Joshua Wynne named State’s chief health strategist

 Wynne to split time between North Dakota Health Department and his leadership roles at UND 

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has appointed Dr. Joshua Wynne, who most recently served as UND’s interim president, to be the state’s chief health strategist. He also appointed Dr. Andrew Stahl to serve as interim state health officer overseeing the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH). The governor thanked outgoing State Health Officer Mylynn Tufte for her leadership of the NDDoH for over three years, including through the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“This emergency has revealed a historic opportunity to develop a more comprehensive, collaborative and strategic approach to public health in North Dakota,” Burgum said. “The scale, urgency and complex nature of the situation have underscored the need to provide additional capacity to carry out both the day-to-day operations and strategic direction. Dr. Wynne and Dr. Stahl have the broad expertise and experience we need to create a blueprint for development of the best public health system in the nation.”

As the state’s chief health strategist, Wynne will work within the NDDoH to create a vision and strategy for developing a world-class public health enterprise in partnership with the North Dakota University System (NDUS), local public health entities, the private sector and local, state, federal and tribal governments.

Wynne, whose term as UND’s interim president expired May 31, will split his time between the temporary NDDoH leadership position and his role since 2010 as UND’s vice president for health affairs and dean of the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Grand Forks.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to work with Governor Burgum, the Department of Health and the great leadership team across the state of North Dakota to catalyze transformative change in the public health enterprise and contribute to the efforts to improve the well-being of North Dakotans across our state,” Wynne said.

Incoming UND President Andrew Armacost and NDUS Chancellor Mark Hagerott both expressed their support for Wynne’s appointment.

Dr. Wynne has done a marvelous job both as interim president at the University of North Dakota and as leader for the system-wide NDUS COVID Restart Task Force,” Hagerott said. “With the arrival of President Armacost, this is a great opportunity for the NDUS and its 11 campuses to have even more direct engagement in the state’s pandemic response.”

“Josh’s background as a leader, strategic thinker, physician, and public health advocate makes him the perfect choice to advise Governor Burgum,” Armacost said. “This collaboration demonstrates how higher education can support public health transformation while enhancing research, education and workforce development. His example will inspire new learners in the importance of public health.”​

Wynne was appointed interim president of UND in June 2019. He earned his medical degree from Boston University and did his internal medicine residency and his cardiology fellowship at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He was chief of the Division of Cardiology at Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., from 1984-1997 and served as a member of the Faculty Senate at Wayne State University School of Medicine, serving as vice president from 1997-1999 and president from 1999-2001.

Stahl has been working full-time providing strategic medical analysis for North Dakota’s COVID-19 response efforts and will begin serving as interim state health officer effective June 1. He has served as an officer in the North Dakota Army National Guard’s Medical Corps since 2009, currently holding the rank of major, and as a member of the Guard’s COVID-19 Task Force since March.

Burgum expressed his thanks and appreciation for Tufte’s leadership of the NDDoH since he appointed her state health officer in February 2017. Tufte, a former health management executive and critical care nurse, cited a desire to return to the private sector in her resignation letter. Tufte also will remain in an advisory capacity for three weeks to ensure continuity of operations.