Thomas Wang to Become Dean of University of Michigan Medical School
Thomas J. Wang, M.D., Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine and holder of the Donald W. Seldin Distinguished Chair in Internal Medicine, has been named Dean of the University of Michigan Medical School, effective Sept. 15. He will succeed Marschall Runge, M.D., Ph.D., who retired in June after having served as Dean of Michigan's medical school since 2016.
"It has been one of the greatest honors of my career to serve as the chair of this Department," Dr. Wang said. "Leaving will be bittersweet, given the wonderful relationships that I’ve developed here and my deep affection for the institution."
Ezra Burstein, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Internal Medicine and Chief of the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, has been named the interim Chair of the Department. A national search, headed by Herbert Zeh, M.D., Professor and Chair of Surgery, will begin immediatly.
Dr. Wang joined UT Southwestern in February 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic escalated. Under his leadership, the Department of Internal Medicine played a central role in the institution’s pandemic response, managing care for nearly 500 hospitalized COVID-19 patients daily across three hospitals during peak surges.
A nationally recognized physician-scientist and academic leader, Dr. Wang has overseen transformative growth in the Department. Since his arrival, more than 400 new faculty have been recruited, clinical volume and research expenditures have each increased by nearly 50%, and the residency program has expanded to become the second largest in the nation. He also oversaw the introduction of new training tracks to broaden educational opportunities for residents and fellows.
"The impact of Dr. Wang's tenure will be long lasting," said W. P. Andrew Lee, M.D., Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost, and Dean, UT Southwestern Medical School. "His commitment to excellence in all areas of our mission and his ingenuity to rise to unexpected challenges have strengthened the Department of Internal Medicine."
Dr. Wang earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Harvard College and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He completed his residency and cardiovascular fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Framingham Heart Study. Prior to UT Southwestern, he held leadership roles at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital, where he led programs in cardiovascular medicine and patient-oriented research.
His research focuses on cardiovascular biomarkers, the natriuretic peptide system, and disease prevention. He has received continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health and has been named to the Clarivate/Web of Science Highly Cited Researchers List for six consecutive years.
Beyond UT Southwestern, Dr. Wang has held influential national roles. He is President-Elect of the Association of Professors of Medicine, a standing member of the FDA Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee, and serves on the NIH Human Studies of Diabetes and Obesity study section. He is also an elected member of the Association of American Physicians and the American Society of Clinical Investigation.
His dedication to mentorship and education has been recognized with the American Heart Association Genomics and Precision Medicine Mentoring Award (2024) and the Outstanding Mentor Award from Mass General Brigham (2012).
At UT Southwestern, Dr. Wang chaired the Clinical Chairs Committee, co-led the institution’s six-year Strategic Plan steering committee, and served on executive boards for the Medical Group and service line oversight.
Dr. Burstein holds the Berta M. and Cecil O. Paterson Chair in Gastroenterology. Dr. Zeh holds the Hall and Mary Lucile Shannon Distinguished University Chair in Surgery. Dr. Lee holds the Atticus James Gill, M.D. Chair in Medical Science.