Paul J Schenarts, MD, FACS, MAMSE

Paul J. Schenarts, MD, FACS, MAMSE joined Western Michigan University Homer Stryker, MD School of Medicine in 2024 and is serving as the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs. A native of Connecticut, he graduated summa cum laude from Fordham University and received his medical degree from the University of Connecticut, where he also completed a post-sophomore fellowship in anatomic pathology and was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Dr. Schenarts completed his general surgery residency at Maine Medical Center, during which he also completed a two-year NIH trauma research fellowship in the investigational intensive care unit at the University of Texas Medical Branch. After residency, he completed a trauma and surgical critical care fellowship at Vanderbilt University and then served as co-medical director of Vanderbilt Life Flight. He was then recruited to East Carolina University School of Medicine, where he spent the next 12 years. While at East Carolina, Dr. Schenarts served as director of the general surgery residency, assistant dean for clinical academic affairs, and director of the surgery clerkship. He was then recruited to Nebraska to be the chief of trauma, surgical critical care, and emergency surgery at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, a post he held until 2019. For 7 years Dr. Schenarts served as the medical director of the Omaha Fire Department and is currently the medical director for the Omaha Police Department. He is also the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the Des Moines University, College of Osteopathic Medicine and holds a professorship at Creighton University, School of Medicine Dr. Schenarts is a nationally known surgical educator and has won numerous teaching awards including the University Board of Governors Award as one of the best teachers within the entire University of North Carolina system consisting of 17 colleges and universities. He was also the recipient of the Master Educator Award, the Jones Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Best Clinical Educator Award, and has also received the National Outstanding Teacher Award from the Association for Surgical Education. Similarly, his research interests are focused on surgical education and leadership. In addition to his academic and clinical pursuits, Dr. Schenarts was a Colonel in the U.S. Army Medical Corps and has served four deployments in Afghanistan and two in Iraq. He has served as commander of forward surgical teams and chief of surgery at combat support hospitals. He has received the Bronze Star and the Meritorious Service Medal for his actions in Afghanistan.