The Caduceus Society

Founding member honored. Jeffrey Zaks, MD, (pictured 4th from the left), is honored for over 30 years of service as the Chair of The Caduceus Society. Other members of The Caduceus Society Board of Directors in the photo are (L to R) Howard Terebelo, DO, Shukri David, MD (Chair, nominated at the October 2023 board meeting), Edsa Negussie, MD, and Carol Swayze, MD. (Board members not pictured are: Dennis Bojrab, MD; Isaac Grinberg, MD; Michael Jacobs, DO; Steve Rivera, DO; Glenn Taylor, MD.)

Mission and History:

The Caduceus Society is a group of dedicated and concerned physicians committed to advancing the healing mission of Ascension Providence Hospital, Novi and Southfield campuses, through personal charitable gifts to the hospital and its healthcare and community programs. Two Ascension Providence Hospital physicians, Dr. Jeffrey Zaks, Dr. Phillip Perkins, and one of the Daughters of Charity, Sister Juliana Beuerlein, established The Caduceus Society in 1992. 

The Society’s purpose is to encourage the physician’s role in furthering the hospital's mission. By sharing their professional skills and personal treasures, Caduceus physicians contribute to maintaining the highest standards of medical ethics, patient care, medical education, and research. The Society provides an exclusive opportunity for physicians to give back through their personal support of the Ascension Providence Hospital mission.


Membership Benefits Include: 

  • Recognition of The Caduceus Society membership on the digital donor wall near the main entrance of the hospital.

  • Participation in The Caduceus Society Physician of the Year selection process.

  • An invitation to The Caduceus Society’s reception. 

  • Acknowledgement in the Friends’ Ball program book. 

  • Sustaining member status in The Caduceus Society.

     

Membership Qualifications: 

  • Must hold medical staff appointment at Ascension Providence Hospital. 

  • Membership is granted with a minimum gift of $15,000 payable outright or as a multi-year pledge. 

  • Members may choose to pay their pledges annually, semi-annually or quarterly. 

  • Must be current with pledge installments to receive recognition membership benefits.


 Caduceus Gift Designation:

Members may choose to designate their gifts to: 

  • The Caduceus Society Endowment Fund (to support general purpose needs, which may include medical education, research, emergent projects and Care of the Poor programs).

  • A specific project or program restricted by the member.


  • Caduceus Society Funded Projects

    -Medical education supplies for the DeRoy Medical Library

    -Support for Nurses Week activities

    -Family Medicine Endowment Campaign

    -Visual CACTUS (Computer Assisted Credentials Tracking and Update System), the most
    comprehensive software system of its kind in 2000. This state-of-the-art software is used by more than 500 healthcare organizations worldwide.

    -Development of a research lab to support Anatomical Research to provide an environment that will enable physicians, graduate medical staff, researchers and outside sponsors to conduct dissections, develop and practice various surgical procedures, practice device implantation, enable device development, permit surgical instrument practice and development, etc.

    -Infant Car Bed Program to offer a rental to families of all infants with discharge weight of <5 lbs. so they can ride safely in an infant car bed on the way home from the hospital.

    -Infant Mortality Program which provides comprehensive services that help reduce the high infant mortality rate among babies born to women at risk, residing in Detroit and Wayne County, by providing outreach services, promoting literacy, assisting with access to healthcare, training volunteers to act as advocates/mentors to high-risk mothers, providing parenting classes and more.

    -Arterial ultrasound machine for Cardiology to reduce vascular access complications by enabling direct visualization of the artery, supplementing fluoroscopic images and anatomical landmarks to provide the most precise access, reducing the likelihood of bleeding/hematoma post procedure. 

    -Internal Medicine Residency workspace to provide an assigned area for small teaching sessions, lockers to store valuables, call rooms with access to restrooms and a space for daily sign-outs and work rounds.

    -AV upgrade for Heart Institute auditorium to improve video conferencing between Ascension SE Michigan and referral facilities for improved patient outcomes while evaluating and creating best practices.

    -Coroflow for Cardiac Cath Lab to incorporate state-of-the-art technology in women’s cardiac diagnostics with a goal of identifying previously undiagnosed microvascular dysfunction in the female population. With this technology, Ascension Providence Hospital, Southfield Campus, Women’s Heart Clinic was the first clinic in Michigan to offer this to our female patient population (2021).

    -VirtaMed ArthroS Simulator for the Simulation Lab in Southfield that depicts various diagnostic and therapeutic cases that prepare our residents for their surgical careers and ultimately improve the safety of our patients.

    -More than $1.25M in total funding from 1994 to December 2023