Richard Azizkhan, MD, will retire from his role as the top executive of Children's Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha next month, according to a World-Herald report.
Dr. Azizkhan became president and CEO of Children's Hospital & Medical Center in October 2015 and has spent the past four years overseeing growth at the hospital, including the recruitment of around 150 pediatric specialists and constructing a new nine-floor clinical facility.
He announced his retirement while a lawsuit filed by two former surgeons earlier this year is still pending. A neurosurgeon and plastic surgeon filed the suit in January, claiming the hospital suspended them after they reported patient safety concerns. Children's Hospital & Medical Center denied the allegations and maintain the suit makes false accusations against the hospital and Dr. Azizkhan.
Dr. Azizkhan is also named in a lawsuit related to his time as chief of surgery at Cincinnati Children's Hospital where spine surgeon Atiq Durrani, MD, was cited in multiple medical malpractice lawsuits. There have been motions to dismiss the suits against Dr. Azizkhan filed within the Ohio court system, according to the report.
Dr. Azizkhan's retirement is effective Aug. 16 and former chairman of the hospital's board of directors Rodrigo Lopez will become the interim president and CEO while the board searches for a permanent replacement.