Tony Slonim, MD, has been fired as president and CEO of Reno, Nev.-based Renown Health, according to a March 10 news release shared with Becker's.
The health system said Dr. Slonim's tenure at the helm of Renown Health has ended, and Thomas Graf, MD, will serve as interim CEO. The health system said Dr. Graf will serve in the interim CEO role in addition to his current role as chief clinical and quality officer at Renown and senior associate dean for clinical affairs for University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. Sy Johnson, current COO of Renown, was promoted to interim president and COO.
Dr. Slonim's firing came after an internal investigation, according to Renown. Citing a letter to board members, Fox affiliate KRXI reported that the internal investigation was over alleged personnel misconduct and that the board's audit and compliance committee, along with help from outside counsel, found that Dr. Slonim violated the health system's compliance program and code of conduct. No specifics were provided in Renown's statement.
"Following the completion of a thorough investigation of concerns raised to the board of directors, the board determined that Renown Health, its patients and staff required new leadership. Accordingly, Dr. Slonim has been terminated with cause as CEO of Renown Health," the health system's news release said.
Adam Kramer, chair of the Renown board, added that "a new direction and leadership is needed given the critical work ahead" and that he has "complete faith in Dr. Tom Graf and Sy Johnson, and their senior leadership teams, who already oversee healthcare system operations, and will help ensure a smooth transition."
Dr. Slonim had served as president and CEO of Renown since 2014.
During his tenure, he oversaw initiatives including the Healthy Nevada Project, a community-wide DNA testing effort that began in 2016, according to the Reno Gazette Journal. Dr. Slonim also was in the news in 2020 when he defended Renown's alternative COVID-19 unit after a tweet shared by President Donald Trump claimed the site was "fake."
Before joining Renown, he was executive vice president and chief medical officer of West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health.