The Wondery podcast whose first season investigated surgeon Christopher Duntsch is Dr. Death.
Hosted and reported by journalist Laura Beil, Dr. Death debuted in 2018 as a true-crime medical investigation. Its first season examined how Duntsch, a neurosurgeon practicing in Texas, continued operating despite a series of catastrophic outcomes. The reporting explored failures in hospitals, professional oversight, and the systems meant to protect patients.
Duntsch was convicted in 2017 of aggravated assault for permanently injuring patient Christopher Rushing and received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years. The podcast later continued as an anthology, with subsequent seasons covering other medical scandals. That structure can cause confusion: Dr. Death is the series title, while Christopher Duntsch is the subject of season one—not the name of the podcast itself. The story also inspired a television dramatization starring Joshua Jackson.