Endowed Chairs and Professorships
About and inquiries
Endowed Chairs and Professorships are established by the philanthropic community and/or organizations to develop, promote, and recognize research excellence throughout the university. The income generated by the endowments enhances the recruitment and retention of internationally renowned candidates who will provide leadership and vision to specific research programs.
Endowments have virtually matched pace with the overall growth of the school. Currently, the total endowment value is approximately $209 million. Today we have over 55 chairs and professorships.
For all inquiries relative to chairs, professorships and endowments within the Cumming School of Medicine, please contact:
Endowed Chairs and Professorships
ACHF Barb Ibbotson Chair in Pediatric Hematology
- Nicola Wright
ACHF Chair Pediatric Research
- Susanne Benseler
ACHF Cuthbertson and Fischer Chair in Pediatric Mental Health
- Scott Patten
Dr. Robert Haslam Chair in Pediatric Neurology
- Adam Kirton
ACHF Husky Energy Chair in Child and Maternal Health
- Susanne Benseler
ACHF Professorship in Child Health and Wellness
- Stephen Freedman
ACHF Professorship in Pediatric Rehabilitation
- TBD
ACHF MacNeill Chair in Pediatric Surgery
- Mary Brindle
Cal Wenzel Family Foundation Chair in Hepatology
- Mark Swain
Dr. Frank Leblanc Chair in Spinal Cord Injury
- Patrick Whelan
Daniel Family Leadership Chair in Psychosocial Oncology
- Barry Bultz
DG Wyse-Libin Professorship in Cardiovascular Research
- Robert Rose
Donald Burns and Louise Berlin Professorship in Dementia Research
-Jeffrey Joseph
Katthy Taylor Chair in Vascular Dementia
- Eric Smith
Kids Cancer Care Chair in Pediatric Oncology
- Jennifer Chan
Kids Cancer Care Chair in Clinical and Translational Research In Pediatric Oncology
- Aru Narendran
Novartis Chair in Schizophrenia Research
- Jean Addington
Tourmaline Oil Chair in Parkinson's Disease
- Oury Monchi
Mathison Center for Mental Health Research & Education
- Paul Arnold
Campbell McLaurin Chair Hearing
- Jun Yan
Chair in Brain Tumor Research
- Greg Cairncross
Brenda Strafford Foundation Chair Geriatric Medicine
- Jayna Holroyd-Leduc
Brenda Strafford Foundation Chair in Alzheimer Research
- Marc Poulin
Calvin, Phoebe and Joan Snyder Chair in Critical Care Research
- Paul Kubes
Crohn's and Collitis Foundation Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research
- Remo Panaccione
Enbridge Research Chair in Psychosocial Oncology
- Linda Carlson
Engineered Air Chair in Cancer Research
- Paola Neri
GSK Professorship in Inflammatory Lung Disease
- Richard Leigh
Armstrong Investigatorship in Molecular Cancer Epidemiology
- Darren Brenner
Parker Psychedelic Research Chair
- TBD
Chair in Pediatric Psychosocial Oncology
-TBD
N. B. Hershfield Chair in Therapeutic Endoscopy
- Steve Heitman
Ohlson Family Professorship in Head and Neck Surgery
- Joseph Dort
Chair in Pediatric Respirology
- Margaret Kelly
Roy and Joan Allen Professorship in Sight Research Professorship
- Fiona Costello
Roy and Vi Baay Chair in Kidney Research
- Pietro Ravani
Sutherland Professorship in GI/IBD Research
- Simon Hirota
Arthritis Society Chair in Rheumatic Disease/Rheumatology
- Anne Clark
Arthur J.E. Child Chair in Rheumatology Research
- Deborah Marshall
Bob and Nola Rintoul Chair in Bone and Joint Research
- Steven Boyd
Grace Glaum Professorship
- Roman Krawetz
John A. Buchanan Chair in General Internal Medicine
- Irene Ma
McCaig Chair in Joint Injury and Arthritis
- Stephen Boyd
Jessie Boden Lloyd Professorship in Immunology Research
- Chris Mody
Alberta Medical Foundation/Hannah Professorship in the History of Medicine
- Frank Stahnisch
Chiu Family/AstraZeneca Chair in Cardiovascular Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
- Hude Quan
HSF Chair in Cardiovascular Research
- Wayne Chen
HSF Chair in Stroke Research
- Mayank Goyal
HSF-Hotchkiss Brain Institute Professorship in Stroke Research
- TBD
HSF-Libin Institute Professorship in Cardiovascular Research
- TBD
Julia McFarlane Chair in Diabetes Research
- Pere Santamaria
Merck Chair in Cardiovascular Research
- Paul Fedak
Suter Professorship in Parkinson's Research
- Bin Hu
David Freeze Chair in Health Research
- Marcello Tonelli
Svare Professorship in Health Economics
- Braden Manns
HSF = Heart & Stroke Foundation
ACHF = Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation
Approved by The Board of Governors, on the recommendation of General Faculties Council, to be effective 18 April, 1991. The Policy supersedes the Policy on Chairs and Professorships adopted in 1984.
