The Iowa Board of Medicine has charged an emergency-medicine doctor from Des Moines with sexual misconduct.
Board records indicate Dr. Douglas Selover, 67, has been charged with unprofessional conduct, a charge that includes acts that violate the “standards and principles of medical ethics,” or are “contrary to honesty, justice or good morals, whether the same is committed in the course of the licensee’s practice or otherwise.” Selover is also charged with sexual misconduct, a charge the board says “includes sexual harassment.”
The board has not disclosed when, where or how the alleged violations took place. State records indicate Selover has practiced as an emergency-medicine physician at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center.
A board hearing on the charges is scheduled for Dec. 12, 2025.
Board records show that in 1991, the board approved Selover’s residency in Iowa pursuant to a consent agreement in which he agreed to abstain from the use of nonprescribed drugs, inform his treating physician of his “previous history of chemical abuse,” and abstain from drinking alcohol. As part of that agreement, Selover also promised to attend regular support-group meetings and submit to periodic testing for drugs and alcohol.
In 1992, shortly after Selover was arrested on a charge of drunken driving, the board alleged that on several occasions Selover had violated the terms of his consent agreement by consuming alcohol. Later that year, the board resolved the case by suspending Selover’s license for 30 days, after which his license was to be placed on probationary status for five years. The arrest resulted in a conviction for second-offense drunken driving, according to court records.
In 1993, the board granted Selover a license to practice osteopathic medicine in Iowa subject to probation and many of the same conditions that were imposed on his residency in 1991. In 1996, the board terminated Selover’s probation and granted him a license free and clear of any restrictions.
In November 2003, Selover was arrested again on a charge of second-offense drunken driving. The charge was later reduced to reckless driving.
Selover is currently a defendant in two separate medical malpractice cases in which he is alleged to have failed to diagnose hydrocephalus in patients he saw seven days apart at MercyOne Medical Center of Des Moines. Both patients — one of whom was a 7-year-old boy, while the other was a 12-year-old girl — subsequently died.
Selover has denied any wrongdoing in the two cases, which are currently scheduled for trial in July and September of 2027.
Dubuque physician faces charges again
The Iowa Board of Medicine has charged a Dubuque physician with unprofessional conduct.
Board records indicate Dr. Barry J. Waack, 59, a doctor of osteopathy, is charged with unprofessional conduct, a charge that includes acts “contrary to honesty, justice or good morals, whether the same is committed in the course of the licensee’s practice or otherwise,” or acts that violate “the standards and principles of medical ethics or rules.”
The board has not disclosed when, where or how the alleged violations took place. According to the board, Waack is a family-medicine physician practicing in the Dubuque area.
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Oct. 24, 2025.
In 2018, the board alleged Waack violated appropriate professional boundaries, engaged in improper prescribing, and failed to establish an appropriate physician-patient relationship. The board also alleged Waack failed to perform appropriate examinations and failed to maintain appropriate medical records.
In that case, Waack was accused of prescribing multiple medications — including antibiotics, a corticosteroid and an antidepressant — for a subordinate female coworker with whom he was having a sexual relationship, without ever establishing an appropriate physician-patient relationship.
He and the board later agreed to resolve the case with a warning and a $5,000 civil penalty. As part of the agreement, Waack also agreed to complete a board-approved course on professional boundaries, and his license was placed on probation.
In December 2021, the board restored Waack’s license to full privileges, free and clear of any restrictions.
Find this story at Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions:kobradovich@iowacapitaldispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines doctor faces malpractice claims, misconduct allegations
