January 14, 2025
Thom Carroll/For PhillyVoice
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, which runs the Mütter Museum, has named former Temple University Health System executive Larry Kaiser as its new president and CEO.
The Mütter Museum, which has been mired in an ethical debate over the display of human remains, has a new leader.
Larry Kaiser, a former thoracic surgeon and Temple University Health System executive, was appointed president and CEO of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, a private medical society, effective immediately. His responsibilities include overseeing the museum and the society's medical library.
"I think that the college and the museum are positioned for great days ahead, and I am delighted for the chance to lead this important work," Kaiser said in a statement.
Kaiser comes to this role after serving as the managing director of Philadelphia consulting firm Alvarez and Marsal. Before that, he spent nearly a decade as the president and CEO of Temple Health and was the inaugural dean of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine.
Kaiser replaces Mira Irons, who resigned in September 2023 amid controversy over the ethics of displaying human remains and concerns over how the Mütter Musuem acquired some of its artifacts. Alongside museum and library Executive Director Kate Quinn, Irons undertook an effort to reevaluate the 6,5000 specimens at the Mütter, concluding that many were obtained before people could legally consent to donating their bodies.
As a result, the Mütter took down online galleries, exhibits and videos from the museum's website in January 2023. Eight months later, it relaunched an online collections database that didn't include any photos of human remains. The move sparked controversy, including an online petition with more than 34,000 signatures calling for Irons and Quinn to resign.
In September 2023, the Mütter launched the two-year "Postmortem: Mütter Museum" project, a series of town halls and focus groups that encourage the public to help determine the museum's future. The project is ongoing, with the next session slated to occur this spring, according to the Postmortem website.
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia was established in 1787 and modeled after the Royal College of Physicians in London. It is the oldest private medical society in the country, and was an early advocate for public health in the United States.
Kaiser did not give specifics on his plans for the museum and library, but he acknowledged the potential of its new building at 2129 Chestnut St. Irons oversaw the acquisition of that property.
"I believe that the incredible resources of the college and the fellowship offer a platform for the college to be a leading voice in connecting the history of medicine to the critically important issues of modern medical practice and scientific research," Kaiser said.
