Dr. Van Tassel received his undergraduate degree and Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Minnesota. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at the University of Minnesota Hospital. He served two years as a flight surgeon in the United States Air Force.

Dr. Van Tassel is a board certified cardiologist. He served as a Senior Consultant in Cardiology at the Minneapolis Heart Institute and Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, as well as a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota until his retirement in 2010. He is a founder and past President of the Minneapolis Heart Institute and Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.