On September 6th, 128 UVA School of Medicine faculty and UVA Health workers accused the heads of their respective organizations of committing “egregious acts” and called for their immediate removal. These claims and demands were featured in a letter of no-confidence regarding Craig Kent, CEO of UVA Health, and Melina Kibbe, dean of the School of Medicine.
The signatories cite that Mr. Kent and Ms. Kibbe have transformed the highly esteemed hospital into a dysfunctional one. Some of the alleged transgressions include compromising patient health, hiring of questionable candidates, and ignoring safety concerns. They are also accused of rerouting the hospital’s funds away from care and towards executive salaries.
The staff claims that Mr. Kent and Ms. Kibbe have used “explicit and implicit threats and retaliation — often relayed to faculty via their chairs and chiefs” to discourage those who tried to draw attention to their actions.
President Jim Ryan recently responded to the outcry with a letter of his own, addressed to all 1,400 medical school faculty members. Regarding the letter of no confidence, he wrote, “The letter itself is daunting. There are many accusations. There are few details.”
Mr. Ryan continued, claiming some of the accusations have already been investigated or are currently under investigation. He also acknowledged that some matters were new to the administration but assured they would be researched thoroughly, “even though it is difficult to investigate generalized and anonymous claims of wrongdoing”
He was also prepared to defend Mr. Kent and Ms. Kibbe, claiming they are the reason UVA’s health system “is in the best shape it has ever been in.” He is reluctant to opt for new leadership despite the faculty’s requests, claiming there will always be dissatisfaction within the staff. Mr. Ryan even cited a recent study that showed that only 8-9% of medical school faculty members are displeased with current practices, which is roughly the same percentage of professors and healthcare workers who signed the letter.
Mr. Ryan was not pleased with the staff’s call for the pair’s immediate resignation before any formal investigation could be conducted. He believes they have “besmirched the reputations of not just Melina and Craig,” but also “cast a shadow over the great work of the entire health system and medical school.”
Controversy within UVA Health and the School of Medicine is nothing new, however. Over the course of this year, Mr. Ryan and Provost Ian Baucom have held several meetings with groups of UVA Health and School of Medicine employees. The University stated they believed these discussions were fruitful, adding context to why Mr. Ryan is upset with some of the faculty opting for a more drastic and public approach.
Mr. Kent and Ms. Kibbe have two of UVA’s highest payrolls. Mr. Kent is under contract until January 2030, and Ms. Kibbe is set to be on staff until next year.
Kent himself is no stranger to letters of no confidence. In 2017, while serving as dean of Ohio State’s School of Medicine, their CEO, Sheldon Retchin, received one of his own. The letter claimed that Mr. Retchin, along with his high-level colleagues, created a hostile work environment for their employees.
Though Mr. Kent was not the subject of the letter, he was called out by name. The letter stated that in his seven months with the Ohio State health system, he demonstrated “an emerging pattern of leadership in line with the style promulgated by Dr. Retchin.”
In December, Mr. Kent received a $500,000 raise, bringing his yearly salary to $1.6 million. He was already the highest-paid member of UVA’s staff by a wide margin.
Ms. Kibbe comes in two slots behind Kent on the pay sheet as the University’s third-highest earner. She makes $829,000 a year. Before coming to UVA, she worked at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The sentiments expressed in the letter of no confidence are the opinion of a small minority of faculty. ChrisAnna Mink, a 1983 graduate of the School of Medicine, believes it is “irresponsible” to glance over this important fact.
In her column in the Cavalier Daily, she points to facts that contradict the letter of no confidence, stating, “The letter says patient safety has been jeopardized, yet the medical center has a Leapfrog Grade A rating, which is the highest rank given by this independent monitoring group.” She also calls attention to the fact that the research funds received by the School of Medicine have been rapidly climbing, suggesting an “inpouring of skilled professors.” This stands in direct contradiction to what the letter described as an exodus of “experience and expertise.”
Her beliefs align with those of Mr. Ryan in acknowledging that while there may be issues going on behind the scenes, taking this public approach may not be the best tactic to solve them. In fact, doing so only serves to potentially cause more harm than good to the School of Medicine.
The 128 signatories, on the other hand, make their stance clear: they believe they have no other choice but to take drastic measures for the sake of their jobs and the patients. While at this point in time, any changes in leadership seem unlikely, this disagreement may linger for a while.
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