Board drops charges against Durham doctor

Physician who allegedly provided fake COVID vaccine exemptions surrenders license, is put under suspension

The state Medical Examining Board agreed Tuesday to withdraw the charges filed against a Durham physician accused of providing fraudulent exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines and masks after she voluntarily relinquished her medical license while it was suspended.

Dr. Sue McIntosh, a retired physician, will not face any discipline and will not be able to practice medicine unless she seeks a formal reinstatement before the board, state Department of Public Health officials said.

The board’s vote was unanimous. The board did not discuss the case before the vote other than a comment by Chairwoman Kathryn Emmett, who said since McIntosh voluntarily had surrendered her license, “there was no license to reprimand.”

McIntosh was accused of deviating from the standard of care by failing to properly diagnose or examine people to whom she issued signed exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines and masks. The

state said McIntosh failed to build a patient and physician relationship with those who requested the exemptions, failed to obtain their medical history and failed to comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines by providing advice that was harmful to the public.

The board suspended McIntosh’s medical license on Sept. 24 after a brief investigation revealed she was providing signed exemptions to anyone who sent a self-addressed, stamped envelope to her Durham address, agency documents said.

The exemption paperwork that McIntosh would mail back included explanations of what various exemptions would be, such as cancers, autism disorders, autoimmune disorders and others, and how to fill out the exemption paperwork, documents said.

“You may copy and distribute as many forms as you wish to anyone,” the instructions provided by McIntosh said. “Keep blank copies for yourself for future use.” She ended the instructions with “Let freedom ring!” the documents said.

DPH officials recommended the board withdraw the charges on the grounds “the continued prosecution of the case is unnecessary, and it is in the interests of administrative economy to terminate proceedings.”

McIntosh voluntarily surrendered her license Oct. 1, before a hearing could be held on the state charges.

In July, the Federation of State Medical Boards warned physicians that they could face disciplinary action by their own state medical boards for spreading disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. DPH officials said in early September that any complaints about COVID-19 vaccine misinformation would be investigated. The DPH received an anonymous tip on July 30 that McIntosh was mailing people exemptions.

Due to the nature of the allegations, the DPH sent out an advisory requiring all long-term care facilities to review exemptions to determine whether any staff required to be vaccinated had received an exemption from McIntosh. The DPH did not provide information on whether the investigation uncovered widespread fraudulent exemptions. No one on the board asked about the number of exemptions during the meeting.

The board also agreed Tuesday to place a Yale School of Medicine psychiatry resident on probation for two years and reprimand the license of a Florida physician disciplined by Iowa health authorities for prescribing medication for telehealth patients by reviewing online questionnaires.

Dr. Darja Djordjevic, a psychiatry resident at the Yale School of Medicine, has an emotional or mental health disorder that could impact her ability to safely treat patients, DPH documents said. Under a consent order approved Tuesday, Djordjevic must seek therapy during probation and provide the agency with quarterly reports from her employer that indicate whether she is practicing medicine safely. She cannot enter into her own private practice until her probation is complete, the order said.

The board also reprimanded the Connecticut license of Dr. Alexandar Jovanovich, who had been disciplined by the Iowa Board of Medicine for prescribing medications without establishing valid professional relationships with telehealth patients.

Jovanovich, who is now a Florida resident providing health consultant services, would issue the prescriptions based on online questionnaires, DPH officials said. While Jovanovich held a Connecticut medical license, he never practiced medicine or telemedicine in Connecticut, documents said.

Since the Iowa discipline, Jovanovich has allowed his medical licenses in 32 states to lapse and he does not plan on renewing his Connecticut license, which expired in May, DPH officials said.

The board also agreed to reinstate the license of a Vernon physician who practiced cardiology and internal medicine before retiring in 2018 due to family circumstances, officials said.

Dr. Ali Shakibai recently has taken the required amount of education credits to resume work as a physician, DPH officials said.