Dr. Michael Sorrell's vision and leadership 'transformed UNMC and the lives of many' (2024)

Recognized for his role in shaping the University of Nebraska Medical Center into the academic medical center it is today, Dr. Michael Sorrell also is remembered as a beloved doctor, an exceptional educator and mentor and an accomplished researcher.

Sorrell, an emeritus professor in UNMC's department of internal medicine, also was known for his expertise in liver disease, liver transplantation and gastrointestinal disorders. He died Saturdayat age 88.

A native of Syracuse, Nebraska, Sorrell retired from UNMC in December 2021 after holding leadership positions at UNMC and the Omaha VA Hospital. He is credited with recruiting top UNMC physicians and researchers and growing facilities and programs, including the medical center's liver transplant and bone marrow transplant programs.

"A world-renowned physician and proud Nebraskan, his commitment to patient care, education, research and betterment of community relationships advanced UNMC onto the national and international stage," Dr. Jeffrey Gold, UNMC's chancellor, said in a statement. "He was a visionary and his remarkable contributions will never be forgotten."

Sorrell graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1955 and from the UNMC College of Medicine in 1959. He worked as a general practitioner in Tec*mseh, Nebraska, until 1966. In a 2018 interview, he spoke fondly of his time there delivering babies and performing surgery.

He pursued advanced training in gastroenterology and hepatology and joined UNMC's faculty in 1971. In the 1980s, he served as chairman of the college's internal medicine department.

During that period, he was a key player in recruiting Dr. Byers "Bud" Shaw, Jr., to launch a liver transplant program at UNMC. Other recruits included Dr. James Armitage, who started the bone marrow transplantation program, and Dr. James O'Dell, a professor of medicine and chief of the rheumatology division.

"Mike Sorrell was the key person in changing UNMC from a quiet little medical school that did very little research into an internationally known research institution that attracts people from all over the world," Armitage said in a statement.

He and O'Dell also praised Sorrell as a mentor.

"For me personally, he will always be the most important person in my career— the man who gave me a chance and believed in me," Armitage said in his statement.

"Every successful academician owes his or her success to their mentors," O'Dell said in a statement, "people who come along at just the right time — and by their example and belief in their mentees — inspire them and allow them to thrive. Mike Sorrell was that person for me. I had the singular privilege of being Mike's first chief resident— his belief in me meant everything."

Dr. Jane Potter, another Sorrell recruit who led UNMC geriatrics for 36 years, credited Sorrell with the formation of the division. "His leadership and ability to 'think big' transformed UNMC and the lives of many," she wrote in a post on UNMC's website.

Sorrell later stepped down to become medical director of the liver transplant program and chief of gastroenterology and hepatology. He said in 2018 that he loved teaching and caring for patients.

"To me, the satisfaction was being part of a new and improved and different enterprise," he said, "and teaching and patient care and the interaction with students are all part and parcel ... The most unique privilege you have is being somebody's doctor."

His contributions were formally recognized when the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science, the building that houses UNMC's College of Medicine, was named for him. The late Bill Scott and Ruth Scott made the largest donation for the building, which opened in 2008, and asked that it be named for their physician andgood friend.

Son Dr. James Sorrell of Omaha said his father could have gone anywhere. "He was just committed to making Nebraska great," he said. "He loved it, and he really, really cared about his family."

He was an amazing storyteller, his son said, and taught the same ethos of caring he shared with students to his children and grandchildren, a group that includes multiple medical professionals.

James Sorrell said his father also credited Shirley, his wife of 67 years, with helping make his accomplishments possible.

In addition to his wife and son, Sorrell is survived by sons W. Thomas Sorrell of Kearney, Nebraska, John Sorrell of Omaha and Michael Sorrell II of St. Paul, Minnesota; 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.