The license of an obstetrician-gynecologist in Powell has been suspended because she is being accused of drinking while on the job, and the fact that she occasionally needed to be roused from her sleep to meet patients.
Dr. Kimberly Jo Cull, who is 49 years old, received a notification from the State Medical Board of Ohio yesterday informing her that she is required to immediately cease practicing medicine and surgery and to refer her patients to other medical professionals.
In this situation, Cull may submit a request for a hearing. Next, following the conclusion of the hearing, the board would deliberate on the recommendations for disciplinary action. Nevertheless, in this particular instance, the board deemed it absolutely necessary for Cull to immediately stop practicing, and as a result, it issued a summary suspension.
I was unable to get in touch with Cull yesterday. In a message that was left on the phone at her office on Liberty Street, it was said that she is now in the process of moving.
As stated in the notification, Cull informed the board in December 2007 that she had lost the privilege of practicing medicine at Mount Carmel St. Ann’s, Grady Memorial Hospital, and Riverside Methodist Hospital. At the moment, she does not have privileges at any hospital, according to the information.
According to the notice, Cull was observed consuming wine during office hours, was spotted with a white powdery substance under her nose, and had to be awakened “regularly” in order to see her patients. Additionally, these observations were made.
According to the notice, she was found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol with a conviction in Wayne County in 2007, and she came dangerously close to running over a Powell police officer in 2006.
Also yesterday, the board made the following decisions: • They decided not to discipline Dr. Donald Lanese, who is a radiologist for Mobilex in Worthington and resides in Columbus, since he works there. Following the discovery that he handled approximately 2,000 cases each week and worked days that lasted as long as 15 hours, a board hearing examiner suggested that he be placed on probation and that he minimise the amount of work he was responsible for.
When Lanese first examined the X-ray of a patient, he did not notice a bullet fragment in the foot of the patient. However, when he reviewed the X-ray later, he noticed the fragment. However, the majority of the board concluded that the occurrence did not result in any harm to the patient and was merely an innocent error. As a result, they decided not to take any action against his licence. The workload of the individual in question was not a concern, according to many board members, and radiologists do occasionally overlook things.
In a letter of citation that was sent to Dr. Hisako Koizumi, a psychiatrist who practices on Kenny Road, the organisation stated that it wants to explore taking disciplinary action regarding her care of a woman from California who was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Among other things, it stated that her treatment did not meet the standards that were desired.
Koizumi, who had not yet seen the citation when she was contacted yesterday, stated that she did not see that woman to treat her cancer or to treat her for psychological disease. According to Koizumi, she was only assessing her level of energy for a colleague in Michigan who is researching the curative properties of the Chinese practice of qigong who was interested in the practice.
Formal Action Report: Kimberly C. Anderson, Chief Legal Counsel
Alcohol and Drug-Related Violations
Dr. Mark L. Allen of Poland, Ohio, faced a hearing notice due to admitted alcohol use and multiple violations of a prior consent agreement. These included failing to submit a scheduled urine screen and missing check-ins with a Board-approved drug testing facility. Similarly, Kimberly Jo Cull, M.D., of Powell, Ohio, who applied for medical licensure, pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges and was allegedly unable to practice safely due to substance abuse and mental health issues. Dr. Anthony V. Dallas, Jr. from Tennessee, was disciplined by the Mississippi board, including a three-month suspension and educational mandates.
Dr. David R. Mandel of Solon, Ohio, was convicted of misbranding a drug, a misdemeanor. Dr. Matthew R. Harris of Columbus violated the terms of his prior board agreement due to drug testing failures. Other professionals, including Dr. Lillian F. Lewis and Dr. Maneesh Mehra, were similarly found impaired due to drug and alcohol abuse.
Unlicensed Practice and Professional Misconduct
Amanda Susan Conn, M.T., of Oak Harbor, allegedly practiced for three years with an expired license. Nicole Michelle Brewer, M.T., was convicted of theft, a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude. Clinton James Cornell, a physician assistant from Cincinnati, was cited following disciplinary action in Michigan.
Adam M. Holman, a massage therapy applicant from Tiffin, failed to submit to a required chemical dependency exam, creating a legal presumption of impairment. Ernest B. De Bourbon, M.D., was alleged to have violated care standards and Board liposuction rules in treating two patients.
Sexual Misconduct and Boundary Violations
Dr. Mark E. Hostettler from Alliance, Ohio, received a hearing notice for allegations of repeated sexual misconduct with a patient. Dr. Kurt Froehlich from Cincinnati had his license permanently revoked due to a misdemeanor assault conviction involving a staff member and inappropriate conduct with patients.
Fraud, Theft, and Documentation Violations
Dr. Bryan D. Borland from Thornville had his license revoked for drug diversion and substance abuse. Dr. Matthew A. Colflesh from Wintersville was reprimanded for pre-signing blank prescriptions, violating drug documentation laws. Dr. Jennifer C. Campbell of Bay Village admitted to substance abuse affecting her ability to practice and entered a consent agreement for indefinite suspension.
Out-of-State and Federal Disciplinary Actions
Dr. Iraj Derakhshan from West Virginia was reprimanded for improperly accessing patient records. Dr. Richard E. Paulus from Kentucky retired under an agreed order following allegations of inappropriate care. Several other professionals had their license status impacted by disciplinary actions in other jurisdictions.
Probationary and Monitoring Adjustments
Doctors, including Kevin G. Baldie, Courtney D. Bonner, Brian D. Hesler, and others were granted modifications in their monitoring or probationary conditions. Dr. Mark A. Weiner and others had requests approved for travel or provider changes.
