Less than two months after retiring as CEO of Mayo Clinic, Dr. John Noseworthy is joining the ranks of another health industry giant.

On Wednesday, the 28-year veteran of Rochester-based Mayo Clinic was elected to the board of directors of insurance provider UnitedHealth Group.

Calling Noseworthy an “innovator,” Stephen J. Hemsley, the former CEO of UnitedHealth Group who is now executive chairman of the company’s board, expressed his excitement over Noseworthy’s addition. “We welcome his expertise as UnitedHealth Group works to improve the future of health care,” Hemsley said.

Noseworthy joined Mayo Clinic in 1990. During his tenure he served as chair of the Department of Neurology, medical director of the Department of Development, and vice chair of the Mayo Clinic Rochester Executive Board. Noseworthy was appointed president and CEO of Mayo Clinic in 2009. He announced his retirement in early 2018 but agreed to the company’s board of trustees’ request to stay on through the end of the year.

In August, Mayo Clinic tapped Dr. Gianrico Farrugio, the leader of its Florida operations, as Noseworthy’s successor.

Mayo Clinic ranked as the nation’s “Best Hospital” according to U.S. News and World Report for four of the last five years of Noseworthy’s tenure as CEO. He also helped lift the institution’s annual revenues up to $12 billion and kick off a multi-billion-dollar Destination Medical Center project in Rochester.

In joining the UnitedHealth Group board, Noseworthy adds another role to his active resume, as he also serves on the board of directors for Merck & Co. and the American Academy of Neurology.