The AdvoKayte Podcast: Holding Healthcare Accountable!
Episode 3: Speaking Out Against Dr. Death: Dr. Robert Henderson’s Fight for Patient Safety
Aired on November 26th, 2025
Summary (20m).
Episode 3 - Dr. Robert Henderson (Part 2 of 2)
What should a responsible person do when confronted with something so obviously wrong it simply can’t be overlooked by someone who considers themselves to be a responsible person? Dr. Robert Henderson is a reasonable person. His intervention was among the first of a string of responsible people who stepped up to stop Christopher Duntsch.
“This is the riveting story of why one man, one surgeon decided he had to do something to prevent Christopher Duntsch from hurting more people.” Kay Van Wey
After he ascertained the unbelievable, that Christopher Duntsch was a trained neurosurgeon who was licensed to practice in Texas, Dr. Henderson tried to get someone in authority to stop Duntsch. Sadly most part, local, state, and even federal medical and law enforcement officials didn’t know what to do with the Duntsch case so they passed the buck to the next office leaving Dr Henderson extremely frustrated and increasingly alarmed.
Dr. Henderson walks Kay through a litany of other seemingly responsible offices and authorities who consistently passed on taking responsibility for Duntsch. Henderson repeatedly tried to get authorities to put a stop to Duntsch but ran up against a series of obstacles. Dr. Henderson talks about residency programs passing people they shouldn’t have, hospitals not doing proper peer reviews or having proper reporting procedures, and local and state medical boards refusing to take action on Duntsch. He then explains how even the most stringent training regimes, ones designed to winnow out less talented surgeons, will sometimes allow someone who should have washed out to slip through the cracks and into mainstream medical practice.
This episode continues to slowly and methodically explain how the medical system works to train, vet, and monitor medical practitioners. Even the best-designed and implemented system will generate mistakes. It takes the courage and conviction of people like Dr. Henderson to catch and correct those mistakes.
Show Notes
This episode dives into the consequences he faced for blowing the whistle, the failures of peer review systems, and the systemic flaws that allow unsafe physicians to continue practicing.
What You Will Learn In This Episode.
- Why Dr. Henderson documented and reported his findings
- The institutional pushback he received—and how he handled it
- The failures of hospital and medical board oversight
- The ongoing need for credentialing reform and accountability
- A call to action for healthcare transparency and patient protection
Dr. Henderson’s story reminds us of the power of moral courage in a system that too often protects itself over its patients. His experience fuels the growing demand for reform in how we ensure safety in healthcare.
About Kay and This Podcast: AdvoKayte.
Hosted by nationally recognized medical malpractice attorney Kay Van Wey, AdvoKAYte is dedicated to helping people find and use their voices, to understand the complexities of health care, and ultimately empower patients, families, and caregivers to successfully navigate through the worst aspects of today’s healthcare system.
“I don’t want to call it a calling, that’s too strong but, it’s my life’s purpose. It’s my life’s work, it’s my life’s purpose. There are things that I’ve seen, and things that I know after all of these decades of doing this work that other people need to know.” Kay Van Wey
Kay’s life purpose is clear: to expose the cover-ups, profit games, preventable errors, and predatory legislation that puts all of us at risk, and to empower YOU to protect yourselves and your loved ones
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