A Family’s Gift, A Statewide Impact

Transformational gift establishes dermatology at UND and expands access to specialty care.

The University of North Dakota is celebrating a monumental $5 million commitment from the Mohiba and Basir Tareen family. The gift will establish the Department of Dermatology at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences and endow the Tareen Family Chair of Dermatology.  

For Basir, a 2002 UND graduate and practicing urologist in the Twin Cities and CEO of Tareen Development Partners, the University holds deep personal significance.  
“UND has and will always hold a special place for me and my family,” Basir said. “This gift honors the legacy of physicians who dedicate their lives to rural communities and helps ensure the next generation of doctors continues that tradition.” 

The family’s connection to rural medicine started well before his own education. Basir’s father, Dr. Jamil Tareen, dedicated 35 years of his life as the only surgeon in Pembina County in northeastern North Dakota.

Jamil was a true general surgeon, handling everything from urology to gynecology for the rural community, and mentoring UND medical students throughout his career.  
Growing up as the children of immigrant parents, both Basir and his wife, Mohiba, viewed medicine not merely as a profession, but as a calling and a way of life. Dr. Mohiba Tareen’s parents were also dedicated physicians; her father was a practicing medical oncologist, and her mother ran a successful internal medicine practice. Today, Mohiba is a board-certified dermatologist who founded Tareen Dermatology in Roseville, Minnesota, in 2011. To her, this endowment represents an opportunity to advance both dermatology education and patient care across the state.  

“Dermatology is my passion, and to be able to bring dermatology and specialty care to better serve North Dakota is a lifelong dream,” Mohiba shared. “We are honored to help the University and excited for what is to come.”  

The Tareen family’s gift specifically addresses the growing need for dermatology specialists in rural and underserved communities while strengthening UND’s ability to train future physicians.  

This gift honors the legacy of physicians who dedicate their lives to rural communities and helps ensure the next generation of doctors continues that tradition.Dr. Basir Tareen

University leaders echoed the profound impact of this investment. Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, Dean of the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences and Vice President for Health Affairs, noted that the gift will position UND as a regional leader in dermatology education. “Your investment is not simply in a department, it is in people,” Jenkins remarked at an April Twin Cities event to celebrate the gift. “You are helping us shape a future where high quality, accessible care is a reality, not a dream.”
UND President Andrew Armacost highlighted how the Tareen family’s generosity perfectly aligns with the University’s annual themes of gratitude, connection, momentum, and community. He emphasized that the gift builds a collective sense of togetherness and support for one another.  

Basir turned 50 this spring and said he wanted to celebrate by making a difference. “As we get older, what is it that we want to leave behind? What good do we want to leave in the world after we’re not here and even while we are here? And so that’s what this gift is about. This was a chance for us to combine two things that we love — Mohiba’s love of dermatology and my love and reverence for UND.”