St. Clair Shores resident honored with prestigious award

ST. CLAIR SHORES — St. Clair Shores resident Ronald Manningham has been named the 2025 Henry Ford Health Career Educator of the Year, a prestigious award given annually to one person throughout the entire Henry Ford Health system. 

Manningham is a certified registered nurse anesthetist who started his career as a registered nurse in Flint. Manningham went to Mott Community College and said he kept “plugging away at it” after he received his associate degree. In the past, he has worked at many hospitals in the Henry Ford Health system, but for the last 10 years, he’s stayed at the main hospital in Detroit for a majority of the time. He’s been in the field of anesthesiology for 30 years. 

Manningham said he wasn’t expecting to receive the award this year. 

“They’ve offered me various awards over the years and I’ve kind of been busy with my family and so I just, you know it wasn’t the right time,” Manningham said. 

He said he’s volunteered for numerous things within the hospital system and called the hospital amazing. 

“It’s cutting edge,” Manningham said. “Some of the greatest minds and everything come here to work and try new things to better our community.” 

Manningham has taught thousands of doctoral and medical students throughout his tenure and had his first student around 1994. Before that, he taught people during his nursing career. He’s taught students at Oakland University, Wayne State University, University of Michigan, Michigan State University and University of Detroit Mercy. 

He performed anesthetics for the first robotic surgery in the world that took place at Henry Ford as well as trans-arterial valve replacements and liver surgeries. 

“You always have special teams that come together to show the safety and success of the patients,” Manningham said. 

Manningham said some of those procedures were eventually written about in professional magazines and textbooks. 

“All of these students around the state, they want to come and talk to the person that’s been doing these things,” Manningham said. “So literally, every day, I have a list of students who want to work with me in the operating room.” 

According to a press release, he taught the students what he helped invent and they prioritized patient health. In the press release, he also stated 30 years isn’t just time, but decades of “seeing possibilities become realities.” 

During his tenure, Manningham has received other awards for his work mentoring students from three of the five top universities and other awards from the Henry Ford Health system itself. The schools give out one “Guiding Light” award each year per school and Manningham said it’s almost impossible for anyone to get one. 

“I’ve received five, maybe six of them,” Manningham said. 

Medical students tell their universities a certain person improved and contributed to the advancement of their careers. 

Other medical professionals have also put forward Manningham’s name as someone who deserves to receive the career educator award. Previously he’s refused it, but this year he said he wanted his daughters to feel proud of their father. 

“So I kind of said, ‘OK, I guess this is a good year for that to happen,’” Manningham said. 

He called the hospital system monstrous and said they only have only one career educator award per year. 

“It’s a huge honor to be selected amongst all these other professionals,” Manningham said. 

Manningham said technology is changing the entire world and that students are afraid artificial intelligence or robots will eventually take over their jobs. He said newer technologies can be seen as tools to do a better job for patients. 

“And to not be afraid of technology, to actually embrace it,” Manningham said. “And find ways to utilize it to improve the lives of the people in our community. That’s really what we’re all here for.”