Zaroukian named Sparrow’s “Physician of the Year”

Published: April 30, 2014

Michael H. Zaroukian, M.D., Ph.D., MACP, FHIMSS, a Primary Care Physician and renowned Medical Information Specialist, is Sparrow's 2014 Physician of the Year.

Husband and wife James DeMuth, M.D. and Robin DeMuth, M.D., share the honor of receiving the Sparrow Physician Leadership award.

They, along with seven others inducted into Sparrow's Physician Hall of Fame, were honored during the annual Physician Recognition Dinner on Saturday, April 26, at the University Club of Michigan State University. The ceremony is hosted by the Sparrow Women's Board of Managers and sponsored by PNC Bank.

"This is an opportunity for us to recognize physicians whose dedication and commitment to their Patients is unmatched," said Zoe Slagle, President of the Women's Board of Managers. "Sparrow has many regionally, nationally, and even globally recognized physicians and we are grateful for their continued commitment to this community."

Dr. Zaroukian, a Sparrow Vice President and Chief Medical Information Officer, serves on the Health Information Management and System Society Board, among others, and led the implementation of electronic medical records (EMR) at Sparrow and Michigan State University (MSU). He was recently advanced to Mastership status in the American College of Physicians, granting him their highest designation.

Drs. James and Robin DeMuth share the 2014 Sparrow Physician Leadership Award. It is a distinction that each has earned by inspiring excellence in their respective professions. They lead by example and directive, teaching and sharing their expertise and developing future leaders - always with quality Patient care as the goal.

Robin is Chair of the Sparrow Family Medicine Department and oversees five courses in the preclinical curriculum as the Director of Clinical Skills at the MSU College of Human Medicine.

James serves as Medical Director for Sparrow's Hospitalist Service, where he manages 29 providers of adult inpatient care at six institutions in mid-Michigan. He is Chair of the Sparrow Department of Internal Medicine and a recipient of the Resident Teaching Award from the MSU College of Human Medicine.

Inductees into Sparrow's Physician Hall of Fame can be nominated by colleagues or members of the community. This year's inductees include:

• Colleen Barry, M.D., Director of Newborn Teaching Service at Sparrow, is admired for her devotion to standardizing newborn care and tirelessly protecting helpless newborns from at-risk environments. With her guidance, many young, inexperienced parents develop their first good parenting skills.
• Amy Blasen, D.O., FACEP, is the Director of the Sparrow Pediatric Emergency Department and has consistently been recognized as one of the finest teachers in her role as Assistant Professor in Emergency Medicine at MSU. She directed Sparrow's Pediatric ED certification of the Calmer Kids Program, which promotes practical methods and skills for an ED to help children and families cope with emergent, urgent, and inpatient care settings.
• D. Bonta Hiscoe, M.D., FACS, FACCP, became the first surgeon to actively practice thoracic surgery at Sparrow in 1957. Notably, among other roles, he later became Chief of Surgery, and Associate Dean of the College of Human Medicine at MSU.
• Benjamin Mosher, M.D., is a critical member of Sparrow's Trauma Surgery Team and Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at MSU. He is known for not only treating the Patient, but helping the family in a way that calms fears and allows them to understand what is happening to their loved one in a time of crisis.
• Larry Rawsthorne, M.D., has been practicing Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine at Sparrow since 1984. He has worked extensively in developing disease management programs, expanding residencies, and supported the beginning of our Palliative Care Service, Hospitalist Service, One-Call center, and more.
• Kenneth Rudman, M.D., became Sparrow's first Medical Director of Obstetric Anesthesia in 1986, playing a key role in bringing epidural anesthesia to laboring Patients for pain control. In 1989 he established the Sparrow Pain Management Center, which evaluates and treats individuals with acute and chronic pain.
• Barry E. Saltman, M.D., retired from a successful career as a Primary Care Physician in 2004 to found Care Free Medical, Inc., an organization that provides health care to many uninsured and under-served residents of Ingham and surrounding communities. A recipient of numerous community service awards, he devotes 100 percent of his professional energy to eradicating the inequalities in health care that affect thousands in our community.

Congratulations to all of the honorees.