More than 200 people gathered to honor longtime Internal Medicine Department Chair John Hoidal, M.D., on Friday morning during a farewell Grand Rounds.
Internal Medicine Associate Prof. Karl Sanders, M.D., and Chief Administrator Steve Sutch, shared a look back at Hoidal's impressive tenure.
Over the past 15 years, Hoidal led the department during a period of unprecedented growth. Internal Medicine more than doubled in faculty size by hiring 258 new faculty, and increased its revenues by nearly 250 percent.
"Dr. Hoidal's contributions have been very great," said Sanders. "He has a broad range of scientific expertise. During his tenure he addressed questions that were both novel and clinically important, and he was always willing to do the hard work."
Sutch described Hoidal as the ideal department chair, pointing to his ability to manage and lead more than 300 faculty members while maintaining healthy relationships with other departments throughout his term.
"The average tenure of an internal medicine chair is less than five years," said Sutch. "Dr. Hoidal lasted for 15 years."
Hoidal joined the University in 1987 as division chief of pulmonary medicine and was named interim department chair in 2001. He became chair in 2004.
During his tenure, Hoidal hired 10 of the 13 current division chiefs and oversaw key improvements in Internal Medicine such as the addition of 10 new dialysis sites and a stem cell lab. Internal Medicine now accounts for nearly half of all grant funding among School of Medicine clinical departments and 20 percent of all SOM faculty.
Hoidal's research focuses on the genetic and molecular bases for nicotine addiction and the consequences of cigarette smoking. As he steps down as chair, Hoidal will continue his research at the University of Utah.
The Department showed a video at the Grand Rounds featuring more than 20 providers and staff who reflected on Hoidal's impact. Watch the Tribute Video.
The event was also filled with good humor, noting Hoidal's reputation for making a good cup of coffee as the first to arrive at the office each day.