A former neurosurgeon who grew up and trained in Memphis is the central figure in a top-ranking six-part podcast that has captured the attention of millions.

The series, "Dr. Death," is centered around Christopher Duntsch, who is now serving a life sentence for multiple counts of aggravated assault relating to botched surgeries he performed while working in Dallas.

Veteran medical reporter Laura Beil is the series' reporter and narrator.

The show is named after Duntsch's moniker — earned after more than 30 patients died or were maimed after surgeries he performed on them.

Duntsch was raised in Memphis and is a product of three local institutions — Evangelical Christian School, the University of Memphis, and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Released in September, the podcast series continues to generate accolades and several individual episodes have occupied the top 50 downloads on Apple podcasts.

Additional update episodes have been released to satiate an audience wanting more information about the horrific story.

Listen:Download the Dr. Death podcast from Wondery.com

The show profiles a handful of brutal acts Duntsch committed during surgeries, including slicing open arteries, damaging spinal nerves, and paralyzing multiple patients.

A jury ultimately found Dutsch was intentionally malicious in his botched surgeries and sentenced him to life in prison.

The conviction for malicious intent during surgery is believed to be the first of its kind, according to the podcast.

Duntsch received a Ph.D. and M.D. in neurosurgery from UTHSC, a top-tier medical school, where he completed a five-year residency for neurosurgery and one year of training for general surgery.

He was appointed head of the school's tissue bank, where he supplied tissue samples to scientists. Duntsch's close and constant proximity to research taught him how to write grants, knowledge he used to secure millions of dollars in funding for research where he was a primary or assistant investigator.

Most notably, Duntsch’s work was focused on extracting brain cancer stem cells from a culture as opposed to a human body so that they could then be used for research in developing new cancer-treating drugs.

The commercialization of the stem cell harvesting process led to the creation of two companies. One was shuttered in 2008 after a funding crisis and the other has distanced itself from Duntsch in every way possible, save for the mention of his name in the original patents filed for the research Duntsch was present for.

After completing his UTHSC residency, Duntsch relocated to Dallas in 2011 to open up a neurological clinic.

The first patient that died from a botched Duntsch surgery was Kellie Martin, 55, who went in for a routine procedure called a microlaminectomy, in which part of the spine is removed to relieve pressure on the nerves.

Duntsch sliced through a major artery along Martin's spine. She bled to death within hours of the procedure.

The second patient to die was Floella Brown, who suffered a stroke after Duntsch severely damaged her vertebral artery during what should have also been another routine operation.

In "Dr. Death," the podcast answers scores of questions with a methodical analysis of Duntsch's trajectory and the dozens of botched surgeries in his wake. Most of the questions can be filed in two camps: Why was Duntsch allowed to keep his license after immediate disastrous results? And was he so poorly trained that he injured or killed nearly every patient he operated on, or was Duntsch deliberate in his malpractice?

In the podcast, Beil made multiple attempts to reach UTHSC for comment on Duntsch's education, but the university declined to comment.

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