DETROIT-Robert Lisak, M.D., chair of the Department of Neurology at Wayne State University's School of Medicine, was recently elected to the prestigious Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians "by distinction."

Dr. Robert Lisak

Founded in London in 1518, the Royal College of Physicians was the first medical institution in England to receive a Royal Charter. Since its creation, the college has offered a wide array of resources and services to its 20,000 members, fellows and other medical professionals. These include providing continuing medical education opportunities and advising the British government and other decision-makers on behalf of its members.

Dr. Lisak's election is one of the highest honors the organization bestows. The Fellowship by distinction is an honor awarded to no more than 20 people per year. Dr. Lisak, a resident of Bloomfield Hills, is among only 13 physicians selected this year and one of only five Americans.

"This award is special to me because it acknowledges that the work I've done is recognized by a historic and prominent body," Lisak remarked. "It is a great honor."
Dr. Lisak served as a Fulbright Scholar in the United Kingdom in 1978 and 1979 and plans to return to England in July for the Royal College of Physicians Admission of the Fellows Ceremony.

"This award is not only a great honor for Dr. Lisak, but it is a great honor for WSU's School of Medicine and Department of Neurology," commented Dr. Joseph Dunbar, associate vice president for Research at WSU. "Dr. Lisak leads a unique and outstanding university-based neurology department in our Detroit metropolitan area. His department has outstanding researchers and clinicians who are at the forefront of fields such as neuromuscular diseases, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, stroke as well as other neurological disorders," Dr. Dunbar added.

Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world.