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A pediatric rheumatologist at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children has been arrested and charged with possessing and accessing child sexual abuse material. Dr. Dilan Dissanayake, 44, is no junior staffer. He’s a clinician-scientist, assistant professor at the University of Toronto, and works in the Autoinflammatory Clinic treating kids with rare, complex immune disorders. Families already dealing with medical nightmares placed their trust in him.

Toronto Police Charge SickKids Doctor With Child Sexual Abuse Material Offences

A Toronto doctor employed at the Hospital for Sick Children has been charged with child sexual abuse and exploitation offences following an investigation by the Toronto Police Service's Internet… pic.twitter.com/SRWQW1rOS5

— Toronto Crime Watch (@CrimewatchTO) July 21, 2026

Toronto Police say the investigation started in January 2026 after an electronic device was allegedly used to access and download the material. Search warrants hit both a private residence and SickKids itself in February. Officers seized multiple devices, including a work computer. Dissanayake wasn’t arrested until July 21.

Both police and the hospital insist there’s no evidence tying the alleged offences to his medical practice or any patients. SickKids put him on immediate leave once it learned of the probe and says patient safety is its top priority.

This is Dilan Dissanayake. His name is of Sri Lankan origin.

This is the face of a man who accessed child pornography while taking care of sick children at a children’s hospital.

Not sure whether he should be deported or get the death penalty. pic.twitter.com/PlGa2iQQB8

— Leviathan (@l3v1at4an) July 21, 2026

But when exactly did SickKids first learn of the investigation? Before or after police searched the hospital grounds in February? Did Dissanayake continue seeing patients in the months that followed? What restrictions, if any, were placed on him? What does a search warrant inside Canada’s leading children’s hospital say about safeguards around work devices and technology? Police have not alleged the material was found on the hospital computer or that the network was used.

SickKids is not just any hospital. It treats some of the country’s sickest children. Families travel across Canada for care that often isn’t available anywhere else. Public confidence rests as much on the people inside the building as on the medicine they provide.

Physicians must report Criminal Code charges to the College, which can impose interim restrictions while its own process runs. Parents deserve clear answers on timelines and transparency, not carefully worded reassurances. The allegations remain unproven in court. That does not make the breach of trust any less severe for the families who handed their children over to him.