Citing Health Reasons, UCI Surgeon Quits
A well-known surgeon recruited from New York amid much fanfare to lead UC Irvine’s burgeoning neurosurgery department has resigned for health reasons, UCI Medical Center said Wednesday.
Dr. Michael Dogali, 52, one of the nation’s foremost experts in functional neurosurgery, wrote in his letter of resignation that he is suffering from low-pressure glaucoma, a progressive condition that “limits my abilities as a surgeon.” Low-pressure glaucoma often leads to blindness.
Dogali recently had been transferred from his position as leader of the department for undisclosed reasons. He has been on administrative leave since Feb. 26 because of serious family illnesses and the recent death of his father, officials said.
Cynthia Hanna, a representative with the American Federation of State, Federal and Municipal Employees, said she believes the transfer was related to the fact that seven female staff members had accused him and others in his office of mistreating them.
The employees had formally complained to the university’s affirmative action office and filed another complaint, through the union, that they had been threatened with layoffs because of their grievance, Hanna said. She said she was close to resolving the issue and added that she has no reason to question the reason given by the university for the doctor’s resignation.
Dr. Thomas Cesario, dean of UCI’s College of Medicine, would not comment on the transfer other than to say Dogali had been under stress due to his medical condition.
“Dogali is a bright guy and has a lot of good ideas,” Cesario said. “Part of the reason we had him here was to take advantage of those ideas. There was an advantage in giving him a little rest from administration.”
Cesario said there were “many factors” in Dogali’s decision to resign, but the key reason was his health.
One of the reasons Dogali was recruited to UCI from New York University was his success in performing a somewhat controversial laser surgery called a pallidotomy, which can vastly reduce the involuntary movements associated with Parkinson’s disease. He had performed 10 to 20 of the procedures at UCI, Cesario said.
Dogali was conservative in his approach and cautioned that patients should be chosen carefully. He was critical of surgeons who were less discriminating.
With his departure, there is no one at UCI who does the much-sought-after operation, Cesario said.
The university agreed Wednesday to pay the remainder of Dogali’s contract through Oct. 31--a total of $419,400. The amount will be paid from hospital revenue and compensation plan funds, not tax dollars, Cesario said.
The hospital and medical school both are experiencing financial difficulties, with more than 150 hospital workers to be laid off today.
Theodore Kurze, acting chairman of the neurosurgery department since Dogali first went on leave, will continue in that role until a national search yields a permanent replacement, Cesario said.
