6:01 PM
Enrico Benedetti is Head of the Department of Surgery of the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System. On January 19, 2014, Dr. Benedetti appeared in an advertisement in the New York Times Magazine that purported to represent the endorsement by the University of Illinois of the daVinci surgical system, manufactured by Intuitive Surgical, Inc. The advertisement, as I have noted, bears a copyright from Intuitive Surgical, Inc. and in, my mind, warrants extreme disciplinary action against the highest ranked clinical and administrative University officials who approved it.
On January 23, 2014, Dr. Bernard Pygon was designated by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees to be Acting Chief Medical Officer of the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, Chicago, renewing an initial appointment made on December 1, 2013. There is no reason to believe that Dr. Pygon is anything less than a highly competent and well respected physician. However, Dr. Pygon also appeared in the advertisement in the New York Times Magazine.
The presence of Dr. Benedetti and Dr. Pygon in the advertisement, given their positions, raises important questions. Did they participate in the decision to use the image and the reputation of the University in service to a private corporation? How can this matter be cleared up to protect their reputations, if appropriate, or apply discipline, if appropriate?
Although these are special cases given their positions, the same questions hold for all of the other doctors pictured and identified in this advertisement.
All of this leads to a question of governance. Where is the Board of Trustees on this matter? In addition to approving medical staff clinical appointments, the board establishes the overall guidelines for behavior for the entire university system, a system that includes the Hospital and Health Sciences System. Will they open an investigation of this matter? When will they issue a statement to the people of the Chicago region telling of their plans, so as to re-establish trust in this major medical system?
On January 23, 2014, Dr. Bernard Pygon was designated by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees to be Acting Chief Medical Officer of the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, Chicago, renewing an initial appointment made on December 1, 2013. There is no reason to believe that Dr. Pygon is anything less than a highly competent and well respected physician. However, Dr. Pygon also appeared in the advertisement in the New York Times Magazine.
The presence of Dr. Benedetti and Dr. Pygon in the advertisement, given their positions, raises important questions. Did they participate in the decision to use the image and the reputation of the University in service to a private corporation? How can this matter be cleared up to protect their reputations, if appropriate, or apply discipline, if appropriate?
Although these are special cases given their positions, the same questions hold for all of the other doctors pictured and identified in this advertisement.
All of this leads to a question of governance. Where is the Board of Trustees on this matter? In addition to approving medical staff clinical appointments, the board establishes the overall guidelines for behavior for the entire university system, a system that includes the Hospital and Health Sciences System. Will they open an investigation of this matter? When will they issue a statement to the people of the Chicago region telling of their plans, so as to re-establish trust in this major medical system?
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