August 9, 2007

Mercy to Honor Dr. Ted Roman with Spellman Annual Service Award

The Mercy Medical Center Foundation has announced that Dr. Theodore (Ted) Roman, Sioux City’s first cardiovascular surgeon, will be this year’s recipient of the Dr. George G. Spellman Annual Service Award.

Roman, who retired from medicine in 1999, will accept the honor at the Mercy Medical Center Foundation’s annual gala on Nov. 3 at the Marina Inn and Conference Center in South Sioux City.

Named for one of the most distinguished physicians in Sioux City’s history, the Dr. George G. Spellman Annual Service Award pays special recognition to a community member or group who has given of their time, talent and dedication to exemplify the values of Mercy.

Dr. Spellman, who died early in 2002, and his wife, Carol, were the first recipients of the honor in 2002. Martha Burchard, a long-time health professional, was honored with the award in 2003, and Russell and Marilyn Christiansen were recipients of the honor in 2004. Hospice of Siouxland and Siouxland Palliative Care were honored with the service award in 2005. Jack and Barbara Aalfs were the recipients of the award last year.

“Dr. Roman very much deserves this recognition for his life’s work in service to others,” said Lea Clausen, executive director of the Mercy Medical Center Foundation. “Since this award recognizes a person or group that exemplifies the values of Mercy, and who, by their actions, have contributed to the betterment of the Siouxland community, we know that he is quite worthy of this distinction.”

A native of Wheaton, Minn., Roman earned his undergraduate degree at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, S.D. where he served for a time as the school’s student body president. Roman completed his medical degree at Columbia University in New York, N.Y. and his subsequent internship at Columbia—Presbyterian Medical Center in New York.

Initially, Roman was a staff physician at a government-operated hospital on the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Reservation in southwest South Dakota. He would then spend several years in private practice in nearby Martin, S.D. before making the decision to pursue the medical specialty of cardiovascular surgery.

Roman then completed his surgical residency at the famed Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. and his thoracic and cardiovascular surgery training at University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City. He became board certified in surgery and thoracic surgery.

For two years following his surgical residency, Roman was a surgeon in Waterloo, Iowa. He came to Sioux City in 1978 and in May of that year performed the Sioux City area’s first-ever open-heart procedure at Marian Health Center, now Mercy Medical Center.

During the next 21 years, Roman would complete thousands of open-heart surgical procedures during more than 64,000 hours in the operating room.

“Not only did Dr. Roman have a profound impact on the future of health care in Siouxland, but he was also well known for his strong sense of compassion and concern for his patients,” said Verna Welte, chairperson for the Mercy Medical Center Foundation. “Many physicians and staff members who worked with him remember how he spent many nights at the hospital with high-risk patients to ensure the best possible outcomes.”

“The care he delivered through the course of his distinguished career was nothing short of extraordinary,” Welte added. “In that regard, he and Dr. George Spellman had much in common.”

Roman earned many honors and accolades through the course of his professional career. He served on the board of directors of his alma mater, Dakota Wesleyan University, and also on the board of Northwestern College in Orange City.

When he is honored at Mercy’s annual gala in November, Dr. Roman will be joined by his wife, Chrystl. He is also the father of three grown children.

Dr. Gerald and Sheryl McGowan are co-chairs for the 2007 Mercy Gala, which will benefit women’s and children’s services at Mercy. The theme for the November event will be “Une Fête du vin á Bordeau.”

For more information about the Mercy Medical Center Foundation’s 2007 Gala, or to reserve tickets for the event, call (712) 279-2475.