If you think Michigan sports is the only part of the University getting TV-time, try flipping on The Learning Channel.
Decked out in their Michigan-Go-Blue scrub suits, top surgeons from the Michigan Medical Center have been featured four times in "The Operation," a regular Saturday night series broadcasting live surgeries in an operating room.
Kirk Streb, the director of the channel's medical show, said it has consistently received No. 1 ratings, but he is "stunned" by the positive response to the episodes about the University.
Streb said the University got involved with the show several years ago, and the producers were "so impressed with the doctors and facilities" that The Learning Channel has returned to the University's Medical Center for additional episodes.
"If you go to a good place and work with good doctors, it becomes a learning experience for everyone," Streb said.
Streb said one of the show's main goals is to get "positive feedback for the (University's) Medical Center."
But notoriety isn't the University's main reason for doing the show.
Mike Harrison, public relations director for University Hospitals, said through involvement with The Learning Channel, the hospital "hopes to increase general public awareness of the operations and help others who may be suffering (from similar ailments)."
Karin Muraszko, the medical center's chief of pediatric neurosurgery featured recently on the show, said the basic operations like bunion removals and cesarean sections appeal to viewers because they can be obscure and dramatic.
Muraszko performed a selective dorsal rhizotomy, an operation often done on children with cerebral palsy. She said this procedure had the potential to be "understandable and interesting without exaggeration" - exactly what the show was looking for.
"Sensationalism is not the way to sell medicine," Muraszko said.
Dr. Steven Bolling, a heart surgeon who appeared on an earlier edition of "The Operation," agreed that the procedures and situations on the show should be presented honestly and sensitively.
"The best part of being a doctor is establishing real relationships with patients," Bolling said. "We wouldn't want to jeopardize that."
The majority of patients who went under the knife on national television had no problem with the situation. Hospital officials said patients or family members are required to sign a consent form to appear on the show.
The taping of a live operation is only the first step in producing the documentaries featured on "Operation." Producers research pre-operative information, have a narrator read voice-overs for the live footage and tape follow-up care of the patient.
In addition, finding the right doctor to capture on camera can be tricky.
"You need a doctor who can handle the added stress," Muraszko said. "A hesitant doctor is not a good choice. Anything can go wrong in the operating room."
Bolling performed a mitral valve reconstruction wearing a novelty frog hat.
He said he wore the hat "to make the drama associated with scary procedures more fun and informative."
Bolling is no stranger to television. His TV appearances include medical shows in South Africa and Japan.
From a cleft-palates removal to heart surgery, the University's top surgeons have done it all, and captured interested viewers from all over the country.
Muraszko said the University is "one of few hospitals in the country able to perform the featured procedures."
Letters from as far away as Puerto Rico have praised the University surgeons for their compassion and hard work on the show, Streb said.
The Learning Channel is eager to work with Michigan surgeons again, and will air another episode with University medical staff April 12.
Because of the episodes' success, producers of another medical informative show, "Vital Signs," have approached the University Hospital with requests for an appearance in the new series.
Despite their popularity, these surgeons don't forget their loyalty to the University.
"We use blue and yellow surgical ties on the heart patients," Muraszko said. "It started out as a joke, but (the ties) come in every color, so when I have to choose, I'll always pick maize and blue."
JENNIFER BRADLEY-SWIFT/Daily
Dr. Steven Bolling, who has been featured on The Learning Channel's, "The Operation," performs a mitral valve replacement in an operating room at Taubman Medical Center.