Oregon Health & Science University president stepping down

Joe Robertson, MD, the president of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) since 2006, has announced he’ll retire at the end of October after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis earlier this year.

“My diagnosis was a shock to me and my family,” Robertson said in a statement. “While my doctors assure me that I could continue to execute my role as president, this news has compelled me to re-evaluate my future and my family’s well-being.”

His official retirement date of Oct. 31 doesn’t mean he’ll stop serving as president. The university’s press release said Robertson offered to stay in the role through the end of the academic year without a salary, as he can begin receiving his pension from the state of Oregon on Nov. 1. The OSHU board will consider his offer to serve through June 15, 2018 at its next board meeting.

Beyond that date, he said he wished to continue serving in a part-time faculty role at OSHU’s Casey Eye Institute.

“I recognize that my plans might not be everyone’s idea of retirement, but my OHSU colleagues will understand that medical practice isn’t just a job we do, it is part of who we are,” Robertson said.

Robertson first joined OHSU as an ophthalmology resident in 1979, then became a part of the faculty in 1985. Since taking over as president, the university has opened several new facilities, including its 412,000-square foot Center for Health & Healing and establishing a new school of public health in partnership with Portland State University. OSHU was ranked No. 4 in the country for primary care and No. 29 for research in the most recent U.S. News and World Report rankings for medical schools.