The future of surgery is arriving more rapidly than many of us may realize. Developments in artificial intelligence, robotics, and genomics are advancing at a pace that challenges traditional professional rhythms of validation, regulation, and adaptation. Innovation cycles that once spanned decades now unfold in years—or even months—compressing the distance between laboratory discovery and operative application. The question is no longer whether technological transformation will redefine surgical practice, but how soon and to what extent.
Any attempt to describe that future must be speculative, yet informed speculation is essential. Surgeons, educators, and trainees need to engage these possibilities now, while there is still time to shape them, rather than respond too late when they become faits accomplis. On October 22 health futurist David Ellis of the WSUSOM Department of Surgery gave a Grand Rounds talk intended not so much for prediction as for preparation—to encourage reflection and debate on what it will mean to practice, teach, and preserve the essence of surgery amid accelerating change.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Why mammography screenings are important for early detection
1 in 8 women in the US will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. And, typically, it has no symptoms when it’s small and easily treated. 5-year breast cancer survivor Nikoa Dean and Dr. Mihaela-Elena Rapolti joined Local 4 Live to discuss why mammography screenings are so important for early detection.
Image: American College of Surgeons President Beth Sutton, M.D., presents the award to Wayne State University Professor of Surgery Anna Marie Ledgerwood, M.D.
Wayne State University School of Medicine Professor of Surgery Anna Marie Ledgerwood, M.D., Res. ’72, FACS, is the 2025 recipient of the American College of Surgeons Dr. Mary Edwards Walker Inspiring Women in Surgery Award.
ACS President Beth Sutton, M.D., FACS, presented the award to Dr. Ledgerwood on Oct. 4 during the convocation preceding the opening of the ACS Clinical Congress 2025, held Oct. 4-7 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
“As a renowned educator mentor and advocate for women in surgery, Dr. Ledgerwood truly embodies the same spirit displayed by Dr. Mary Edwards Walker by paving the way for advancing surgical education and inspiring female surgeons,” Dr. Sutton said.
Given annually, the award recognizes an individual’s contributions to the advancement of women in the field of surgery. It is named in honor of Mary Edwards Walker, M.D., the first woman surgeon to serve in the U.S. Army and the only woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest decoration for valor in the armed forces.
“I am honored to be selected for this award,” said Dr. Ledgerwood, a general and trauma surgeon for more than 50 years who was nominated by her former student, School of Medicine Class of 1985 graduate William Cirocco, M.D.
She has attended every annual ACS Clinical Congress (except during the COVID-19 pandemic) since her initiation 50 years ago. In her remarks, she encouraged new members to attend at least part of the congress every year, and take advantage of the learning opportunities offered through state chapter meetings.
“The field of surgery changes. Fifty years ago, laparoscopy and robotic procedures did not exist. I was taught to do a laparoscopic cholecystectomy at my Michigan chapter meeting by the community surgeons in Michigan. We can and should learn from each other. We can and should be both teachers and learners,” she said.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Gonzaga University, a degree from Sacred Heart Hospital School of Medicine Technology and her medical degree from Marquette University School of Medicine (now the Medical College of Wisconsin), Dr. Ledgerwood completed an internship at Detroit General Hospital in 1968, where she was one of only two women out of 25 interns, and a general surgery residency at Wayne State University in 1972, completing it as the only woman that year. She then joined the WSU faculty with the encouragement of Charles Lucas, M.D.
“We have worked together sharing patients, teaching students and residents, answering questions and writing papers for the past 53 years. We have more than 300 publications in scientific journals and all of our research was ‘self-funded’ from income we collected for patient care,” she said.
Dr. Ledgerwood is a frequent guest lecturer at other medical schools. Her clinical interests include gastrointestinal, oncologic, bariatric, trauma and emergency surgery, and critical care, with research interests in shock, resuscitation, injury, sepsis and education.
After witnessing quality improvement efforts at another institution, Dr. Ledgerwood became involved with the ACS Committee on Trauma Verification, Review and Consultation program when it was created in 1987. The program has become the basis for verifying trauma centers nationwide at levels I through IV, including at her own Level I hospital, Detroit Receiving Hospital, which was the first designated Level I trauma center in the state.
