Michael M. Warren, M.D. Chair to benefit Division of Urology
GALVESTON, Texas - The family of Dr. Michael M. Warren, Ashbel Smith Professor of Surgery in the University of Texas Medical Branch's Division of Urology, has established an endowed faculty position in his honor to benefit the division.
The Michael M. Warren, M.D. Chair in Urology will enable the appointed faculty member to play a crucial role in providing compassionate patient care, teaching medical students to do likewise and undertaking innovative research. Urology is the field of medicine specializing in the urinary tract and male reproductive system.
Dr. Robert E. Warren of Fort Worth said he, his sisters, Leslie C. Warren and Debora Steckler, and his mother, Darleene, wanted to recognize his father for his lifelong devotion to medicine. "My father has dedicated himself to the improvement of UTMB," said Warren, who graduated from UTMB in 1996 and completed his ophthalmology residency there four years later. "We are honored to have been able to witness his work and proud to contribute to his legacy."
The elder Warren said he was completely surprised by his family's decision to create an endowed chair in his name. "I am fortunate to have the kind of family who has given me this great honor," said Warren, the longtime chief of the UTMB Division of Urology who stepped down from the administrative post last April. "It is often difficult to balance an academic career and a family and have it all come together. I feel truly blessed."
UTMB President David L. Callender said the Warren Chair will be instrumental in the university's ability to advance biomedical knowledge and pioneer new approaches to enhancing health care. "I'm grateful for the Warren family's generosity, which will help the university reinforce the learning environment for our students and scientists and benefit patients here and around the nation," Callender said. "The Warren Chair provides an appropriate tribute to a remarkable faculty member whose strong leadership of the Division of Urology and so many other vital programs exemplifies UTMB's commitment to the patients and communities we serve."
Dr. Eduardo Orihuela has received UT System approval to become the first holder of the endowed faculty position bearing Warren's name. "I'm extremely honored to hold an endowment named after such a widely respected and recognized physician as Dr. Warren," said Orihuela, currently the Robert Earl Cone Professor of Surgery and chief of urology. "The contributions Dr. Warren has made to urology and UTMB are legendary, and I intend to set some ambitious goals to live up to the standard he has set."
After earning his medical degree from Cayetano Heredia University in Lima, Peru, Orihuela did his residency training in general surgery at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore and urological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. He remained at the university to begin his fellowship in urologic oncology in 1981. The following year, Orihuela continued his training at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, completing the fellowship in 1984. He joined the faculty at UTMB in 1989.
Warren received his medical degree from the State University of New York College of Medicine at Syracuse in 1963. Following a one-year internship at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, he joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed in San Francisco for two years. Warren received an honorable discharge from the navy and started his urology residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He completed it in 1970 and stayed at the clinic as an associate consultant until 1971, when he joined the UTMB faculty as an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Urology. Four years later, Dr. Warren was appointed the Robert Earl Cone Associate Professor of Urology and chief of the division, gaining full professorship status in 1979.
During his nearly 40 years as a UTMB physician, Warren has served in numerous capacities, including associate medical director for the university's correctional managed care program, medical director of the physician assistant studies program in the School of Allied Health Sciences, director of short courses for the continuing medical education program, acting director of the Emergency Department, chief of staff of university hospitals, physician project director of UTMB's electronic medical record program and deputy director for health services for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Furthermore, in recognition of his contributions during a stint as interim chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, department officials dedicated an ophthalmologic surgery training laboratory in his name.
Warren has the distinction of making Texas Monthly's "Texas Super Doctors" list in 2007. He appeared on the list in 2005 as well. The list is compiled by Key Professional Media Inc. and the publishers of Texas Monthly based on queries to more than 37,000 medical professionals who nominate physicians from specified medical specialties based on the question, "If you needed medical care, which doctor would you choose?"
Warren has been active in the Galveston community as a former board member of the Galveston Independent School District and the Galveston County United Board of Health. He was president of the Temple B'Nai Israel in the 1980s.