Dale Gunnar Renlund (born November 13, 1952) is an American religious leader and former

cardiologist Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular hear ...

who serves in the

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church). He has been a general authority of the church since 2009. Currently, he is the thirteenth most senior apostle in the church. Renlund was born in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, to Mats Åke Renlund and Mariana Andersson. Renlund's parents were from

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and emigrated to the United States so they could marry in an LDS Church

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

."Elder Dale G. Renlund"
''

Liahona Liahona may refer to: *Liahona (Book of Mormon), in the Book of Mormon, a brass ball of "curious workmanship" that provided directions for Lehi and his party while traveling * ''Liahona'' (magazine), a periodical published by The Church of Jesus Chr ...

'', November 2015. Since his parents did not yet know

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, Renlund's first language was

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

. For three years while he was a teenager, Renlund lived with his parents in Sweden where his father was a building

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

for the LDS Church. From 1972 to 1974 Renlund returned to Sweden where he served as a full-time missionary for the LDS Church.Stack, Peggy Fletcher
"All about new Mormon apostle Dale G. Renlund"
''

The Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History ...

'', 9 October 2015. Retrieved on 26 March 2020.

Medical career

He received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in chemistry and an

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

, both from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

. He then went on to do a three-year internal medicine residency program and then a three-year cardiology fellowship, both at

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) is the medical school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1893, the School of Medicine shares a campus with the Johns Hopkins Hospi ...

. While working at Johns Hopkins, Renlund served as

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of an LDS

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

. During this time his wife, Ruth, was going to law school. In 1986, Renlund became a professor at the

. As a cardiologist, he specialized in heart transplants. From 1991 to 2009, he was the medical director of the Utah Transplantation Affiliated Hospitals Cardiac Transplant Program. In 2000, he also became director of the Heart Failure Prevention and Treatment Program at Intermountain Health Center in Salt Lake City.

LDS Church service

In addition to his time as a bishop, Renlund has served in many positions in the LDS Church, including ward

Sunday School A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

president and

high councilor A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine h ...

. In 1992, Renlund succeeded H. David Burton as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the Salt Lake University 1st

Stake Stake may refer to: Entertainment * '' Stake: Fortune Fighters'', a 2003 video game * ''The Stake'', a 1915 silent short film * "The Stake", a 1977 song by The Steve Miller Band from '' Book of Dreams'' * ''Stakes'' (miniseries), a Cartoon Netw ...

. He served as an

area seventy Seventy is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Traditionally, a church member holding this priesthood office is a "traveling minister" and an "especial witness" of Jes ...

in the church's Utah Salt Lake City

Area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an obje ...

from 2000 to 2009. In April 2009, Renlund became a member of the

First Quorum of the Seventy First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

, a full-time ecclesiastical position. Later in 2009, Renlund and his wife moved to

Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

where he served first as a counselor and then from 2011 to 2014 as president of the church's Africa Southeast

. In this position he oversaw the church in about 20 countries, making trips to many of them, including a total of nearly 40 trips to the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. In October 2015, he was sustained as an

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

and member of the Quorum of the Twelve. As an apostle, he is accepted by the church as a

prophet, seer and revelator Prophet, seer, and revelator is an ecclesiastical title used in the Latter Day Saint movement. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is the largest denomination of the movement, and it currently applies the terms to the membe ...

. He was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve along with Ronald A. Rasband and Gary E. Stevenson, filling vacancies created by the 2015 deaths of

L. Tom Perry Lowell Tom Perry (August 5, 1922 – May 30, 2015) was an American businessman and religious leader who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1974 until his deat ...

Boyd K. Packer Boyd Kenneth Packer (September 10, 1924 – July 3, 2015) was an American religious leader and educator who served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church), president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jes ...

and

Richard G. Scott Richard Gordon Scott (November 7, 1928 – September 22, 2015) was an American scientist and religious leader who served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Scott was b ...

. This was the first time since 1906 that three new apostles were sustained. They are the 98th, 99th and 100th members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the church's history. In June 2017, Renlund and his wife spoke at an international forum on religious freedom in Costa Rica and advocated, "Religious beliefs, teachings and practices bring needed medicine to a society that would otherwise be aggressive and sick." In June 2018, Renlund was featured in a series of suicide awareness videos published by the church. The series was aimed at understanding suicide and taking measures to prevent it. Renlund also spoke at a medical conference held in

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

in April 2018, describing the church's views on religion improving the health of individuals. In August 2017, Renlund participated in a "Face-to-Face" online event with youth members of the LDS Church in Africa. In April 2019, Renlund dedicated the

Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple The Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The intent to construct the temple was announced by church president ...

. In December 2020, Renlund and his wife tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Personal life

Renlund married Ruth Lybbert in 1977. She is a daughter of Merlin R. Lybbert, who was a general authority of the LDS Church. The Renlunds are the parents of one daughter. Ruth Renlund was a personal injury trial lawyer and a partner of the law firm of Dewsnup, King & Olsen.Haws, Nollie
"Just Call Me Ruth"
''Mormon Women Project'', 12 May 2010. Retrieved on 27 March 2020. Ruth Renlund is an ovarian cancer survivor.

Works

Medical publications

* * * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

General Authorities and General Officers: Elder Dale G. Renlund
{{DEFAULTSORT:Renlund, Dale G. 1952 births American cardiologists American general authorities (LDS Church) American Mormon missionaries in Sweden Area seventies (LDS Church) Johns Hopkins School of Medicine alumni Living people Members of the First Quorum of the Seventy (LDS Church) People from Salt Lake City American people of Swedish descent University of Utah School of Medicine alumni University of Utah faculty 20th-century Mormon missionaries Physicians from Utah Latter Day Saints from Utah Latter Day Saints from Maryland Apostles (LDS Church) American expatriates in South Africa