ASU's health center took the heat from a controversial summer, and its director is moving on to care of new business.
Dr. Mary Rimsza, director of the Student Health and Wellness Center, will resign her post effective Tuesday, to become the co-director of the Health and Disability Research Group at the W. P. Carey School of Business beginning Wednesday, said Elizabeth Farquhar, a business school spokeswoman.
In the weeks before the announcement of Rimsza's move to the business school, controversy hit the health center.
A Phoenix law firm hired by ASU investigated complaints from several health center employees and completed the report on May 27.
ASU released the report, compiled by Sanders and Parks, P.C., to the public on July 15.
The report probed nine alleged issues involving the health center, including Rimsza's management practices, multiple billings for single patient visits, X-ray services at the center and an agreement between Intercollegiate Athletics and a Scottsdale pharmacy called The Apothecary Shop.
The names of complainants and some health center employees and other "sensitive personnel issues," were removed from the report, said Juan Gonzalez, vice president of student affairs. The report also included decisions that Gonzalez made to remedy issues raised in it.
Several individuals made complaints about Rimsza's "management and personal style," deeming her "abrupt" and "discourteous," the report said. Gonzalez planned a "conflict resolution" process, including mediation by counseling specialists, which has now been completed, he said.
Rimsza could not be reached for comment, and health center employees refused to speak about the matter, citing requests from senior ASU officials to direct all questions to Gonzalez's office.
Gonzalez further disagreed with the allegations against Rimsza's management style.
"I think she's an excellent manager," he said.
Her decision to leave Student Health was based on taking advantage of a good career opportunity, he said.
"I don't think there was any relation to the report," Gonzalez said, adding that it would be "highly speculative" to connect the report with Rimsza's departure.
While at the health center, Rimsza often took unpaid work assisting professors in the business school, Gonzalez said.
As a research professor of health management and policy, Rimsza will work with other professors in the business school to explore issues such as asthma treatment in Yuma County and rising medical care costs, Farquhar said.
Farquhar said Rimsza's cooperation with the business school explains why she made her move.
"It's a perfect move for her," Farquhar said. "She has a history of collaboration with our faculty, and she brings the kind of knowledge the business school needs."
According to the Phoenix New Times, Rimsza, the sister of former Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza, climbed the ranks at Maricopa Medical Center from a medical intern to its CEO between 1974 and 1994. In 1999, Rimsza took her post as director at ASU's health center.
Reach the reporter at nicole.saidi@asu.edu.
