Investiture Ceremony of
Michael Pignone, M.D., MPH Dr. Lowell Henry Lebermann Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine
Tuesday, May 10, 2022 | 4 p.m.
Program Welcome and Opening Remarks C. Martin Harris, M.D., MBA Associate Vice President of the Health Enterprise and Chief Business Officer, Dell Medical School Interim Vice President for Medical Affairs, UT Austin Keynote Michael Pignone, M.D., MPH Inaugural Chair, Internal Medicine, Dell Medical School Assistant Dean for Veterans Affairs, Dell Medical School Director, Program on Cancer Prevention & Control, Livestrong Cancer Institutes Professor, Internal Medicine, Dell Medical School Presentation of Medallion and Closing Remarks C. Martin Harris, M.D., MBA
Michael Pignone, M.D., MPH Michael Pignone, M.D., MPH, MACP, is the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Lowell Henry Lebermann Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine, assistant dean for veterans affairs, director of the program on Cancer Prevention and Control at the Livestrong Cancer Institutes, chair and professor in Internal Medicine, and courtesy professor in the departments of Oncology and Population Health. Dr. Pignone received his medical degree in 1993 and completed residency training in primary care internal medicine in 1996 at the University of California, San Francisco. He completed fellowship training in 1996-98 through the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, including a master’s degree in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health. Dr. Pignone’s research focuses on chronic disease screening, prevention and treatment and on improving medical decision-making. His main areas of interest include heart disease prevention, colorectal cancer screening, and management of common chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart failure. He has developed and tested interventions, including decision aids, to mitigate literacyrelated health disparities and to improve the use of appropriate preventive services. He has published more than 275 peer-reviewed journal articles.
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I’m excited to continue building the most innovative medical school in the U.S. and help create a high-value health system for the 21st century. This is a unique opportunity to build a forward-looking medical school with wonderful colleagues at a top-flight university in a great city.” – Michael Pignone, M.D., MPH
About Dr. Lowell Henry Lebermann The Lebermann Foundation established the Dr. Lowell Henry Lebermann Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine at Dell Medical School in 2015. The chair was named in honor and memory of the father of former Austin civic leader Lowell Lebermann. Lowell’s father, Dr. Lowell Henry Lebermann, was a central figure in the town of Commerce, Texas, where he practiced internal medicine for 20 years starting in the late 1930s. Dr. Lebermann served his community as its primary health care resource and, from 1955 to 1959, as its mayor. Prior to that, he served as a doctor in World War II, treating casualties and helping to set up field hospitals mostly around the battlefields of Italy. Lowell Lebermann was an avid supporter of The University of Texas at Austin throughout his life, and the Lebermann Foundation’s endowed gift ensures that Lowell’s legacy of generosity and Dr. Lebermann’s contributions to excellence in health care continue in perpetuity. The Dr. Lowell Henry Lebermann Endowed Chair is the first and only chair in internal medicine at Dell Medical School. Michael Pignone, M.D., MPH, is the proud inaugural recipient.
History of the Endowed Chair Endowed chairs are a powerful tradition with a lasting legacy. Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII, established the first named chair in England in 1502 at Cambridge and Oxford universities. Five centuries later, her endowed gift continues to support distinguished faculty members. Today, holding an endowed chair remains one of the highest honors in academia — and recognizes excellence in research, education and care. These prestigious positions are made possible by generous donors who have invested in ensuring visionary health transformation and leadership at Dell Medical School. Medallions are presented to endowed chairholders during a formal investiture ceremony. The medallion serves as a tribute to the generosity of the donors and to the outstanding accomplishments of the chairholder.
Our Mission
Our Vision
Revolutionize how people get and stay healthy by:
A vital, inclusive health ecosystem: •
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Improving health in our community as a model for the nation; Evolving new models of personcentered, multidisciplinary care that reward value; Accelerating innovation and research to improve health; Educating leaders who transform health care; and Redesigning the academic health environment to better serve society
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Vital: Vigorous, animated, full of life and energy, dynamic Inclusive: Open to everyone Ecosystem: The complex of a community and its environment functioning as a system