Four faculty members appointed to endowed positions

Four faculty members at the School of Medicine have been appointed to endowed professorships.

Electron Kebebew, MD, professor of surgery, was appointed the Harry A. Oberhelman Jr. and Mark L. Welton Professor, effective Feb. 13.  He is the chief of general surgery. He specializes in endocrine surgery with a research focus on identifying the genomic drivers of endocrine cancers, and on the development of precision methods to treat endocrine tumors based on genetics and imaging.

The professorship was created in 2012 by Edward and Liliane Schneider to honor Mark Welton, MD, who left Stanford in 2017. It was combined with a professorship created by the Department of Surgery to honor Harry Oberhelman, MD, the late Stanford professor emeritus of surgery, who served as chief of general surgery for more than 25 years. Edward Schneider is the former chairman of Triton Container International. Liliane Schneider works to support people with disabilities and to allow seniors to remain connected to their communities.

Jon Park, MD, professor of neurosurgery, was appointed the Saunders Family Professor, effective Dec. 5. He is the chief of spine neurosurgery and directs the spine research laboratory and the spine fellowship program. His clinical focus is on surgically and nonsurgically managing spinal disorders, and his research targets the underlying causes of spinal disc regeneration.

The professorship was created by Joseph and Sharon Saunders to support a faculty member in the Department of Neurosurgery, beginning with Park. Joseph Saunders held several CEO and other leadership positions in credit card companies, including Visa Inc., from which he retired in 2013. Sharon Saunders worked as a bank officer and restaurant manager.

Tait Shanafelt, MD, professor of hematology, was appointed the Jeanie and Stew Ritchie Professor, effective Dec. 5. He is the chief wellness officer and an associate dean of the School of Medicine, and he directs the Stanford Medicine WellMD Center. He specializes in physician well-being and its implications for quality of care. His clinical work and translational research focus on the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The professorship was created by Jeanie Ritchie in memory of her first husband, C. Stewart Ritchie, MD, a 1968 graduate of the School of Medicine, to support the director of the WellMD Center. Jeanie Ritchie earned a bachelor’s degree from the former School of Nursing at Stanford and a master’s degree from the School of Education. She is the chair and former CEO of the corporate food service provider Guckenheimer, which she co-founded with her first husband.

Gary Shaw, DrPH, professor of pediatrics, was appointed the NICU Nurses Professor, effective Dec. 5. His research interests include epidemiology of birth defects, nutrition during pregnancy and how the interactions between genes and the environment affect perinatal outcomes.

The professorship was created by an anonymous donor, who is an alumnus of the School of Medicine, to support a faculty member in the Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics. It will be renamed for David K. Stevenson, MD, upon his retirement or departure from Stanford. Known for his work in neonatal jaundice and prevention of preterm birth, Stevenson is senior associate dean for maternal and child health and co-director of the Child Health Research Institute.