Dr. Robert A. Martin, a Springfield neurologist at Baystate Health, was placed on five-year probation after masturbating in his locked office on November 21, 2023, according to a 2024 consent order from the state’s medical board. Around 10 to 20 cancer center employees at Baystate Health’s D’Amour Center for Cancer Care, located across the street from his office, witnessed the incident and reported him to hospital security and administrators.
Martin initially had his license suspended but the suspension was stayed after he agreed to five years of probation and other conditions. According to the consent order, he reached out to the Physicians Health Services Program of the Massachusetts Medical Society and entered into a behavioral health monitoring contract in May 2024. His attorney, Paul Cirel, stated that Martin was “unaware that he was—or that he could be—seen” through his office’s large windows and characterized the incident as “not an act of exhibitionism; it was simply a very unfortunate lapse in judgement.”
However, an employee who witnessed the incident told the Boston Globe that she saw Martin standing partly undressed in the center of his office, facing the windows with his penis in one hand and his cellphone in the other. She said she filmed the incident but that Baystate officials rebuffed her and refused to look at the footage. She ultimately reported Martin’s actions to the state medical board, raising concerns about his ability to provide safe care and the possibility of an underlying sexual issue that could harm others.
The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine found that Martin had engaged in disruptive behavior and “lacked good moral character and engaged in conduct that undermines the public confidence in the integrity of the medical profession.” Martin accepted responsibility and apologized for his conduct when Baystate Health investigated and placed him on administrative leave. He resumed his practice in the fall of 2024 and “has practiced without incident or blemish ever since,” according to his attorney. Martin is a 2017 graduate of the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.boston.com/news/health/2026/03/12/baystate-health-doctor-on-probation-lewd-behavior/