The Iowa Board of Medicine has taken action against a northwest Iowa man accused of sexual misconduct. Officials say 47-year old Christopher J. VandeLune, D.O., who formerly practiced family medicine in Cherokee (Iowa), entered into a combined Statement of Charges and Settlement Agreement with the Board on May 9, 2019. The Board alleged that Dr. VandeLune engaged in sexual misconduct and/or sexual harassment in violation of the laws and rules governing the practice of medicine in Iowa, when he sent sexually suggestive text messages and social media messages to, and engaged in sexual relations with, two female co-workers for whom he also provided medical care in Cherokee, Iowa, in 2017.

At the direction of the Board, Dr. VandeLune completed a Board-approved comprehensive sexual misconduct evaluation on March 2, 2019. Under the terms of the May 9, 2019, combined Statement of Charges and Settlement Agreement, the Board issued Dr. VandeLune a Citation and Warning and ordered him to pay a $5,000 civil penalty. The Board also ordered Dr. VandeLune to complete a Board-approved professional boundaries program and placed him on probation for a period of five years subject to Board monitoring, including professional boundaries counseling.