Gurtner, Woo appointed to endowed professorships

Geoffrey Gurtner

Geoffrey Gurtner, MD, has been appointed the Johnson & Johnson Distinguished Professor in Surgery II, effective Feb. 11.

Gurtner's research examines how physical stimuli (mechanical and chemical) alter the human response to injury, especially in the context of impaired wound healing and fibrosis.

The professorship was established through the transfer of funds from the existing Johnson & Johnson Distinguished Professorship in Surgery fund and supplementation from the Department of Surgery. The Johnson & Johnson professorship was established at the School of Medicine in 1978. It was one of six chairs provided to medical schools by Johnson & Johnson to support the activities of surgery departments in patient care, research and teaching.

Joseph Woo

Joseph Woo, MD, has been appointed the Norman E. Shumway Professorship in Cardiovascular Surgery, effective Feb. 11.

Woo serves as professor and chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. His research is focused on investigating new paths to myocardial repair through angiogenesis — the process through which new blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels — stem cells and tissue engineering. His clinical expertise is in the fields of valve repair, ventricular assist devices and cardiac transplantation.

The professorship was established in 1976 through a gift from Frances and Charles Field, longtime Stanford volunteers and supporters. The professorship honors the late Norman Shumway, MD, who performed the first successful human heart transplantation in the nation.