Longtime Massachusetts General Hospital President Peter Slavin, M.D., announced plans to step down after more than 18 years in the role.
In a letter posted online, Slavin said the decision to move on was one of the "hardest decisions I ever made."
(Massachusetts General Hospital)
"Yet this particular moment in the arc of this storied institution feels like a crossroads of sorts. We’re emerging from the depths of a pandemic, we’re rethinking the way we work, we’re realigning into a true integrated health care system, we’re planning a magnificent new building, and we’re about to launch a bold comprehensive fundraising campaign," Slavin wrote. "Now seems like a fitting point in time to call upon a new captain for the ship, someone with new energy and new ideas, who can ably steer this great hospital forward into a bright and promising future as an anchor of Mass General Brigham."
Slavin said he agreed to stay on in the role until his successor is in place.
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In a letter also posted online, Anne Klibanski, M.D., who is president and CEO of Mass General Brigham, praised Slavin's contributions to Mass General during his tenure.
Under his leadership, the hospital’s total revenue nearly tripled to $5.5 billion and annual fundraising grew from $72 million to $390 million, she wrote. In the same time, its total number of employees jumped from about 15,000 employees to more than 27,000. Its research budget more than doubled from $400 million to $1 billion.
Notable projects have included the addition of the Yawkey Building in 2004, the Lunder Building in 2011 and the Russell Museum in 2012. Peter welcomed Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket Cottage, Cooley Dickinson and Wentworth-Douglass hospitals to Mass General. In 2009, Mass General established the Ragon Institute aimed at finding vaccines for diseases of the immune system, particularly HIV/AIDS. The Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies was launched in 2012 aimed at finding new cancer therapies and the 18-bed Translational and Clinical Research Center opened in 2016 to test treatments for a range of adult and pediatric disorders. In 2018, the Sean M. Healey and AMG Center for ALS was established.
In 2019, Massachusetts General announce plans to construct a $1 billion, 12-story hospital building on its Boston campus by 2026.
A number of new and expanded clinical programs were added to meet patient needs including the Lurie Center for Autism, the Transgender Health Program, the new Gordon-Browne Proton Therapy Center and the Substance Use Disorders Initiative, she wrote.
In 2019, Slavin was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. He also served as board chair of the Massachusetts Hospital Association from 2012 to 2013 and as board chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges from 2014 to 2015.
Klibanski said the search process will be aligned with the Mass General Brigham United Against Racism priority and include a diverse search committee and a slate of candidates for consideration.