Rural Minnesota

University of Minnesota developing its Medical Discovery Teams' leadership

The University of Minnesota Medical School is searching for  nationally prominent researchers who are outstanding leaders in their field to develop the University’s specialized Medical Discovery Teams (MDT)

These individuals will lead four team science efforts focused on solving health issues important to Minnesota and the nation. Ideas for the teams were solicited from University faculty and selected by an external review panel of prominent health researchers. Each team will have a specific thematic focus:

  • Addiction – The search is being led by Tim Ebner, MD, PhD.
  • American Indian/Rural Health Disparities: Advancing the Science of Individualizing Patient Health Care – The search is being led by Paula Termuhlen, MD, and Jim Allen, PhD, who serves on CTSI’s Community Engagement to Advance Research and Community Health (CEARCH) Management Council.
  • The Biology of Aging – The search is being led by David Bernlohr, PhD.
  • Imaging Across Multiple Scales of Neuronal Organization in the Brain: Circuit Based Approaches to Neuropsychiatric Disorders – The search is being led by Kamil Ugurbil, PhD.

As Brooks Jackson, MD, MBA, Dean of the Medical School and Vice President for Health Sciences, noted in an announcement

“I am confident that these focus areas build on our strengths, have great potential for NIH funding, and can make us world class in several areas. We intend to start searching for MDT leaders immediately and to begin connecting across the Academic Health Center and the University to ensure we are leveraging our breadth and depth to the fullest.”

The American Indian/Rural Health Disparities Medical Discovery Team will be based at the Medical School’s Duluth campus, which was founded to serve the needs of rural Minnesotans and Native American communities. Several campus strengths make Duluth and ideal setting for this team:

  • The campus is ranked No. 4 in rural health and top 10 in primary care by U.S. News and World Report.  
  • Almost half of Duluth campus graduates select Family Medicine as a specialty and 40 percent practice in small communities. 
  • The campus is known for graduating the second largest number of American Indian physicians in the country.
  • The research goals of the team connect closely to the campus mission in rural and American Indian health

The concept of Medical Discovery Teams stemmed from a final report from a blue ribbon commission appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton in 2014. The commission comprising health system representatives, legislators, University faculty, and providers was charged with developing recommendations to strengthen the Medical School. 

Individuals interested in the Medical Discovery Teams are encouraged to apply online