Dr. Jakub Tolar, the University of Minnesota’s Medical School dean since 2017, will leave that important post for a position at Baylor College of Medicine.

In a Thursday morning memo to medical school colleagues, Tolar wrote, “I am announcing today that I have accepted the role of president and CEO for the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, beginning at the end of this academic year.”

His departure doesn’t come as a surprise. Tolar, 59, foreshadowed the move in December when he sent a letter to medical colleagues stating that he was considering other job opportunities.

The most revealing part of that letter was when Tolar said he thought Rebecca Cunningham, current U of M president and a physician, wanted to bring in her own person to lead the medical school.

“The signs—subtle at first, then less so—have suggested that the President [Cunningham] prefers a Dean/VP, or indeed any leader, of her own choosing,” Tolar wrote in a Dec. 11 letter sent on his letterhead from the Office of the Vice President for Academic Clinical Affairs.

In breaking his news Thursday to the U of M Medical School community, Tolar wrote that he would “work closely with the President’s team to ensure a seamless and solid transition that aims to maintain the high-quality work that we have done together.”

Tolar’s decision to leave the University of Minnesota Medical School comes as the U of M, Fairview Health Services, and M Physicians are in mediated talks aimed at reaching a new operating agreement.

“We have done big things together, grounded in our mission, clear in our ambition, and supported by the knowledge that academic medicine has the power—like nothing else—to change lives and communities for the better,” Tolar said in his Thursday memo.

“The University of Minnesota Medical School has been my home for over 30 years,” Tolar wrote. “I came here at 26 as a Ph.D. student, completed residency and early training under the leadership of Drs. Bruce Blazar, Norma Ramsay, and Joseph Neglia. I would never have imagined in those early years that I would have the opportunity to work with so many of you, in so many disciplines and program areas, to advance medicine and build our school and practice.”

He also emphasized that the U’s Medical School “is essential for the health—clinical and economic—of Minnesota.”

President Cunningham on Thursday released a six-paragraph memo to faculty, staff, and students to inform them about Tolar’s decision to lead Baylor College of Medicine.

The tone of Cunningham’s message was laudatory, and she thanked Tolar for his nearly nine years of “devoted and tireless service” as the medical school dean and vice president for clinical affairs.

“Dean Tolar’s leadership impact spans the full breadth of our clinical and academic missions. He was instrumental in developing the joint clinical enterprise between the University and Fairview in 2018 and leading the University through Covid,” Cunningham wrote.

“As an internationally recognized physician and researcher in the Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Tolar’s work has changed lives,” she said. “His compassionate care for patients and pioneering research in cellular therapies for rare genetic disorders has solidified his reputation as a global leader in pediatric bone marrow transplantation. We are profoundly grateful for the legacy he leaves, which has positioned the University as a leader in medical education, research and patient care.”

She indicated that “Dean Tolar is committed to working with me and the University leadership team to ensure a smooth transition.”

Cunningham also said that “we continue to make meaningful progress in mediation with M Physicians and Fairview as we chart a path forward together.”

In announcing Dr. Jakub Tolar’s selection on Thursday, Baylor’s College of Medicine said that 179 people applied for the position of president and CEO and that a search firm interviewed 44 candidates.

Baylor’s Board of Trustees Search Committee interviewed 10 candidates, and the entire Board of Trustees interviewed the final four.

“Dr. Tolar is highly accomplished across the Baylor College of Medicine’s tripartite mission of research, patient care, and education, as well as community service,” Greg Brenneman, chair of the Baylor College of Medicine Board and of the Search Committee, said in a news release.

“His work in expanding the use of AI in education, research and the clinic; driving extensive clinical trials and commercialization; growing a profitable clinic footprint and market share; growing physician education and building impactful relationships with affiliate partners stood out to us,” Brenneman said. “We look forward to Dr. Tolar working with BCM’s outstanding faculty and staff to take us to new heights.”