December 6, 2013

Distinguished University Professorships Ceremony Honors One of Surgery’s Own

In October, Mark B. Orringer, M.D., of the Department of Surgery was one of 25 University of Michigan professors — and the only one from the Health System — honored at the Distinguished University Professorships ceremony.

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In October, Mark B. Orringer, M.D., of the Department of Surgery was one of 25 University of Michigan professors — and the only one from the Health System — honored at the Distinguished University Professorships ceremony. These professorships, the most prestigious at this institution, recognize exceptional scholarly and/or creative achievements, national and international reputation, superior teaching and mentoring, and an impressive record of service.

In creating these positions in 1947, the Board of Regents intended that Distinguished University Professors be recognized for their great contributions to the University and the nation. Each distinguished university professorship bears a special name, determined by the appointive professor in consultation with her or his dean. The duration of the appointment is unlimited, and the title — without the salary and research supplements — may be retained after retirement.

A giant in the field of thoracic surgery, Mark Orringer has focused on the diagnosis and surgical treatment of esophageal disease, including developing two operations — the combined Collis-Nissen hiatal hernia repair and transhiatal esophagectomy. Since 1976, he and his colleagues have performed more than 3,000 transhiatal esophagectomies, an operation now performed worldwide and associated with U-M. The operation has dramatically reduced patient mortality and complications associated with removal of the esophagus.

Orringer served as head of the Section of Thoracic Surgery from 1985-2011. He has served on numerous U-M committees, including the University Hospital Executive Board and the Senate Assembly Development Advisory Committee. He currently serves on the Medical School Admissions Committee and as director of the Esophageal Cancer Destination Program. The author or co-author of more than 260 journal articles and 110 book chapters and editor of six books, Orringer has lectured worldwide and has held key national surgical leadership positions, including president of both the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He has been a director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and a member of the Residency Review Committee for Thoracic Surgery, and has served on various journal editorial boards.

Orringer has received numerous awards, including the Earl Bakken Scientific Achievement Award from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He was inducted into the Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars and consistently is listed among the Best Doctors in America, Guide to America’s Top Surgeons, andAmerica’s Top Doctors for Cancer. Orringer was named U-M’s first John Alexander Distinguished Professor of Thoracic Surgery in 1996. More recently, he received the inaugural U-M Thoracic Surgery Teaching Award, which bears his name, and was named a member of the Medical School’s League of Clinical Excellence in 2012 and League of Educational Excellence in 2013.

Dr. Orringer

Mark B. Orringer, MD

Cameron Haight Distinguished University Professor Emeritus in Thoracic Surgery
Active Emeritus, Thoracic Surgery