Joseph Thomas Church, MD

Dr. Church is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at Michigan Medicine.

Dr. Church graduated cum laude with a B.S. in biological sciences from the University of Notre Dame. He went on to receive his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School with Alpha Omega Alpha Honors. He then completed his general surgery residency training at Michigan Medicine, followed by pediatric surgery fellowship training at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at Michigan Medicine. After fellowship, he served as Assistant Professor of Surgery at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He then returned to Michigan Medicine in 2023 to join the faculty of the Department of Surgery in the Section of Pediatric Surgery.

Clinical Specialization:

Dr. Church’s practice includes the breadth of pediatric surgery. His clinical interests include pediatric thoracic surgery, fetal surgery, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), in which he completed a research fellowship during his residency training. He has particular clinical and research interest in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).

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My research interests surround congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a congenital disease that results in underdeveloped lungs. Specifically, my lab work investigates novel prenatal and postnatal therapies that may encourage lung growth and development and improve the pulmonary hypertension that is part of this disease process. Much of my lab work involves extracorporeal circulation, and I am therefore based primarily in the Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) Laboratory at Michigan Medicine.