U.Va. Health’s administration has undergone multiple executive leadership changes over the past year. Former U.Va. Health CEO Craig Kent was the first to resign in a series of executive changes. Kent resigned in February 2025 which was followed by Melina Kibbe, former dean of the School of Medicine, and Wendy Horton, former CEO of the University Medical Center, both announcing their resignations in July 2025.
Kent resigned following a special University Board of Visitors meeting, which was held to conduct an individual review of Kent. A letter of no confidence that was signed by 128 anonymous members of the U.Va. Physicians Group faculty sparked the review. The letter had alleged medical misconduct and a culture of fear from both Kent and Kibbe. Kent pushed back against the allegations in a defamatory lawsuit filed Feb. 23, arguing the report sent to the Board prior to his resignation was not an official University investigation and contained false claims intended to oust him.
Since the resignations of those three executive roles between February and July 2025, here is a look at U.Va. Health’s fluctuations in leadership by role, with appointments made to both permanent and interim roles.
CEO of U.Va. Health
The CEO of U.Va. Health, also the executive vice president of health affairs, is in charge of overseeing every aspect of the integrated health system, including the hospitals, the University Medical Center, the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing.
The CEO role has been held by three people since its inaugural selection in 2013. The U.Va. Health administration changed their leadership structure in 2013 to integrate both the leadership from the University Medical Center and educational research branches into one position. Dr. Richard P. Shannon held the role of inaugural CEO, until Feb. 1, 2020, once Kent was appointed. Shannon left the position to join Duke Health as the senior vice president and chief medical officer.
Following Kent’s resignation in February 2025 after roughly five years in the position, the Board appointed Dr. Mitchell Rosner into the interim role. Following a letter signed by over two dozen department chairs and leaders within the health system urging the Board to appoint him, Rosner was appointed to the permanent role for a three-year term following a Board meeting Sept. 12.
Rosner joined U.Va. Health as faculty to the School of Medicine in 2005, and since then, he has served as a faculty member, physician and chair of the Department of Medicine.
Since becoming CEO, Rosner has led the searches for the other interim executive positions within U.Va. Health, such as for the dean of the School of Medicine and the CEO of the University Medical Center.
Dean of the School of Medicine
The Dean of the School of Medicine works directly with the senior associate deans, chief operating officer, a special adviser, the clinical department chairs, research department chairs, and research center directors to carry out the School’s mission of “transforming health and inspiring hope for all Virginians and beyond.”
Kibbe’s resignation was announced by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston July 14, 2025, followed by the announcement of her selection as President of the UTHealth Houston system. Kibbe held the role as dean and chief health affairs officer at the University from 2021 to 2025.
Kibbe had been named alongside Kent in the letter of no confidence signed by 128 members of the U.Va. Physicians Group, having allegedly compromised patient safety and created a culture of fear amongst faculty. The University announced Dr. Colin Derdeyn as interim dean Aug.12 — he has held this interim role since. Kibbe’s final day as dean was Sept. 3.
Derdeyn initially joined the University in 2024 as the Keats professor of radiology and medical imaging and served as chair to the department of radiology.
In an email to U.Va. Health employees May 5, Rosner affirmed that the search committee for the permanent dean had begun its search in May. The search committee is comprised of professors, faculty, residents and students within U.Va. Health.
The committee includes Rosner and Coleen McNamara, professor and co-director of the Carter Immunology Center, as co-chairs.
“[The search process included] a series of listening sessions designed to gather perspectives from faculty and staff across the organization,” Rosner wrote in an email May 29. “One consistent theme that has been present in these sessions is that people are at the core of who we are, and our culture is special and something to be valued and protected.”
Rosner did not announce when the next permanent dean would be selected, or if Derdeyn would be considered for the role of the permanent candidate.
CEO of the University Medical Center
The CEO of the University Medical Center oversees the flagship hospital of the U.Va. Health system. They lead by advancing the clinical excellence, patient experience and operational performance of the Medical Center.
Two days after the announcement of Kibbe’s resignation, Horton’s resignation from her role as CEO of the Medical Center was announced July 16, and she accepted a position as senior vice president at the University of California San Francisco Health system.
Horton was not named in the letter of no confidence, but she is named in an ongoing lawsuit filed Oct. 3. by U.Va. Health leaders and the spouses of two deceased patients. The lawsuit alleges that Kent, Kibbe and Horton were prioritizing profits during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving empty beds for patients that would require costly surgeries rather than treating patients with COVID-19. Horton and other defendants filed a motion to dismiss Jan. 9, arguing the complaint’s pandemic-related allegations were baseless factual accusations, and that U.Va. Health leaders were acting in the best interest of the health system in their roles.
Horton’s final day at the University was Sept. 14, and U.Va. Health announced the appointment of interim Terrie Edwards Sept. 9. Edwards had not previously held a position at U.Va. Health prior to being chosen as CEO, but served as regional president of Sentara Health for four years.
Rosner wrote to the U.Va. Health staff and faculty May 12 that Edwards would no longer be staying with the University as interim CEO of the University Medical Center, and the interim position would be assumed by Kathy Baker, current chief nursing officer of the University Medical Center, May 23.
In a follow-up email May 29 to the U.Va. Health community, Rosner announced that the search for a new CEO is nearly concluded and the announcement would be released in the coming months.
“We have had outstanding candidates who expressed interest in joining [U.Va.] Health,” Rosner wrote. “[We] hope to announce our new CEO within the next month.”
Chief Medical Officer of U.Va. Health
The position of CMO at U.Va. Health was created this year. The CMO is responsible for overseeing U.Va. Health’s medical staff and working to ensure the highest quality patient care and service.
The inaugural incumbent of CMO for U.Va. Health is Reid Adams, former University Medical Center CMO. The announcement of Adams’ position came from an email to the U.Va. Health community sent by Rosner Feb. 24. Adams had held the position of CMO for the University Medical Center since April 2020, and assumed the position of U.Va. Health CMO March 1.
“This organizational change supports our health system vision to advance our organization into a fully integrated, high-performing health system,” Rosner wrote in the email. “[This] represents an important step toward that goal.”
As the first physician to serve this position at U.Va. Health, Adams will work alongside CEOs of both the University Medical Center and the U.Va. Health system to ensure high-quality patient care and services.
Adams attended the University as an undergraduate student, medical student and completed his residency as a general surgery resident through the U.Va. Department of Surgery. He graduated from the School of Medicine in 1987 and from residency in 1994.
CMO of University Medical Center
Following the appointment of Adams as CMO of U.Va. Health, Dr. Paul Helgerson’s appointment as interim CMO of the University Medical Center was announced Feb. 24.
Prior to serving as interim CMO, Helgerson served as the associate CMO for the University Medical Center and as the U.Va. Department of Medicine’s vice chair for inpatient affairs. As interim CMO, Helgerson serves as senior physician and oversees the medical staff of the University Medical Center to ensure the highest-quality patient care and service.
Rosner has not announced a public update to the U.Va. Health community regarding a permanent candidate for the position.
Chief Operating Officer of University Medical Center
The COO of the University Medical Center is in charge of the daily operations of the University Medical Center and executing the strategic goals of the administration.
Baker shared with the U.Va. Health faculty and staff community June 1 that Min Lee, current COO of the University Medical Center, would be leaving her position to serve as president of University of North Carolina Medical Center. Lee has served in this role since June 27, 2022 and her final day in office will be June 26.
In the email statement to U.Va. Health employees, Baker wrote that details regarding the “transition plan” following Lee’s departure would be sent closer to her final date, and there were no updates regarding a potential committee or interim candidate.
Chief Administrative Officer of University Medical Center
The CAO of the University Medical Center “collaborates with various senior executive leaders, physician leaders, faculty and team members on a broad range of strategic priorities, system initiatives and projects.”
In an email statement to the U.Va. Health community June 1, Baker shared that current CAO Abdi Somo would be leaving his position to pursue another opportunity. Baker did not specify when Somo’s last day would be or what the other opportunity was.
Chief of U.Va. Children’s Hospital
The role of chief at the Children’s Hospital is another new position, and the first person to hold the title was Cindy Bo, who began her term March 31, 2025. The chief provides the executive leadership for all operations within the children’s hospital. The position was created to expand access to care for patients across Virginia while remaining the hospital of choice for families across Virginia.
Bo left the position in October 2025 due to personal reasons, and Jason Lineen, who also currently serves as the chief strategy officer, was selected as the interim chief announced Oct. 6.
There have been no public updates from Rosner regarding a search for a permanent chief at the Children’s Hospital.
Chair of the Department of Medicine in School of Medicine
Succeeding Rosner as chair of the Department of Medicine, Taison Bell, an associate professor of medicine and College Class of 2005 and Darden Class of 2020 alum, was appointed Feb. 27, 2025 following the appointment of Rosner as CEO of U.Va. Health.
The clinical department chairs within the School of Medicine serve as the main doctors within their respective clinical operations. Each doctor, along with Bell, reports directly to the dean and works alongside the CEO of the University Medical Center to coordinate strategic planning for their department by taking into consideration institutional goals aligning with the School of Medicine’s mission.
Chair of the Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging in School of Medicine
After the appointment of Derdeyn as interim dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Cree Gaskin, current chief medical imaging information officer for U.Va. Health, was appointed Sept. 9 as the interim chair of the Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging within the School of Medicine.
Along with serving as chair and chief medical imaging information officer, Gaskin is also a professor of radiology and orthopedic surgery and has served over 20 years in the U.Va. Health department through work in radiology and imaging services.
Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences in School of Medicine
Following the appointment of Gaskin, Dr. Nassima Ait-Daoud Tiouririne’s appointment was announced as interim chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences beginning Sept 5, 2025. The former chair, Dr. Anita Clayton, professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology with a board certification in psychiatry and neurology, continued to stay in this position through the transitionary period, however, it is unclear if she still holds the position alongside Tiouririne.
Looking ahead
Rosner has been providing steady communication via email to the U.Va. Health community regarding updates on the search for the dean and the CEO of the University Medical Center. Additionally, he submitted a guest piece to The Cavalier Daily in April detailing his leadership and hope for the U.Va. Health system amidst executive leadership changes.
The Office of the CEO of the University Medical Center addressed the period of transformation at U.Va. Health and how the system will remain committed to its patient-centered mission in an email March 11 to The University Medical Center’s teams.
“[We] are stepping into a new era of growth and transformation,” the email wrote. “One that will bring us closer together as a unified health system and position us confidently for the future.”
