Sheldon Hackney: David Boies Professor a New Interdisciplinary Field: Dr
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Tuesday October 5, 2004 Volume 51 Number 6 www.upenn.edu/almanac Sheldon Hackney: David Boies Professor A New Interdisciplinary Field: Dr. Sheldon Hackney, professor and chair of history, has been Human Pharmacogenomic Epidemiology named the David Boies Professor in SAS, Dean Samuel H. Preston Pennʼs School of Medicine has been awarded a announced. major grant from the National Institutes of Health President Emeritus Sheldon Hackney led Penn from 1981 to (NIH) to bring together researchers from different 1993, during which time Penn more than quadrupled its endowment disciplines to study gene-drug interactions. The three- and reaffirmed its commitment to undergraduate education. He then year, $595,000 award is one of 21 in the country that served for four years as chairman of the National Endowment for will support planning activities for groups of research- the Humanities, after accepting a nomination by then-President Bill ers to develop interdisciplinary strategies to solve sig- Clinton. nificant biomedical or behavioral research problems. Dr. Hackney returned to Penn in 1997 and teaches courses on The Penn project, to be headed by Dr. Stephen E. the South since the Civil War, the 1960s, and the American identity. Kimmel, associate professor of medicine and epide- His outstanding teaching and service have earned him a Christian miology, will also establish a new interdisciplinary R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, Rex field called Human Pharmacogenomic Epidemiolo- S. Morgan, Sr. Friar of the Year Award, and Graduate School of Sheldon Hackney gy (HPE). HPE will bring together the disciplines of Education National Award of Distinction. genetics, bioinformatics, pharmacology, epidemiolo- In addition to being a distinguished historian of the American South, Dr. Hackney speaks gy, biostatistics, and bioethics. HPE is not simply the and writes about cultural and educational policy and contemporary cultural issues. He is the merger of multiple disciplines, working in parallel or author of five books including From Populism to Progressivism in Alabama, which received sequence, but rather a new archetype of research that the Albert J. Bevridge Prize for best book on American history, and his latest, The Politics of will develop novel ways of working synergistically Presidential Appointment: A Memoir of the Culture War. to address the scientific, logistical, and intellectual Before he came to Penn in 1981, he served as president of Tulane University and as provost barriers to interdisciplinary research. Recent advanc- of Princeton University. He holds a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and a Ph.D. from Yale es have paved the way for significant gains in under- University. standing how genetic variability can alter drug re- The David Boies Professorship was established in 2003 by David and Mary Boies in mem- sponse. Despite this promise, the nature of gene-drug ory of Mr. Boiesʼs father, a former high school history teacher. As chairman and founding interactions is complex, and progress in the field has partner of the law firm of Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, Mr. Boies has served on some of been hampered by the lack of a genuine interdisci- the most high-profile cases in the nation. In recent years, he has represented the United States plinary approach. Department of Justice in its antitrust suit against Microsoft and has served as the lead counsel Biomedical research has been typically grouped for former Vice President Al Gore in connection with the electoral recount in Florida. Mrs. into separate, departmentally based specialties, often Boies is a partner and attorney with the law firm of Boies & McInnis LLP. functioning independently of each other,” explains Dr. Kimmel. “But it has become clear that progress Garry Scheib: Chief Operating Officer of UPHS in medicine is a dynamic, multi-faceted process. The Garry L. Scheib has been promoted to Chief Operating Offi- conventional divisions within biomedical research cer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS). Mr. may hamper the pace of scientific discovery and ulti- Scheib served previously as Senior Vice President of UPHS and mately, deliverable benefits to patients. This problem Executive Director of HUP; the latter a position in which he will is particularly relevant in our understanding of the continue. In his new role as COO, Mr. Scheib is responsible for influence that genes have on the response to medi- the financial and operational aspects for the Health Systemʼs three cations. This award will expand the range of study owned hospitals (HUP, Presbyterian Medical Center and Pennsyl- into an exceedingly important biomedical problem vania Hospital) and Pennʼs Homecare