Baylor College of Medicine announces Dr. Paul Klotman’s retirement as president

Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) today announced the planned retirement of Dr. Paul Klotman, president, CEO and executive dean, after 15 years of outstanding leadership. The announcement followed the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees and is effective June 30, 2026. The Board also announced the launch of a national search for his replacement. 

“Dr. Klotman has done a fantastic job leading BCM. Paul set a clear vision and built an outstanding team to execute it, positioning BCM as a leader in academic medicine. We are very grateful for his many contributions,” said Greg Brenneman, chair of the Board of Trustees. “We planned Paul’s retirement together with him. He has put us in a great position to search for our next leader who we are confident will take BCM to even greater heights.” 

Klotman has held the leadership positions since Sept. 1, 2010. He will continue to hold the faculty position of professor after his retirement.

“I have greatly enjoyed my more than 15 years at Baylor College of Medicine,” said Klotman. “Even when times were tough, as they were at the beginning of my tenure, I could count on the outstanding faculty, staff and trainees. The people are the strength of this institution, and they will continue to chart its success.”

Klotman, a nationally recognized leader in academic medicine, said after 48 years in leadership positions – at BCM, Duke University School of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai - he welcomes the opportunity to focus on business interests in the future.

The Board has engaged the national recruitment firm of Hodges Partners, which will begin identifying candidates in a nationwide search over the next several weeks.

As president and CEO, Klotman leads one of the top academic medical institutions in the United States, with net assets close to $3 billion, and outstanding clinical, research and education programs. During his tenure, 50 companies were created with BCM’s intellectual property and BCM raised $1.4 billion through its fundraising efforts.

Klotman’s BCM Career Highlights

• Began the buildout of BCM’s outpatient clinics on the McNair Campus in 2012.
• Partnered with Houston ISD to open BCM Academy at James D. Ryan Middle School in 2013, followed by BCM Biotech Academy at Rusk Middle School in 2015.
• Partnered with CHI in 2014 to create a joint venture:  the Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center.
• Accelerated the recruitment of top scientists, clinicians and educators to lead the institution into its next phase of major growth.
• Successfully competed for comprehensive cancer status for the Dan L Duncan Cancer Center in 2015.
• Steered the institution through the COVID pandemic beginning in 2020 and was part of a group of medical leaders helping the city and county make decisions concerning the virus.
• Welcomed the first medical students to BCM’s first regional campus in Temple, Texas, in 2023.
• Led the planning of the Lillie and Roy Cullen Tower, an education building, opening in 2026.
• Moved BCM labs into the Texas Medical Center’s Dynamic One, featuring highly innovative labs, novel diagnostics and therapeutics.
• Expanded STEM partnerships with middle and high school campuses across the state.
• Negotiated and completed the strategic integration of Texas Heart Institute with Baylor College of Medicine.

A look back at the last 15 years is included in BCM's latest annual report.