LEBANON — A former high-ranking executive at Dartmouth Health is alleging “unlawful and retaliatory termination” at the hands of the health system’s CEO Joanne Conroy in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of New Hampshire earlier this month.
Dartmouth Health hired Dr. Carol Barsky, a Lebanon resident and emergency physician, as the chief quality and value officer in 2021.
DH fired Barsky in January after she encountered “resistance, bullying and harassment” when she pressed safety concerns after she determined that large quantities of medical supplies purchased by DH “were of uncertain provenance, purchased on the ‘gray’ market, and were likely not safe for use in clinical care,” according to her complaint, which was filed on April 3.
Defendants include Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinic, Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital and Dartmouth Health.
“Dartmouth Health is committed to maintaining a fair, respectful, and compliant workplace for all employees, and we follow established policies and applicable laws in all our employment decisions,” Audra Burns, a DH spokeswoman, wrote in an emailed statement to the Valley News on Monday. “As with any active litigation, and to protect the privacy of those involved, we will not comment further at this time but will pursue our available legal options.”
According to the complaint, a year prior to Barsky’s termination, the Dartmouth Health Board of Trustees directed Conroy to have Barsky investigate harmful impacts from defective products in the Dartmouth Health supply chain.
“During the COVID pandemic, severe disruptions in the global supply chain forced many organizations, including Dartmouth Health, to purchase gray market products, however, virtually all healthcare organizations ceased this practice as shortages eased and the pandemic ended,” Barsky’s complaint stated.
A report by an outside law firm, which set Barsky’s board-directed inquiry in motion, found that “Dartmouth Health had nevertheless continued to purchase products from gray market vendors after pandemic shortages had decreased and despite known product quality issues,” according to the complaint.
The lawsuit defined “gray market” as somewhere between the legal and authorized “white market” for goods and services, and the illicit channels of the “black market.”
In Barsky’s investigation, she identified “significant gaps and questionable practices” in the supply chain department that permitted purchases of products “of unknown safety from unverified/unauthorized vendors,” which created significant concerns for patients and employees, “and corresponding noncompliance with federal and state laws,” according to the lawsuit.
“Protective equipment, such as examination gloves, is worn by providers and healthcare personnel who perform potentially risky and intimate procedures on patients, such as drawing blood, pelvic examinations, and rectal examinations,” she wrote in her complaint. “Unexpected failures risk patient and staff exposure to health risks, including potentially lethal infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C.”
The lawsuit alleges that as Barsky presented her findings and mitigation plans to trustees Dartmouth Health leaders, including Conroy, they “were unusually focused” on what she planned to share, making edits which “downplayed safety risks and exaggerated improvement activities.”
The lawsuit alleges that after Barsky recommended the replacement of a supply of examination gloves at DHMC, Conroy objected and called to “berate her” and accused her of being insubordinate.
An outside Patient Safety Organization “ultimately determined that the gloves were technically compliant with bare minimum requirements” though “they nevertheless suggested it may be best to reserve the gloves for non-clinical uses and monitor them for defects,” according to Barsky’s complaint.
In April 2025, Barsky made a report on her supply investigation to the board. The lawsuit alleged that during her presentation, Conroy “repeatedly interrupted, contradicted and otherwise censored” her.
Barsky continued her work in supply chain improvements, according to the complaint. Reports on other products tested by the outside Patient Safety Organization, such as tracheostomy tubes, indicated deviations from standard specifications.
“As of January 2026, when Dr. Conroy terminated Dr. Barsky’s employment, the process and safety concerns in Supply Chain had not been fully remediated,” the complaint alleged.
Barsky alleges that throughout 2025, Conroy’s behavior toward her continued to deteriorate, including exclusion from “critical meetings, opportunities and decisions.” Additionally, she said the culture at DH was characterized by “toxic leadership” and “unequal treatment.”
In her complaint, she listed a number of instances of alleged “bullying and discriminatory behavior” by Dartmouth Health leadership, leading up to her “wrongful termination.”
“Dartmouth Health terminated Dr. Barsky’s employment in bad faith, with malice, and in retaliation for performing acts that public policy would encourage (acts that were required medically, ethically, and regulatorily) and for refusing to perform acts that public policy would condemn (acts that were forbidden medically, ethically, and regulatorily),” the complaint stated.
Barsky further claimed that the hospital system violated the New Hampshire Whistleblower Protection Act. “As a consequence of her reports, actions, and objections” during her January 2025 supply chain probe, she was “harassed, threatened, discriminated against, and ultimately her employment was terminated in retaliation,” according to the complaint.
She is seeking a jury trial, along with requested relief including reinstatement, back pay and attorney’s fees.
Dartmouth Health has yet to file a response, court records show.
Barsky previously served as medical director for Clinical Performance and associate director of Patient Safety and Quality for Yale-New Haven Hospital, where she worked from 2010 to 2015.
In July 2015, she filed a suit against Yale-New Haven Hospital, alleging “unlawful compensation … at a rate less than a comparable male employee and its subsequent termination … in retaliation for her complaints about the pay disparity.”
Court records show that the case was settled in September 2017 for an undisclosed amount.
Prior to joining Dartmouth Health, Barsky served as executive vice president and chief quality officer for Hackensack-Meridian Health in Edison, N.J.
