Nebraskans for Research (NFR) honored Michael Sorrell, M.D., professor
and section chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University
of Nebraska Medical Center, at its Tribute to Research luncheon on Monday,
April 26. Almost 300 community leaders attended the event.
Dr. Sorrell is known nationally and internationally for his expertise
in liver disease and transplantation and gastrointestinal disorders. As
a researcher, he has spent his career advancing the understanding of liver
disease and contributing what are considered landmark findings. His work
— along with that of colleagues, many of whom he inspired to pursue that
research — has helped in the detection, treatment and prevention of alcoholic
liver disease.
Dr. Sorrell truly embodies all of the qualities that I admire and that
our group, Nebraskans for Research, stands for, said Carol Russell, president
of NFR. He is a tremendously talented, yet deeply compassionate physician
who has touched so many lives over his medical career. At the same time,
he is an equally brilliant researcher who has helped Nebraska stand out
internationally in the area of liver disease research. Finally, he is personally
involved in the community and has given his support both in time and financial
resources to causes that make this community and this state a better place
to live.
A 1957 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr. Sorrell received
his medical degree in 1959 from the UNMC College of Medicine. A native
of Syracuse, Neb., Dr. Sorrell was a general practitioner in Tecumseh,
Neb., from 1960 to 1966. He left to do a residency in internal medicine
followed by a fellowship in gastroenterology, both at UNMC.
Following his residency training, Dr. Sorrell completed a one-year traineeship
in cardiovascular medicine with the National Institutes of Health and a
two-year NIH traineeship in hepatic disease and nutrition at the New Jersey
College of Medicine and Dentistry, Newark. He joined the UNMC faculty in
1971 as an assistant professor in internal medicine and was elevated to
associate professor in 1973 and professor in 1976.
He held several key leadership positions at both UNMC and the Veterans
Administration Medical Center. For the VA, he served as chief of the section
of gastroenterology-liver disease from 1973 to 1976 and as associate chief
of staff/research from 1974 to 1982. In 1981, he was named chairman of
the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine, a post that he held for 10 years.
When he decided to step down from the chairmans position, he became medical
director for the liver transplant program and chief of the section of gastroenterology/hepatology.
Dr. Sorrell received the University of Nebraska Award for Outstanding
Research and Creative Activity (1980) and the American Association for
the Study of Liver Diseases Distinguished Service Award (1999). He has
been funded continuously for the past 30 years by the National Institutes
of Health and by Veterans Affairs.
As a physician, Dr. Sorrell is sought after by people from around the
world for his expertise in gastroenterology. He has been selected as one
of Americas Top Doctors and Best Doctors in America by those national
guides and was listed in Town and Country Magazines listing of outstanding
medical specialists in the United States.
Dr. Sorrells patients provide the real testament to his success as
a physician, Russell said. They have sought not only his medical expertise,
but his warm and compassionate care and concern for them and their families.
As an educator, Dr. Sorrell is both teacher and mentor. He is truly
committed to helping young people who want to have a career in science,
Russell said. A number of his students residents, fellows, graduate
students and undergraduate students have gone on to publish and have
successful careers in research and medicine.
Dr. Sorrell has received numerous teaching honors throughout his career
including being voted Outstanding Teaching Resident at UNMC (1967-68),
the Academic Career Development Award from the National Institute of Arthritis,
Metabolism and Digestive Disease (1972-1976), the Deans Award for Outstanding
Contributions to the UNMC College of Medicine (1997), and Distinguished
Professor of the Centennial (2003).
He served as president of the American Association for the Study of
Liver Diseases (1990-91) and as president of the International Liver Transplant
Society (2002). Locally, he was inducted into the Ak-Sar-Ben Court of Honor
in 2002.
During his career, Dr. Sorrell served as a consultant for numerous organizations
including the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institute of Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. He has been
a visiting professor and invited lecturer at nearly 200 national and international
universities, organizations, institutes, symposia and conferences. He has
published more than 200 articles in peer reviewed journals and book chapters
in a majority of the major medical text books in his specialty. In addition,
he has co-authored five medical textbooks.
Dr. Sorrell embodies those qualities and characteristics that exemplify
medical practice as a calling and medical research as a requirement for
the best in health care delivery and education, said Harold M. Maurer,
M.D., UNMC chancellor. His impact has been and will continue to be enormous
and everlasting.
Dr. Sorrell and his wife, Shirley, have four sons and 10 grandchildren.
Shirley also has been dedicated to UNMC, serving as president of the UNMC
Faculty Womens Club and as a member of the University Hospital Auxiliary.
She also served on the Hattie B. Munroe board of directors for nine years
and has been a UNMC docent for more than 15 years.