CEO of Massachusetts Medical Society quits

The CEO of the Massachusetts Medical Society, publisher of the New England Journal of Medicine, resigned Mar. 1 after a turbulent 7-year tenure. Dr. Harry Greene II was CEO during a period of membership growth and a move to a new headquarters. However, Greene has been criticized for his role in the firing of NEJM editor Jerome Kassirer (CMAJ 2000;162[1]: 92); Kassirer had objected to branding — the society's plan to use the journal's name to promote unrelated products. Greene also supported the purchase of the now-defunct health magazine Hippocrates, which capitalized on ties to the journal. He said there is no link between the criticisms and his resignation. “I am very proud of what we've accomplished,” he stated.