Nine Vanderbilt University faculty members named to endowed chairs were honored for their academic achievements during a celebration Jan. 22 at the Student Life Center.
“One of the greatest assets we have (is) the incredibly talented faculty we attract,” Richard McCarty, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, said in his introductory remarks. “The scholars we celebrate (today) have made significant and long-lasting contributions to human knowledge.
“At the same time, we also recognize extraordinary donors, who have been so generous in supporting Vanderbilt’s mission to attract and retain the finest faculty in this country and, indeed, the world,” he said.
Jeff Balser, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, joined McCarty in introducing the new chair holders, who are:
- H. Alex Brown, Bixler-Johnson-Mayes Chair, professor of pharmacology and biochemistry and associate director of the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology;
- J. Jeffrey Carr, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Radiology and Radiological Sciences and professor of clinical biomedical informatics, who was recruited from Wake Forest University this summer;
- James E. Crowe Jr., Ann Scott Carell Chair, professor of pediatrics and of pathology, microbiology and immunology, and director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center;
- M. Eric Johnson, Bruce D. Henderson Chair in Strategy and Ralph Owen Chair and dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management, recruited this summer from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College;
- Lorrie Moore, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in English and a distinguished American fiction writer who joined the Creative Writing faculty last fall;
- David F. Penson, Paul V. Hamilton, M.D., and Virginia E. Howd Chair in Urologic Oncology, professor of urologic surgery and medicine and director of the Center for Surgical Quality and Outcomes Research;
- Sheila H. Ridner, Martha Rivers Ingram Chair in Nursing and a nationally known expert on lymphedema;
- Emilie M. Townes, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Chair, professor of ethics and society and a leading womanist theologian, who on July 1 became the 16th dean of the Vanderbilt Divinity School; and
- Thomas J. Wang, Gottlieb C. Friesinger II Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine, professor of medicine and director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, who was recruited last year from Harvard University.
This was the 12th celebration to honor faculty members who have been named to endowed chairs. Since the major university initiative to recruit and retain outstanding scholars and teachers was announced by Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos in August 2010, 123 chair holders have been recognized.
