A former Iowa City physician who is suing the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is now seeking court intervention in a disciplinary case involving allegations of professional incompetence.
In 2021, the Iowa Board of Medicine charged Dr. Shafik N. Wassef, 42, an Iowa-licensed physician who formerly practiced in Iowa City, with violating patient privacy standards.
A year later, in March 2022, the board amended and expanded its statement of charges in the case, charging Wassef with the added offenses of professional incompetence, practicing in a manner that is harmful or detrimental to the public, and unprofessional conduct.
The board has not publicly disclosed the alleged conduct that gave rise to the charges.
In 2024, the board agreed to hand the case off to an administrative law judge. Wassef then sought summary judgment in the case, seeking dismissal of the charges before the planned disciplinary hearing in the case — which is scheduled, according to conflicting court records, on either Nov. 5, 2026, or Nov. 5, 2027.
The administrative law judge denied the request for summary judgment, which prompted Wassef file a petition last month in Polk County District Court, seeking judicial review of the decision.
With that matter still pending before the court, the administrative law judge has agreed to stay any proceedings in the disciplinary case until there’s a court ruling on the summary judgment issue.
In his court petition, Wassef alleges all of the charges against him are “related to alleged violations of federal regulations codifying patient privacy rules.”
Court records indicate Wassef is currently a resident of Florida where he has an active medical license. In his petition, Wassef argues his Florida license will be adversely affected by the pending disciplinary charges if the case is permitted to proceed to a full disciplinary hearing.
The Board of Medicine has yet to file a response to Wassef’s court petition.
Separately, Wassef is currently suing the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, alleging that in June 2018, just before his graduation from the UIHC residency program, he was contacted by the hospital’s compliance office and informed he had “committed multiple violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act,” the federal law that includes patient privacy regulations.
The hospital, Wassef alleges, then filed a complaint against him with the state licensing board and contacted the alleged patient “victims” in the matter to inform them of the situation and invite them to make formal complaints with the board.
The lawsuit alleges the hospital’s allegations are false and have caused “catastrophic professional damage in his field that is ongoing to this day.” The hospital has denied any wrongdoing. A trial-setting conference in the case is scheduled for Oct. 22, 2025.