Thomas J. Wang, MD

A proven leader with a distinguished record of leadership, research excellence, and commitment to medical education, Thomas J. Wang, M.D., became the 18th dean in the history of the University of Michigan Medical School on Sept. 15, 2025. He also is the Josiah Macy, Jr. Professor, and a professor with tenure in the Department of Internal Medicine.

He came to the U-M Medical School from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he was a professor and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, the Donald W. Seldin Distinguished Chair in Internal Medicine, and physician-in-chief at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital.

A native of Boston, Dr. Wang received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School after graduating summa cum laude from Harvard College. He completed his residency and cardiovascular fellowship training at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Framingham Heart Study.

He was on the faculty of the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School from 2003-13, where he led a program in patient-oriented research and pursued clinical work in heart failure and transplantation. From 2013-20, he served as director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and physician-in-chief of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute.

Dr. Wang joined UT Southwestern in 2020 and led its largest department through the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, the department served as the primary service for the vast majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, nearly 500 a day across three hospitals during the peak surges. As chair, he recruited more than 400 new faculty, and under his leadership the department’s clinical volume and research expenditures grew by nearly 50%. 

His research focuses on the natriuretic peptide system, cardiovascular biomarkers, and prevention. He has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health, and was named to the Highly Cited Researchers List by Clarivate/Web of Science for six consecutive years.

Dr. Wang is an elected member of the Association of American Physicians (2017) and American Society of Clinical Investigation (2010). His commitment to 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 the national level, he has served in the leadership of the Association of Professors of Cardiology (President) and the Association of Professors of Medicine (President-elect), the national organizations of chiefs of cardiology and chairs of medicine, respectively. He also serves as a standing member of the FDA Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee and the NIH Human Studies of Diabetes and Obesity study section.