The Dr. Thomas A. Dooley Award - 2014: Dr. Michael L. Mara ’86

Published on March 20, 2026

2014: Dr. Michael L. Mara ’86

 

For his inspiring commitment to serving those most in need, Dr. Michael L. Mara, M.D., ’86 is honored with this award.  

The product of a family with deep ties to Notre Dame, Mara earned a B.A. from the University in Anthropology and Preprofessional Studies. He went on to study medicine at the University of Michigan, graduating in 1990. Mara completed a residency in orthopedic surgery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as well as a fellowship in hand and microvascular surgery at the University of Utah. 

In 1995, Mara entered private practice in Bend, Oregon, specializing in orthopedic surgery and hand and microvascular surgery. He regularly traveled internationally to teach and practice orthopedic surgery, including trips to Latvia, Brazil, Tanzania, Cambodia, Nepal, Haiti, Kenya, South Sudan, and northern Somalia. While working in Tanzania, he met his wife, Ann. The couple married in 2003 and have two children, Michael and Jane.  

After working in post-earthquake Haiti in 2010, Mara began making plans to leave private practice and devote his career to full-time teaching and medical care in underserved countries. Since 2010, he has lived in the small village of Kijabe, Kenya. He serves as the head of orthopedic surgery at Kijabe Hospital, a rural faith-based hospital with some of the leading medical and surgical training programs in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Dr. Tom Dooley’s writings inspired me as a child to become a physician, and my years at Notre Dame taught me about character, service, and faith.  My parents, Lee and Susanne Mara sacrificed greatly to put all six Mara children through college, and I pray that this award honors their love of God, education, and service.

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