Chair of Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Biology Dr. Glenn Gerhard Feted at Investiture Ceremony
Temple University School of Medicine (TUSM) celebrated the investiture of Glenn Gerhard, MD, as the inaugural Joseph & Rebecca Goodfriend Endowed Chair in Genetics on September 9. Dr. Gerhard joined TUSM in December 2014 as the Chair of the new Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Biology.
“Today we celebrate our good fortune that we were able to convince Glenn to join us here at Temple,” said Arthur Feldman, MD, PhD, Executive Dean of TUSM. “Glenn was the perfect choice for this position, because he has the ability to understand and bring together both the informatics and clinical sides of genetics.”
Dr. Feldman went on to note that this was now the second Goodfriend endowed chair at TUSM. In September 2014, Steven Houser, PhD, was named the inaugural Vera J. Goodfriend Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Research. Ms. Goodfriend was a 1940 graduate of Temple’s College of Education who left TUSM a $6.9 million gift when she passed away in 2013 at the age of 93. Throughout her life, she closely followed advancements in medicine and research at Temple, having been devastated by the loss of her father and brother to cancer and heart disease at young ages. This latest endowed chair honors Vera’s parents, Joseph and Rebecca.
In additional remarks at the investiture, Joseph Cheung, MD, PhD, the Richard Laylord & Dorothy L. Evans Professor and Chair of Medicine, and Professor in the Center for Translational Medicine, lauded Dr. Gerhard for his “vision, energy and hard work he has displayed in the past when creating a program from scratch.”
Dr. Gerhard opened his remarks with mock disappointment that he wasn’t allowed to show PowerPoint slides – “I’m told that’s not what you do at an investiture,” he quipped. He went on to recognize the important role that philanthropy plays in research funding, and he updated attendees on new developments in the new department.
Created with the founding appointment of Dr. Gerhard, the Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Biology builds upon Temple’s long-standing tradition of excellence in biomedical research and education. It is among the first departments in the country to combine the clinical, research and educational aspects of genetics with research and education in biochemistry. The department is integral to Temple’s mission of establishing strong clinical service and translational research programs to enhance the transformation of basic science discoveries into better patient care.