Paul Levy, chief executive of Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said that senior staff and hospital board members warned him for years about the pitfalls of his longtime close relationship with a female employee, but for reasons he does not fully understand he ignored their advice. Levy, in his first interview about the controversy, said he made a "big mistake" by believing that he could hire and employ his "close personal friend" for years at the Harvard teaching hospital without upsetting other employees and potentially damaging the reputation of the institution.
