FEB. 25, 2013

Advani, Mackey, Minor and Reijo Pera appointed to endowed positions

Four School of Medicine faculty members were recently named to endowed professorships. 

Ranjana Advani, MD, professor of medicine, was appointed the Saul A. Rosenberg Professor in Lymphoma, effective Dec. 11, 2012.

Advani's research interests include the clinical investigation of Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and cutaneous lymphomas. Advani is also interested in experimental therapeutics with novel chemotherapy and biologically targeted therapies.

This professorship was established in 2012 with gifts from Doris Fisher, '53, and Charles Perrell and Elizabeth Guillaumin, MD, and recognizes the service of Saul Rosenberg, who established the Division of Medical Oncology at Stanford in 1965 and was division chief until 1993. The professorship is intended for a faculty member in the field of lymphoma, with the goal of fostering excellence in clinical research and patient care.

The Fishers founded the San Francisco-based retail clothing chain The Gap Inc. in 1969. Perrell is an angel investor, who enjoys his Silent Hills Vineyard, a winemaking operation in Los Altos Hills. He was a co-founder of Network Appliance Inc., in 1992, now NetApp, a large business data management and storage provider. Perrell and Guillaumin are donors to lymphoma research and the Stanford Women's Cancer Program. The couple is active in Napa Valley health charities.

Sean Mackey, MD, PhD, professor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine, was appointed the Redlich Professor, effective Dec. 11, 2012.

Mackey's primary research interest involves the use of advanced research techniques — such as neuroimaging, psychophysics and neurobehavioral assessment — to investigate the neural processing of pain and neuronal plasticity in patients with chronic pain. Mackey also serves as chief of the Division of Pain Management and co-director of the Stanford Pain Research and Clinical Center.

The professorship was established in 2009 by Christopher Redlich Jr., '72, a member of the board of directors of Stanford Hospital & Clinics. It is intended for a distinguished faculty member in the field of pain medicine. Redlich has also made a leadership gift for the construction of the new Stanford Hospital.

Lloyd Minor, MD, professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and dean of the School of Medicine, was appointed the Carl and Elizabeth Naumann Professor for the Dean of the School of Medicine, effective Dec. 1, 2012. The endowed deanship was established in 1977 with gifts from Carl and Elizabeth Naumann.

Minor specializes in the diseases and disorders of the inner ear. He discovered superior canal dehiscence syndrome, which is characterized by sound- or pressure-induced dizziness. He found that this debilitating disorder was caused by an opening in a bone overlying an inner-ear balance canal, and developed a surgical procedure to correct the problem and alleviate symptoms.

The Naumanns began supporting Stanford in 1929, with gifts that have benefitted cancer research, human cell biology and radiation therapy. Carl Naumann died in 1977 and Elizabeth Naumann in 1981.

Renee Reijo Pera, PhD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, was appointed the George D. Smith Professor in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, effective Dec. 11, 2012. The professorship was established in 2012 with a gift from the George D. Smith Fund and is intended for a faculty member in the field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.

Reijo Pera's research focuses on understanding human embryo growth and development, and on characterizing the basic properties of human embryonic stem cells, especially their ability to generate pluripotent stem cells, somatic cells and germ cells. Her early work resulted in identification of one of the first genes specifically implicated in human germ cell development.

This is the third professorship established at Stanford by the George D. Smith Fund. All three professorships commemorate Smith, a distinguished innovator and business executive in the transportation industry. In 1962 he became chief executive officer and chair of the board of directors of UPS. Smith, who died in 1986, was committed to the progress of science, including medical research.

Stanford University Medical Center integrates research, medical education and patient care at its three institutions - Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. For more information, please visit the Office of Communication & Public Affairs site at http://mednews.stanford.edu/.