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Carlsbad fertility doctor charged with murdering his wife in 2019 has medical license pulled

Eric Scott Sills who practiced medicine in La Jolla and Carlsbad was charged with killing his wife in 2016 at his home in San Clemente
Credit: https://mobile.twitter.com/DrEScottSills/status/916697894408687616/photo/1

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — The California Medical Board has pulled the medical license of fertility doctor Eric Sills, more than two years after he was arrested for allegedly murdering his wife in 2016.

Sills, according to his website, practiced medicine at fertility clinics in San Diego County for over 30 years. 

Sills and his wife, Susann, co-founded the Center for Advanced Genetics in Carlsbad. Sills also authored books on fertility and other medical topics.

In November 2016, Sills called 911 after discovering his wife's body at the bottom of the stairs at the couple's San Clemente home. 

Just over a year later, investigators at the Orange County Sheriff's Department ruled Susann Sills' death a homicide.

In 2019, deputies arrested Sills on suspicion of murder.

Now, more than two years after his arrest, the Medical Board has pulled his medical license.

"...As a condition of bail, [Sills] is prohibited from practicing medicine in the State of California until the final disposition of the criminal charges pending against him or as a condition of probation...effective May 25, 2022."

Sills posted bail in April 2019, according to the Orange County Superior Court website. He is set to appear at a pretrial hearing in October 2022.

Phone numbers for Sills' fertility clinic were no longer operable. 

According to the website for the California Medical Board, Sills had a number of disciplinary actions against him during his time as a physician, including "multiple malpractice settlements."

As to why Sills continued to practice so long after his arrest, a spokesperson for the California Medical Board told CBS 8, "The Board must prove that the crime that the physician has been convicted of is substantially related to the qualifications, duties, functions, or duties of a physician, which would constitute unprofessional conduct and be a cause for disciplinary action."

 In addition, the spokesperson says the board often must wait for criminal cases to get resolved before proceeding with its own investigation.

Added the spokesperson, "In the case of Dr. Sills, the Superior Court judge agreed with the Board’s recommendation that Dr. Sills should not be practicing medicine pending the outcome of his criminal charges. Further, Dr. Sills license expired on April 30, 2021, and has been unable to lawfully practice medicine since that time."

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