Faculty Named to Two Endowed Professorships

“Professorships are a hallmark of academic medicine,” says Paul P. Lee, MD, JD, F. Bruce Fralick Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Director of the W.K. Kellogg Eye Center. “They exist in perpetuity, forever driving research progress and enabling faculty to devote time to educational and leadership activities. We are deeply thankful to those who provide this extraordinary and enduring support.”

K. Thiran Jayasundera, MD, was named the Paul R. Lichter Professor of Ophthalmic Genetics. At his installation ceremony, he expressed his appreciation for a gift made by Mary and Edwin Meader, who established the endowed professorship in 1991.

Cagri G. Besirli, MD, PhD, was named the Skillman Career Development Professor of Pediatric Ophthalmology, a professorship that grew out of a gift made more than 30 years ago. The Detroit-based Skillman Foundation made a multi-faceted contribution to children’s eye care in the late 1980s.