David T. Overton, MD, has given a generous gift to Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed) to establish an Endowed Chair of Emergency Medicine at the medical school. His generosity led medical school leaders in December to name the endowed chair in his honor, the David T. Overton Endowed Chair of Emergency Medicine.
“The medical school is eternally grateful to Dr. Overton for his gift that will promote excellence in the field of emergency medicine at WMed. This endowment will have a lasting impact on our learners, residents, and department faculty for years to come,” said Robert G. Sawyer, MD, dean of WMed.
During a career span of more than four decades starting in 1978, Dr. Overton has established an impressive legacy as a physician, educator, and longtime leader in graduate medical education.
Dr. Overton has spent most of his career in Kalamazoo where, in 1990, he joined the faculty in Emergency Medicine at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and was tasked with building an Emergency Medicine residency program from the ground up at the MSU Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies, the predecessor to WMed.
In 1993, the program welcomed its first class of residents and grew exponentially under Dr. Overton’s leadership. Today, the program welcomes more than 15 new residents and fellows each year and Kalamazoo is known nationally as a top training ground for future physicians and leaders in emergency medicine and emergency medical services.
Dr. Overton directed the residency program for 25 years and during that time took on additional leadership roles as chair of Emergency Medicine at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. Later, he became the founding chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at WMed when the medical school was established in 2012. Beginning in 2015, he was additionally named associate dean for Graduate Medical Education.
Dr. Overton has also served in a variety of leadership roles at regional and national professional organizations, including the American Board of Emergency Medicine, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Michigan College of Emergency Physicians, Annals of Emergency Medicine, and the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education. His service has been acknowledged by numerous research, service and leadership awards.
Dr. Overton stepped down from his duties as the department chair in October 2024. John D. Hoyle, Jr. MD, a longtime professor within the departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, took over as chair that same month and will now have the distinction of serving as the inaugural David T. Overton Endowed Chair of Emergency Medicine.
“I am honored and humbled that my new leadership role as chair of the department bears the name of a mentor and colleague that has gone above and beyond to further the mission of the medical school and the Department of Emergency Medicine,” said Dr. Hoyle.
As he looks back on his career now, Dr. Overton said it has been his time involved in graduate medical education that he has valued the most.
“Founding and growing our residency program has been incredibly professionally rewarding” Dr. Overton said. “I very much enjoyed being a residency program director. It was extraordinarily rewarding to see these new, young, inexperienced residents come in and then watch them learn, develop, and grow into competent and confident physicians by the time they’re ready to graduate. It’s been fun to watch that growth,” he added.
“The most rewarding thing that’s ever happened in my career was, along with so many others, helping to establish the residency program and department here at MSU/KCMS and WMed, and helping the residency and department grow,” Dr. Overton said. “For me, the endowment is about continuing to support the department and its educational mission in perpetuity. I’d like this to be a legacy for everyone – for our residents, our alumni, our faculty, and for all the individuals in the community who support the mission of the medical school.”
Dr. Overton said his gift to the medical school for the new endowed chair will support learners and help further the academic mission and research enterprise within the Department of Emergency Medicine. In the future, he hopes the gift will help support the development of new fellowships and the addition of new faculty.
Additionally, Dr. Overton hopes that his philanthropy inspires others to support endowed chairs and professorships within the medical school’s 14 other academic departments.
Contact the Office of Development at giving@wmed.edu for more information about how you can support the medical school by making a gift or becoming involved in our efforts.