been brewing<\/a> at the medical center for days between a group of employees and Dr. Nathan Selden, the dean of the OHSU School of Medicine. <\/p>\nThe letter is addressed to Selden\u2019s higher-ups: OHSU president Dr. Shereef Elnahal and the university\u2019s board of directors. <\/p>\n
It raises concerns about Selden\u2019s leadership, saying his \u201cshocking,\u201d \u201cill-conceived\u201d decision to remove Dr. Jennifer DeVoe from her position as chair of the OHSU Department of Family Medicine was done without transparency or a succession plan, and sends a worrying signal about the university\u2019s commitments. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe abruptness of the action, the absence of explanation, and lack of transition plan raise significant concerns about process, direction, and leadership integrity,\u201d the letter says. \u201cWe write this letter as Dr. DeVoe\u2019s colleagues and health care leaders who care deeply about Family Medicine and worry about the impacts ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
DeVoe\u2019s removal, the letter adds, \u201cwill be felt by faculty and staff as well as patients, learners, and communities across Oregon and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n
Selden, a neurosurgeon, was appointed dean in 2024 by former OHSU president Dr. Danny Jacobs. (He was briefly floated as president when Jacobs resigned.) The OHSU communications team said in a Thursday morning email that Selden was not available for an interview. But it reiterated an earlier comment it made thanking DeVoe for her service, and stating that OHSU\u2019s family medicine department will continue to receive strong support from the highest levels of the institution. <\/p>\n
DeVoe, a family medicine doctor, did not immediately respond to a question, and previously declined to comment. In an internal email last weekend, she told the department that it was Selden\u2019s decision to remove her from the chair position. She said her other work at OHSU would continue once her chair tenure ends.<\/p>\n
With 200-plus employed faculty and hundreds more volunteer faculty around the state, the OHSU family medicine program is one of the university\u2019s largest and most public facing, providing primary care services for tens of thousands of Oregonians and training dozens of residents at a time. The letter says the department is nationally respected and operationally strong.<\/p>\n
DeVoe has led the department for a decade, and the letter notes her accomplishments and advocacy for the cause of primary care. It says she is a \u201cwidely trusted, respected, and valued leader with an impeccable track record of success over her decade of service as department chair.\u201d <\/p>\n
It adds, \u201cThe signal from her sudden removal will be noticed with deep concern by faculty, learners, community partners, and local and national leadership watching OHSU\u2019s commitments closely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Signatories mostly hail from the OHSU family medicine department, though some work in other departments or in the medical profession outside the university. <\/p>\n
They make several demands. The first is a \u201ccomprehensive review of decisions leading to Dr. DeVoe\u2019s removal as department chair.\u201d <\/p>\n
They also request new leadership processes that \u201cexemplify transparency, respect, and collaboration.\u201d And they want OHSU leadership to commit to appointing a new chair \u201cthat understands and respects our shared values in family medicine.\u201d <\/p>\n
The letter ends with an appeal to Elnahal, the new university president, who it says has articulated a vision of a bright future for OHSU and health care access in Oregon.<\/p>\n
Signatories say they are eager to actualize Elnahal\u2019s vision. \u201cWe must begin by growing trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willamette Week\u2019s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office.<\/p>\n
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