History
Laboratory Medicine and Pathology: A Long History of Innovation
The University of Minnesota Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology has a long history of innovation in patient care and research. Instruction in pathology began with the opening of the Medical School in 1888. During the 20th century, the department established itself as a leader in anatomic pathology and laboratory medicine, infectious disease, cancer, immunology, transfusion medicine and blood banking, neuroscience, HLA / transplantation, and laboratory informatics. During the first quarter of the 21st century, the department has launched programs in, among others, molecular pathology and genomics, computational pathology, translational neuroscience, and engineering in medicine.
Department Heads
Frank Wesbrook, MD
Director, Department of Pathology
and Bacteriology
1896 - 1906
H.E. Robertson, MD
Director, Department of Pathology, Bacteriology, and Public Health
1913 - 1921
Elexious T. Bell, MD
Director, Department of Pathology
1921 – 1949
James R. Dawson Jr., MD
Department Head, Pathology
1949 - 1970
Gerald T. Evans, MD
Department Head, Laboratory Medicine
1949 – 1966
Robert A. Good, MD, PhD
Department Head, Pathology
1970 – 1972
Ellis S. Benson, MD
Department Head, Pathology
1966 – 1973
Department Head, Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
1973 - 1989
Dr. GT Evans envisioned creating a bridge between clinical fields and basic medical sciences. In 1973, Ellis Benson realized this vision by bringing pathology and laboratory medicine together, establishing the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.
Dr. Benson, an outstanding leader in the field of laboratory medicine, oversaw the merger of the two departments of pathology and laboratory medicine and became the first chairman of the combined department. Dr. Benson was founder and first president of the Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists (ACLPS) and a recognized expert in pathology training. He was the major force in establishing this department as a research center in the United States.
Leo T. Furcht, MD
Department Head, Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
1990 - 2026
Under Furcht’s leadership, department faculty were instrumental in establishing the Masonic Cancer Center, the Center for Immunology, the Institute for Translational Neuroscience and the Institute for Engineering in Medicine. He was profiled in the Medical School’s Impact Medicine campaign under the title “Dr. Leo Furcht Creates a Legacy Many Aspire to Achieve."
Furcht is author with William Hoffman of The Stem Cell Dilemma (Arcade Publishing, 2008; Skyhorse 2011) and The Biologist's Imagination: Innovation in the Biosciences (Oxford University Press, 2014).
Bharat Thyagarajan, MD, PhD, MPH
Department Head, Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
2026 - Current
Dr. Bharat Thyagarajan succeeded Dr. Furcht as department head in May 2026. "Dr. Thyagarajan is a familiar and highly respected leader within our community," said Dr. Carol Bradford, Interim Dean of the Medical School and Interim Executive Vice President for Health Affairs. "His deep institutional knowledge, combined with his international reputation in molecular epidemiology and precision medicine, makes him the ideal successor to lead this department. Having served as the Vice Chair for Translational Research and Director of the Division of Molecular Pathology and Genomics, Dr. Thyagarajan has already played a pivotal role in the department’s recent growth and success. He has also been instrumental in advancing the work of the Advanced Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (ARDL), strengthening our capacity to translate cutting-edge science into high-impact clinical diagnostics."