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I knew from the moment my scalpel sliced through the skin of the fetal pig that I did not want to be a surgeon. Or a doctor.

Although I had some wonderful science teachers at Clawson Junior High and High School, it was just never my thing. Mrs. Dutton’s creative writing class, where I could pen my own soap opera — a knockoff of my favorite show, General Hospital — was the closest I came to pursuing a career in medicine.

A future in health care was on the horizon, however. When I was managing editor of Westchester Magazine, I was appointed as the editorial lead on a publication the company was producing for a large local health system.

It wasn’t the most thrilling job opportunity — my idea of a fun doctor interview was talking to Rick Springfield (aka GH’s Dr. Noah Drake) when he was in town to film a movie with Meryl Streep — but it was my job, so I went into it with an open mind.

I was surprised to discover that I enjoyed learning about medicine and spending time in the hospital, where we would meet with the communications staff for our pitch meetings for the patient success stories in the magazine. The cases they detailed were impressive, and I learned about everything from how to recognize a stroke to why I should never let my child wear a polar fleece jacket to a bonfire (those fuzzy coats were the leading cause of third-degree burns in��the pediatric ER that year).

I had the opportunity to speak to patients whose gratitude to their medical team was unending, as well as to surgeons, NICU nurses, and CEOs about their jobs. What I learned was that it wasn’t just a job. This may sound cliche, but it was a calling and a passion. They were saving lives, finding cures for diseases, and making people healthier.

In this issue, you will find a list of 1,000-plus physicians who are making a difference in the lives of metro Detroiters. These individuals were nominated as Top Doctors by their peers and have been verified by . Within this feature, doctors talk about innovations in their fields — including treatments for rare genetic disorders and coronary artery disease — and ways to improve health care equality, as well as their hopes for the future of health care.

Read much more about the future of medicine on , where we address how different technologies, from artificial intelligence to virtual reality, are advancing��areas of medicine and helping to bridge gaps and expand and improve care.

Innovation is also at the heart of Ford Motor Company’s ambitious $950 million transformation of Michigan Central Station and The Book Depository. The first building of this gleaming new innovation district set to open is The Book Depository, at the end of this year. Find out more about this much-anticipated project, including the Detroiters behind the scenes, in our feature on .

As always, I hope this issue enlightens and inspires you.

This story is from the Top Docs feature in the October��2022 issue of ������ϲ�ͼ������ magazine. Read more in��our digital edition.