In large part because of the design Dr. Ledgerwood and other committee members established, ACS trauma center verification has been shown to significantly decrease mortality in adult and pediatric patients.
An ACS fellow since 1975, Dr. Ledgerwood has held numerous leadership positions in the college, serving as the president of the ACS Michigan Chapter, a member of the Board of Governors, a first vice president of the Board of Regents and the first woman to deliver the Scudder Oration on Trauma in 1996. During her 40-year tenure as a full professor, she has established a reputation for mentoring and advising students and junior colleagues in the field of surgery. Additionally, she was the first woman to serve as president of the Academy of Surgery of Detroit, the ACS Michigan Chapter, the Midwest Surgical Association, the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and the American Surgical Association.
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve quality of care for patients. The ACS has approximately 90,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.
David Edelman, M.D. ’02, Res. ’08, will discuss his experiences as a physician, how his time as a Wayne State School of Medicine student prepared him for his career, and share advice about pursuing a career in general surgery
See p. 29 “Michigan Chapter” to learn how our own Dr. Dolman and fellow members of the SCCM resuscitated the Chapter right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wayne State University and Wayne Health, its affiliated physician practice group, have received a $900,000 grant from Bank of America to strengthen the Wayne Health Mobile Unit program.
U.S. News and World Report again named the Wayne State University School of Medicine a Top 100 medical school for research in its annual Best Medical Schools rankings.
The magazine ranked the School of Medicine 68th in research of the 188 medical schools eligible for ranking.
The school was ranked 86th in the category of Best Medical Schools for Primary Care.
Other rankings include:
28th Most Diverse Medical School
58th in Most Graduates Serving in Medically Underserved Areas
98th in Most Graduates Practicing in Rural Areas
111th in Most Graduates Practicing in Primary Care
Known for urban clinical excellence focusing on medical and biomedical education, hands-on clinical experience, research and community care, the WSU School of Medicine has been training physicians since 1868.
Each year, U.S. News & World Report issues its Best Medical Schools report and rankings based on a number of indicators, including quality assessment, peer assessment scores, residency director scores, research activity, primary care rate, faculty-student ratio, number of graduates entering specialty fields, and ratings by medical school deans and senior faculty.
This is the second year the magazine published a ranking of the most diverse medical schools. The Howard University College of Medicine in the District of Columbia took first place in the ranking, which considers the proportion of students who are Black or African American, Hispanic/Latinx, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander.
“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Carmen McIntyre Leon, M.D., assistant professor and associate chair of Community Affairs in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, to the position of interim chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, effective Feb. 1.
Dr. McIntyre Leon replaces Sonia Eden, M.D., who served as interim chair of the department since February 2021 and has accepted another position out of state.
A 1990 graduate of our School of Medicine, Dr. McIntyre Leon joined the faculty in 2014. She will serve in the position during a national search for a permanent chair.
The chief medical officer of the Michigan Department of Corrections, she is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the Michigan Medical Association, the Michigan Psychiatric Society (president), the Oakland County Medical Association, the American Correctional Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.
Her previous leadership experience includes serving as chief medical director for the Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority, Southwest Counseling Solutions, Community Network Services, St. Joseph Mercy Network and Boniface Human Services.
Among her broad community involvement, Dr. McIntyre Leon also serves as the Human Services Collaborative Committee co-chair for the Steering Committee for Wayne County Providers of Services to Children, Youth and Families.
In 2020, she received the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Other accolades include being named a Crain’s Health Care Hero for advancements in health care, the Excellence in Mental Health First Aid Community Impact award from the national Council for Behavioral Health, being named to the Class of 2015 Women of Excellence by The Michigan Chronicle and the David J. Olen Award from the Mental Illness Research Association.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1985. After graduating from the Wayne State University School of Medicine, she completed a residency and National Institutes of Mental Health research fellowship at the Medical College of Pennsylvania.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. McIntyre Leon and offering her every assistance.
Mark E. Schweitzer, M.D.
Dean, School of Medicine
Vice President, Health Affairs
The School of Medicine has announced that FOODA meal service in the Scott Hall cafeteria will be available beginning Jan. 24 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
FOODA will bring a daily variety of local restaurant offerings so you can buy lunch without leaving the building. There are no delivery fees, and prices are comparable to what you’d spend at the restaurants.
