Penn State Cancer Institute director Raymond Hohl, MD, PhD, resigned last week just one day after a Spotlight PA investigation uncovered problems regarding his care of patients and leadership methods, reports The Associated Press.

 

Published November 20, the investigation revealed that Hohl was the subject of several internal reviews conducted by Penn State doctors between 2022 and 2023. The reviews highlighted a series of problems with Hohl’s care of at least 10 cancer patients.

 

The reviews stated that many of Hohl’s patients accidentally received extra doses of chemotherapy. Others experienced unexplained delays in switching treatment or having scans performed to determine whether their cancer had progressed.

 

In an email obtained by Spotlight PA, one hospital employee said Hohl “changes the plan of care without involving peers, he is not attentive to needs of patients, he lacks follow up.… I fear he might be a liability to the organization and the care we provide our patients.”

 

What’s more, Hohl’s “sloppy recordkeeping” led to several errors. In fact, six individuals connected to the cancer institute said Hohl was commonly weeks or months behind on his patient notes, leading to significant gaps in medical records “that alarmed some colleagues.”

 

Several patients reportedly requested a new doctor because Hohl’s care was “inattentive or unresponsive.” In a July 2023 email obtained by Spotlight PA, one surgeon said she stopped referring patients to Hohl.

 

“I refuse to allow any more [patients] to be harmed by him,” the surgeon wrote.

 

The investigation also found that Hohl perpetuated a toxic culture of fear and mistrust among the institute’s doctors and researchers, many of whom left the organization.

 

Under his leadership, Hohl’s top goal was to receive federal designation for the cancer center. After nearly a decade and about $410 million invested, however, the institute was “significantly behind where it needs to be,” according to a 2022 review.

 

Internal records show that institute leaders considered removing Hohl as director in 2023 but instead placed him on a two-month performance improvement plan. The following year, Hohl was quietly removed from overseeing clinical care. In early 2025, Hohl was still seeing patients.

 

Hohl made the decision to resign “thoughtfully and with the best interests of the Institute in mind,” according to a statement obtained by the AP.

 

Institute deputy director Jeff Peters, PhD, will serve as the interim director of the cancer center, according to the statement.