USU Mourns the Loss of Long-time Surgery Professor Dr. David Welling
Dr. David Welling, a beloved long-time professor of Surgery at USU, passed away August 9, 2024, following a courageous battle with colon cancer.
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| Dr. David Welling (pictured center), a beloved USU faculty member, passed away August 9, 2024. (Courtesy photo) |
August 19th, 2024 by Sharon Holland
Dr. David Welling, a beloved long-time professor of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University (USU), passed away August 9, 2024, following a courageous battle with colon cancer.
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| Dr. David Welling (Courtesy photo) |
His Air Force medical career began with a surgery internship in San Antonio, Texas in 1973. Some of the highlights of his 30+ years military career included spending nine years in Germany, including three years at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center where he was chief of General Surgery. He also spent nine years at Travis AFB in California, where he served as chief of Surgery for the last eight years of that assignment. Dr. Welling was also sponsored by the Air Force to do a colorectal surgery fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The last 15 years of his military service were in the rank of full Colonel.
Dr. Welling was board-certified in general surgery and colorectal surgery. He was also awarded the U.S. Air Force Excalibur Award as the outstanding clinical surgeon of the entire Air Force.
Following retirement from active duty, Dr. Welling joined the faculty of USU in December 2002 as an associate professor of Surgery, and was later promoted to professor of Surgery. He taught anatomy to USU students and surgical skills for nearly two decades, and continued to see patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC).
Dr. Welling made a significant impact in global surgery. His article “Seven Sins of Humanitarian Medicine” is co-authored with two former Surgery department chairs and has been cited numerous times. Not only did he provide needed mentorship for the USU Global Surgery Interest Group, he hosted many international medical students who rotated at USU and WRNMMC, from Thailand to the Philippines. He served as faculty for the USU Global Health and Global Health Engagement Certificate programs, continuing on after his retirement, joining virtually from Utah. He worked closely with the Escuela Medicina Militar in Mexico City, continuing one of the longest international surgery rotations at USU.
Dr. Welling served on a number of committees and initiatives for the university, including the Executive Curriculum Committee, and the Admissions Committee. He was also a principal adviser to the Surgery Interest Group.
He was a member or fellow of a number of prestigious organizations, including the American College of Surgeons, the Association FranÒ«aise de Chirurgie, the International Society of Surgeons, the Halsted Society, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, the Priestley Society, the Mayo Alumni Association, Alpha Omega Alpha, and the Society of Air Force Clinical Surgeons.
Dr. Welling received a number of awards while at USU, among them “Civilian Educator of the Year” which he was awarded by USU students in the graduating class of 2008, and the USU Distinguished Service Award in 2019 in honor of his many years of legendary dedication to the USU mission and service to its students, staff and faculty. Dr. Welling was also elected into Alpha Omega Alpha—the national medical honor society – for his lasting commitment to professionalism, leadership, research, and community service, and was lauded by the Society of Apothecaries of London for his expertise as a practitioner of trauma surgery.
Dr. Welling was a talented pianist, a gifted linguist who could speak French, German and Spanish, and who served as the faculty advisor for USU’s French Interest Group.
Dr Welling retired from USU in 2019, and moved to Idaho. Even after retiring, he continued to volunteer his time as an active recruiter for USU at a number of colleges in his area.
Dr. Welling was described by a number of his colleagues as a tireless and engaged teacher, promoter, and recruiter, a wonderful human being, role model and mentor, educator and gifted surgeon who inspired many students and residents.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, his three children and 10 grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 24 in the town of Macks Inn, Idaho.
