The endowed chair is among the highest honors a medical school can bestow on a faculty member, recognizing their extensive accomplishments and ensuring they’ll continue making meaningful contributions to advancing the school’s mission.
The Lewis Katz School of Medicine (Katz) presented three new endowed chairs at an investiture ceremony November 18 in the Maurice J. Stone, MD, Commons. Daniel Edmundowicz, MD, MBA, FACP, FACC, the Richard Laylord Evans and Dorothy L. Evans Foundation Endowed Chair in Medicine; John Elrod, PhD, the William Wikoff Smith Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine; and Raj Kishore, PhD, FAHA, the Vera J. Goodfriend Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Research were all honored at the ceremony with family, friends and colleagues.
A prestigious academic honor, an endowed chair is also an investment in the future: A donor gift used to create the chair also endows a fund that provides perpetual support for the chairholder’s use in education, research, or other priority projects.
“The impact of an endowed chair extends far beyond the individual who holds it,” said Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS, the Katz School of Medicine’s Marjorie Joy Katz Dean,, during the ceremony. “Their leadership and scholarship elevate those around them, strengthen our school, and changes the lives of the patients and communities we serve.”
Dr. Edmundowicz,who completed his residency at Temple in 1993 and returned in 2012, is the Florence P. Bernheimer Distinguished Service Professor in Medicine at the Katz School and Chief of Service at Temple University Hospital. In 2024, he was named Chair of the Department of Medicine, and he was appointed Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs earlier this year. With more than 150 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Edmundowicz has helped shape the direction of cardiovascular care across academic medicine.
“His work reflects the best of what it means to be ‘Temple Made: grounded in purpose, driven by science, and always focused on improving the lives of patients,” Dr. Goldberg said.
His colleague, Isaac Russell Whitman, MD, FHRS, Associate Professor of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, at Katz, described Dr. Edmundowicz as “nothing but approachable” from his first day as an attending physician. And so, when he didn’t receive his first paycheck at the end of the month, he approached Dr. Edmundowicz, who told him it would come at the end of his first full month. Dr. Whitman, who says he moved his family across the country with little savings, was crestfallen.
His voice cracking at the memory, he says Dr. Edmundowicz immediately asked how much he needed.
“Over the years, I’ve come to realize that some of our greatest mentors aren’t always the ones we expect,” Dr. Edmundowicz said during his remarks. “At home, it might be our parents or family. In academic medicine, it can be our patients, colleagues, and leaders, and even our students, residents, and fellows. Each of them, in their own way, challenges us, inspires us, and shapes the person and professional we become. They remind us that growth isn’t a solo journey; it’s built through the wisdom and courage of those around us. And when we embrace that, we don’t just learn, we transform.”
Dr. Elrod is a Professor of Cardiovascular Sciences and the Founding Director of Katz’s Aging + Cardiovascular Discovery Center. A nationally and internationally recognized leader in mitochondrial biology, metabolism, and fibrosis, Dr. Elrod’s research is uncovering the underlying mechanisms of heart failure, cardiac injury, and neurodegeneration.
He’s equally committed to mentorship. Since 2015, his trainees have earned over 90 awards and fellowships, with several advancing to tenure-track faculty positions at top-tier institutions.
“Those who work with John know how passionate he is about science, but also how deeply he cares about people,” Dr. Goldberg said. “He creates an environment where curiosity is encouraged, collaboration is expected, and excellence is the standard.”
As a doctoral student working in the lab of David J. Lefer, PhD, FAHA, Dr. Elrod earned the nickname “High Rev” for his drive and work ethic. The two have remained close over the years, Dr. Lefer said, and Dr. Elrod’s determination to “answer the important research questions and continuously move the field forward” has only become more apparent.
“For John, it was, and still is, all about the science,” said Dr. Lefer, now the Director of Translational Research for the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Dr. Elrod thanked Dr. Lefer and Steven Houser, PhD ’78, Professor Emeritus of the Aging + Cardiovascular Discovery Center, among other influential figures, saying, “My career has been shaped by an extraordinary lineage of mentors, each of whom left an imprint on how I think, lead, and train others.”
Ever determined, he vowed to continue “the cycle of discovery” and the stewardship and mentorship that accompany this pursuit.
Dr. Kishore is the Laura H. Carnell Professor, Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences and a Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine. A pioneer in regenerative medicine, he is redefining what’s possible in cardiac healing and myocardial repair through innovative research in gene therapy, cellular homeostasis, and myocardial regeneration. Among these projects, he is the principal investigator of a recently renewed $12-million NIH program project grant, one of the largest cardiovascular research awards in the school’s history.
“His vision and ability to unite teams around ambitious ideas have strengthened Temple’s national reputation as a center for cardiovascular innovation,” Dr. Goldberg said.
Dr. Houser, a mentor, described Dr. Kishore as a “giver” and a “very patient mentor,” which he said is integral to developing a collaborative environment. Since 2009, nearly 40 of Dr. Kishore’s trainees have earned competitive fellowships or awards.
“My own academic journey has been, for lack of a better word, interesting,” Dr. Kishore said.. “It began in the North Indian city of Lucknow, a time and place where a child’s career was planned before birth. In my case, the family script was medical school.” He added, “To the horror of my father, I went completely off-script.”
He arrived in New York in 1996 for postdoctoral training in tumor immunology with $82 in savings and the promise of a $12,000-a-year stipend. He persevered because he had a mission. “I wanted to learn and contribute something meaningful,” he said. “That’s what carried me from Lucknow to Temple, from pipettes to professorship.”
Dr. Kishore closed with a refrain Dr. Goldberg has shared on different occasions recently: “There is no better time to be at Temple than now.”