Marschall S. Runge, M.D., Ph.D., was born in Austin, Texas, and graduated from Vanderbilt University with a BA in General Biology and a PhD in Molecular Biology. He received his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was a cardiology fellow and junior faculty member at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Runge’s next position was at Emory University, where he directed the Cardiology Fellowship Training Program. He then moved to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where he was Chief of Cardiology and Director of the Sealy Center for Molecular Cardiology. He joined the University of North Carolina (UNC) from 2000 – 2014, where he served as Charles Addison and Elizabeth Ann Sanders Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Chair of the Department of Medicine, President of UNC Physicians and Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs.
Dr. Runge is currently executive vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Medical School at the University of Michigan and CEO of Michigan Medicine. Dr. Runge is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases and has spoken and published widely on topics in clinical cardiology and vascular medicine.
At the University of Michigan, Dr. Runge began serving as the executive vice president for medical affairs in March 2015 and, in January 2016, he was also appointed as the dean of the Medical School. He is the first person to serve in this combined position created by the Regents for the purpose of strengthening the integration between the Medical School and health care delivery in our hospitals and health centers.
During his tenure in these leadership roles, Dr. Runge has implemented transformative change and positioned Michigan Medicine and the Medical School for continued success. Notable achievements during this period include: a significant expansion of Michigan Medicine’s clinical network in the state, through integration of two health systems, the former Metro Health in Grand Rapids and Sparrow Health System in Lansing, multiple joint ventures with Trinity Health, launch of the Precision Health Initiative, a major research collaboration with several other U-M schools and colleges; oversight of the conclusion of the Victors for Michigan campaign which raised $1.5 billion dollars for institutional strategic priorities; and the development and implementation of Michigan Medicine’s first strategic plan for diversity, equity and inclusion in support of the broader university-wide DEI initiative.
Under Dr. Runge’s leadership, the University of Michigan Health’s adult hospitals were ranked best in Michigan in 2023-2024 in U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” rankings, the 31st consecutive year that U-M Health has been nationally recognized for strong across-the-board performance. In Newsweek’s 2024 ranking of America’s Best Hospitals, U-M Health ranked #1 in the state and #3 in the country.
Current and new initiatives under Dr. Runge’s leadership include construction of the The D. Dan and Betty Kahn Health Care Pavilion, a 12-story and 264 private room inpatient hospital; working to reduce faculty and staff burnout; executive rounding to help promote employee engagement and retention; establishment of the Heart Brain Institute and Global Health; oversight and development of the Anti-Racism Oversight Committee to help achieve an anti-racist culture; improved access and patient experience through the M2C2 Capacity Center; and the establishment of the Care at Home initiative which focuses on providing safe, hospital-level care to patients in their own home.
Dr. Runge has been a physician-scientist for his entire career, combining basic and translational research with the care of patients with cardiovascular diseases and education. He is the author of over 200 publications in the field and holds five patents for novel approaches in health care.
In his spare time, Dr. Runge writes medical mysteries. This is scary! 
Listen to Dr. Runge and Mark here:
