A woman who has been exposed as “America’s biggest catfish” for her relentless lying on dating apps is now working as a gynecologist in New Jersey.
Dr. Emily Marantz, 39, of Livingston, works at Jersey City Medical Center, owned by RWJBarnabas Health.
In addition to being a doctor, Marantz has been branded a repeat “catfisher,” according to the new book “There is No Ethan,” by sociologist Anna Akbari.
Akbari is one of many women who say they were personally victimized by Marantz, whom they knew as a handsome, six-foot-six Upper West Side man named Ethan Shuman.
“There are 10 victims that we are aware of and this went on for the better part of a decade,” said Akbari, a former professor at New York University. The New York Post.
Dr Emily Marantz, 39 (pictured in 2023), who works as a gynecologist at Jersey City Medical Center in New Jersey, has been branded “America’s biggest catfish.”
Sociologist Anna Akbari (pictured) revealed the medical professional’s online dating history in her new book ‘There is No Ethan’. Marantz used the name Ethan Shuman on his OKCupid profile
Although the 11-year medical professional uses her married name at work, Akbari referred to Marantz by her maiden name, Emily Slutsky, in her nonfiction novel, part memoir.
In 2010, Marantz created a dating profile on the website OKCupid, where she convinced women that she was a Jewish economic analyst who studied at Columbia and MIT.
She also told her love interests that she drove a BMW and had a dog named Harvey.
After being ignored by the doctor numerous times, Akbari soon located two other women who experienced similar interactions with Marantz.
Akbari, Gina Dallago and another woman named “British Anna” became suspicious of the catfish-turned-doctor after she failed to show up for video calls and cancelled appointments at the last minute.
When Akbari first connected with who she thought was Ethan, the pair quickly became close after he confided in the author about his esophageal cancer diagnosis.
Marantz told Akbari (who lost his grandfather to lung cancer) that his fake character needed immediate surgery because of Ethan’s condition.
A Jersey City Medical Center spokesperson (pictured) said the hospital “has complete confidence in Dr. Marantz’s ability to continue to provide the highest quality of care to her patients” despite new details about her past coming to light.
“Emily chose to have Ethan pretend to have cancer, to be diagnosed with cancer while we were talking, knowing already that I had lost someone close to me a month earlier,” Akbari told the outlet.
At that moment, Akbari felt very connected to Ethan, something she said Marantz planned.
In the book, which will be published in June 2024, Akbari detailed conversations she had with Marantz, highlighting moments when the catfish would fight with her and then ignore her.
“Of course, she knew I wasn’t going to abandon someone who had told me that, because by that point there was an intimacy and a closeness that was already well established,” he said.
In the book, which was released in June 2024, Akbari detailed conversations she had with Marantz, highlighting moments when the catfish would fight with her and then ignore her.
Akbari said the gynecologist also sometimes deleted Ethan’s dating profile.
The author, who was featured in the New York Times, recalled feeling like she had entered an “emotional blender” after meeting Ethan.
‘Emotional abuse was a character choice she made.
“Why? I don’t know. But it was starting to make us question ourselves,” Akbari said.
Akbari previously told DailyMail.com that Ethan would suddenly have to travel for work or that bad weather would make it impossible for him to get to Manhattan from New Jersey to visit her.
“When you have a guy who’s attractive, talkative, articulate, and you’re an educated woman living in New York, you think, ‘Okay, this looks promising,'” Akbari said.
Dallago said her interactions with Marantz were equally peculiar, with the doctor praising her and then mentioning that Ethan’s mother would never approve of her because of her Catholic upbringing.
After more than a decade, Marantz has never faced consequences for his online actions, as he has not technically broken any laws.
Ethan would also plan trips with Dallago and then cancel right before for no reason, according to the book.
After more than a decade, Marantz has never faced consequences for her actions, as she has not technically broken any laws, but Akbari is focused on making sure the doctor is held accountable for her past actions against her and many others.
She asked, “Would someone who has not suffered any consequences for chronic misbehavior stop doing it?” It’s an interesting question.
“It’s not my place to say what constitutes a violation of medical ethics or the Hippocratic Oath, but I’m surprised this doesn’t qualify.
‘This raises many questions, such as: should we be responsible for our digital behavior in the same way as we are for our physical behavior?
‘In a culture where it seems like everyone is easily cancelled, this is a notable case.
Akbari added: “This raises a lot of other questions, like who can get away with this kind of behavior and why, and are we okay with that?”
Marantz appeared in a promotional video for the hospital a year ago, where she spoke about her experience not only as an employee there, but as a patient, while she was pregnant with her son at the time.
Akbari (pictured) is focused on making sure the doctor is held accountable for his past actions against her and many others.
“It’s really about finding someone who understands where you’re coming from, who knows how to listen to everything you’ve brought up and who knows how to make you the best, most comfortable patient you can be,” Marantz said in the clip.
Marantz could not immediately be reached for comment. DailyMail.com has contacted Jersey City Medical Center for comment.
The hospital told The Post it “has complete confidence in Dr. Marantz’s ability to continue providing the highest quality care to her patients.”
“The events of more than a decade ago have been reviewed and addressed to the satisfaction of the medical center,” the spokesperson added.
Despite all the hardships Akbari has been through, she hopes her journey will help others in similar experiences to “make it.”
‘I think there’s something valuable in showing how anyone can find themselves in one of these situations and still find a way to succeed.
“I think my hope, honestly, is that this will start some really important conversations,” he told DailyMail.com.
