In Support of Educational and Community Leadership, Essentia Health Endows Professorship in Duluth

The University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus recently received a $1M gift from Essentia Health to create and fund the Essentia Health Professorship in Medical Education.  

“For the Medical School, Duluth Campus, receiving the $1M gift from Essentia Health was a very generous expression and reflection of the relationship with Essentia Health supporting our medical education for decades. Medical education is one of the principal purposes of the Duluth campus, along with research and community outreach,” said Peter M. Nalin, MD, MBA, CPE, FAAFP, co-leader for the regional medical campus and head of the Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health at the Medical School’s Duluth Campus. 

The Essentia Health Professorship in Medical Education is a philanthropic donation through the University of Minnesota Foundation and will support a professorship with the aim of becoming the next leader of the regional campus. ​​

“The faculty of the Regional Campus are committed to providing exceptional education to train the next generation of physicians,” said Jean F. Regal, PhD, co-leader for the regional medical campus and head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, “and this gift highlights the value we place on high quality medical education. As our research and education programs grow on the regional campus, we view our connections with Essentia Health as integral to both our research and education missions.”

“It’s prestigious for regional campuses and medical schools in general to have endowed professorships similar to endowed chairs,” Dr. Nalin said. “It will also help encourage the successful recruitment of candidates with expertise in regional medical education.”

This donation has sparked a lot of emotions for Dr. Nalin and many others. 

“The timing of this professorship gift is especially exciting considering we are approaching our 50th anniversary of the Duluth campus,” he expressed.

Dr. Nalin emphasizes the importance of the relationship between Essentia Health and their continuous generosity.

“Naturally there are many demands on the resources that support medical education and the mission-driven education that we deliver here so effectively. This generosity reflects Essentia’s shared vision with us for the future of the regional campus and its leadership.”