It's fitting, then, that the new medical school will be named the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine. The School will serve the next generation of medical education, and prepare new doctors and specialists to meet the changing demands in their field to deliver efficient and effective care to patients. It will exemplify innovation in medical education and practice.
Three years ago, an anonymous $100 million gift was made to establish a medical school at Western. Homer Stryker's granddaughter Ronda Stryker and her husband William Johnston (WMU Board of Trustees), both WMU alumni, were the anonymous donors behind that gift, which has since been increased.
Their vision and confidence in Western Michigan University will be realized this fall when the inaugural class of medical students begin their studies at the Stryker School of Medicine.
About Dr. Homer H. Stryker
Dr. Stryker was born in Athens, Michigan, on November 4, 1894, and received a teaching degree from Western State Normal School in 1916. He received his medical degree in 1925 from the University of Michigan.
In 1940, Dr. Stryker opened a medical practice in Kalamazoo at Borgess Hospital—but it is in the basement of Borgess where the story gets interesting. It was in the basement room where Dr. Stryker began to invent medical equipment. After publishing information about one of his innovations in the Journal of the American Medical Association, he began to receive inquiries and ultimately began accepting purchase orders. In 1941, Dr. Stryker hired several full-time employees to help fill orders. During World War II the company further expanded to meet new demands.
Just 17 years later in 1958, sales at the Orthopedic Frame Company hit $1 million and Dr. Stryker released the well-known Circ-O-Lectric bed. In 1964, the company was renamed Stryker Corporation and began a new era of development. In 1972, Stryker became international.
On May 5, 1980, Dr. Stryker died at the age of 86.
In the years since, Stryker has continued to change the medical field with new inventions and equipment improvements. It has been established in a number of countries around the globe and spans several areas of the medical field including trauma, surgical navigation, endoscopy, back pain, spine core, and many others.
To learn more about the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, please visit med.wmich.edu.
Media Coverage
Forbes —$100 Million Secret Revealed: Gift of New Medical School Came from Stryker Heiress
MiBiz —WMU Med School to be named for Homer Stryker
MLive — Western Michigan University renames medical school after Homer Stryker
WMU News —WMU School of Medicine will be named for medical device pioneer