Seaquist Named Department of Medicine Chair at the University of Minnesota Medical School

seaquist head shot 2022

Endocrine Society member Elizabeth Seaquist, MD, has been named chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

“I am very honored to be asked to serve in this important role. [My predecessor, Peter] 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,” says 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.”

A University of Minnesota alum, Seaquist completed both her residency in internal medicine and her fellowship in endocrinology at the Medical School and says that as the first female chair of Medicine, she is particularly interested in expanding the diversity of the faculty, students, trainees, and staff.

Seaquist is also involved in writing the Endocrine Society’s upcoming Clinical Practice Guideline on hypoglycemia disorders and has served as faculty on the Society’s Type 1 Diabetes Fellows Conference.  

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.

“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,” says 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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