After A Year Of Investigation Around 'Healthy Holly' Scandal, UMMS Names New President, CEO
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The University of Maryland Medical System's Board of Directors announced Wednesday they have appointed Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, as President and CEO effect December 1.
Dr. Suntha worked as the President and CEO of the University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore since May 2016, and was the President and CEO for UM St. Joseph Medical Center.
"It has been my privilege to lead the University of Maryland Medical Center and work alongside the talented employees and the University of Maryland School of Medicine (SOM) faculty, who care for some of the most complex patient cases in our nation," Dr. Suntha said. "I am humbled and honored by the opportunity to now lead the 28,000 women and men of the University of Maryland Medical System who come to work each day to provide Marylanders with exceptional, high quality care. Together, we have a unique opportunity to drive the national health care conversation in defining value-based care while serving our tripartite mission."
This comes after a year of resignations and scandal, all centered around the "Healthy Holly" business dealings involving former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and several board members and executives.
TIMELINE: Mayor Pugh Healthy Holly Investigation
The issues began after a report that Pugh filed disclosure forms with incorrection information and did not disclose her position with the UMMS board in city ethics forms, after making a deal in 2011 where she received $500,000 selling her self-published book series to the UMMS.
Pugh, who became mayor in 2016, was among a third of the board who had UMMS contracts with their businesses.
She resigned from the board in March, but it only got more complicated from there.
Robert Chrencik, the now-former CEO of the UMMS, was asked to take a leave of absence just days after Pugh resigned from the board, and eventually resigned on April 26.