What Gifts Do

University of Michigan Plastic Surgery education and research efforts have a lasting impact on patients at UM and around the world. Please support the funds and professorships listed below by donating online or by mail.

Reed O. Dingman Professorship

The Dingman Professorship honors the pioneering career contributions of Dr. Reed O. Dingman to the profession of plastic and reconstructive surgery, his scholarly achievements, role as a researcher, and his leadership as Section Head of Plastic Surgery from 1964-1976 and again, from 1982 until his death in 1985. The professorship especially recognizes Dr. Dingman's compassion in caring for thousands of patients throughout his career, and his commitment to education. This professorship is also designed to honor the faculty member appointed to the professorship.

Craniofacial Anomalies 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 craniofacial anomalies, 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 plastic and reconstructive surgeons.

Research Faculty Professorship

The advancement of knowledge through research is one of the primary responsibilities of a university. An endowed research professorship provides financial support for a tenured member of the faculty so that he or she may concentrate fully on a major research initiative such as hand injuries or reconstruction after cancer or trauma. For a benefactor with a strong interest in this field of investigation, or other areas of research in plastic and reconstructive surgery, the endowment of a professorship is a means of furthering the advancement of knowledge and future clinical application.

Resident Education Fund

Our residency program has gained the attention and respect of peer institutions by training residents who present award winning research at national conferences. Because our residents are the future of plastic and reconstructive surgery, it is critical that we support their scholastic and academic development by continuing to fund their participation in research and their attendance at national and international conferences. A donation to the resident education fund represents an investment in the young minds that will advance the specialty of reconstructive surgery.

Hand Injury Prevention and Treatment Fund

Hand injury is the most common type of traumatic condition presenting to emergency rooms. While we often take the hand for granted, any type of hand injury can be devastating to a person's life and career. The hand surgery program at the University of Michigan is the major referral center in the mid-west region for complex procedures including replantation, mangled upper extremity reconstruction, toe-to-hand transfer and peripheral nerve repair. The hand injury prevention and treatment fund will derive new ways to prevent hand injuries in occupational settings and promote research that will enhance the treatment of patients with mutilating hand injuries. Funding from this endowment will provide much needed resources to respond and to treat hand injured patients from the State of Michigan and from around the world.