Democrat Star
Psychiatrist surrenders license after sexual misconduct with patient
By Natalie Jones
May 8, 2022

— Excerpt

EASTON — A psychiatrist surrendered his license to practice medicine after violating sexual misconduct regulations at an Eastern Shore hospital in 2019, according to documents filed with the Maryland Board of Physicians.

Former psychiatrist Robert Schnitzlein, M.D., surrendered his license on Tuesday, May 3, because he is no longer able to comply with the requirements of his suspension due to a medical condition preventing him from practicing medicine, according to a letter he submitted to the board. The Board of Physicians had previously suspended his license in January 2020 due to concerns about his ability to practice safely…

The charge stemmed from a June 2019 complaint to the board from a psychologist reporting that her patient had discussed an intimate relationship between her and Schnitzlein, which occurred soon after he had treated her at the hospital for serious mental health issues earlier that year.

According to the documents, the patient had been involuntarily admitted to the hospital in January 2019 for serious mental health issues. Schnitzlein was her treating physician and she was discharged after four days. Information from the patient’s records did not indicate any follow-up treatment with Schnitzlein.

In her complaint to the board, the psychologist described text messages she had reviewed between her patient and Schnitzlein and learned that the two discussed meeting at his hotel. Based on conversations with her patient, the psychologist learned that she had met up with Schnitzlein multiple times at the hotel for “treatment, swimming, conversation, and sex,” according to the documents…