Med school being named for Stryker Corp. founder

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) -- Western Michigan University's new medical school will be named after the founder of the medical technology company Stryker Corp., officials announced Tuesday.

The Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine will be housed at the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus downtown and welcome its first class this fall. Dr. Homer Stryker was a Kalamazoo orthopedic surgeon and medical device inventor.

"Dr. Homer Stryker's lifelong efforts to develop innovative medical products and procedures have saved thousands, if not millions, of lives throughout the world," U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, said in a statement. "Naming WMU's medical school after such a dedicated doctor who created the products needed by his patients so they could recover faster and lead fuller lives bodes well for those entering the new program."

Stryker's first big product in 1940 was a turning frame for those with broken bones. He also developed a motorized saw to speed the removal of a cast without cutting the patient.

The entering class of 50 students is to arrive this fall.

The medical school is being named in Stryker's honor thanks to his granddaughter, Ronda E. Stryker, and her husband, William D. Johnston, a Western Michigan University trustee.

"I can't think of a more appropriate namesake," said university President John Dunn.

Stryker and Johnston are the donors who made a founding gift, anonymous at the time, in excess of $100 million to the university three years ago to launch the medical school initiative.

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Online:

http://med.wmich.edu

http://wwwstryker.com