An impartial group of academic surgeons have ranked the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Michael and Marian Ilitch Department of Surgery residency program in the top half of academic programs in the country.

The department ranked No. 48 out of 106 departments in a report published in the Journal of Surgical Education.

For “Ranking United States University-Based General Surgery Programs on the Academic Achievement of Surgery Department Faculty,” the group looked at online data about research funding; the Hirsch index, which measures the impact of particular authors; and participation on the editorial boards of major surgical journals.

“This was different from some rankings that weigh value by polling surgical leaders concerning their opinion about programs,” said Penberthy Professor and Chair Donald Weaver, M.D. “Compared to many universities, our department is rather small and without its own hospital system, so to be in the upper half of the academic programs is a testament to the fine work of our dedicated faculty, and the residents and students who challenge us daily to excel.”

The programs were selected from the American Medical Association Residency & Fellowship Programs Database. The study evaluated university-based general surgery residency programs in the United States from 2017 to 2019, assessing their respective institutions’ departments of surgery. A total of 7,568 faculty members were evaluated. Faculty were required to be full-time clinical surgeons to meet inclusion criteria.

The Michael and Marian Ilitch Department of Surgery has a long and proud history of service, education and research. It is home to more than 70 residents and fellows, taught by 47 full-time faculty and more than 90 clinical faculty.

“Students who choose our program for residency training should be confident that it stands on a solid academic footing. The department is always striving to improve, but it has much to be proud of,” Dr. Weaver added.