Chief Medical Officer
Sanford Health
Jeremy Cauwels, MD, FACP, FHM, is chief medical officer for Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the country, which serves 2 million patients across seven states in the upper Midwest, and includes a network of 56 hospitals and 4,000 physicians and advanced practice providers. In this role, he represents physician interests to the executive leadership team and Board of Trustees. He also chairs the quality cabinet, leads enterprise aspects of the medical staff and oversees the system’s graduate medical education program.
Dr. Cauwels has been a champion for creating a culture of safety through a systemwide quality and safety initiative, Sanford Accountability for Excellence (SAFE). The program focuses on implementing solutions to challenges in four key areas: clinical quality, patient safety, employee engagement and physician well-being.
Under Dr. Cauwels’ leadership, quality and safety scores have significantly improved across the organization. Since 2019, Sanford has achieved a 72% reduction in serious safety events systemwide. Dr. Cauwels ensures that the SAFE program has the operational, financial and leadership support necessary for this work.
Dr. Cauwels has also played an instrumental role in overseeing an expansion of graduate medical education programs. In partnership with universities across our region, and thanks to a $300 million philanthropic gift, Sanford Health will fully fund 15 additional residency and fellowship programs for a total of 27 programs, which will train more than 350 residents and fellows a year by 2027. In 2025, Sanford Health launched new GI, internal medicine, emergency medicine and surgical critical care programs and a rural-urban residency rotation.
An influential voice in the industry, Dr. Cauwels is regularly invited to contribute his clinical expertise, compelling perspective and forward looking insights on rural health care delivery. He has presented at high profile national events including the Modern Healthcare Digital Transformation Summit, Becker’s Healthcare Annual Meeting, Reuters Total Health and Microsoft Digital Health and AI Summit, among others.
Dr. Cauwels is a trusted voice locally and nationally. He is a tireless advocate for bringing care closer to patients and believes virtual care is
one of the most important tools we have to reduce barriers to access, engage patients in their care and address rural provider shortages.
Prior to his appointment to chief medical officer in 2021, Dr. Cauwels led safety, quality and patient experience as senior vice president of quality. He also served as vice president and chief medical officer for Sanford Health Plan. Cauwels started with Sanford Health as a hospitalist in Sioux Falls in 2006, was promoted to director of the group and eventually became Sanford USD Medical Center’s chief of staff.
Born in South Dakota and raised in northwest Iowa, Dr. Cauwels has bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology from the University of Northern Iowa and a medical degree from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. He completed his residency and a chief resident year at the University of Kansas in Kansas City, Kansas. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Society of Hospital Medicine. He also serves on the American Hospital Association Physician Council.
Dr. Cauwels and his wife, Teresa, live in Sioux Falls with their three children.
Leadership Insights: Strengthening the Rural Healthcare Workforce—Strategies for Sustainable Growth
Monday, March 2, 2026
4:30pm - 5:30pm CT