Flyer Alumni Profile: Dr. Wes Ely '81

When Dr. Wes Ely stepped into Jesuit High School in 1977 he didn’t know the significant impact the school and its mission would have on his life. Today, 45 years later he still signs his letters and emails “AMDG.” As one of the top ICU physicians in the country, Dr. Ely strives for excellence in all his does, and most importantly in the work he is doing worldwide with ICU patients.  

“St. Ignatius  was truly an inspiring person in my life and his motto AMDG - for the greater glory of God - meant so much to me,” Dr. Ely said. “It is the spirit of my life. As St. Ignatius said we are here to praise reverence and serve God. That is the entire point of my  book and life. All of this is for the greater glory of God.” 

Dr. Ely is hoping to change the way critical care physicians treat patients around the globe. Through his diligent research with a team of 120 people, bedside treatment and seeing the long term effects that ICU patients deal with every day.

His book Every Deep-Drawn Breath begins with his childhood memories here in Shreveport and intertwined patient stories with his medical research findings in addition to addressing social injustices that are happening in medicine and in the world.

“The purpose of  this book is to give people hope. We use real stories of real people and those stories come together to tell the history of how we are getting a resurgence of humanity in medicine.”

Through his research Dr. Ely discovered the long term effects of ICU survivors and the need for long term care and support after they leave the hospital. He is hoping to change the way internists see their patients as a whole being instead of just a sick pair of lungs or a damaged heart.

“When I look in the eyes of patients and see Christ in their eyes, that’s been the motivation to do research and figure out ways of caring for people better,” Dr. Ely said. “We were publishing our findings in some of the best journals in the world, but it wasn’t achieving change fast enough. This book is for the general public and shows 30 years of research in critical care medicine and how we can implement change everywhere in the world through the eyes of these patients.”

All of the proceeds from Every Deep-Drawn Breath will go towards a fund Dr. Ely and his team created for ICU patients and families who have survived critical illness and COVID.

If you want to keep in touch with Dr. Wes Ely, follow him on Twitter @WesElyMD.

For more informaton on Dr. Ely's book click here.