Thomas Wyatt, MD, FACEP, was recently appointed as the new Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Hennepin Healthcare.Dr. Wyatt completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at Hennepin County Medical Center in 2003 and began serving as a faculty emergency medicine physician in 2011. He is also an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Wyatt has held several leadership roles at Hennepin Healthcare, including Medical Director of Emergency Medicine from 2017 to 2020 and Senior Medical Director of Emergency Services since 2020.
HCMC is the busiest emergency department in Minnesota, with team members caring for some of the most critically ill and injured patients from across the state.
“Training the best residents in the world, recruiting diverse world-class faculty, conducting research, and promoting innovations that advance the specialty of emergency medicine are just a few of the departmental goals we’ll continue thanks to the standards of excellence set by this team,” explains Dr. Wyatt. “Their outstanding skillsets and compassion provide the best emergency care for our community.”
Dr. Wyatt is one of the first tribally enrolled American Indians (Shawnee/Quapaw) to lead an academic emergency department in the United States – and the first to chair an emergency department in Minnesota. He credits mentors at the University of Oklahoma where he received his pre-medical education, support from the University of North Dakota’s INMED program, and many others for helping him achieve his academic goals of becoming a physician. Dr. Wyatt is also committed to increasing American Indian representation in the medical field and works with Hennepin Healthcare’s Talent Garden Program to encourage youth to consider healthcare careers.
“Mentorships and programs play essential roles in preparing future medical professionals – and I also realize the significance of being an example to other American Indians and American Indian youth who might want to pursue a similar career path.”
Beyond the walls of the Emergency Department, Dr. Wyatt served on Hennepin Healthcare’s Board of Directors for six years and chaired the Board Quality and Safety Committee for two years, while additionally supporting the staff and community as the co-chair of the Hennepin Healthcare American Indian Collective.
Additionally, he is actively involved outside Hennepin Healthcare as Co-Director of the MPact Indigenous Health Course at the University of Minnesota Medical School and recently joined the Board of Directors at LifeSource, which is the largest organ procurement organization in the Midwest. Dr. Wyatt also serves as a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, and the Association of American Indian Physicians.