Joseph Neglia Appointed Chair Elect of the Department of Pediatrics

Joseph P. Neglia, M.D., M.P.H., has been named Chair Elect of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Pediatrics. He will assume the role part-time immediately, as the position is currently held by outgoing chair Dr. Aaron Friedman, who in September 2010 was named Dean of the Medical School and Vice President for Health Sciences.

Currently, Neglia is the vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics. According to both Friedman and Dr. Frank Cerra, outgoing dean of the medical school and vice president for health sciences, the promotion is a logical progression of Neglia’s current duties.

“Dr. Neglia is well qualified for this position and received overwhelming support from the faculty of the Department of Pediatrics,” said Cerra. “I am very pleased that he has accepted the position and believe he will be an effective leader for the department and especially critical in the upcoming opening of the new University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital.”

In addition to holding the position of vice chair, Neglia is section chief of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and a professor in the Department of Pediatrics Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

He is widely recognized for his research into the long-term outcomes of childhood cancer survivors and has focused on the occurrence of second malignancies across the childhood cancer population. Specifically, Neglia has worked on the long-term outcomes of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors.

Neglia received his M.D. in 1981 from Loma Linda University School of Medicine and was a pediatric intern, resident, and chief resident at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He came to the University of Minnesota in 1984 to pursue a fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation. During his fellowship, Neglia received a master's degree in public health in epidemiology.

Following his fellowship, he became an instructor in the Department of Pediatrics in 1987, and was promoted to assistant professor in 1988, associate professor in 1992, and full professor in 2002. Neglia also has a joint appointment in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health in the School of Public Health.

Neglia’s appointment as Chair is for three years, contingent on an annual performance review by the dean. He will undergo a transition period alongside Friedman, who will remain as chair until January 3, 2011, at which time Neglia will assume the role full time.