Dr. Michael Rhodes, MD

As chair of Christiana Care's Department of Surgery, Michael Rhodes, M.D., leads a surgical staff of more than 200 surgeons representing 13 specialties. Together, they perform more than 46,000 operations each year in 55 operating rooms.

The Department of Surgery has flourished under Dr. Rhodes' leadership since his appointment in 1995. A professor of surgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, he is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and is certified as a diplomat of the American Board of Surgery in both general surgery and surgical critical care.

He received a bachelor's degree in pre-medicine from Pennsylvania State University and his medical degree from Hahnemann Medical College. He completed his residency in general surgery at the Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pa. That training was interrupted for two years of duty as a captain in the United States Army.

After completing a fellowship in trauma and critical care at the Maryland Institute of …Emergency Medical Services, Dr. Rhodes was appointed as chief of Trauma at the Lehigh Valley Hospital, which became Pennsylvania's first Level I trauma center. He also developed the region's first MedEvac helicopter program.

Dr Rhodes is the author or co-author of more that 60 scientific journal articles and 20 chapters in surgical textbooks. He is an editor of a textbook of emergency surgery and has given more than 200 lectures to regional and national audiences on a broad variety of topics.

Dr. Rhodes has holds many awards and distinguished appointments for his achievements as a clinician and teacher in the field of surgery and trauma, including:

* The Curtis P. Artz Award from the American Trauma Society, presented to individuals for outstanding long-term contributions to the field of trauma.
* The Trauma Achievement Award from the American College of Surgeons.
* Three-time Teacher of the Year at Lehigh Valley Hospital.
* President of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma.
* Vice President for the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.