The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.
Committed to medical eminence
The University of Minnesota’s health sciences are committed to achieving medical eminence—eminence in research, teaching, innovation, and clinical care, Dr. Jakub Tolar, dean of the Medical School and vice president of clinical affairs, told members of UMRA during a special forum held via Zoom on February 14.
This was the unifying theme of Tolar’s extemporaneous remarks and detailed responses to questions raised during the well-attended forum addressing “A merger, a medical school, and health care in Minnesota.”
In reference to the ongoing merger talks between Sanford Health and Fairview Health Services, Tolar characterized the University as “an island of coherence in a sea of chaos.”
Tolar asserted that the University has been on a trajectory toward medical eminence in the past several years. The University has been able to attract some outstanding faculty and has made its clinical care more widely accessible.
In just-released rankings of medical schools receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health, the University rose from No. 28 to No. 21 among all schools and is now No. 8 among public medical schools.
The Medical School’s partnership with Fairview Health Services has been fruitful in allowing M Health physicians to practice in a variety of settings and reach more people, Tolar said.
The University aspires to increase its positive momentum.
— Ron Matross, UMRA president
Special Forum: A merger, a medical school, and health care in Minnesota
Tue, February 14, 2023, at 12pm
Jakub Tolar, MD, PhD
Dean of the Medical School and vice president of Clinical Affairs
University of Minnesota
Event to be held via Zoom.
Jakub Tolar, MD, PhD, dean of the Medical School and vice president for Clinical Affairs at the University of Minnesota, has accepted an invitation from UMRA to participate in a special forum on February 14. He will address the proposed merger between Fairview Health Services (current owner of the University’s hospitals and clinics), and South Dakota-based Sanford Health, as well as the University’s vision: the MPact Health Care Innovation project.
The intent of this forum is to bring UMRA members up to date on the issues surrounding these changes and to share more about the Medical School’s progress and vision for the future. Register now to attend this Zoom webinar.
Competition in the health marketplace
Before 1997, University health care professionals worked and trained the next generation of clinicians in University-owned clinics and hospital. A new facility (the current hospital on the East Bank) was built in the 1980s with state support. This hospital and the clinics were sold to Fairview Health Services in 1996. Even today there are differing opinions on the reasons for and necessity of this sale.
Over the years, the University has tried several iterations of the partnership between Fairview and the University/University of Minnesota Physicians (M Physicians). The latest, signed in 2018, launched the joint clinical enterprise branded M Health Fairview. This agreement included new opportunities for academic physician leadership in the health system, a benchmark level of academic support for the first time in this affiliation, and market-level compensation for our physicians. The University of Minnesota Medical Center (UMMC), now three hospitals including Masonic Children’s Hospital, continues as the main site for our M Physicians practice and the training of health professionals.
If you would you like to submit a question in advance of the February 14 forum, email Frank Cerra.
Now, with three years remaining in the original agreements, Fairview has proposed a merger with Sanford Health, leaving open the future relationship with the University and its medical and health professional education and training programs, that also support all the health systems in Minnesota and their continued needs for health professionals.
In the first of four public hearings on the merger, held by Attorney General Keith Ellison, the University announced opposition to the merger, citing the impact on the Medical School and the public purpose of UMMC. Two days later, the University announced its MPact Health Care Innovation vision that includes buying back the University hospital and pursuing a new, world-class medical center.
Much media coverage has been generated with more questions than answers: How will the Medical School and other health professional schools be supported, thrive and provide the needed health workforce, rural and urban? How will such a merger contain costs, retain quality, and support clinical education and research? How will the University realize its vision in a competitive health marketplace?
UMRA is privileged to have this exclusive opportunity to hear directly from Dean Tolar. Many UMRA members will remember him as the guest speaker for our September 2021 forum—“How we became a speedboat in a time of crisis”—on the Medical School’s extraordinary response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please mark your calendars and register (required) for this Zoom webinar starting at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, February 14. We hope you will join us.
—Co-authored by Frank Cerra, Medical School dean and senior vice president for health sciences (retired), and Jakub Tolar, Medical School dean and vice president for clinical affairs
Upcoming Events
Many life challenges that get in the way of quality of life and good health at home have little to do with medical issues. Cathy Lauring, our presenter for UMRA’s February 18 workshop, will explore a variety of resources to assist in keeping us healthy at home—including physical, emotional, cognitive, and financial services.
John Bantle will lead the discussion of A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson when the UMRA book club meets via Zoom on February 21.
Join UMRA members to watch two of the best hockey teams in the nation. UMRA has negotiated a discounted ticket price of $33.
Barbara Klick, RN, MBA, the presenter for UMRA’s February 25 Forum, has decades of experience working in human and veterinary medicine, and will bring her wisdom and perspective to our discussion about what we can learn from our pets about facing end-of-life challenges and decisions.
The Fourth Friday Book Club will meet via Zoom on February 28 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. CST to discuss The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.
Join members of the UMRA Hiking Club for a hike on March 3 at the Holland Lake Trailhead in Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan. It is the largest park in the Dakota County park system. Our route will take us on an unpaved trail with some roots, rocks, and easy hills. It will be about 5 miles for 2 to 2.5 hours. We will meet for an optional lunch afterwards somewhere nearby (TBD).
You are invited to the March 5 meeting via Zoom of the Family History Interest Group (FHIG) for presentations by Will Craig and Laura Erickson on researching family history using local and virtual resources.
The THEME is Insects
The UMRA Photo Club will meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library, in the small shopping center at New Brighton and St. Anthony Boulevards.
For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 a.m.
The UMRA Hiking Club will explore wildlife along the Mississippi River in Fort Snelling State Park. The 3.9-mile Pike Island Loop is generally considered an easy route and takes just over an hour. Hikers can leave at that point, or stay to add another short loop. The trail is located below the bluff on which the historic fort sits. The last time we were there we saw a lot of deer, and the river always provides fascinating views.
The UMRA Photo Club will meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library, in the small shopping center at New Brighton and St. Anthony Boulevards.
For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 a.m.
Theme to be announced.
The University of Minnesota Archives, with its major holdings largely tucked away in two huge underground caverns along the Mississippi River under the West Bank campus, holds the essential records of our University of Minnesota’s past. University Archivist Erik Moore will interpret the holdings and bring out a sampling of what it holds. We will also get a tour of the caverns (Minnesota Library Access Center), revealing where these precious materials are housed, including the original tapes of KUOM, now Radio K.
You are cordially invited to see Rick Huebsch, Associate VP for Research, Technology Commercialization at UMN, who will discuss UMN Technology Commercialization. Tech Comm facilitates the transfer of UMN innovation beyond the research lab, to benefit the public good, foster economic growth, and generate revenue to support the University's mission.
Do you have a box or several albums of old family pictures that you are not quite sure what to do with? Or perhaps you just want to find out more about your ancestors and are not sure where or how to begin. This meeting of the Family history group will be an open discussion.