The Board of Trustees at Baylor College of Medicine has announced the appointment of Dr. Jakub Tolar as its next president, CEO, and executive dean, effective July 1, 2026. Dr. Tolar will take over from Dr. Paul Klotman, who is set to retire on June 30 after more than 15 years in leadership.
Baylor College of Medicine is recognized as a leading independent health sciences university based in Houston's Texas Medical Center. The institution offers education through several schools and focuses on advancing research, patient care, and community service as core missions. It operates through partnerships with major hospitals and affiliates such as Texas Children's Hospital, Harris Health, DeBakey Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, Menninger Clinic, TIRR Memorial Hermann, CHRISTUS Children’s in San Antonio, and Baylor Scott & White in Temple. The college also houses the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Texas Heart Institute. More information about its operations can be found on the official website: https://limpar.locallabs.com/organizations/fc368e87-de44-4a66-b2cc-c77dc64ea963.
The selection process for the new president was extensive. Out of 179 applicants or nominees, 44 were interviewed by a search firm; ten candidates were interviewed by the Board of Trustees Search Committee; and four finalists met with the full Board before Dr. Tolar was chosen.
Greg Brenneman, Chair of the Baylor College of Medicine Board and of the Search Committee, stated: “Dr. Tolar is highly accomplished across BCM’s tripartite mission of research, patient care and education, as well as community service. His work in expanding the use of AI in education, research and the clinic; driving extensive clinical trials and commercialization; growing a profitable clinic footprint and market share; growing physician education and building impactful relationships with affiliate partners stood out to us. We look forward to Dr. Tolar working with BCM’s outstanding faculty and staff to take us to new heights. We are also grateful for Dr. Klotman’s terrific leadership over the past 15 years.”
Dr. Tolar currently serves as Dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School (UMMS) and vice-president for clinical affairs at that institution. He is known internationally for his work treating recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa—a severe genetic skin disorder—and developing cellular therapies for rare genetic diseases such as mucopolysaccharidosis type I and Fanconi anemia.
“It is a profound honor of mine to join Baylor College of Medicine, and to have the opportunity to continue the outstanding work of Dr. Klotman and his team," said Dr. Tolar in a statement provided by Baylor College of Medicine. "The achievements and foundation here, as well as the potential of BCM to advance medicine and health in new and impactful ways across all missions are unmatched. My family and I are delighted to be joining the Houston community, and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together.”
Dr. Tolar received his medical degree from Charles University in Prague before moving to Minnesota in 1992 where he earned a Ph.D., completed residency training in pediatrics, fellowships in hematology-oncology/blood marrow transplantation, as well as postdoctoral work at the University’s Institute of Human Genetics.
He became Dean at UMMS in 2017 before taking on additional roles including Vice President for Clinical Affairs and Chairing University of Minnesota Physicians’ board—the multi-specialty group practice for UMMS—in 2018.
In addition to academic appointments at Minnesota—including serving on graduate school faculties—Dr. Tolar co-led M Health Fairview: an academic health system partnership among Fairview Health Services, UMMS, and M Physicians with annual revenues reported at $7 billion.
Throughout his career he has been recognized for research contributions—holding NIH funding for two decades—and has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles.
At Baylor College of Medicine he will become only its sixth president since its founding in Dallas in 1900 (https://www.bcm.edu/news). The college moved its main activities to Houston within Texas Medical Center in 1943 (https://www.bcm.edu/news).
Dr. Klotman will remain involved with Baylor College of Medicine through an adjunct professorship following his retirement (https://www.bcm.edu/news).
Baylor continues its focus on integrated health sciences education while maintaining independence but engaging widely through clinical partnerships (https://www.bcm.edu/news). Community service remains one if its central missions (https://www.bcm.edu/news).
Dr. Tolar describes his family—including his wife Simona, three children, two grandchildren—as his sustaining force; he enjoys outdoor activities like kayaking or running along with reading history or listening to classical music.
