A pediatric neurologist was just sent to jail after being found guilty of producing child porn
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"My initial reaction (to the charges) was concern that my son was or could have been a victim... Reading [he'd produced] 20,000 videos, that's a lot.” — Mother of a patient, Amanda Chilcote, speaking to KHSB Kansas City
The medical community is grappling with the fallout from a high-profile federal case involving Dr. Brian Aalbers, a 51-year-old pediatric neurologist formerly practicing at Overland Park Regional Medical Center in Kansas.
Last week, Aalbers was sentenced to 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to producing child pornography.[]
Horrifying case details
The investigation began in late 2023, when Kansas City police responded to a report of hidden cameras discovered at a residence. Around the same time, Aalbers had reportedly sent suicidal text messages. He was taken to a hospital for voluntary mental health treatment, carrying a backpack that contained two laptops, two iPads, and a phone. Search warrants later uncovered more than 50,000 video files, including over 1,000 depicting child sexual abuse.[]
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Federal investigators also recovered approximately 1,000 images and 163 additional videos from his iCloud account. Thirteen child victims have been identified so far. Prosecutors say Aalbers had been recording minors over a period spanning three years, from October 2020 through October 2023.[]
Despite initial concerns, authorities have stated there’s no evidence that current or former patients were among the victims. Still, the violation of trust runs deep, especially for clinicians who work in pediatrics or have long-term therapeutic relationships with families.
Still, the nature of the crime, committed by a physician entrusted with caring for children, has prompted serious concern within the medical community.
Aalbers will be subject to lifetime supervised release after his sentence. He is no longer licensed to practice medicine.[]
This case may be a tragic anomaly—but it’s a wake-up call. Physicians are given extraordinary access to patients’ lives, especially vulnerable populations like children. When that trust is exploited, it doesn’t just destroy lives—it corrodes the public’s faith in the entire profession. Aalbers’ crimes demand not only moral outrage but a renewed urgency for institutional accountability. For hospitals, licensing boards, and healthcare systems, the question now isn’t whether safeguards exist—but whether they actually work.
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