The University of Minnesota said Friday Dr. Aaron Friedman, chair of the school’s pediatrics department, will replace Dr. Frank Cerra as dean of the medical school.
Friedman, whose appointment needs to be confirmed by the Board of Regents, will assume the post in January. He is the Ruben-Bentson Chair and professor of pediatrics in the medical school where he has served since he arrived at the university in 2008.
Before coming to the university, he was chair of the departments of pediatrics at Brown Medical School in Providence, Rhode Island, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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“Aaron Friedman is an entrepreneurial and visionary change agent,” president Robert Bruininks said in a statement. “His personal integrity, high energy and ability to work across academic and organizational boundaries make him the perfect person to lead our health sciences at this time.”
Friedman also is pediatrician-in-chief at the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital.
Cerra, who has been medical school dean for more than 20 years, announced earlier this year he is retiring.
