Stanford Report, May 13, 2009

Tobias Meyer, Ronald Pearl and Robert Robbins appointed to endowed chairs

Tobias Meyer

Ronald Pearl

Robert Robbins

Tobias Meyer, PhD, professor of chemical and systems biology, has been appointed the Mrs. George A. Winzer Professor in Chemistry. The goal of the research in Meyer's laboratory is to identify the fundamental properties of intracellular signal transduction networks and to determine how disturbances in networks cause neuronal dysfunction, immunological diseases and asthma.

The professorship was established in 1974 with a gift from the late Mrs. George A. Winzer, whose philanthropic interests included medicine. She was a major benefactor to the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, where she served as a member of the board of directors, and of Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. At Stanford, she established the Frances N. Goodrich Scholarship Fund in 1963, for pre-med and medical scholarships. In addition to the cell biology professorship, Mrs. Winzer's gift was directed to the construction of the third floor of the Sherman Fairchild Science Building.

Ronald Pearl, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Anesthesia, has been named the Richard K. and Erika N. Richards Professor. His research interests include the molecular and cellular mechanisms of pulmonary hypertension, treatment of pulmonary hypertension, treatment of respiratory failure, treatment of septic shock and hemodynamic monitoring.

The professorship was established by reallocating a portion of the Richard K. and Erika N. Richards Endowment Fund, which was established by Erika Richards in memory of her husband, Richard K. Richards, PhD, who passed away in 1983. Richards was an adjunct faculty member at Stanford in the 1980s, with joint appointments in the Departments of Clinical Pharmacology and Anesthesiology.

Robert Robbins, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, has been appointed the Thelma and Henry Doelger Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery II. His research interests focus primarily on congestive heart failure. Robbins is interested in the study of genetic determinants, imaging, cell therapy and the use of mouse and human embryonic stem cells for the treatment of congestive heart failure.

The professorship was established in 1979 with a gift of $1 million from Thelma Doelger. At this time, the endowment of this chair has grown to the point where it can be split to support three chairs, the Thelma and Henry Doelger Professorship of Cardiovascular Surgery (currently held by Craig Miller, MD), the Thelma and Henry Doelger Professorship of Cardiovascular Surgery II and the Thelma and Henry Doelger Professorship of Cardiovascular Surgery III. Thelma Doelger was a patient of the first holder of the cardiovascular surgery professorship: Edward Stinson, MD, who assisted Norman Shumway, MD, at Stanford in performing the first successful U.S. heart transplant.