ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Four key leaders at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital submitted their resignations, according to a press release from the hospital titled "Leadership Transition."
President, Vice Dean and Physician-in-Chief Dr. Jonathan Ellen; Chief of Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Dr. Jeffrey Jacobs; Vice President, Chief of Staff Jackie Crain. Chair of the Surgery Department, Paul Colombani, resigned as chief of surgery, but not from the hospital.
The news comes after a series of investigations by the Tampa Bay Times showing multiple issues and deaths inside the cardiovascular surgery division. The Times’ reported that the mortality rate at the Heart Institute tripled between 2015-2017.
Kevin W. Sowers, M.S.N. president of the Johns Hopkins Health System will step in to lead the hospital temporarily.
Dr. George Jallo will serve as interim Vice Dean. He’s currently the medical director for the Institute for Brain Protection Sciences.
The board of Johns Hopkins Medicine will conduct a comprehensive external review of the issues within the program, according to a press release.
The press release also states, “We are devastated when children suffer. Losing a child is something no family should have to endure, and we are committed to learning everything we can about what happened at the Heart Institute, including a top-to-bottom evaluation of its leadership and key processes. The events described in recent news reports are unacceptable.”
