Doctor who OK'd drug for Smith is BU grad
Calif. board eyes her use of alias
The doctor who reportedly prescribed methadone to Anna Nicole Smith graduated from Boston University's School of Medicine in 1996, according to the California Board of Medicine's website.
Dr. Sandeep Kapoor , who has an office in Studio City, Calif., is under review by the medical board. The Los Angeles Times reported that the board is investigating whether it is illegal for a doctor to issue a prescription to a patient using a pseudonym, as Smith did .
Methadone is an opiate that can have side effects similar to heroin and is often prescribed for pain relief.
Smith, the 39-year-old former Playboy Playmate and jeans model, was found dead on Feb. 8 in her Hollywood, Fla., hotel suite. The medical examiner has yet to determine a cause.
The California board's action followed a Feb. 16 report on the celebrity website TMZ.com, which quoted Kapoor's lawyer saying that the doctor had prescribed methadone to Smith in the late stages of her pregnancy. The lawyer defended the treatment as "medically sound and appropriate" and was quoted as saying that Kapoor prescribed it to Smith under the alias Michelle Chase to protect her privacy.
"The media frenzy surrounding Smith's life and tragic death underscores why public figures may choose to use pseudonyms in order to protect the privacy of their medical treatment," said the lawyer, who was not named by TMZ.
Neither Kapoor nor his lawyer, Ellyn Garofalo, could be reached for comment.
Boston University Medical School spokesman David Goldberg confirmed that Kapoor graduated from the university, but was unable to confirm the year or his medical specialty.
"I have no information at all right now," Goldberg said.
Smith gave birth to a daughter, Dannielynn, last September. Days later, Smith's 20-year-old son died from drug-related causes. The question of who will inherit Smith's estate has been thrown into confusion with the recent release of her 2001 will in which the former pinup left her fortune in a trust solely for her son.
Megan Woolhouse can be reached at mwoolhouse@globe.com. 