Nine UNMC/NHS physicians have been recognized as extraordinary physicians in “America’s Top Doctors,” a national guide published annually by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. of New York City.
 |  |
Armitage | Denenberg |
“We’re thrilled to have these outstanding clinicians recognized for their extraordinary work,” UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., said. “They epitomize the outstanding care that our faculty-physicians provide at our clinics and at Nebraska Health System, our clinical partner.”
A total of only 10 Nebraska physicians were cited in the guide, Dr. Maurer said, so it is especially impressive that nine of the 10 are associated with UNMC/NHS.
 |  |
Edney | Leopold |
UNMC/NHS physicians recognized in the guide included:
- James O. Armitage, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine, in medical oncology;
- Steven M. Denenberg, M.D., assistant clinical professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, in otolaryngology;
- James Edney, M.D., professor surgery, in surgery;
- Donald Leopold, M.D., professor and chairman of the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, in otolaryngology;
- James Neff, M.D., professor of orthopaedic surgery, in orthopaedic surgery;
- Byers Shaw Jr., M.D., professor and chairman of the department of surgery, in surgery;
Neff
Shaw
- Michael Sorrell, M.D., professor of internal medicine-gastroenterology, in gastroenterology;
- Alan Thorson, M.D., a private practice physician at NHS, and clinical associate professor of surgery for UNMC, in colon & rectal surgery; and
- Dennis Weisenburger, M.D., professor of pathology/microbiology, in pathology.
 |  |
Sorrell | Thorson |
The basis of the selection process for the guide is peer nomination. Of more than 650,000 physicians in the United States, only 4,254 physicians ultimately were chosen for inclusion into the guide.
More than 250,000 doctors were surveyed and asked to nominate top physicians in both their own specialty and related specialties, especially those to whom they would refer their own patients. Mail, telephone and online surveys were conducted with physicians. Additional surveys were conducted with selected groups including: directors of graduate medical education programs; directors of clinical services at member hospitals of the Council of Teaching Hospitals (COTH); board members of medical specialty academies, associations and societies; and deans and chairs of departments at medical schools.
 |
Weisenburger |
The guide is national, not regional, in scope and is designed to identify only those doctors noted for excellence in diagnosing or treating a specific problem or disease. Although patient care excellence is the foremost characteristic being recognized in the guide, many of the physicians listed in the guide are also outstanding researchers.
The guide is designed to meet the needs of those people who cannot find the right specialists locally but who are willing to travel anywhere in the country to be cared for by a top specialist at an outstanding hospital.
For more information on the guide, go to the Castle Connolly Web site at www.castleconnolly.com.