and Hospice services. and that also raises the prospects of improving the “This appointment formalizes a role that Garry has been per- publicʼs health.” forming for the past two years as executive in charge of the Health “It is an honor and testament to the high caliber of Systemʼs operations and, more recently, Pennʼs Home Care and the physicians and researchers here that we are among Hospice programs as well,” states Ralph W. Muller, UPHS Chief the select group of recipients of these vitally important Executive Officer. “Garryʼs leadership ability–achieving difficult grants,” says Dr. Arthur H. Rubenstein, EVP for the goals while inspiring confidence, trust and mutual admiration in all Health System and Dean of the School of Medicine. who work with him–makes him a natural choice for the position.” Garry Scheib Based on the new Human Pharmacogenomic Epi- Mr. Scheib has been a member of the UPHS leadership team demiology approach, the Penn project will feature a for the past seven years, coming to Penn from Rancocas Hospital as Executive Director in cross-departmental collaboration of experienced in- the Health Systemʼs Office of Network Development, New Jersey Division (1997-1998). He vestigators from key disciplines, working within an quickly rose to become Vice President of Network Operations within that office. In 1999, Mr. enriched and accommodating academic environment, Scheib was appointed Executive Director of the Health Systemʼs flagship hospital, the HUP. to develop fresh, distinctive, and sustainable ap- He was appointed as Senior Vice President of Hospital Operations in April 2002, where he was (continued on page 2) responsible for the operations management of the Health Systemʼs hospitals (HUP, Presbyte- rian Medical Center, Pennsylvania Hospital and Phoenixville Hospital). IN THIS ISSUE After graduating with honors with a B.S. degree from Lehigh University, Mr. Scheib went 2 Council Coverage; Request for Disciplinary System on to earn his MBA, also from Lehigh University. He has served on numerous academic Advisors; Deaths: Mr. Mulroney, committees at Penn, including the PENN Medicine Strategic Planning Work Group and the Ms. Anderson-Purvy, Mrs. Flowers 3 Pondering Pennʼs Past Presidents Search Committees for both the Chair of the Department of Medicine and the Chair of the 4 WXPN and World Café Live Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery. He is a member of many boards, 5 New on the Web including those at HUP, Presbyterian Medical Center, Pennsylvania Hospital, the Hospital and 6 Faculty Promotions Health System Association of Pennsylvania (HAP), the Delaware Valley Health Care Council 7 October Volunteers; Update; CrimeStats; Classifieds (DVHC) and the Voluntary Hospital Association East (VHA East Coast). 8 Pennʼs Way 2005: Creating Community Together ALMANAC October 5, 2004 www.upenn.edu/almanac 1 A New Interdisciplinary Field Request for Disciplinary System Advisors (continued from page 1) approaches to solving the complex biomedical To the University Community: problem of variable drug response. The team We invite all members of the community to play an important role in the University of will work to generate strategies targeting barri- Pennsylvaniaʼs Student Disciplinary System by volunteering to serve as an Advisor. ers to interdisciplinary research on three fronts: Any University faculty member, staff member, or student in good academic and disciplinary “With this initiative we hope to remove standing may serve as an Advisor. roadblocks to collaboration so that a true meet- An Advisor helps students involved in disciplinary proceedings to understand both the procedures ing of minds can take place that will broaden and the philosophy of the disciplinary process. Students involved in the Disciplinary System include the scope of investigation, yield fresh and possi- complainants, witnesses, and respondents. Advisors assist students in preparing for meetings and bly unexpected insights, and create solutions to hearings and may accompany students to all meetings and hearings. More importantly, Advisors biomedical problems that have not been solved offer students guidance and support throughout the disciplinary process. using traditional, disciplinary approaches,” says Advisors are an essential part of the Disciplinary System. The Advisor is the person best situated to NIH Director Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni. turn the studentʼs experience with the Disciplinary System into an educational and constructive one. The NIH initiative, fronted by the National To volunteer to serve, or to obtain more information, please contact the Offi ce of Student Conduct Center for Research Resources, is part of the at (215) 898-5651 or [email protected]. NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, which is —Offi ce Of Student Conduct intended to support and transform