It is both a privilege and a tremendous responsibility to care for the health of a state. The Indiana University School of Medicine partners with IU Health and other health systems to serve patients in rural and urban areas — from South Bend down to Evansville — with a goal to not only improve the delivery of healthcare but also the state’s rankings on key health metrics.
Peter Pang, MD, serves a central role in advancing that mission. In December 2025, he was named the school’s executive associate dean for clinical affairs and senior vice president for academic medicine at IU Health Medical Group, which represents nearly 3,000 healthcare professionals, including almost 2,000 IU faculty physicians practicing throughout the state.
As an ER doctor and the former chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, Pang is adept at observing, analyzing and acting. He’s the kind of leader who recognizes people’s strengths and leverages them to benefit the team, say his colleagues.
“In his new role, he will have the opportunity to scale what he already does so naturally —advocate for well-being, champion innovative endeavors, strengthen structures that support clinicians, and build bridges across clinical and academic missions,” said Kyra Reed, MD, assistant professor of clinical emergency medicine and pediatrics. “He brings empathy, strategic thinking, intellectual curiosity and a talent for collaboration — essential qualities for navigating complex systems with a variety of needs at every level.”
From his former department chair at Northwestern University, where he was on faculty before coming to IU in 2014, Pang gleaned this motto to live by: “No one complains their way to success.”
In administrative leadership, Pang knows it’s important to cast a vision. But it can’t end with aspirational goals. Good leaders provide the clarity for reaching achievable milestones along the way. And it all starts with listening.
“I get to work with some pretty amazing people,” he said. “I’ve learned to listen really well and to trust my folks.”
Pang’s ascent to leadership within both the university and the health system came naturally as he worked diligently toward personal and institutional improvement — all while supporting his colleagues’ well-being and career goals.
“Dr. Pang is someone you can trust to take the time to learn, prepare and truly understand the issues before him,” said Paul Musey, MD, who took over as interim chair of emergency medicine following Pang’s promotion. “He is deeply principled, genuinely wants others to succeed, and approaches leadership with fairness and integrity.”
The reluctant clinical researcher
Despite having authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, mainly related to acute heart failure, Pang never set out to do research.
“I loved the teachers I had during residency and medical school, and I really wanted to be a great teacher. And I really liked operations and administration,” he said. “What I did not like was research. I was like, ‘I’m never gonna do this in my life.’”
When his boss at Northwestern insisted he meet with a researcher, he felt obligated. He didn’t realize Mihai Gheorghiade, MD, was an internationally known heart failure trialist. “One thing led to another, and he became the greatest mentor I’ve ever had,” Pang said.
At Northwestern, Pang served as associate director of experimental therapeutics with the Center for Cardiovascular Innovation before coming to IU. In the Department of Emergency Medicine, Pang was vice chair of strategic innovation — a role focused on collaboration across education and research initiatives — before stepping up as department chair, first in an interim role in late 2019.
The timing would prove challenging as the COVID pandemic struck just six months later, creating a surge of ER activity and placing tremendous physical and emotional strains on hospital workers. When asked how his team coped, he responded in one word: “Together.”
“It’s like any hard thing — you make it through together, and it makes you closer,” he said. “We were incredibly well supported by all the health systems that we worked in, as well as by the school. That can’t be overstated.”
The compassionate caregiver
When Pang considers the ER environment, he thinks of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…” Anyone can walk through those doors and should be treated with equal quality care.
“The thing I love most is that we will take care of you — it doesn’t matter who you are,” Pang said. “If you can’t pay, if you don’t have other resources, we will take care of you. Always.”
Pang is the son of Korean immigrants who overcame hardships and set an example of dedication to community and hard work. His father earned a full scholarship to medical school and became a solo-practice primary care doctor in a small town in upstate New York.
“He sometimes got paid in coins, one time a farm animal,” Pang recalled.
How patients feel about the care they receive is important to Pang. Quality healthcare goes beyond technical skills.
“As a physician, I want you to feel well cared for,” he said. “Patient experience is something that we’ve worked very hard on, and I’m proud of the direction we’ve gone, but there is still more work to be done.”
The wellness advocate
Pang carries that same passion into taking care of his team. Throughout his time at the IU School of Medicine, Pang has been an advocate for physician well-being.
“It’s important that we create an environment where our people can thrive and feel like they can give the very best of themselves,” he said.
Reed, who is founder of the Support, Tracking and Referral (STAR) program for resident wellness and mental health, said Pang recognized her potential for leadership before she saw it herself and helped elevate her work beyond the departmental level.
“He not only affirmed the importance of the work but actively championed it — forwarding it for institutional kudos, promoting it for foundational support, and nominating it for recognition in a variety of spaces,” Reed said. “When opportunities arose, he connected me with national leaders, shared relevant scholarship and encouraged deeper reflection about the culture of medicine and how we can improve it.”
As a mentor, Pang offered advice on career building while inviting discussion on more human topics like self-doubt, boundaries, sustainability and learning from failure. Reed vividly remembers one instance when she was disappointed in herself and felt anxious about telling Pang a project had gone off track. He responded with kindness and partnership, helping her find a clear path forward.
“What stays with me is not the problem we solved, but the way he framed the situation,” Reed said. “He treated it as a normal part of growth, not a failure. He saw resilience, initiative and potential where I saw missteps — and that perspective stayed with me.”
Pang’s passion for wellness and medical education is what influenced Destiny Folk, MD, to join the faculty at IU School of Medicine after completing her emergency medicine residency at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. Since becoming an assistant professor of clinical emergency medicine in 2024, her appreciation for Pang has only grown. He helped Folk secure research funding and has hosted several informal leadership events for early career faculty.
“He is personally invested in my success and happiness at IU,” Folk said.
She has no doubt Pang will continue to be an approachable and collaborative leader at the institutional level, broadening his impact on faculty development and physician well-being.
The listening leader
Pang is someone who engages with diverse groups to ensure all voices are heard, said Musey, now building upon Pang’s leadership philosophies in the Department of Emergency Medicine.
“I was particularly impressed by Peter’s willingness to examine his own biases and to intentionally establish clear principles to guide decision making — I’ve tried to carry that forward,” he said. “I also strive to emulate his readiness to confront hard decisions thoughtfully and transparently.”
Pang’s “radical candor” built trust within the team, Musey said.
“Peter actively seeks input, incorporates feedback, explores alternatives and communicates transparently,” he said. “These are qualities that will serve him exceptionally well in his expanded leadership role.”
