A SickKids doctor has been charged with possessing and accessing child sexual abuse material
A statement from the hospital said “there is currently no evidence linking the charges to care provided at SickKids”
A doctor from the Hospital for Sick Children has been charged with possession of child sexual abuse and exploitation material, and accessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material.
According to Toronto police, Dr. Dilan Dissanayake, who is 44, was arrested today following an investigation carried out by the force’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit. The investigation began earlier this year when the physician allegedly used an electronic device to access and download child sexual abuse and exploitation material.
“In February 2026, members of the ICE unit executed search warrants at the Hospital for Sick Children and at a private residence,” the police’s media release said. “Multiple electronic devices were seized, including a work computer.”
A statement released by the Hospital for Sick Children said Dissanayake was placed on leave as soon as the hospital learned of the investigation.
“We are deeply upset and dismayed by this news and condemn the behaviour alleged in the police investigation. We understand that this news is concerning and the safety and well-being of our patients, families and staff remain our highest priority,” it read. “SickKids has not been notified of any risk to patients and families, and the Toronto Police Service has indicated there is no evidence that the charges are connected to Dr. Dissanayake’s medical practice.”
Police said the investigation remains ongoing.
SickKids appears to have removed Dissanayake’s biographical information from the hospital’s website, but per the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Dissanayake is a pediatric rheumatologist. A University of Toronto web page also now taken offline previously identified him as a professor.
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Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
