by James A. Bacon

K. Craig Kent, CEO of the University of Virginia Health System, resigned yesterday after the Board of Visitors met in closed session to hear the findings of an investigation into allegations of unsafe medical practices, fraudulent billing, and a culture of fear and retaliation.

“Following the meeting, Dr. Craig Kent offered, and President Ryan accepted, his resignation,” according to a terse statement sent Tuesday night by Ryan and UVa Rector Robert Hardie to UVa Health and the School of Medicine. “The Board and the President thank Dr. Kent for his years of service to the University.”

Kent’s resignation represents a major setback for Ryan, already embattled from other controversies, who declined to act on the complaints when they were brought to his attention last year. He stood by Kent when 128 physicians and faculty members published a letter accusing the hospital CEO and School of Medicine Dean Melina Kibbe of numerous abuses of power.

The Board of Visitors initiated an investigation late last year to probe the allegations. On Kent and Kibbe’s watch, the letter alleged, the UVA Medical Center tampered with billing and patient records, suppressed reports of patient-safety concerns, engaged in upcoding to maximize reimbursements, showed blatant favoritism for some, and engaged in intimidation and retaliation against others.

Working under the direction of the BoV’s audit committee, investigators with the Williams & Connolly law firm interviewed dozens of employees. The Board has yet to release any findings to the public, and it took no action yesterday in response to the report. There was no indication whether Kibbe, who also figured prominently in the allegations, has offered to resign.

UVA recruited Kent in 2019 from the Ohio State University School of Medicine. Kent had gained renown for his research on molecular mechanisms underlying vascular disease, and UVA leadership hoped he would accelerate the expansion of sponsored R&D at the University’s medical center.

“We put a lot of time and effort into this search because we knew how important it was to get the right person for the job,” Ryan said at the time. “Dr. Craig Kent is that person. He’s a renowned surgeon, an experienced teacher and researcher, and a proven leader with a remarkable life story. I believe Dr. Kent will do an excellent job leading the UVA Health, and I very much look forward to working with him.”

UVA Medical Center physicians and faculty accused Kent of implementing an autocratic governing style. Complaints began cropping up shortly after he came to Charlottesville in early 2020.

According to a timeline created by the dissident docs, medical school faculty tried fruitlessly to work within the system to have their concerns addressed. As early as the fall of 2021, the United Physician Group board sent a letter putting Ryan on notice to problems in the medical center. Follow-up letters went to the Clinical Staff Executive Committee. School of Medicine faculty senate representatives met with the Provost’s Office repeatedly in 2024, and with Ryan himself in August 2024.

When the physicians went public with their allegations, Ryan leaped to the defense of Kent and Kibbe, both of whom were hired on his watch.

Referring to the public letter that launched the controversy into the public domain, Ryan said, “They have besmirched the reputations of not just Melina and Craig. Instead, through some of their allegations, they have unfairly — and I trust unwittingly — cast a shadow over the great work of the entire health system and medical school.”

Kent’s resignation comes at an awkward time for Ryan. His right-hand man, Provost Ian Baucom, will be leaving at the end of the semester to become president of Middlebury College. Finding a replacement for Baucom, a staunch ally of Ryan’s social-justice priorities, could be contentious if conservative members of the Board of Visitors get involved in the selection process.

Ryan also is under fire for his refusal to release an unredacted version of a taxpayer-funded investigation into the 2022 triple murder on UVA Grounds. That investigation probed the failure of the administration to prevent the tragedy despite numerous warning signs that the shooter, since convicted, was a danger to the University community. About a half year into the investigation (but before the reports were officially complete), the dean of student affairs, Robyn Hadley, abruptly and mysteriously submitted her resignation. She, too, was a Ryan hire.

Meanwhile, Ryan faces criticism from left-wing faculty for authorizing the break-up of a pro-Palestinian encampment by Virginia State Police for violating university time-manner-place restrictions. Twenty-five protesters were arrested. Although all criminal and misdemeanor charges were dismissed and no one suffered any administrative sanctions, sympathizers have accused Ryan of suppressing free speech and freedom of assembly.

The Board of Visitors gave no clue during the board meeting of what comes next. As has become routine now, the board spent most of its time in closed session. Some obvious follow-up questions:

Should the Board release the Williams & Connolly report?

Does the report implicate anyone other than Kent?

Who will replace Kent?

What structural reforms at the Health System are called for?

What exposure does the UVA Medical Center have to potential legal liability?

What did Ryan know, when did he know it, what should he have known, and was he negligent in his oversight of the UVA Health system?

James A. Bacon is contributing editor with The Jefferson Council.