Earlier this week, Aaron Friedman, M.D., vice president for the health sciences and dean of the Medical School, announced he would step down at the end of the calendar year, concluding his current, three-year appointment.

Past University of Minnesota president Robert Bruininks, Ph.D., appointed Friedman to lead the Academic Health Center and the Medical School beginning in January 2011, in a move designed to secure strong, stable leadership through a review of the Academic Health Center’s organizational structure.

“After three years as vice president of health sciences and dean of the Medical School, I felt the time was right for me to step down,” Friedman said.  “The numerous AHC reviews are behind us.  The Medical School strategic planning process is underway.  All of our schools are actively moving forward to position themselves well for the future. This is a great time to welcome a new leader aboard to take the AHC into this next phase.”

Dimple Patel has been named associate dean of admissions for the University of Minnesota Medical School. She will assume the role on May 13, 2013.

Patel is currently director of admissions for the University of Colorado School of Medicine; she is also completing her Ph.D. in Higher Education Policy at Colorado State University. Her master’s degree in higher education comes from Illinois State and she attended Michigan State for her undergraduate degree.

She has spent nearly a decade doing admissions work, having spent the last three years in medical school admissions and previous six years in law school admissions. In her new role at the University of Minnesota, she will report to Mark Rosenberg, M.D.