Gig Harbor doctor’s license suspended for invasive procedures

SEATTLE — The Washington State Medical Commission has suspended a Pierce County doctor after Virginia revoked his license for allowing military medical students to conduct invasive procedures on each other, and inject each other with drugs, sometimes in combination with alcohol.

Dr. John Hagmann of Gig Harbor is a government contractor who trains the military in combat medicine through his business Deployment Medical International, or DMI, which operates in a half-dozen states. A message left for Hagmann wasn’t immediately returned.

The Virginia Board of Medicine revoked his license on July 6, saying its investigation found that he violated 11 codes and regulations. Hagmann exploited the participants in the military courses for his personal gain, the board said.

“Dr. Hagmann violated the trust of his students on all levels in one of the most egregious misuses of the multiple relationships between physicians, patients and students,” the board said in its 22-page order.

According to the Virginia board’s investigation, Hagmann photographed and manipulated a drunk student’s genitals. The report said he told students to consume alcohol and then injected them with a hallucinogen to test its effects on their cognitive skills. He also instructed course participants to catheterize each other, the report said.

In 2012, he conducted one or more “shock labs,” in which he would withdraw blood from medical students to watch for signs of shock, the report said.

The investigation found that Hagmann did not monitor or record the students’ vital signs during the various procedures he or other students did on them.

Hagmann’s attorney, Ramon Rodriguez, told The Associated Press in June that he informed the Virginia Board of Medicine that Hagmann would not be able to attend the hearing on his case. “Despite having advanced knowledge of this fact and other concerns to reschedule the hearing, the Board of Medicine has decided to proceed in Dr. Hagmann’s absence,” Rodriguez said.

Virginia revoked his license on July 6 based on several violations, including practicing while drunk and dispensing drugs without a license.

The Washington Medical Quality Assurance Commission issued a statement of charges on Aug. 12 that outline Virginia’s findings and violations. His suspension went into effect Aug. 14, said Marqise Allen, spokesman for the Washington Department of Health.

Larry Berg, a lawyer with the Washington Medical Commission, said Hagmann has until Sept. 6 to challenge the summary suspension of his license and to respond the state’s charges. If he does respond, the commission would call a hearing to discuss whether the suspension was appropriate. They also could call a hearing on the charges.

No lawyer representing Hagmann has contacted the Washington commission regarding the charges or suspension, Berg said.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Imagine Children's Museum's incoming CEO, Elizabeth "Elee" Wood. (Photo provided by Imagine Children's Museum)
Imagine Children’s Museum will welcome new CEO in June

Nancy Johnson, who has led Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett for 25 years, will retire in June.

Kelli Littlejohn, who was 11 when her older sister Melissa Lee was murdered, speaks to a group of investigators and deputies to thank them for bringing closure to her family after over 30 years on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘She can rest in peace’: Jury convicts Bothell man in 1993 killing

Even after police arrested Alan Dean in 2020, it was unclear if he would stand trial. He was convicted Thursday in the murder of Melissa Lee, 15.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Everett police searching for missing child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive. The child was missing under “suspicious circumstances.”

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Former Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Jeremie Zeller appears in court for sentencing on multiple counts of misdemeanor theft Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ex-sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 1 week of jail time for hardware theft

Jeremie Zeller, 47, stole merchandise from Home Depot in south Everett, where he worked overtime as a security guard.

Everett
11 months later, Lake Stevens man charged in fatal Casino Road shooting

Malik Fulson is accused of shooting Joseph Haderlie to death in the parking lot at the Crystal Springs Apartments last April.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.