UW surgery department triples endowed chairs and professorships in 2015
MADISON – The year 2016 will begin with an unprecedented number of new chairs and professorships in the Department of Surgery at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
A highly successful fund-raising campaign, bolstered by the Morgridge gift that matched funds donated to the University of Wisconsin, yielded $17.5 million and brought the number of professorships and chairs in the Department of Surgery from five to 16. All of the gifts were secured in the academic year 2014-15.
“These gifts have allowed us to recruit and retain outstanding nationally recognized surgeons. Their research has and will continue to benefit the patients of Wisconsin and beyond,” said Dr. K. Craig Kent, department chair.
The projects funded by the gifts include a pancreatic-cancer tissue bank and associated research program, innovative training in surgery quality improvement, and further development of microsurgical techniques in reconstructive surgery.
The 11 named chairs and professorships include:
- The Hendricks chairs in plastic and breast-cancer surgery research, held by Dr. John Siebert and Dr. Lee Wilke respectively
- The Morgridge Distinguished Chair in Health Services Research, held by Dr. Caprice Greenberg
- The Endowed Chair of Education in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, held by Dr. Michael Bentz
- The Tim and Mary Ann McKenzie Professorship in Surgical Oncology, held by Dr. Sharon Weber
- The Susan Behrens, MD, Class of 1975 Surgery Education Professorship, held by Dr. Carla Pugh
- The Charles N. Ford Professorship in Otolaryngology, held by Dr. Timothy McCulloch
- The Ronald E. and Patricia A. Kissinger Surgical Oncology Research Professorship Fund, held by Dr. Clifford Cho
- The Pediatric Surgery Professorship Fund
- The Bruce and Judy Harms Professorship in Colorectal Surgery
- The Mark Fischer Chair in Transplant Surgery Research.
With seven divisions, more than 100 full-time faculty and 500 additional staff, the UW surgery department is a recognized international leader in surgical care, research, and education. It currently ranks sixth in the nation among U.S. medical schools for National Institutes of Health research funding.
