Notable Alums
Specialty: Internal Medicine
Graduation Year: 1975
Daniel Banks
Daniel Banks, M.D. ’75 completed a tour of military service in mid-2015. It wasn’t the first time he chose public service. After an internship and residency in internal medicine at the Charity Hospital of Louisiana in New Orleans, in 1978, Dr. Banks joined the U.S. Public Health Service at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health for three years.
He continued his career in the Pulmonary Diseases Section of the Department of Medicine at Tulane University in 1981. He moved to the West Virginia University School of Medicine as associate professor of Medicine and chief of the Section of Pulmonary Diseases in 1989, became full professor in 1994 and the N. LeRoy Lapp Endowed Professor in 1995. While there, he founded the Critical Care Medicine training program and served as program director. He then served as chair of the Department of Medicine at Louisiana State University School of Medicine from 2000 to 2011. He was named a master of the American College of Physicians in 2009.
In 2011, Dr. Banks joined the U.S. Army as a lieutenant-colonel and Academic Affairs officer for the Department of Medicine at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. In 2012, he was named professor of the Department of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. In September 2012, he became director and editor-in-chief at the Borden Institute, the Army’s medical book publishing unit, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He returned to Borden after a stint as director of the Joint Combat Casualty Research Team at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan from July 2013 to January 2014.
Dr. Banks was the 2015 recipient of the School of Medicine Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award, presented annually to one or more alumni who have made outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes, whose contributions to the health field in the broader sense are outstanding or for service to the Wayne State University School of Medicine.
He continued his career in the Pulmonary Diseases Section of the Department of Medicine at Tulane University in 1981. He moved to the West Virginia University School of Medicine as associate professor of Medicine and chief of the Section of Pulmonary Diseases in 1989, became full professor in 1994 and the N. LeRoy Lapp Endowed Professor in 1995. While there, he founded the Critical Care Medicine training program and served as program director. He then served as chair of the Department of Medicine at Louisiana State University School of Medicine from 2000 to 2011. He was named a master of the American College of Physicians in 2009.
In 2011, Dr. Banks joined the U.S. Army as a lieutenant-colonel and Academic Affairs officer for the Department of Medicine at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. In 2012, he was named professor of the Department of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. In September 2012, he became director and editor-in-chief at the Borden Institute, the Army’s medical book publishing unit, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He returned to Borden after a stint as director of the Joint Combat Casualty Research Team at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan from July 2013 to January 2014.
Dr. Banks was the 2015 recipient of the School of Medicine Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award, presented annually to one or more alumni who have made outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes, whose contributions to the health field in the broader sense are outstanding or for service to the Wayne State University School of Medicine.