SIU Medical School Professor Michael Neumeister Honored with Zook Endowed Chair Appointment
Dr. Michael W. Neumeister has been named recipient of the Elvin G. Zook, M.D. Endowed Chair in Plastic Surgery. Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine and Memorial Medical Center Foundation created this endowment to honor Dr. Zook's 34-year career in plastic surgery and spent the last two years raising $1,000,000. The endowment will be used for SIU plastic surgery resident education and research.
"An endowed chair is the highest honor that a University can bestow on a faculty member who has had a distinguished career in a particular field of study," said Dr. Gary Dunnington, professor and chairman of the department of surgery. "Dr. Zook has meant so much to not only the medical students, residents and faculty but also to his patients and this community. He has raised the bar in plastic surgery both nationally and internationally."
Prior to joining SIU, Dr. Neumeister served a fellowship in hand and microsurgery at SIU School of Medicine's Plastic Surgery Institute (1997). Neumeister attended Harvard University's Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston as a microsurgery fellow (1996). He completed his residency in plastic surgery at Manitoba University in Winnipeg, Manitoba (1996) and his general surgery residency at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia (1993). Neumeister received his medical degree from the University of Toronto (1988) and bachelor's in Physiology/Pharmacology from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario (1984).
Neumeister is board certified in plastic surgery by both the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada and the American Board of Plastic Surgeons.
His memberships include the Plastic Surgery Research Council, American Association for Hand Surgery, American Burn Association, American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery, American Society for Surgery of the Hand, Association of Academic Chairmen of Plastic Surgery and American Association of Plastic Surgeons.
He has served as an elected official on several national committees including the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, the American Association for Surgery of the Hand, and the American Society of Plastic Surgery. Neumeister is currently the Vice-President of the Midwest Plastic Surgery Society and the Chair of the Plastic Surgery Research Council.
Neumeister's research interests include tissue engineering, the role of stem cells in reconstruction, ischemia reperfusion, peripheral nerve, and burn modulation.
Click here to make a donation to the Zook Endowment Fund now.
Dr. Zook and his family at the ceremony
Pictured left to right: Tara Bennett, M.D.; Sharon Zook; Elvin Zook, M.D.;
Leigh Krueger; Nicole Sommer, M.D.