Dr. Michael Chandler:
Thankful for the extraordinary generosity of Mike and Sheila Lewis
This story originally appeared in the Fall 2023 edition of Promise magazine.
In 2022, a $1 million leadership gift from Akron philanthropist Mike Lewis and his late wife, Sheila, established Summa Health’s first endowed directorship known as The Mike and Sheila Lewis Critical Directorship in honor of Dr. Michael Chandler, the division chief and medical director of Critical Care at Summa Health.
Through the years, Mike and Sheila have supported Summa Health with several meaningful gifts in honor of their physicians. In addition to pulmonary medicine, the Lewises have provided significant support to neurology for research and education.
The endowed directorship focuses on pulmonary medicine and supports research, education and other key endeavors to ensure the continued advancement of Summa Health’s Critical Care Department.
As the first holder of the position, Dr. Chandler readily expressed his gratitude for the couple’s support especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was at a physical, emotional and professional low point after working very, very long hours for two years with staffing shortages. It was the most difficult time,” he said. “It meant the world to me that the Lewises stepped forward to establish the endowed directorship. Their grand gesture totally filled my sails and boosted me when I needed it the most.”
He credits Sheila’s career as a charge nurse in oncology at the Summa Akron City Hospital with creating a kindred spirit.
“She worked here taking care of patients during the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which once was a scary unknown, and I was here during the COVID pandemic. I value that she and I have faced similar challenges—with some new twists—both under the same roof and literally in the same hallways,” Dr. Chandler added. “Every time I go down the hall in 3 West, I think of Sheila.”
Dr. Chandler said that he and Mike share a vision for effecting change in healthcare. “As a business leader, Mike has the acumen to understand the importance of investing in a physician’s future by providing much-needed funding,” said Dr. Chandler. “I love that he does, and so did Sheila, because that is how I practice medicine,” he explained. “I try to surround myself with effective people and prop up what they do—by paying it forward. With the endowed directorship, I have been able to create my dream team.”
Last July, Summa Health accepted its first class of physicians into a newly created Critical Care Medicine Fellowship, which was made possible by the directorship. Two Summa Health-trained ICU doctors, Dr. Ryan Mills and Dr. Adrian Ochoa, graduated this summer.
“The generous gift from the Lewis family allowed for the purchase of necessary equipment and study materials to develop and deepen the skills of myself and my co-fellow in the area of critical care,” said Dr. Mills in expressing his gratitude for the fund.
Later in 2023, Dr. Chandler and his team will train its first class of physicians in Pulmonary Medicine, who will graduate in three years, ensuring clinical excellence in this field for generations to come. Summa Health has created two summer research internships thanks to the directorship established by Mike and Sheila.
The extraordinary generosity of Mike and Sheila also has allowed for new, state-of-the-art technologies to advance patient care. The first was a bronchoscopy simulator that aids in the training of advanced lung inspection and treatment. The second was a specialized 3D printer that prints anatomical models for practicing high-risk, low-volume procedures.
Dr. Chandler is now turning his attention to treating sepsis, a life-threatening whole-body inflammation caused by infection, with great success. While sepsis remains a leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals, Summa Health’s survival rate has been improving remarkably over the last three years and now ranks among the best in Ohio.
In reflecting on the overall importance of philanthropy to Summa Health, Dr. Chandler noted, “We enter into healthcare to serve the whole of Akron in sickness and in health. It really is like you are marrying yourself in service to the city, which is how I view it. “Effective care is only possible if your community shares this mindset,” he added. “It has to be a reciprocal relationship, such as the one we have had with Mike and Sheila. I am so grateful for their support – now and far into the future.”
For more information about supporting Summa Health, please contact Summa Foundation at 330.375.3159 or foundation@summahealth.org.