Dr. Elizabeth Seaquist named Department of Medicine Chair at the U of M Medical School

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (08/23/2022) — The University of Minnesota Medical School announced Dr. Elizabeth Seaquist as the incoming Chair of the Department of Medicine. As a 33-year, tenured faculty member of the U of M Medical School, Dr. Seaquist will lead from the intersection of patient care, research, and education. 

"I am very honored to be asked to serve in this important role. Dr. Igarashi has done an outstanding job of building Medicine during his tenure and I look forward to continuing many of his plans to grow excellence in each of our mission areas,” said Seaquist, who also is an endocrinologist practicing at M Health Fairview. “This department has been my academic home for my entire career and I hope to provide all of our faculty the career development support that I have experienced over the years.” 

She is an alumna of the University, where she completed both her residency in internal medicine and her fellowship in endocrinology.

“As the first woman Chair of Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School, I am particularly interested in expanding the diversity of our faculty, students, trainees, and staff,” Seaquist said. “I am grateful to Dean Tolar for giving me this wonderful opportunity and am excited to work with the faculty to build our success."

During her tenure at the University, Seaquist has helped to build systems to better link primary and specialty care as associate dean for medical specialties and primary care. She has also been a leader in multiple, groundbreaking interventional clinical trials for the treatment of diabetes, bringing in over 130 research grants, which total over $24 million.

Many national institutions have recognized Dr. Seaquist for her leadership, mentorship and unique abilities to care for patients, including the American Association of Physicians, the nation’s oldest medical honor society.

“Dr. Seaquist is a superb physician-scientist who is highly respected by her patients and colleagues. She is an experienced and visionary addition to our leadership team, and we are fortunate to have her as the new chair of the Department of Medicine," said Jakub Tolar, dean of the University’s medical school and vice president of clinical affairs.

She will begin on Sept. 2, 2022, succeeding Dr. Peter Igarashi, who has served as chair for over seven years. 

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About the University of Minnesota Medical School
The University of Minnesota Medical School is at the forefront of learning and discovery, transforming medical care and educating the next generation of physicians. Our graduates and faculty produce high-impact biomedical research and advance the practice of medicine. We acknowledge that the U of M Medical School, both the Twin Cities campus and Duluth campus, is located on traditional, ancestral and contemporary lands of the Dakota and the Ojibwe, and scores of other Indigenous people, and we affirm our commitment to tribal communities and their sovereignty as we seek to improve and strengthen our relations with tribal nations. For more information about the U of M Medical School, please visit med.umn.edu.