Ronald R. Peterson will relinquish his role as the 10th president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital, he announced in a message to the Johns Hopkins Medicine community on Tuesday.

Peterson, who arrived at Hopkins in 1973 as an administrative resident, said he will retain his roles as third president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and the first executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine, the umbrella alliance of the health system and JHU's School of Medicine. He has served concurrently in all three roles for the past 19 years.

"During this time, Johns Hopkins Medicine has grown exponentially in size and complexity," Peterson wrote. "As a result of this growth, and as a part of the succession planning process for leadership of The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dean/CEO [Paul B.] Rothman and I, along with the trustees, have decided that now is the time to recruit the next president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital."

Peterson and Rothman—who became the 14th dean of the School of Medicine in 2012—will co-chair the search committee for a new president, with a goal of having someone in place by July 1.

Peterson is a 1970 graduate of Johns Hopkins University and earned a master's degree in hospital administration from George Washington University.

The Johns Hopkins Hospital has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for 22 years out of the 26 in which U.S. News & World Report has published its annual hospital rankings.