‘Honored to lead’ -- Physician trained at MSU takes helm at Sparrow

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - E.W. Sparrow Hospital has a new leader. Dr. Denny Martin, who has already had an eventful time in Mid-Michigan, has been named Interim President.

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Dr. Martin had already been in management at Sparrow during trying times. He got started there as Chief Medical Officer in April of 2020, shortly after the pandemic began.

“It was an interesting time to get started there as a Chief Medical Officer,” Dr. Martin said. “Right at the very beginning of the peak COVID time for Michigan. It was a learn-on-the-fly type of orientation.”

At that time, the world was still scrambling to figure out what COVID-19 was, how it spread, and what it could do to the body. The people who were tasked with fighting the new disease had to rely on educated guesses, and each other.

“We as as an institution really focused on bringing the right people together,” he said. “Administrators, clinicians, nurses, therapists, doctors from the lab, etc. The medical minds that we needed there... We had to take the knowledge that was available to us here in the United States and in Michigan, and make the most educated guess that we possibly could.”

Sparrow is something of a homecoming for Dr. Martin, since he is a physician graduate of Michigan State University.

“I am honored to lead this organization and all of the Sparrow caregivers who are dedicated to a life of serving our community,” Dr. Martin said.

He told News 10 the two immediate tasks he sees ahead are dealing with the staffing shortage and getting COVID-19 hospitalizations down as much as possible.

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