Raymond Hohl has resigned from his position as the director of the Penn State Cancer Institute, just one day after a critical investigation by Spotlight PA revealed serious concerns regarding his leadership and patient care practices. Hohl’s resignation, effective immediately, was announced in an internal email attributed to Karen Kim, dean of the Penn State College of Medicine, and Michael Kupferman, CEO of Penn State Health. According to the email, Hohl will continue as a faculty member at the university’s medical college.
Hohl, who took on the role of director in 2014, aimed to secure National Cancer Institute designation for the cancer center located at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. This designation is recognized as a significant achievement in cancer research and treatment, prompting the university to invest over $410 million in the center’s development.
The Spotlight PA investigation, published on November 20, 2023, uncovered a series of troubling internal reviews conducted between early 2022 and mid-2023. These reviews highlighted issues with Hohl’s management, including inadequate care for at least ten patients, which led to instances of accidental overdoses of chemotherapy, unexplained delays in treatment adjustments, and prolonged waits for essential scans to monitor cancer progression.
Additionally, the reviews indicated that Hohl had fostered a “toxic culture of fear and mistrust,” contributing to a high turnover rate among doctors and researchers within the institute. A December 2022 assessment noted that, despite nearly a decade of leadership and substantial financial investment, the institute was “significantly behind” in achieving its goals.
Internal records reveal that Hohl contested these findings, providing a more optimistic view of the institute’s progress. Senior Penn State Health officials, including the former CEO and COO, were aware of these issues yet did not take immediate action. By 2023, discussions about Hohl’s potential removal as director had taken place, though he remained in his position and was placed on a two-month performance improvement plan. This plan required adherence to national cancer treatment guidelines and improvements in communication and teamwork skills.
In May 2024, Penn State made a quiet move to remove Hohl’s oversight of clinical care, a decision that Penn State Health officials declined to comment on in September 2025. Despite these changes, Hohl continued to see patients as of early 2025.
Following the publication of the Spotlight PA investigation, Penn State Health issued a statement defending the current state of the Penn State Cancer Institute, asserting that the reporting was based on outdated information and did not accurately reflect the institute’s present conditions. The statement emphasized that significant changes had been implemented in leadership, staffing, operations, and clinical capabilities over the past two years.
In the wake of Hohl’s resignation, Jeff Peters, the institute’s deputy director, has been appointed as the interim director. The university’s commitment to improving patient care and leadership within the cancer center remains a priority as it navigates this transition.
