This morning, the University’s Board of Visitors received a letter of no confidence for Craig Kent, chief executive officer of U.Va. Health, and Melina Kibbe, dean of the School of Medicine, Medicine professor and chief health affairs officer, demanding both of their removals. The letter, signed by 128 U.Va. Physicians Group-employed faculty, alleges that the two leaders have fostered an environment that compromises patient safety and creates a culture of fear among faculty.
The letter accuses Kent and Kibbe of allowing “egregious acts” to occur at U.Va. Health and the School of Medicine, including hiring doctors with questionable quality of work, subjecting residents to harassment, excessive spending on executives instead of addressing staffing shortages, a lack of transparency on financial matters and violations of the Board of Visitors-approved code of ethics.
“Craig Kent and Melina Kibbe have not only undermined but also directly attacked the values that inspired us to study, teach and work at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and U.Va. Health,” the letter reads.
The letter also states that, though the alleged concerns have been longstanding and routinely documented by faculty, leaders in U.Va. Health have dismissed, punished and silenced those who have followed U.Va. reporting protocols, including threatening promotion denials as retaliation for speaking out against U.Va. Health leaders, as well as altering and suppressing reports of instances in which U.Va. Health leaders committed abuses of power.
“For over a year, these concerns and egregious acts were reported via U.Va.'s official reporting processes … we sign this letter of no confidence as a last resort out of urgent concern for our patients, colleagues, community and the University of Virginia,” the letter reads.
The letter mentions that the environment fostered by Kent and Kibbe has contributed to an "ongoing exodus" of qualified U.Va. Health employees, which the faculty say undermines their ability to ensure adequate patient care.
In 2017 — before Kent arrived at the University — a group of 25 physicians and professors signed a no confidence letter criticizing his work as dean of The Ohio State University College of Medicine. The letter, directed at Dr. Sheldon Retchin, former chief executive officer of OSU Wexner Medical Center, alleged that Retchin and his executives, including Kent, betrayed the school’s academic mission and created an environment of low morale amongst faculty.
The U.Va. Health System has been nationally recognized, including Newsweek naming U.Va. Health the number one hospital in Virginia for 2024, commending its delivery of “best-in-class healthcare.” Kent and Kibbe are also two of the highest paid officials at the University — first and third, respectively — with Kent earning a salary of $1.6 million and Kibbe earning $829,000, according to faculty salary data obtained by The Cavalier Daily through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Eric Swensen, public information officer for U.Va. Health, said that U.Va. Health’s leadership is looking to further examine faculty members’ concerns and that the organization values feedback from its employees.
“U.Va. Health and our leaders are committed to providing high-quality care to our patients and an excellent work environment for our 17,000 team members and 1,400 faculty,” Swensen said. “Feedback is an important part of fostering a healthy culture … [and] leadership looks forward to further understanding and addressing concerns that have been expressed by some faculty members.”
According to the letter of no confidence, its 128 signatures were obtained physically from the signatories and are currently being shielded from public disclosure to protect faculty from retaliation. However, if the Board should request to view the list of signatures, the letter states that the signatories will arrange for their signatures to be viewed by a limited audience.
This is a developing story. Updates will be made to this article as additional information becomes available.
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