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February 2025 WELCOME OUR CHIEF OF GASTROINTESTINAL SURGERYFeaturing: Michael Rosen, MD
Michael Rosen, MD, joins us as chief of the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery at Northwestern Medicine and surgical director of Northwestern Medicine Digestive Health Institute. Dr. Rosen brings a wealth of experience and a passion for patient care, inspired by his father, a solo private practice general surgeon in Atlanta. He is dedicated to developing a state-of-the-art complex abdominal wall and hernia program across the institute.
In this Q&A, Dr. Rosen shares his journey into healthcare, his vision for his new role, his research interests, and his excitement about the future of medicine. He also gives us a glimpse into his life outside of work, including his passion for woodworking and the best career advice he has ever received. Join us in getting to know Dr. Rosen and his plans for advancing gastrointestinal surgery at Northwestern Medicine. What made you want to go into health care? My father was a solo private practice general surgeon in Atlanta. I grew up watching how much he loved his job and the rewards he felt from helping patients. It has always been impactful for me that as a surgeon you can have such a direct impact on patient’s health and wellbeing. What do you see as your biggest opportunity in your new role? I think Northwestern Medicine is an incredible program that has been growing and innovating in the field. I believe that our division has excelled from a clinical standpoint and provides the highest quality of care for patients. I look forward to amplifying the academic mission of the department and integrating the health system across the regional centers. My ultimate role is to provide a patient first approach to all that we do from a clinical, educational, and research perspective. This includes relentless pursuit of high-quality outcomes across the system, unparalleled patient experience, and providing access to cutting edge research trials in Gastrointestinal surgery. Do you want to comment about developing the complex abdominal wall/hernia program at NM? I am excited to join Northwestern Medicine’s and build a world class abdominal wall reconstruction program focusing on collaboration with Plastic and General Surgeons. We will provide the highest level of care for the full spectrum of hernia disease including routine cases being offered novel minimally invasive treatments to the most challenging defects giving these patients hope through multidisciplinary care. What are your research interests? I co-founded and run a national quality collaborative focused on improving outcomes for patients suffering from diseases of the abdominal core. I plan to bring this approach to Northwestern and utilize real world data to constantly improve our outcomes and refine the way we take care of our patients. I have spearheaded multiple pivotal trials in the complex abdominal wall reconstruction space to identify the most appropriate prosthetic for hernia repair, the technique that gives the best outcomes for patients undergoing complex abdominal wall reconstruction and understanding the value of preoperative optimization from a patient’s perspective. I plan to expand these investigations while at Northwestern. What excites you about the future of medicine? I think the field of medicine has never been more exciting. There are constant innovations, and we are lucky to be able to have the opportunity to study these new technologies to improve the value of care we can offer our patients. I am most excited about the power of physician collaboration to harness data to make meaningful quality improvement. What’s your biggest passion outside of NM? I am an avid woodworker. To me woodworking shares many of the same traits as surgery. An eye for detail, plan ahead, think about what’s happening around the corner, using your skill to shape the wood into something special, and a lifetime of learning and growth. In fact, my biggest concern on moving to Chicago was where would I keep all my equipment? Luckily, I have found a space to rent out and will continue to build! What is the best career advice you have received? Nobody cares, work harder! |
Refer a PatientNorthwestern Medicine welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with you in caring for your patients.
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