I have very little connection to Hopkins, other than I applied for their categorical program. But I will tell you what I've heard on the grape vine, not that it's necessarily worth a whole lot...
1) Hopkins is an institution with an incredible legacy and tradition, not in small part due to Cameron. This tradition made it an excellent, though at times incredibly difficult, place to train. The new chair comes from a very different style than the culture at Hopkins, which is bound to create conflict. Whether this is a temporary or permanent thing, and who is to blame for the conflict, I think is unclear.
2) Hopkins is still a really fantastic place to train. I have heard people say it's not the institution it was a generation ago, but that doesn't mean that it's not great and doesn't have a very solid reputation. It's residents do what they want to after they complete their training.
I think that many people would say, oh Hopkins isn't top-five anymore. But so what? Picking a residency program isn't about going to the program that is perceived as "Best" by the outside world (which is an incredibly, bizarrely subjective notion in many ways) it's about finding a program that will train you as a surgeon, allow you to accomplish your career goals, and allow you develop as a human being in a way you would like.