Reinstatements and Voluntary Withdrawals
Christina L. Summers, M.T., was reinstated on probation. Timothy W. Carroll and Tom R. Starr permanently surrendered their licenses instead of disciplinary actions. John P. Tazelaar withdrew his license application voluntarily.
Final Disciplinary Orders
Dr. Kevin S. Balter of Nebraska had his license placed on probation due to mental illness. Dr. Allan W. Belcher was suspended for at least 30 days and placed on long-term probation.
Dr. Timothy M. Hickey of Toledo faced suspension for 180 days and probation due to failure in pain management and standard care. Several others, including Dr. John D. Vance and Dr. David R. Mehra, received suspensions for drug abuse admissions and agreed to long-term monitoring.
Legal Appeals and Court Decisions
Steven R. Angerbauer and others filed appeals in Ohio courts. Some appeals were dismissed or denied, while others resulted in conditional stays or affirmations of board decisions.
Non-Disciplinary Licensing and Consent Agreements
Lyndsay E. Bruner, M.T., was granted licensure contingent on meeting all requirements. Several consent agreements were enacted, such as Dr. Martin Ambrose’s license reinstatement and Rhonda L. Bever’s 180-day suspension for practicing massage without a valid license.
The Professional Misconduct Case Is a Wake-Up Call. We Can’t Afford to Miss
Prevalence of Alcohol Misuse Among Healthcare Professionals
- A meta-analysis of studies up to late 2022 found approximately 20% of healthcare professionals engage in hazardous drinking, with 17.7% engaging in frequent binge drinking, and 3.2% meeting criteria for harmful drinking.
- Specifically among physicians, 16.8% reported hazardous alcohol use, with 14.6% showing signs consistent with dependence.
Physician-Specific Alcohol Use Disorder Rates
- National estimates show 10–15% of doctors will develop a substance use disorder at some point in their careers.
- One survey reported 12.9% of male and 21.4% of female physicians met criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence.
- Among surgeons, 13.9% of men and a notably higher 25.6% of women displayed alcohol abuse or dependence symptoms.
Rising Trend Over Time
- From 2006–2010, problematic alcohol use among physicians was 16.3%, rising to 26.8% in 2017–2020—a concerning upward trend.
Workplace Impacts & Underreporting
- Many intoxicated healthcare professionals avoid detection until performance seriously declines.
- Discipline statistics support this: from 1999–2017, there were 99,367 disciplinary actions against healthcare professionals for drug or alcohol abuse.
- Physicians working under alcohol influence rarely cause direct harm to patients; 90% of analyzed cases showed no such harm, but put public trust and safety at risk.
Recognition & Intervention
- State Medical Boards and Physician Health Programs (PHPs) exist to identify and treat impaired physicians.
- Intervention programs are effective: 84% of emergency physicians referred to PHPs remained practicing 5 years post-treatment.
Summary
- 1 in 5 healthcare workers engage in hazardous drinking; among doctors, rates are around 17%–27%.
- Alcohol use disorder is confirmed in 10–21% of physicians, with female surgeons showing notably higher rates.
- Rates have increased over the last decade.
- While serious patient harm is uncommon, underreporting is widespread, and thousands face disciplinary action.
- Intervention programs play a crucial role in rehabilitation and maintaining healthcare safety.
These figures highlight that alcohol misuse on the job is a significant and growing concern in the healthcare industry.
Older Complaints Against Dr Kimberly Cull
#1. She was indeed a good doctor up to the point where she started doing cocaine and drinking all the time at her office.
#2. I had her as a physician. Are you sure she never had a tear in her eye???? It appears as though she has just woken up, and she may have baby powder on her face or something like that. In addition to being more interested in WebMD answers, she always displays cosmetic surgery materials in her waiting room. I was made to feel like a less worthy woman. I was suffering urinary tract infections (UTIs), and she suggested that I should just remove my reproductive organs!?
#3. The hair removal treatment that my daughter received at this so-called medical spa cost me a total of 320.00 dollars. It was assured to me by the technician that I would have no trouble getting my money back in the event that she had a problem with it or decided that she no longer wanted it. Now, she went to a single appointment. After that, the office repeatedly called me to cancel my appointment, claiming that the technician had been fired or that the machine had broken down.
This continued over a period of three months. Due to the fact that my daughter had returned to school and desired to have the surgery performed during the summer, I requested that my money be returned to me. I was informed that there would be no reimbursements, even though they were the ones who were unable to keep their end of the bargain and schedule an appointment for us.
For the past year and a half, I have been attempting to get in touch with someone, but all I have received is a voicemail or a call from someone who will contact you back. I have not received any calls in return. I would not waste my time or money coming to her because this practice is a farce. I would not go to her.
#4. If you are pregnant, wish to be pregnant, or possibly be pregnant, I strongly advise you to avoid attending this particular physician at any time. She is a terrible person. I gave birth to one kid and experienced multiple miscarriages while I was in her care for a period of about five years. When I was trying to have a second kid, she never remembered who I was, what I had been through, or the surgeries that she had performed on me. She also never remembered what she had done to me.
I was given the incorrect directions for medication by her staff, and when I questioned them about it, they told that it was my responsibility and that I had misunderstood. The memory comes back to you after four miscarriages, and you write it down. However, on one of my appointments for a breast examination, she just inspected one of my breasts. The glucose test was the only test I had during my only successful pregnancy while she was caring for me. I did not have any blood work done.
When I inquired about soda, she responded that I was good so long as I did not consume more than six cans of soda in a single day. I have been exposed to a lot of terrifying tales, and I am thankful that my child was healthy.
Delivered a scheduled caesarean section when all of her patients were there. Over over two years, I have not been under her care. At this point, I am very happy to report that I am carrying a healthy baby. We are grateful to have a new physician who not only treats me but also listens to me and cares enough to assist me.
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