Order your meal ahead of time and avoid waiting in line. Simply sign into the FOODA app, select your location and order your food. Rewards, coupons and subsidies are built into the experience.
Dean Schweizer has announced the appointment of Sokol Todi, PhD, as interim Chair of the Department of Pharmacology w.e.f. January 24. He succeeds Raymond Mattingly, PhD.
Free transportation for Wayne State University students and employees, rolled out in the fall through partnerships with DDOT, SMART, the QLine and MoGo will continue through March 2022. You need to request a new eligibility code, The QLine will continue to operate fare free through March.
I hope everyone is having a great holiday season. I have received several questions regarding our current surgery resident COVID plan – and wanted to provide updates for all:
If you are sick with symptoms of COVID, do not come to work, obtain a COVID test, and let me know.
If you are COVID positive, stay home. You can return to work after 7 days assuming you are symptom free and have a negative covid test. These 7 days can be shortened depending on symptoms, negative COVID test, and potential workforce shortages.
Always wear PPE (mask and eye protection) while at work.
If you are wearing your PPE and are vaccinated & boosted, exposures don’t occur.
If you are vaccinated & boosted, no quarantine is necessary in the event of an exposure – even in high-risk exposure
Do not COVID test following an exposure if you are asymptomatic – COVID testing should only occur in the presence of symptoms.
As COVID may affect our surgical workforce, adjustments to resident schedules might become necessary. Please continue to be flexible during these times – we are always trying to be fair and transparent.
If you have any questions/concerns, please let me know.
As we prepare for winter break, the omicron variant is rapidly spreading across the nation, with case numbers in some areas doubling every three days. The variant has been identified in Michigan, and case numbers across the state and region continue to rise. After a brief decrease, positivity rates in Detroit have begun to climb again.
We are concerned about the omicron variant and, as we have since the beginning of the pandemic, we will continue to monitor the latest data and respond in a way that prioritizes the health and safety of our campus community. We know that omicron is more transmissible than previous variants. However, available data demonstrates that vaccines and boosters continue to be effective in preventing serious illness and further spread.
To be sure that our campus community remains fully vaccinated, we will institute a booster requirement for students, faculty and staff for the winter 2022 semester. The booster requirement will apply to every member of the Wayne State community, except for those with approved exemptions and students who will learn 100% remotely with no need to be on campus or access campus resources.
Beginning Jan. 3, to be compliant with this mandate you are required to receive and upload proof of your booster at the time you are eligible, which is six months past the second dose for Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or two months past the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Please get your booster as soon as it’s available to you and upload photographic proof. The Campus Daily Screener will be updated accordingly, and those who are unvaccinated or past their due date for a booster will not be permitted on campus unless they have an approved waiver. The Campus Health Center is currently offering all vaccines and boosters, and has several booster clinics scheduled, including new dates on Jan. 4, 13 and 14 that you can register for now.
While we will continue to monitor the data, we anticipate a potential increase in cases and positivity rates in the coming weeks. These increases may make it necessary to transition all classes to a remote format for a limited time period at the beginning of the winter semester. We will send an additional communication to you regarding this by close of business Thursday, Dec. 23. If we must make this transition, it will be temporary, and classes will move to their originally planned delivery method when this period is over. If we need to move to this step, further information regarding housing, libraries and other campus services will be provided to keep students informed of next steps.
We have proven that, as a campus community, we can weather this together. Our students, faculty and staff have shown incredible cooperation in getting vaccinated and following safety measures, and we have been able to continue the mission of our university while protecting our Warriors. This will continue in 2022. We encourage you to register for winter classes if you have not already and continue to keep showing the world what Warrior Strong looks like.
Thank you, as always, for your commitment to campus health and safety, and have a wonderful break.
Laurie M. Lauzon Clabo, PhD, RN, FAAN
Chair, Campus Health Committee
WSU Chief Health & Wellness Officer
From Dr. Weaver: I wanted to share with you some good news – it came in the form of a preprint shared with us by a coauthor who is a medical student from Central Michigan – he interviewed with us last week. The 48th position in national ranking is a tribute to your excellence as faculty and I, for one, am deeply grateful for what you do and maybe more importantly for who you are.
