Michael Belzer, M.D.

Medical Director of Hennepin County Medical Center
Associate Dean, University of Minnesota Medical School

Dr. Michael Belzer is Medical Director of Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) a 400-bed public safety net hospital and academic medical center located in urban Minneapolis , Minnesota . Additionally, he serves as the Medical Director for Hennepin County 's Community Health Department. Dr. Belzer has been Medical Director of HCMC and Community health for the past 13 years and prior to that served as the Associate HCMC Medical Director for Academic Affairs.

Dr. Belzer is recognized as a national authority in the provision of medical care to the disadvantaged, vulnerable, and underserved– and is the longest sitting single institution medical director in the entire National Association of Public Hospitals (NAPH), which represents the 100 largest safety net hospitals in the United States. He advises the NAPH Medical Leadership Training Program.

Dr. Belzer is an Associate Dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School and the first member of the Dean's office to be located off the University of Minnesota Campus. He has been awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award of the Minnesota Medical Foundation, and HCMC Teacher of the Year. Dr. Belzer chairs the Metro Minnesota Council on Graduate Medical Education (MMCGME), which represents the four major teaching affiliate hospitals of the University of Minnesota Medical School in the training of Medical Students and Medical Residents. At any one time Hennepin County Medical Center has on-site training for 265 medical residents and 85 medical students from the University of Minnesota Medical School.

Dr. Belzer is on the Board of Directors of Hennepin Medical Society (County Medical Society), The Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, the National Public Health and Hospital Institute, the National Association of Public Hospitals Physician Leadership Advisory Committee, and Metropolitan Visiting Nurse Association. In addition to the above Board of Director positions he belongs to numerous other local, state, and national professional organizations.

Dr. Belzer is a practicing Medical Oncologist with subspecialty and specialty board certification in Medical Oncology, Hematology, and Internal Medicine. Dr. Belzer is a Fellow in the American College of Physicians, a member of The American Society of Clinical Oncology, The American Society of Hematology and Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society. He has practiced medicine for the past 23 years at Hennepin County Medical Center and has an active practice in the care of patients with cancer and blood disorders.

Selected Publications

Belzer MB, Golde DW. Neutrophilia and Leukmoid Reactions. In: Lichtman MA (ed.). Clinical Medicine. Grune and Stratton: 1979.

Golde DW, Belzer MB. Neutropenia and Agranulocytosis. In: Lichtman MA (ed.). The Science and Practice of Clinical Medicine. Grune and Stratton: 1979.

Hocking WG, Belzer MB, Golde DW. Granulopoiesis in long-term human bone marrow culture. In: Levine AS (ed.). Proceedings of the Conference on Aplastic Anemia. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Monograph: 1979.

Foon KA. Fitchen JH, Belzer MB, Billing R, Cline MJ. An Antihymocyte Serum, Noncytotoxic to myeloid Progenitor Cells: Candidate Serum for Preventionof Graft-versus-host Disease in Bone Marrow Transplantation. Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology 1980; 16: 416-422.

Foon KA, Fitchen JH, Belzer MB, Golde Dw, Cline MJ. Hematopoietic Stem Cell Antigens. In: Gale RP, Fox CF (eds.). Biology of Bone Marrow Transplantation ICN-UCLA Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology Vol XVII . Academic Press: New York, 1980.

Foon K, Billing R, Belzer MB, Drew I, Fitchen J, Teraski P. An Antigen Expressed by Cells of the Myelo-monocytic Lineage. Am J of Hemato 1981; 10: 259-267.

Belzer MB, Fitchen JH, Ferrone S, Foon KA, Billing RJ, Golde DW. Expression or Ia-like Antigens of Human Erythroid Progenitor Cells as Determined by Monoclonal Antibodies and Heroantiserum to Ia-like Antigens. Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology 1981; 20: 111-115.

Shimp W, Belzer MB. Accute Leukemia After Treatment of Small Cell Carcinoma of the Lung. New Engl J Med 1981; 304(14): 845-846.

Peterson LA, Belzer MB. Peripheralized Follicular Lymphoma Associated with Reactive Lymphocytosis Due to Disseminated Herpes. The American Society of Clinical Pathologies Check Sample. Hematology 1984; 26(12): 1-5.

Belzer MB. Hemorrhagic Complications of Leukemia. Minnesota MedicineI 1985; 68(3): 221-223.

Godec CJ, Smith SJ, Belzer MB, Strom RL. Triple Therapy for Adult Wilms' Tumor. Urology 1987; 30(2): 147-152.

Steeder TA, Horwitz CA, Hanson M, Henle G, Peterson L, Belzer MB. Heleophil-negative Mononucleosis-like Illness with Atypical Lymphocytosis in Patients Undergoing Primary HIV Seroconversions. American Journal of Clinical Pathology 1988; 90(2): 169-174.

Enright H, Jacob HS, Vercellotti G, Howe R, Belzer MB, Miller W. Autoimmune Phenomena in Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Response to Immunosuppressive Therapy. Br J of Hem 1995; 91: 403-408.

Belzer, MB. Will Congress Shred the Safety Net? Postgraduate Medicine 1995; 98(6): 15-19.

Saba N, Flaig T, Rausch D, Belzer M. Topoisomerase II Inhibitor Induced Leukemia in a Patient with AIDS. AIDS 2001; 15(3): 421-422.