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Internal emails show that Oregon Health & Science University is removing the chair of its family medicine program, an abrupt shakeup at one of the medical center’s largest and most public-facing departments.
Dr. Jennifer DeVoe has served as the chair of OHSU’s Department of Family Medicine for a decade, overseeing primary care services, education and research of more than 200 faculty members and numerous residents at the school’s main Portland campus and several locations around the state.
After holding a hastily arranged meeting with leaders in the department, Dr. Nathan Selden, the dean of the OHSU School of Medicine, told staff in an email late Friday that DeVoe would “complete her service as chair” effective Feb. 1, and that he would appoint an interim replacement soon.
Selden noted that DeVoe would retain her other roles at OHSU, including as a professor and director of the OHSU Center for Primary Care Research and Innovation. Still, the news left some faculty unsettled. Three, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, tell WW that DeVoe is a popular leader and a strong force for primary care and population health research in an institution that tends to prize the financial returns and cachet associated with specialized tertiary and quaternary care.
The faculty were also struck by the lack of succession plan for the department—and the abruptness of the initial announcement, which left unclear why DeVoe would no longer serve as chair. “This is one of the most professional, accomplished, kind, mission-driven people,” one faculty member says, adding that, “if this was her choice, she would have emailed us.”
Ultimately, DeVoe did clear things up somewhat. In a Sunday email to the department, which WW obtained, she said it was Selden’s decision to end her tenure as chair, but noted that her other work at OHSU would continue.
Reached directly, DeVoe said she does “not wish to comment at this time” and referred WW to the OHSU communications department.
Selden has been a neurosurgeon at OHSU since 2000, but he’s relatively new to the dean job, to which then-president Dr. Danny Jacobs appointed him in 2024. Selden forwarded WW questions to the OHSU communications team, which said it does not comment on personnel matters.
Still, Selden and the OHSU spokesperson both emphasized that the medical center’s commitment to family medicine remains strong.
In an email to WW, OHSU spokeswoman Tamara Hargens-Bradley said the university appreciates DeVoe’s decade of leadership, and that the Department of Family Medicine “is an essential part of OHSU’s mission and will continue to receive strong support at the highest levels of the organization for the vital education, clinical care, research and community engagement work their teams do every day in service to the people of Oregon and beyond.”
She added that “any suggestion that OHSU is deemphasizing family medicine in any manner is patently false.”
In an email to department leaders Saturday, Selden echoed such support for family medicine, calling it a critical part of the university’s mission.
“I know that this period of transition is anxiety-provoking,” he wrote, thanking the leaders for their professionalism. He emphasized that direct communications are important to him, particularly during leadership transitions, and that people should reach out with questions or concerns. “We are committed,” he wrote, “to being transparent and available as we move forward together.”
