Vivian Lee, MD, PhD, is stepping down as CEO of University of Utah Health, calling criticisms of her integrity and character “disturbing” after a controversy over her firing of the university cancer center director.
The trouble began April 17, when, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, Lee fired Mary Beckerle, PhD, as director of the school’s Huntsman Cancer Institute, supposedly with no warning and via email. The center’s namesake, billionaire Jon Huntsman Sr., protested the firing with full-page ads in newspapers and threatened to withhold a $250 million donation to the school. In response, David Pershing, University of Utah president, reinstated Beckerle and bypassed Lee, having Beckerle report directly to him.
In her resignation letter, Lee alluded to the controversy, giving “apologies to all” over “recent events.”
“We should not permit the events of the past two weeks to divert us from our fundamental mission, and with my decision today, I believe our entire community can readily return to its vital focus on health sciences, health care, education and service,” she said.
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John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.