Michigan Medicine

04/12/2026

They've been rehearsing separately for weeks. This weekend, they came together for the first time, captured in this video.

And Tuesday night, they'll perform together for the community, one time only, with 240 musicians and singers on the stage of Hill Auditorium.

Don't miss our U-M Life Sciences Orchestra - made up of faculty, staff, students and alumni from across our medical and scientific community - in concert with the UMS Choral Union.

They'll be joined by three vocal soloists from the U-M School of Music, Theatre, and Dance: Tyrese Byrd (Tenor), Danielle Casós (Mezzo Soprano), and Stephen West (Bass-Baritone), the chair of the Voice and Opera Department..

Together, they'll perform Edward Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius under the baton of Nicholas Bromilow. The LSO will also perform Benjamin Britten's An American Overture, under the baton of Michael Roest. The Choiral Union is directed by Scott Hanoian.

The performance is free and will begin at 7:30. No tickets are needed. Bromilow will give a pre-concert lecture at 6:45 p.m. in the lower lobby.

A livestream will also be available, but plan to attend in person for the full experience.

Details, including a link to the concert program with program notes, and the livestream link: https://events.umich.edu/event/146842

The LSO is a program of Gifts of Art, which brings the world of art and music to Michigan Medicine.

04/12/2026

On this day in 1955, news announced at the University of Michigan brought relief to a nation and world besieged by the tiny virus that causes .

At a press conference in the Rackham Auditorium, the news broke that the Salk was safe and effective. It had been developed by a scientist who had trained at U-M, and tested in a nationwide clinical trial involving 1.8 million children that had been designed and led by University of Michigan School of Public Health professor Thomas Francis.

But just a few blocks away, at our University Hospital, patients paralyzed by polio struggled to breathe, dependent on iron lungs like the one seen in this photo, or chest respirators.

Other patients, whose leg or arm muscles and nerves had been attacked by the virus, got outfitted with custom-made braces created by our teams. They went through months of physical therapy, including in a special pool in the hospital basement, to try to regain strength and function.

For them, the vaccine came too late.

And even for those who didn't have severe cases, the virus left lasting impacts that caused symptoms decades later.

We still run a clinic for people with post-polio syndrome.

Today, thanks to multiple types of vaccines and the efforts of governments and nonprofits, wild polio cases have been eradicated from all but two countries around the world.

U-M research could help reduce the low but real risk of polio cases resulting from the weakened-virus vaccine used in developing countries.

But the risk of polio's resurgence in any nation, if vaccination rates fall, is very real.

Read more about the history of U-M polio treatment, vaccine research and post-polio care here: https://michmed.org/mDBmG

We also feature polio history and a polio brace in our medical history exhibit at the Museum on Main Street near 's Kerrytown - it's free and open every Saturday and Sunday 12-4 p.m. through August. Or you can book a private weekday tour. Details at
michmed.org/museum

📷 : U-M President Harlan Hatcher visiting the Poliomyelitis Respirator Center in University Hospital, 1954 - Bentley Historical Library

04/11/2026

Today marks the beginning of Black Maternal Health Week!

During this special week of awareness, Michigan Medicine will create opportunities for activism, amplify the voices of Black birthing families, celebrate the joy inherent in the Black birth experience, and highlight concrete actions to improve maternal health for Black women, who are disproportionately impacted by pregnancy-related deaths and complications.

[Illustration by Justine Ross]

04/11/2026

Our transplant team witnesses the life-changing impact of organ donation every single day. 💙

They not only encourage others to give the gift of life. They lead by example. Many of them are on the organ donor registry themselves.

Hear why our team members chose to be organ donors and consider joining them.

04/10/2026

During pregnancy, Taylor Taucher learned her baby boy, Caiden, had a rare condition that severely affected his lung development.

Because his case was so severe, he qualified for an in utero surgery to help his lungs grow before birth. U-M Health is the only hospital in the state to offer this complex fetal procedure.

“We already had a name picked out. We had a nursery theme. I wasn’t going to give up. When we got to Michigan, we finally had hope," Taucher said.

Read the full story: michmed.org/nVbVQ

We are fighting to preserve access to our care for patients like Caiden. Learn more: uofmhealth.org/BCBSM.

04/10/2026

The Eisenberg Family Depression Center is now accepting nominations for the $50,000 Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Research Prize! This unrestricted award recognizes a world-renowned scientist for breakthrough research that has advanced our understanding of depression and mental health and has fundamentally changed lives through their work.

International and self-nominations are welcome. The nominee must hold an M.D., Ph.D., other terminal degree, or equivalent international degree, and be affiliated with an academic or clinical research institution.

Nominations are due May 1. Details at: https://michmed.org/NYJZn

04/10/2026

Many women desperate for answers to ongoing health challenges look to Michigan. And while we’re often able to provide hope and healing, there’s so much more to know about the unique health care needs of women.

That’s where research comes in.

Our doctors and scientists have bold ideas for innovative new treatments, diagnostics, and care but can’t make progress without donor support.

If you’d like to help advance care for women and change lives, one way to do that is by attending our 5th annual Women’s Health Luncheon. Ticket proceeds fuel groundbreaking research and breakthrough care for women.

The event takes place May 7 in Detroit. Learn more and purchase your ticket today! https://www.michiganmedicine.org/giving/fundraising-events/womens-health-luncheon

04/10/2026

If you're over 50 and have a pet, how will you be celebrating ?

Our researchers have explored the impacts of pet companions on the lives and health of middle-aged and older adults in two national polls seven years apart. Read more about what they've found, and what's changed over time: https://michmed.org/7K794

04/10/2026

Last year, Marvin Schmidt thought there was no hope for his failing heart. Another major hospital told him that attempting to operate would be too risky.

But in early November, surgeons at the University of Michigan Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center replaced both of Schmidt's failing valves, and the 88-year-old farmer went home six days later.

“At that point, I was going to be stuck sitting in a chair doing nothing and getting progressively worse for the rest of my life," Schmidt said. "They offered me a chance to move forward."

Use this link to learn more about his procedure and the multidisciplinary Mitral Valve Clinic: https://michmed.org/kVe7n

We are fighting to preserve access to our care for patients like these. Learn more: uofmhealth.org/BCBSM.

04/09/2026

April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month.

Joel H. Rubenstein, MD, MSc, the Director of U-M's Barrett's Esophagus Program, answered questions about the disease:

In this Q&A, a Michigan Medicine doctor talks about esophageal cancer, its signs and risk factors to know.

04/09/2026

Thank you Dr. Koschmann, for using your voice to advocate for patients.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan changes could jeopardize specialized pediatric brain tumor care at Michigan Medicine, impacting children like Vara James.

04/09/2026

More than 200 musicians and singers, many of them from our medical and scientific community, will take the stage of Hill Auditorium for one extraordinary performance of a musical masterpiece.

Don't miss this chance to hear the U-M Life Sciences Orchestra and the UMS Choral Union, with three guest solo vocalists from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance .

Learn more here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1228208202088099