Special Professorships

Endowed faculty positions:

The tradition dates back to the Roman Empire when the first endowed chairs were created. In the 1500s this practice was then adapted by the modern university system with the establishment of endowed chairs in England at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford.  Fifty years later Henry the VIII established the first endowed professorships in medicine and basic science.

This is a rich tradition and one that is commonly practiced in American universities and colleges still today. Endowed chairs and professorships give us the opportunity to honor our outstanding faculty and award supplemental funding to help advance a faculty member’s work.

Chaudari Kommineni, D.V.M., PhD  Professorship of Pathology Fund
Started March 12, 2013

Dr. Choudari Kommineni was a 1972 UNMC College of Medicine graduate, who received his PhD in Pathology. Over his career, he furthered the field of Public Health through his work with the American Board of toxicology, the F.D.A., the E.PA, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). He was considered a great mentor and prolific writer, penning more than 50 scientific publications over his lifetime.  


Choudari Kommineni, D.V.M., PhD obtained his PhD from the University of Nebraska after completing his graduate studies in the Department of Pathology.  Dr. Kommineni went on to obtain a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree followed by a distinguished career in pharmaceutical sciences.  It was his specific wish that his legacy professorship would support an outstanding researcher seeking to develop new therapeutic measures for life-threatening diseases.  Shortly after establishing the fund, Dr. Kommineni passed away while in India, the country of his birth.  His daughter, Maya Kommineni, is also in the medical profession and she was consulted in the process facilitating the selection of the first Choudari Kommineni.  In keeping with Dr. Kommineni’s wishes we identified Dr. Tammy Kielian as an outstanding match for the goals of the Kommineni chair.

James Linder, MD Residency Director Distinguished Professorship/Chair
Started September 2011

Dr. Jim Linder, a 1980 College of Medicine graduate, is a professor of pathology and microbiology at UNMC. He is also the Chief Strategist of the University System and President of the University Technology Development Corporation.  In 2014 he served as Interim President for the University of Nebraska. He has received multiple national honors, including a “Distinguished Teaching Award” from the UNMC College of Medicine and the “Award for Excellence in Medical Publications” from the American Medical Writers Association.

Amelia F. and Austin L. Vickery, Jr. Faculty Endowment for Pathology
Started April 13, 2005

Amelia was the wife of Dr. Austin Vickery Jr. “Dr. Austin Vickery was a 1943 graduate of the Nebraska College of Medicine and became a world-renowned pathologist specializing in surgical pathology and thyroid pathology”.

David T. Purtilo Distinguished Chair of Pathology
Started May 31, 1990

Dr. Purtilo became Chair of the Department of Pathology at UNMC in 1981. During his tenure, the research capabilities of the department were expanded, and it attained world-wide recognition. His tenure also saw the merging of the Department of Microbiology, creating the current Department of Pathology and Microbiology. Dr. Purtilo remained Chair of the department until his untimely death in 1992.

Sylvia L. Havlik Centennial Professorship of Oncology
March 2, 1983

(No information available on Sylvia Havlik)

Stokes-Shackleford Fund
Started April 2, 1980

(No information available on Stokes-Shackleford)

 

Kielian

Tammy L.

PhD

Choudari Kommineni, D.V.M., PhD Professor of Pathology

7/1/2014

6/30/2017

Cohen

Samuel M.

MD, PhD

Havlik-Wall Professor of Oncology

11/1/1985

9/30/2018

Talmon
Lauer

Geoffrey A.
Scott R.

MD
MD

Linder Pathology Residency Director Distinguished Chair
Linder Pathology Residency Director Distinguished Chair

11/1/2013
07/01/2019

06/31/2019
Present

Greiner

Timothy C.

MD

Amelia F. and Austin L. Vickery, Jr. Professor of Pathology

7/1/2014

6/30/2019

Markin

Rodney S.

MD, PhD

David T. Purtilo Distinguished Chair of Pathology

11/1/2004

10/31/2019

Hinrichs

Steven H.

MD

Stokes-Shackleford Professor of Microbiology

3/1/2003

2/28/2021