Two medical school professors appointed to endowed positions

Two faculty members at the School of Medicine have been appointed to endowed positions.

Mark Krasnow, MD, PhD, professor of biochemistry, was appointed the Paul and Mildred Berg Professor, effective April 10. He is the executive director of the Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. His research focuses on understanding lung development, stem cells and disease, including cancer, and the neural circuits that control lung function, including breathing and speaking.

The professorship was established with a gift from Paul Berg, PhD, the Robert W. and Vivian K. Cahill Professor of Cancer Research, Emeritus, and his wife, Mildred, and includes a contribution from an anonymous donor. The professorship is intended to support a faculty member whose academic focus is in the biomedical sciences. Berg, a member of the medical school faculty since 1959, was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1980.

Beverly Mitchell, MD, the George E. Becker Professor in Medicine, was appointed the Laurie Kraus Lacob Director of the Stanford Cancer Institute, effective March 8. The current director of the institute, she oversees the activities of more than 400 cancer institute members across Stanford as they work to develop new insights into the etiologies, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer.

The directorship was established with a gift from Lacob, a longtime volunteer and donor to Stanford and the parent of three Stanford alumni. The directorship is intended to support the director of the Stanford Cancer Institute.