Five faculty members appointed to endowed professorships

Five Stanford Medicine faculty members were recently appointed to endowed professorships.

Harcharan Gill, MD, professor of urology, was appointed the Kathryn Simmons Stamey Professor, effective Oct. 7.

Gill focuses on improving the treatment of prostatic hyperplasia, or enlarged prostate. He cares for patients with urologic cancer and directs the urology residency program. He also serves on the Graduate Medical Education Committee of Stanford Health Care.

The professorship was established with a gift from Stamey and her husband, Thomas Stamey, MD, professor emeritus of urology, along with the Ernest Gallo Foundation, Judge William Munnell, Betty Munnell, the Peter Newton Foundation and Tzu Leung Ho, MD. It is intended for a faculty member in the field of genitourinary cancer. 

Susan Hintz, MD, MS, professor of pediatrics, was appointed the Robert L. Hess Family Professor, effective Oct. 7.

Hintz is a neonatologist and perinatal epidemiologist who works to improve the survival and health of extremely premature and high-risk infants. She helped to create, and currently directs, the Fetal and Pregnancy Health Program at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

The gift from the Hess family was prompted, in part, by their experience in the 1970s when Rosemarie Hess gave birth to premature twins and one did not survive. At the time, the family had little money and the hospital helped cover their expenses. Since then, Robert Hess made gifts each year, starting with just a few dollars, and now encompassing three professorships, all supporting neonatology research. 

Karla Kirkegaard, PhD, was appointed the Violetta L. Horton Research Professor, effective Oct. 7.

Kirkegaard studies viruses that store their genetic material as RNA. She has developed new approaches to target RNA viruses so they do not become resistant to drugs. She also examines the effects of genetics on inflammation.

The School of Medicine requested establishment of this professorship using money from the Violetta L. Horton Medical Research Fund. The fund was established in 1969 by Horton’s estate to support research into the cause and cure of poliomyelitis and similar viral diseases. 

Albert Koong, MD, PhD, professor of radiation oncology, was appointed the Sue and Bob McCollum Professor, effective Oct. 7.

He uses radiotherapy to treat gastrointestinal disorders and to identify disease indicators. He is developing cancer therapies that target cellular signaling pathways.

The professorship was established with a gift from the McCollums and is intended to support a faculty member in radiation oncology. Sue McCollum is the founder and executive director of My Blue Dots, a nonprofit organization that supports cancer research. She is also a poet and writer. She has been a member of the Stanford Cancer Council since 2009. Bob McCollum is chairman and chief executive officer of R.S. Hughes Company Inc., an industrial supplier. They have supported cancer research at Stanford since 2002. 

Sheri Spunt, MD, professor of pediatric oncology, was appointed an Endowed Professor of Pediatric Cancer, effective Oct. 7.

Spunt works to improve the treatment of children and young adults with soft tissue sarcomas, a type of cancer that can be found in any part of the body. She also works to develop drugs to treat solid tumors in children and to understand the long-term effects of childhood cancer therapy. 

The position was established by a gift from 14 donors with an interest in supporting pediatric cancer programs and appreciative of the work of Harvey Cohen, MD, professor and former chair of pediatrics.