In this role Friedman will continue to move forward the critical missions of clinical care, research, and education for the Department of Pediatrics and University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital.
“Friedman is a dedicated and award-winning medical educator,” said Deborah Powell, M.D., dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School. He has received numerous awards for clinical care and is a scientist who has written more than 100 articles and 35 books and book chapters.
He comes to Minnesota from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Rhode Island where he was head of the Department of Pediatrics and the medical director for Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Prior to Brown, Friedman was the head of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison – where he was part of a team that successfully sought funding for a new children’s hospital.
“All of these traits make Dr. Friedman a wonderful addition to the University of Minnesota,” Powell said. “He’s a proven leader.”
Friedman’s undergraduate degree is from Cornell University, and he earned his M.D. at SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. He did his pediatric residency and fellowship at University of Wisconsin Hospitals in Madison.
Friedman will begin his new position March 17, 2008. Until then, Joseph Neglia, M.D., a University of Minnesota pediatrician and cancer researcher, will continue to serve as the interim head of pediatrics.
The Academic Health Center is home to the University of Minnesota’s six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. Founded in 1851, the University is one of the oldest and largest land grant institutions in the country. The AHC prepares the new health professionals who improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatments and cures, and strengthen the health economy.
Contact: Nick Hanson, Academic Health Center, (612) 624-2449, hans2853@umn.edu
Laura Stroup, Academic Health Center, (612) 624-5680, stro0481@umn.edu