The C. Gillon Ward Chair in Burn Surgery

The C. Gillon Ward Chair in Burn Surgery was established by the School of Medicine to recognize Dr. Ward's achievements as the founding director of the University of Miami/Jackson (UM/JM) Burn Center. The Ward Chair ensures that the Burn Center will continue to provide the most advanced burn patient care, research, education and prevention.

Dr. Ward earned his medical degree at the University of Miami School of Medicine in 1968. While receiving his surgical training as a resident at Jackson Memorial Hospital, from 1970 to 1975, he became aware of the need for a burn center in South Florida. In 1975, Dr. Ward joined the faculty of the Department of Surgery at the University of Miami School of Medicine as an associate professor. That same year, he founded the (UM/JM) Burn Center.

Over the next 25 years, Dr. Ward built one of the nation's top burn care centers. Today, the (UM/JM) Burn Center is one of only two centers treating burn patients in Florida. An eminent surgeon, Dr. Ward has served as president of the American Burn Association. He has been a professor of surgery at the medical school since 1987 and vice chairman of the Department of Surgery since 1997. In 1995, Dr. Ward received the highest honor a university is able to bestow on a member of the faculty — an endowed chair.

To achieve his vision of building a burn center that would meet South Florida's needs, Dr. Ward sought the community's assistance in meeting his goal. He enlisted support from firefighters, electrical workers, community leaders and the general public. Through street drives and other endeavors throughout the community, hundreds of firefighters and other volunteers raised the funds needed to build and sustain the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center. The culmination of that support came in 1998 with the construction of the Burn Intensive Care Unit (BICU), one of the most modern and state-of-the art facilities of its kind — paid for in full by donations from the community.

As the only burn center south of Lake Okeechobee, the (UM/JM) Burn Center admits an average of 400 patients every year and its clinic handles 2,000 patient visits annually. Through innovative research, the burn center provides the best patient care available. Because fires and burns have remained among the five leading causes of death in the United States, the (UM/JM) Burn Center has been at the forefront of education and prevention programs that reach thousands of elementary school children each year.

The C. Gillon Ward Chair in Burn Surgery will provide a permanent source of income for the continued development and enhancement of resources needed to maintain the tradition of excellence established by Dr. Ward in burn patient care, research, education and prevention.