Ben Raimer, MD, submitted his resignation from the role of president of the University of Texas Medical Branch Aug. 22, two weeks after he was placed on administrative leave for undisclosed reasons, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Charles Mouton, MD, executive vice president, provost and dean of the UTMB John Sealy School of Medicine, will serve as interim president. The system will conduct a national search for a new leader.
The academic health system did not disclose the reason for the longtime UTMB leader's departure. When he was placed on administrative leave Aug. 8, the system only said the move was not "in any way connected to the operations at UTMB or the Galveston National Lab." The lab has drawn scrutiny over agreements with three Chinese research labs, including the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Dr. Raimer has been with UTMB for decades, including his start as a student in the graduate and medical schools. In 1993, he became the senior vice president of health policy and legislative affairs. He was appointed interim president of UTMB in 2019, assuming the role permanently in 2021.
Clinically, much of Dr. Raimer's practice has been devoted to the evaluation and treatment of children and adolescents with behavioral disorders and learning disabilities.
UTMB includes four hospital campuses and more than 90 primary and specialty care clinics in Southeast Texas.