Top HUP official departs U.

William "Bud" Pittinger, executive director of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and senior vice president for Health Services, suddenly left the University last week after five years of service. HUP Deputy Director Donald Snell will be appointed as interim executive director of HUP, Medical Center Chief Executive Officer and Medical School Dean William Kelley announced last week. Medical Center spokesperson Rebecca Harmon said Pittinger left because he could not agree on a new contract. According to Medical Center spokesperson Lori Doyle, Pittinger was escorted out of his office Wednesday evening by security guards. Pittinger refused to comment yesterday. Doyle said Pittinger's abrupt departure was nothing unusual and that assigning a guard to escort a high-ranking official from office was a common corporate security practice. "It's not uncommon for people in the business world," she said. Despite Doyle's contention that the security detail was a common practice, many rumors began circulating about the reasons for Pittinger's leaving the Medical Center, following his departure Wednesday. Harmon said that Pittinger left the University because his five year contract had expired and he was unable to renegotiate it. "The parties involved were not able to come to terms," Harmon said. "Bud's going to pursue some other professional interests." Kelley said in a statement that he was sorry to see Pittinger leave. "We regret Bud's departure, and we support his pursuit of professional interests outside the University of Pennsylvania Health System sphere," he said. "I have known and worked closely with Bud for more than 15 years -- both as a friend and professional colleague -- and, in all that time, he has demonstrated that he is bright, intelligent and talented executive." Pittinger joined the Medical Center in 1989 as Executive Director of HUP and Vice President of the Medical Center. In 1993, he advanced to the position of Senior Vice President for Health Services. Pittinger played an integral part in "conceptualizing" and "implementing" the Health system and its operations, according to a Medical Center statement. Prior to joining the University, Pittinger spent ten years at the University of Michigan Medical Center as chief operation officer of the department of internal medicine. Before working at Michigan, Pittinger was the first Executive Director of the Faculty Practice Plan at Temple University School of Medicine.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.