United States Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Midwest Health Care Network

Network Director

VA Midwest Health Care Network

Robert A. Petzel, M.D.


Robert (Randy) A. Petzel, M.D., was appointed to his current position as Network Director, VA Midwest Health Care Network, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 23 on October 2, 2002.

Dr. Petzel serves as the senior official for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Western Illinois and Western Wisconsin.  He has a thirty-nine year history of serving veterans in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Dr. Petzel graduated from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota in 1965 and from Northwestern University Medical School in 1969.  He is board certified in Internal Medicine.  He is a member of the faculty of the University of Minnesota Medical School.  From 1980 to 1995, Dr. Petzel served as Chief of Staff at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.  In that capacity, he supervised the medical center's clinical, research, and education activities.  He was appointed as Network Director to the VA Upper Midwest Health Care Network (VISN 13) in October 1995 and served as Acting Network Director for VISN 23 from January 23, 2002 until his appointment on October 2, 2002.

Dr. Petzel co-chairs the National VHA Strategic Planning Council and the System Redesign Steering Committee.  He is particularly interested in evidence-based management, evidence-based medicine and the relationship between work place stress and patient outcomes.  He strives to create the Health Care Workplace of the Future and a Culture of Continuous Improvement.

Dr. Petzel is married and has three children.