Dear Cavalier Daily Editor-in-Chief,
Your Sept. 5 article, “U.Va. Health faculty demand removal of health system CEO, School of Medicine dean,” made me sad and angry as a School of Medicine Class of 1983 graduate and an experienced health journalist.
True, it is news that faculty members sent a letter to the University Board of Visitors calling for the removal of leadership, but your article is incomplete and irresponsible.
First of all, the headline should have included that a small number of the faculty called for removal of Craig Kent, Chief Executive Officer of U.Va. Health, and Melina Kibbe, dean of the School of Medicine. Only 128 out of more than 1,200 medical faculty signed the letter. Did you search to see who the signatories were or try to interview any of them? Did you talk to other faculty members who might disagree? Did you reach out to Kent or Kibbe for comment? Did you ask President James Ryan if he knew about the disgruntled School of Medicine faculty, before the Board of Visitors? It is very poor form to go public anonymously, even more so if the signatories did not follow the “chain of command.”
Your article also omitted that the submitted letter did not include facts, only allegations. All of those accusations could be true, but did you look for any supporting evidence? I understand this event could be seen as “breaking news,” but your reporting left out relevant, easy-to-find, publicly available data to give it proper context.
For example, in the past few years the faculty attrition rate has been about 7 percent, which is less than the national average of 11 percent. Similarly, 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. Also, the research dollars that came into the School of Medicine climbed to $287 million, which suggests an inpouring of skilled professors. Is there really an exodus of “experience and expertise?”
The article did cite U.Va. Health’s ranking, which is number one in Virginia according to Newsweek, but it was juxtaposed to Kent’s and Kibbe’s salary — why? The article included that Kent had previous conflicts at The Ohio State University. What about Kibbe — was her record clean, so it was ignored?
As a member of the School of Medicine Alumni Board, I have interacted with Kibbe, whose actions seem transparent and in the best interest of the School of Medicine and everyone it serves, including students, trainees, faculty and patients. I do not know Kent or the daily workings of the School of Medicine. But, I do know that Kent and Kibbe and the health care system deserve diligence in your reporting.
The overarching principle in medicine and journalism is “First, do no harm.” I think your reporting has caused harm to Kibbe and Kent, the medical school, the University's prestigious healthcare system, the institution of journalism and possibly the University we love.
I hope the reporting for your follow-up article is more complete.
Sincerely,
ChrisAnna Mink is a University alumna from the Class of 1983 and a clinical professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.
The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Cavalier Daily. Columns represent the views of the authors alone.
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