Theodore Christopher, MD, will exit his role as head of emergency medicine at Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health Oct. 1., according to internal email obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Dr. Christopher spent more than 20 years as chair of the department of emergency medicine. After Oct. 1, he will remain on the system's medical staff as a practicing physician and continue to serve as a faculty member at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College.
News of the exit comes nearly a year after Dr. Christopher was placed on leave after leaving his shift without contacting the on-call emergency medicine physician to cover in his absence. On Oct. 30, 2023, he left a first-year resident unattended to undergo a diagnostic procedure in another area of the facility, and another physician found a replacement upon learning of his absence. Hospital leaders conducted an investigation and Dr. Christopher was placed on leave through November 2023. The incident had no effect on patient care, a spokesperson previously told Becker's.
Dr. Christopher's decision to leave the leadership position is unrelated to the incident, a Jefferson spokesperson told The Inquirer. A national search is underway for his replacement.
"Dr. Christopher's hard work and dedication to Jefferson has been and will continue to be invaluable to the lives of his students and faculty members and staff," the Sidney Kimmel Medical College Dean's Office wrote in an email to faculty in July, according to the report.
He joined the health system in 1982 as a member of its first class of emergency medicine residents. In 2002, he established the department of emergency medicine and has served at the helm since.