Key Takeaways
- First arrested in December 2025, pediatric neurologist Dr. David Vargas Lowy has since been indicted on eight charges reportedly involving at least three patients.
- Medical board records describe multiple complaints involving allegations of inappropriate touching and sexually explicit communications.
- Vargas Lowy has faced multiple emergency medical license suspensions since 2020, along with restrictions on his ability to practice medicine in multiple states.
As of May 2026, former Manchester pediatric neurologist Dr. David Vargas Lowy is facing eight sexual assault charges reportedly involving at least three patients.
On January 2, 2026, the New Hampshire Board of Medicine ordered an emergency suspension of Vargas Lowy’s medical license.
According to reporting by the Union Leader, Vargas Lowy’s eight charges include pattern aggravated felonious sexual assault, felonious sexual assault, sexual assault and falsifying evidence.
Vargas Lowy was first arrested on December 17, 2025, after investigators received allegations that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old patient during an office visit at his New Hampshire practice.
“He pleaded not guilty to charges of felonious sexual assault and falsifying physical evidence. He has since been indicted on five felony charges. Prosecutors have also charged Vargas Lowy with three misdemeanors, sexual assault and simple assault.” (Union Leader)
The pattern aggravated felonious sexual assault charges stem from alleged sexual assaults occurring between December 2018 and October 2020 involving a victim under the age of 16.
The Union Leader further stated that the “The misdemeanor charges involve an adult patient, according to the indictment.”
The charges against Vargas Lowy did not emerge in isolation. Public records show that complaints, investigations, and emergency licensing actions related to Vargas Lowy date back to 2020.
Who Is Dr. David Vargas Lowy?
Dr. David Vargas Lowy was a pediatric neurologist who operated a solo medical practice, Dr. Vargas Lowy Child Neurology, with locations in Manchester, NH, and Boston, MA beginning around 2021. He also advertised telemedicine services “worldwide.” He lists his licensure in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine and New York.
Pediatric neurologists diagnose and treat neurological conditions affecting children and adolescents, including seizures, migraines, ADHD, developmental disorders, movement disorders, sleep disorders, traumatic brain injuries, and other conditions involving the brain and nervous system.
On his website, Vargas Lowy highlights his fluency in English, French, and Spanish, and emphasizes his work with diverse patient populations.
Before opening his solo practice, Vargas Lowy worked as a pediatric neurologist at Elliot Hospital, an attending pediatric neurologist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock clinics, and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
Initial Criminal Investigation and Arrest
The criminal investigation into Vargas Lowy first became public in late 2025 after investigators received allegations involving a 17-year-old patient.
The patient alleged that during a July 21, 2025, appointment when she was alone in the examination room, Vargas Lowy asked her to “remove her breast from her bra” during what he described as a cardiac examination.
Records state that the patient alleged Vargas Lowy touched her breast during the examination and “that Dr. Vargas-Lowy told her multiple times during the exam how pretty she was, and that he was distracted because she is so pretty.”
According to Manchester Police, the department’s Juvenile Unit launched a months-long investigation after receiving the report in September 2025. Investigators also determined Vargas Lowy had allegedly altered medical records connected to the patient during the course of the investigation.
On December 17, 2025, Vargas Lowy was arrested and charged with felonious sexual assault and falsifying physical evidence. Manchester Police stated that the investigation remained ongoing and asked anyone with additional information regarding Vargas -Lowy to contact Manchester Police Detective Adrianne Davenport at 603-792-5549.
During subsequent licensing board proceedings, Vargas Lowy denied the allegations and stated that the examination involved what he described as a specialized point “EKG examination” using an “echo” stethoscope with electrodes requiring direct skin contact. He testified that the procedure required access to certain areas of the chest and denied removing the patient’s breast from her bra or putting his hand on the patient’s breast.
Escalating Complaints, Emergency Suspensions, and Prior Board Actions
2020 Emergency Suspension
The New Hampshire Board of Medicine first issued an emergency suspension of Vargas Lowy’s medical license in November 2020 due to allegations that he sexually assaulted a minor during appointments, once in October 2019 and once in 2020.
The 2020 suspension was ultimately lifted following a hearing that determined that Vargas Lowy did not pose an imminent danger to the public.
Records further indicate that Vargas Lowy received a 2021 letter of concern from the N.H. Board of Medicine “as a result of [his] decision to resign from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center while under investigation for alleged misconduct, separately for an incident where there was ‘perceived invasion of [a patient’s mother’s] personal space’ by Vargas Lowy.
The criminal allegations that emerged in 2025 were followed by additional complaints submitted to the New Hampshire Board of Medicine and the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC).
2025 Emergency Suspension
In November 2025, the New Hampshire Board of Medicine again suspended Vargas Lowy’s license after receiving information from Manchester Police regarding allegations involving the 17-year-old patient.
In a December 8, 2025 ruling, it again was determined that Vargas Lowy did not pose a threat to the public health, safety or welfare.
“As a result, the temporary license suspension was lifted by a Dec. 14, 2025 Board Of Medicine order and Vargas Lowy continued to practice medicine. On Dec. 17, 2025, he was arrested and jailed. When released on bail on Dec. 29, 2025, one condition was that he not practice medicine. However, his license to practice medicine in NH remained active and unrestricted.” (Manchester Ink Link News)
Board records also revealed that the board had recommended that Vargas Lowy utilize a chaperone during examinations involving minor patients in 2020.
Additional Complaints Made in 2025
In December 2025, several additional complaints were made, involving both adult and minor patients.
According to emergency suspension records, one complaint alleged Vargas Lowy “violated boundaries by sending inappropriate text messages to the mother of his minor patient outside of the office and performing medically unnecessary ‘massages’ on his minor patient during appointments without documenting these massages in the medical records.”
The mother of the child also told investigators that Vargas Lowy “had once requested that she show him what she described as a ‘private area’ to see a birthmark. There was no medical necessity for this request” as he was not treating her. He also allegedly made inappropriate comments to the mother of the patient and “encouraged her to approach him next time she saw him at their shared gym.”
Another patient, an adult, alleged that Vargas Lowy sent her sexually explicit text messages attempting to initiate a sexual relationship, including an image of him in the bathtub. Investigators reviewed approximately 232 pages of messages allegedly exchanged between Vargas Lowy and the patient, including explicit comments regarding the patient’s body and references to a “friends with benefits” arrangement.
Another adult patient alleged that Vargas Lowy engaged in inappropriate physical contact during examinations involving trigeminal neuralgia symptoms. The patient alleged Vargas Lowy pressed his erection against her legs during an appointment and later unbuttoned her shirt during an examination after stating he wanted to “‘check her heart.’’” This woman made a report to the Goffstown Police Department.
Board records also describe allegations from another patient who stated that while she was a minor receiving migraine treatment, Vargas Lowy allegedly placed his hand underneath her pants and over her underwear during an appointment without explanation. “‘She stated that [he] did not explain why he was doing this, and she felt uncomfortable.’”
At this time, it remains unclear which allegations described in medical board records are directly connected to the most recent criminal charges.
2026 Emergency Suspension
On January 2, 2026, the New Hampshire Board of Medicine again ordered an emergency suspension of Vargas Lowy’s license, stating that, “The conduct alleged in the various complaints would likely cause irreversible, lifelong psychological trauma and erode trust between the patient or the patient’s family and the healthcare system.”
An emergency suspension hearing/disciplinary hearing will follow.
On Vargas Lowy’s website, he writes, “I am very sorry and sad to announce that a district court in NH has forced me to temporarily close my practice. I am not in a position to share more details at this time, but I will make a statement as soon as I am able to.”
Additional Unreported Concerns
Additional concerns regarding oversight emerged in January 2026 when Manchester Ink Link reported that a mother had filed a complaint with the Board of Medicine in 2024 about a 2022 incident with her then 7-year-old daughter.
When Vargas Lowy was arrested, she “called OPLC and asked what happened to her complaint. She was sent a pre-written response (a letter dated April 21, 2025) in which it was explained OPLC had ‘begun taking steps to address a backlog of complaints that accumulated due to various factors including a failed data transfer.’” She said that OPLC had lost her complaint and that she was furious at the state and the failed oversight.
The mother stated that after Vargas Lowy’s arrest became public, her daughter disclosed additional details about the 2022 appointment, which were then reported to law enforcement.
Multi-State Licensing Restrictions
The investigations against Vargas Lowy also triggered licensing actions in multiple states.
In December 2025, Vargas Lowy voluntarily agreed not to practice medicine in Massachusetts while the investigations continued.
Records from the New York State Board for Professional Medical Conduct show that Vargas Lowy entered into an Interim Order of Conditions, effective March 4, 2026 precluding him from practicing medicine in New York or in any setting dependent upon his New York license while matters remained under investigation.
Public licensing records also indicate that his Maine medical license is inactive.
When Warning Signs Are Not Taken Seriously
When similar allegations, complaints, or boundary concerns continue to emerge over a period of years, they must be viewed as significant warning signs rather than isolated incidents.
Public records involving Vargas Lowy describe repeated complaints, emergency suspensions, and investigations spanning several years.
When warning signs or repeated complaints are not taken seriously, the consequences can be devastating. Delayed intervention, inadequate oversight, or failures to properly investigate allegations can allow additional patients to remain at risk. Institutions responding appropriately to reports of misconduct or abuse is critically important to protecting others from harm.
Institutional Responsibility and Potential Civil Liability
Healthcare providers occupy positions of extraordinary trust. Patients and families rely on physicians, hospitals, and healthcare systems to provide safe and appropriate care, especially when treating children with complex medical conditions.
Medical practices, including those owned by a single provider, have a legal duty to protect patients from foreseeable harm, to respond appropriately to concerns, and to ensure that examinations are conducted safely and professionally. When a provider abuses that trust, both the individual doctor and the practice may be held liable.
When allegations of sexual abuse arise in medical settings, civil investigations may examine:
- whether proper background checks and screening procedures were conducted,
- whether earlier complaints or warning signs were adequately addressed,
- whether concerns were properly documented, investigated, and escalated,
- and whether appropriate chaperone policies or examination safeguards existed.
The criminal justice system will ultimately determine how the charges against Vargas Lowy are resolved. However, criminal proceedings are only one part of the broader path toward accountability and healing. Even when criminal cases remain ongoing or disputed, survivors and families may still have civil legal options available to them.
Civil litigation is separate from criminal prosecution and may allow survivors to seek accountability, answers, institutional change, and compensation for the harm they suffered.
For many survivors, it can serve as an important step toward justice.
Andreozzi + Foote Is Investigating Reports Involving Dr. David Vargas Lowy
Andreozzi + Foote is currently investigating reports involving Dr. Vargas Lowy and his practice. Our firm represents survivors of sexual abuse in New Hampshire and nationwide. We have extensive experience with cases involving physicians, medical offices, and healthcare institutions.
We are trauma-informed, survivor-centered, and committed to helping individuals understand their rights and choose the path that feels the most empowering to them.
If you or your child were harmed by Dr. David Vargas Lowy, help is available.
Your voice deserves to be heard, and our attorneys are ready to listen.
All consultations are free and completely confidential.
Contact us today.
Image sources: Dr. David Vargas Lowy in his office, via Instagram. Mugshot of Dr. David Vargas Lowy, courtesy of Manchester NH Police.
