At its regular meeting last night, the Monroe County Community College Board of Trustees presented the 2020 Alumnus of the Year Award to Dr. Justin Chamberlain.
The award was originally slated to be presented at the 2020 Commencement Ceremony, but that event was cancelled due to COVID-19.
The Alumnus of the Year Award recognizes and honors outstanding alumni who have made significant contributions to their career field, community and the college. It was established by the Board of Trustees in 1996.
Chamberlain has been a general surgeon for ProMedica Monroe General Surgery since 2018. He also serves as medical director of the trauma program, director of the surgery resident rotation and co-director of the intensive care unit at ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital.
He earned his associate degree in nursing from MCCC in 2004 and served as a registered nurse in the University of Michigan Hospital’s critical care medicine unit from 2004-2008. While working as a nurse, Chamberlain continued his education at UM-Ann Arbor and graduated with a bachelor of science in cell and molecular biology in 2007.
Chamberlain went on to U-M Medical School, where he earned clinical honors in plastic surgery, emergency medicine, infectious diseases, anesthesiology, surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, neurology and OB/GYN. He earned his medical doctorate from U-M Medical School in 2012.
After completing his anesthesiology internship at U-M Health System in in 2013 and general surgery residency at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit in 2017, he served as administrative chief resident for Henry Ford Health System for one year before joining ProMedica Monroe as a general surgeon.
He has had research articles published in two peer-reviewed academic journals – Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 2012 and Biomolecules in 2017 – and made numerous oral and poster presentations in the U.S., Canada and Germany about a myriad of topics such as epidural analgesia, migraine surgery and extracorporeal support in donors after cardiac death.
Chamberlain serves on the Cost Value Analysis, Surgery Department Peer Review, and Pharmacy and Therapeutics committees at ProMedica Monroe and is a member of the American Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons. He is a past member the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Society of Critical Care Medicine and the Michigan Nurses Association.
“Dr. Chamberlain exemplifies the very best of Monroe County Community College,” said Lynette Dowler, chair of the MCCC Board of Trustees. “After earning a two-year, occupational degree at MCCC and going on to immediately serve in a high-demand field as a nurse, he did not stop there. He transferred to a prestigious university to earn a bachelor’s degree and then a medical degree. After finishing his residency, he ultimately decided to return to Monroe to serve his community as a surgeon.
“Our students can look to alumni like Dr. Chamberlain and envision all the great things they can accomplish by starting out at MCCC. We are so appreciative and proud of what he has accomplished and what he has done for our community – he is such a great role model for our students.”
“Dr. Chamberlain has been an excellent addition to our medical staff, working as a completely engaged and supportive physician and an excellent role model for other young physicians,” said Darrin Arquette, president of ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital. “He relates easily with staff, probably because he was a staff member, working as a nurse for several years. He understands and appreciates all the hard work that happens after a physician writes an order. He has quickly made a positive impact on this hospital, and we no doubt anticipate an even bigger impact from him in the future.
“Dr. Chamberlain exemplifies ProMedica’s mission of improving your health and well-being. He listens to his patients’ concerns and treats them as if they were his own family. Dr. Chamberlain is such an asset to ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital. We are delighted to have him as part of the ProMedica family.”
MCCC Alumnus of the Year Award winners 1997-2020
- 2020: Dr. Justin Chamberlain
- 2019: Don Gonyea
- 2018: Brian Merkle
- 2017: William J. Bacarella, Jr.
- 2016: Jacqueline Corser
- 2015: Dr. Carrie E. Nartker
- 2014: Paul W. Smith
- 2013: Lynette Dowler
- 2012: Alan Barron
- 2011: Darrick Whitaker
- 2010: Ignazio Cuccia
- 2009: Bill Terrasi
- 2008: Donna Bruck
- 2007: Vicki Reaume
- 2006: Kathy Zibbell
- 2005: Robert Schockman
- 2004: Michael A. Weipert
- 2003: Laura Schultz
- 2002: Nancy Chorzempa
- 2001: Lori Jo Couch
- 2000: Annette Sabo Johnson
- 1999: Robert M. Vergiels
- 1998: Suzette Bates
- 1997: Joseph A. Costello, Jr.
About Monroe County Community College
Founded in 1964, Monroe County Community College is a public, two-year institution supported by tax monies from Monroe County, educational funds from the State of Michigan and student tuition. The college’s mission is to enrich lives in our community by providing opportunity through student-focused, affordable, quality higher education and other learning experiences. The Main Campus is located at 1555 South Raisinville Road, Monroe, Mich., 48161, with easy access to Toledo and Detroit. The Whitman Center is located in Temperance, Mich., 48182, near the Ohio-Michigan Border. Detailed information about MCCC is available at www.monroeccc.edu.
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