Robert Folberg, M.D., has been appointed vice dean of Medical Education for the Wayne State University School of Medicine. “Dr. Folberg’s wealth of experience both clinically and educationally will serve our School of Medicine well as we continue to develop the medical education of the future,” said Mark E. Schweitzer, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and vice president of WSU Health Affairs. Dr. Folberg served as the Stephan Sharf Founding Dean of the William Beaumont School of Medicine from 2008 to 2019, and as associate dean for Faculty Affairs and director of Community Engaged Scholarship in Southeast Michigan at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine from 2019 to 2020.
I want to wish the Jewish members of our community a Happy Hanukkah, which began Nov. 28 and runs through the evening of Dec. 6.
The eight-day celebration, often known as the Festival of Lights, is a joyous time celebrated in Jewish families with the lighting of the candles of the menorah, a candelabrum with nine branches, traditional foods, gifts and games.
The celebration commemorates the historical recovery of Jerusalem and rededication of the Second Temple during the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the second century BCE. The lighting of a candle on the menorah each night of the festival symbolizes a miracle in which it is said that a small flask of oil sufficient to light the temple for only a day lasted eight days.
Many families mark the festival with the nightly lighting of a menorah candle, eating traditional foods fried or baked in oil, especially the fried potato pancakes know as latkes, giving small gifts to children of the family, and traditional prayers and songs.
Please join me in wishing the members of our community of the Jewish faith a Happy Hanukkah.
Mark E. Schweitzer, M.D.
Vice President, Health Affairs
Dean, Wayne State University School of Medicine
Detroit residents will have convenient access to infusion services for immunological and inflammatory diseases with the Nov. 1 opening of Wayne Health’s new outpatient infusion clinic at its 400 Mack Detroit Health Center in Midtown.
The comfortable, contemporary infusion clinic will serve patients with conditions such as systemic lupus, Crohn’s disease, connective tissue diseases, multiple sclerosis and other neuropathies that can improve through treatment with biological agents.
WSUSOM has introduced a new joint degree program in which medical students can earn a master’s of business administration degree concurrently with their four-year medical degree.
The curriculum will provide students with core courses in both medicine and business, as well as supporting elective courses in each field, and specialized courses in both. Upon successful completion of the program, students will be prepared for employment as physicians and in a wide range of additional settings in the public and private sector.
The program is a partnership between the WSU School of Medicine and WSU’s Mike Ilitch School of Business.
MMIG is hosting a continuing series of lessons in trauma care designed to increase awareness of interventions used in trauma situations and help prepare students for emergencies. Students practice interventions such as intubation, needle decompression, chest tube insertion, surgical cricothyroidotomy, packing wounds and more. The curriculum is based on the Advanced Trauma Life Support and Tactical Combat Casualty Care guidelines. Recent topics covered include assessments, managing massive hemorrhage, and basic airway management.
Third Annual Medical Education Research and Innovation Conference The Wayne State University School of Medicine will host its third annual Medical Education Research and Innovation Conference on Dec. 7. The purpose of the conference is to showcase completed and in-progress medical education research and innovation projects conducted by students, residents, staff and faculty.
You can RSVP for the conference or submit a research or innovation abstract for a completed or in-progress project at https://www.mericonference.org/.
Oral and poster abstracts are limited to 300 words and are due by 11:59 p.m. Oct. 17.
Medical Education Research – Research related to the learning process that occurs within a medical education setting. Topics include, but are not limited to, learner characteristics, optimizing the learning process, assessment and evaluation, professional development, instruction design, technology in the learning environment and wellbeing. Research at any level (undergraduate, graduate, practitioner, faculty) of medical education are welcome. Medical education research can also include quality improvement projects.
Medical Education Innovation – Innovative curricula that address a current issue within medical education. The innovation should be based on learning principles and be designed to meet a specific need. Examples include, but are not limited to, health and wellness, quality improvement, patient safety, inter-professional education and service learning.
See p. 29 “Michigan Chapter” to learn how our own Dr. Dolman and fellow members of the SCCM resuscitated the Chapter right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.