Giving

The Section of Thoracic Surgery is committed to the care of seriously ill patients with chest diseases, and to research to improve the health of patients in the future. The Section of Thoracic Surgery conducts diverse, broad ranging basic science research programs in areas relevant to esophageal and lung diseases, cancer, and novel approaches to the care of affected patients. The section continues to be nationally recognized for its clinical research with particular interest in esophageal surgery, lung transplantation, and lung and esophageal cancer.

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.

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 genetic studies of lung cancer. For a benefactor with a strong interest in this field of investigation, or other areas of research in thoracic surgery, the endowment of a professorship is a means of furthering the advancement of knowledge and future clinical application.

Fellowship for Clinical Research

An endowed fellowship for clinical research provides the means for a surgical trainee to spend an additional year doing research in the area of thoracic 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 thoracic disease treatment and prevention, which are then utilized in clinical practice.

Medical Student Research Fund

Contributions to this fund will provide support for University of Michigan undergraduate and medical students seeking research experience in the thoracic surgery laboratory. By exposing undergraduate and medical students to the exciting research developments in thoracic surgery, it is our intent to attract the next generation of thoracic surgeons to this area of specialty and to support research efforts in thoracic surgery.

Thoracic Surgery Patient Education Fund

Establishment of a Thoracic Surgery Patient Education Fund will allow a library of web-based programs and video productions to be developed to better inform prospective patients about their diseases and the thoracic surgical procedure available for their treatment. The availability of these resource materials to patients will provide much needed practical information and support at a time when medical decisions can seem overwhelming and difficult to process.

Calories and Caring Fund

Patients with impaired swallowing who are recovering from or facing major esophageal surgery frequently require nutritional support through liquid diet supplements delivered through a feeding tube. Those who are under-insured or otherwise unable to afford such feedings depend upon the generosity of others for the needed supplies. Patients who have recovered from such operations frequently provide the best moral support for those facing surgery. By providing meeting facilities and enabling these exchanges we can enhance the success of our esophageal surgery and recovery program.