World-class faculty inspire the next generation of practitioners, develop clinical innovations that benefit patients globally, and generate discoveries that push the scientific frontiers of medicine. Recruiting and retaining outstanding physicians and scientists is essential to the School of Medicine’s continued success and to the success of global medical research.
Receiving an endowed professorship is the highest honor the university can bestow on a faculty member. It empowers faculty to pursue novel research opportunities that offer great potential for yielding breakthrough discoveries. Among individuals who hold endowed professorships at the School of Medicine are pioneers whose research laid the groundwork for the development of immunotherapy to treat cancer, illuminated the role of the gut microbiome in health and disease, and led to the creation of a blood test that can identify Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms arise.
An endowed professorship exists as long as Washington University endures. It becomes a tradition, developing its own character from the donor who founded it, the physician who holds it and the honoree for whom it is named.
To learn more about supporting or creating an endowed professorship,
please contact medicaladvancement@wustl.edu or 314-935-9691.
Professorship profiles
Carlos Cruchaga, PhD
Barbara Burton and Reuben M. Morriss III Professor
Carlos Cruchaga, PhD, is pursuing a better understanding of the molecular underpinnings of disease, which stands to improve human health.
Lilianna Solnica-Krezel, PhD
Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Developmental Biology
Lilianna “Lila” Solnica-Krezel, PhD, came to Washington UniversitySchool of Medicine in 2010 as head of the Department of Developmental Biology—the first woman to hold a department head position in the School of Medicine.
“Medicine today is at a critical juncture. We must develop leaders who are adept at pivoting quickly and collaborating across disciplines to address great health challenges. Endowed professorships help us recruit and keep leaders of this caliber at our institution and ensure they have the resources they need to advance their work.”
David H. Perlmutter, MD
George and Carol Bauer Dean, School of Medicine
Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor
Executive Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs
Washington University in St. Louis