GIVING TO CARDIAC SURGERY

The Section of Cardiac Surgery is committed to the care of seriously ill children and adults with heart disease, and to research to improve the health of patients in the future. The Section of Cardiac Surgery conducts diverse, broad ranging basic science research programs in areas relevant to congenital heart disease, valvular and coronary problems, and integrative medicine approaches to the care of affected patients. The section continues to be nationally recognized for its clinical research with particular interest in circulatory support, heart transplantation, and aortic aneurysms.

The University of Michigan Health System's preeminent place among America's great institutions of medicine is in no small measure the result of its superb faculty. Through their teaching, research and dedication to patient care, they contribute to our nation's and the world's well being.

Recruiting and retaining outstanding teachers and researchers benefits our patients, students and programs. Often this is done through endowed professorships, which can both honor past faculty and protect research time for future faculty. Private donors can have a significant impact on a school or program by making an endowed gift to a professorship, which results in a prominent and permanent investment in the institution. Professorships and fellowships can be named for the donor or someone the donor chooses to honor.

Building and expanding upon this legacy of leadership will require private support. Please give online or via mail.

The Helen and Marvin M. Kirsh Professorship

The Kirsh Professorship will foster the goodwill engendered by Dr. Kirsh as he represented his profession with a selfless and undying love and a generous sense of humor. The professorship will also facilitate the advancement of cardiac surgery, enabling the continued commitment to the recruitment of many more outstanding faculty and residents.

The Herbert E. Sloan Collegiate Professorship

The Sloan Professorship honors the career contributions of Dr. Herbert E. Sloan to the profession of thoracic and cardiac surgery, his scholarly achievements, role as a researcher, and leadership as Section Head of Thoracic Surgery from 1970-1985. The professorship especially recognizes Dr. Sloan's compassion in caring for thousands of patients throughout his career. This professorship is also designed to honor the faculty member appointed to the professorship.

Faculty Professorship

An endowed professorship is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a member of our faculty. Professorships are reserved for scholars of national, or even international, stature with highly distinguished records of teaching, research, and publication. Due to a limited number of specialists in complex cardiac surgery, we must discover a means to recruit those with the brightest and best minds and surgical skills in the country. The financial support provided by a faculty professorship is critical for us to continue to perform both leading edge surgical research and to provide the best possible clinical and research training to the next generation of cardiac surgeons.

Fellowship for Clinical Research

An endowed fellowship for clinical research provides the means for an intern or resident to spend an additional year doing research in the area of cardiac surgery. A year dedicated to research, typically in addition to clinical training, is an enriching experience, providing understandings that will be of great value to the student over the course of his or her career. This experience can result in the development of new innovations in cardiac disease treatment and prevention, which are then utilized in clinical practice.

Cardiovascular Center

The University of Michigan will complete the building of a freestanding Cardiovascular Center in 2007 that will provide care for patients with a wide spectrum of vascular diseases. This five-story interdisciplinary facility will include clinics, diagnostic laboratories, operating rooms, intensive care units, and all the support services essential for a 21st century medical enterprise. In addition to the clinical building, a second building of research laboratories is to be constructed as a later phase of the Center. Many giving opportunities including naming opportunities of various programs and areas within the Cardiovascular Center exist. Support of this unique facility deserves the attention of those having a philanthropic mindset. The completed Center will have a major impact on enhancing our understanding of cardiovascular diseases and improving care of patients burdened by these illnesses.