Michael Sitorius, MD, was only planning to stay one year.
He’d arrived at UNMC as a medical student in 1974 and matched as a resident three years later. In 1980, his residency complete, he expected to be in Omaha only until his wife, Marilyn, finished her radiology residency the following year. Then, he thought, a rural practice would be just the thing.
"My dad had been a rural GP (general practitioner), and I knew since I was in junior high school that I really wanted to become a physician," Dr. Sitorius said. "I had a great deal of respect for my father and for the work he did in our rural community."
Dr. Sitorius, a Cozad native, never did make it back to rural Nebraska to practice. But as he retires this month, following a 42-year career at UNMC, he’s arguably had as big an impact on rural health in the state of Nebraska as anyone in the last 40 years.
During a career that saw him serve for nearly 30 years as the chair of the UNMC Department of Family Medicine, Dr. Sitorius oversaw or collaborated on initiatives such as:
- UNMC’s Rural Health Opportunities Program (RHOP);
- The development of the college of medicine’s rural training tracks; and
- Helping develop a curriculum that integrated primary, family medicine and internal medicine to train physicians with a broader base of skills to serve rural Nebraska.
UNMC College of Medicine Dean Bradley Britigan, MD, spoke of the impact Dr. Sitorius has had.
"As Dr. Sitorius retires, he will leave a legacy of impacts to our institution and the state that have resulted in UNMC being among the national leaders in supporting the delivery of high-quality health care to rural locations," Dr. Britigan said. "In addition to being instrumental in the creation of the Nebraska Area Health Education Center, the Rural Health Opportunities Program and the combined primary care residency program for family medicine and internal medicine, Dr. Sitorius also played a key role in the creation of Nebraska Medicine and led the expansion of its primary care effort. Through Dr. Sitorius’ calm, no-drama leadership style, he effectively supported the growth of his faculty and the academic mission of the college. I wish Mike and his wife, Marilyn, all the best in the coming years of their well-deserved retirement after a job well done."
Rowen Zetterman, MD, emeritus professor at UNMC, said Dr. Sitorius not only understands rural medicine but utilized that knowledge to build an outstanding department and training program for family medicine physicians.
"His rural upbringing gives him enormous credibility and allows him to speak fluently on the needs of rural patients and communities for greater health care access and improvements in health care delivery," Dr. Zetterman said.
Dr. Sitorius said the three things he’ll miss the most in retirement are:
His patients. "It has been my good fortune to have their trust and to take care of them all this time."
His clinical colleagues. "Not just the physicians but all of the health care providers -- without all of them, we couldn’t provide the kind of care we do here. We truly are a team."
His academic colleagues and students. "A lot of the focus in my early career was on building a stronger rural education focus for not only the college of medicine but the institution, and I’ve had many wonderful colleagues from other disciplines help with that. And I’ve had many wonderful students, some of whom became colleagues."
He also developed the department of family medicine at UNMC, more than doubling the department’s size from when he became chair in 1990. When Dr. Sitorius stepped down from his role in 2019, about 70 percent of Nebraska’s practicing family physicians had been trained at some point by the UNMC Department of Family Medicine.
Few physicians have had a greater impact on the health of Nebraskan’s than Dr. Sitorius, said James Linder, MD, CEO of Nebraska Medicine.
"His leadership of the department of family medicine trained hundreds of physicians who established practices throughout the state and created opportunities for thousands of medial students to have first-hand experience in rural practice settings," Dr. Linder said. "On a personal note, he has been my friend and advisor for over 30 years. We will miss him, but the next phase of his life is well deserved."
"I’ve loved working at UNMC," Dr. Sitorius said. "I’ve enjoyed and learned from everyone whom I have interacted with over the years. The support has been wonderful, and my opportunities for growth and for personal and professional satisfaction have more than exceeded my expectations.
"I’m happy to leave a very strong department of family medicine that is fully integrated into the academic aspects of UNMC and Nebraska Medicine and fully integrated into the service of the community. That community is broad, including both the Omaha metropolitan area and the entire state of Nebraska.
"The department of family medicine is far beyond what we were like when I started in the department in 1980, and I know it’s in good hands moving forward under the leadership of Dr. Jeffrey Harrison.
"I am proud and thankful for the team that I have been able to work with, both at the department of family medicine, my colleagues on campus and throughout the state of Nebraska."
What others are saying
" Dr. Sitorius embodies the characteristics of an outstanding department of family medicine chair. He has been an innovative, forward-thinking leader who led this department's ongoing recognition as one of the top programs in the country. His ongoing commitment to rural and underserved health care delivery in this state is unmatched. He has been a tremendous role model for innumerable students, residents and fellow faculty demonstrating the core values of family medicine as he cared for a dedicated and fiercely loyal panel of patients -- some for the entirety of his career. For me personally, he has been a tremendous mentor, advisor, and friend. I am honored to carry on the legacy he has so successfully built for family medicine at UNMC and the state of Nebraska. " -Jeffrey Harrison, MD, chair, UNMC Department of Family Medicine
"Dr. Sitorius' service to UNMC and the state of Nebraska has been invaluable, particularly his interest in rural medicine and rural health. Over his career, Dr. Sitorius has been at the forefront of almost all UNMC rural health initiatives, lending his passion and expertise. Under his leadership as chair of the UNMC Department of Family Medicine, the nationally regarded Rural Training Track (RTT) residency program was developed and the federal funding for the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program was secured. Most recently, Dr. Sitorius has served as co-chair of the UNMC Rural Health Advisory Committee. Dr. Sitorius' proven track record of working with rural Nebraska providers and communities to address workforce and rural health care needs is to be commended. His decades of work have provided UNMC with a firm foundation from which we can proudly continue to build our rural health efforts." -Nicole Carritt, UNMC director of rural health initiatives
"Dr. Sitorius has been a key driver in creating novel campus strategies for rural health.His intimate understanding of rural health care, the demographics of rural areas, rural health workforce shortages, and attainable future scenarios for rural health education, research, patient careand rural community outreach is simply unmatched.This knowledge positioned him to be an innovator, implementorand advisor in all things rural.His steady, future-oriented leadership has catapulted and sustained UNMC into a world-wide leadership position in rural health." -Bob Bartee, vice chancellor for external relations
"Dr. Sitorius is one of a kind. From providing personalized care to so many individual patients, to leading the UNMC Department of Family Medicine as chair for 30 years, as well as being a national leader in academic family medicine, his impact is immeasurable.He leads by example, demonstrating the power of compassion, perseverance, teamwork and the ability to turn challenges into opportunities.He has touched so many lives and has helped transform health care in Nebraska and beyond.I personally wouldn't be where I am today without his support and guidance.He will truly be missed!" -Kim Jarzynka, MD, associate professor, UNMC Department of Family Medicine
Original source can be found here.
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