program on Oct. 8, 2025, Osborn confirmed on Friday, Oct. 16, in an email message to the Free Press.
Saxena had a controlled substance license and an osteopathic physician educational license issued by LARA on May 1, 2024. Those licenses were active in Michigan until June 30, 2026, when they subsequently lapsed and were not renewed, documents show.
His medical licenses were never marred with any indication of disciplinary action and no notation that he was under investigation or had been dismissed for misconduct while working at the MSU clinic between July 1, 2024, and April 7, 2025, according to documents obtained by the Detroit Free Press under the Freedom of Information Act.
It means Saxena could have worked elsewhere while MSU was investigating sexual assault allegations and even after the university dismissed him from its residency program, and his new employer would have been unaware. MSU's failure to promptly report it to the state licensing board could have allowed Saxena to continue the same pattern of behavior that six patients now allege was not medical treatment but sexual abuse.
"Failure to comply with the reporting requirements established under MCL 333.20175 would constitute a violation of those statutory requirements," Osborn said, noting that there isn't a specific penalty spelled out in the law for failing to meet those reporting deadlines.
She added, however: "LARA cannot speak to potential consequences under other laws outside the department's regulatory authority."
The Detroit Free Press asked MSU for details about when and how it reported the allegations against Saxena to the state licensing agency, including why it took so long to alert LARA of its investigation, of the change in Saxena's clinical access to patients, of his Oct. 8, 2025, dismissal from the residency program, and more.
In an email message to the Free Press, university spokesperson Amber McCann issued the following statement Friday afternoon:
"The College of Osteopathic Medicine and university took action to ensure the safety of patients and removed Saxena from his role of seeing patients on Monday, April 7, 2025. Saxena never resumed patient care and was dismissed by Michigan State University.
"Michigan State University is aware of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs’ interest in this matter and is fully prepared to engage with the department."
McCann did not answer questions earlier in the week from the Free Press about MSU's obligation to inform the licensing/regulatory agency that oversees physicians in the state of serious allegations that could affect the safety of others or about whether the university has protocol that spells out the process for reporting.
Saxena is being held in the Ingham County Jail on a $2 million bond while he awaits a preliminary examination of the evidence against him Oct. 29 in 54-B District Court in East Lansing.
Anyone with concerns about their treatment under Saxena's care is urged to call the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety hotline at 844-996-7873 or send an email to tips@police.msu.edu. Support and resources are available through the Center for Survivors by calling 517-372-6666.
Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Subscribe to the Detroit Free Press.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Before MSU, did Saxena assault Alabama patients? State starts inquiry
