Dr. Daniel R. Meldrum
Class of 1983
Career Pathway: Health Sciences
Dan Meldrum earned a bachelor of science degree with a major in biology from the University of Michigan.
He was a research assistant in hematology/biochemistry at U-M from 1984 to 1988. In 1985, he was an NIH student researcher in the department of biochemistry at U-M, and in 1986, he became a teaching assistant in the same department.
He then attended Michigan State University. From 1989 to 1992, he was an NIH student researcher for the department of surgery in the MSU School of Medicine. He earned an M.D. in 1992 at MSU.
From 1992 to 1999, Dr. Meldrum was an intern, a resident (on a NIH-NRSA research fellowship) in the department of surgery and chief resident of general surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.
From 1999 to 2001, Dr. Meldrum was a resident cardiothoracic surgeon at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and then was chief resident of cardiothoracic surgery at Johns Hopkins in 2001-2002.
Dr. Meldrum was also a captain in the United States Army Reserve from 1993 to 2000. He was promoted to major in 2000 and continues in the Army Reserve to the present.
He was nominated by his cousin, William Greene, and Clara Sorenson. Bill Greene wrote in his nomination that "Dan has continued to excel in his field of cardiac-thoracic surgery and has presented his papers in the U.S. and Europe. He cares so much for his patients!"
Dr. Meldrum, who was unable to attend the induction ceremony, wrote: "Thank you for the honor of being considered for your Alumni Hall of Fame. I think that it is a great idea. I haven’t forgotten Grayling. I regret to tell you that I will not be able to make it this year. The support of the Grayling community helped me to get where I am, and it is unfortunate that many of the groups that supported me as I left to attend the University of Michigan have never found out what their good work accomplished.
"I went on to complete cardiothoracic surgery training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD, the number one ranked hospital in the country by US News and World Report. Since then, I have been doing heart surgery at Methodist Hospital and teaching/researching at Indiana University Medical School. I have over 100 peer-reviewed publications and a 1.5 million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health to conduct my research. I am director of the Physiology Core at Indiana University and assistant professor of surgery and assistant professor of cellular and integrative physiology at Indiana University School of Medicine.
"When I left Grayling, I received scholarships from the Boosters, the Lions Club, and the Alumni Association. Those helped me tremendously, and I wish they could somehow know of their good results. I remember the community well and come back to a place on the lake every summer. My mother still lives at 508 Peninsular Avenue. I remember the desperation of the students there. All things are possible and what you are doing will help them to see the possibilities. Congratulations! My mother will be, and deserves to be, most honored by this. Thank you for this honor, and congratulations on this idea to inspire the young folks there."
Dr. Meldrum's mother, Patricia Petrie, accepted his award for him.