The Board of Governors also delegated its authority in the matter of establishing Endowed Chairs and Professorships to the President
Endowed Chairs are endowment funded prestigious academic staff appointments established to recognize and/or attract to the University internationally recognized senior academics whose scholarly activity and accomplishments will enrich selected areas of research and teaching.
Endowed Professorships are endowment funded academic staff appointments made to facilitate cooperative research between the University and the contributing community, government, and/or industrial sponsors.
These appointments are distinguished from other sponsored academic appointments (such as those underwritten by the national granting councils, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, and others) by the manner in which appointees are selected, which is internal to, and determined by, the University.
Purpose - The University will establish endowed chairs and professorships as a means of selectively developing, promoting, and recognizing excellence in research and scholarship at the University.
Terms of Reference - Each Chair or Professorship shall have terms of reference setting out.
Name - The official name of the Chair or Professorship.
Purpose - The purpose and objectives of the Chair or Professorship including the Faculty(ies), disciplines, and/or specialization in which an appointment may be made.
Qualifications - The general and any specific qualifications required of candidates or nominees. Normally, Chair candidates will be required to have academic qualifications commensurate with an appointment at the rank of Professor and an internationally distinguished research and/or teaching record; normally, Professorship candidates will have academic qualifications commensurate with a senior professorial appointment.
Advisory Committee - The composition of an Advisory Committee which must include at least one external member from out side the Faculty, a nominee of the Vice-President (Academic) and a nominee of the Vice- President (Research). Normally, the Committee will be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Dean of the Faculty in which the appointment will be held and the Vice-President (Research & International). The committee will report to the Faculty Dean. In the absence of a designated Faculty, the Committee will report to the Vice-President (Research & International).
Term of Appointment - Normally, initial appointments are for three to five years terms. If renewal is permitted, it must be subject to a favourable performance review and the availability of funds.
Reporting Obligations - Appointees will report annually, in the same manner as other faculty, through their Department Head and Faculty Dean to the President and the Vice- President (Research). When the appointment includes an expense allowance, an annual work plan and budget may be required and subject to review by the Advisory Committee.
Annual Reviews - Normally, appointees will be reviewed in the same manner as other faculty. However, when desired in a particular case, the Advisory Committee may be required to undertake annual or periodic reviews including, as appropriate, an assessment of the appointee's success in carrying out the year's planned activities, the quality of the appointee's contributions and accomplishments, and such other unique requirements and objectives established at the time of appointment.
Other - Any other provisions unique to the appointment.
The terms of reference will be developed jointly by the prospective sponsor(s), host department and faculty, and the Vice- President (Research) and endorsed (approved) by the host department and faculty as consistent with department and faculty long term priorities and objectives. The Vice-President (Research & International) is responsible for coordinating the development of terms of reference.
Establishment - Following the approval of terms of reference, the Chair or Professorship will be established by the President acting with the delegated authority of the Board of Governors and the General Faculties Council. The Vice-President (Research & International) is responsible for obtaining approval to establish a Chair or Professorship.
Selection - Candidate's applications or nominations are reviewed by the Advisory Committee which shall make an appointment recommendation.
Appointment - The selected candidates appointment is recommended by the Faculty Dean through the Vice-President (Academic) for approval by the President. The President approves with the delegated authority of the Board. The Faculty Dean is also responsible for ensuring that the academic activities of appointees are appropriately integrated with the Faculty plans and activities.
Annual Review - Appointees will be reviewed annually in the same manner as other members of faculty. When the Terms of Reference so require, the Advisory Committee will also carry out a review reporting, as specified, to Sponsors, the Faculty Dean, and the Vice-President (Research & International). The Faculty Dean is responsible for initiating and coordinating annual reviews and, where required, obtaining the advice and recommendations of the Advisory Committee.
Reappointment - If applicable, a timely reappointment review will be undertaken by the Advisory Committee. The Committee will consider the appointee's activities and accomplishments over the full term of the appointment up to the date of the review. The review report will include a recommendation on reappointment. If the recommendation is to reappoint, the reappointment is made in the same manner as the initial appointment. If the recommendation is not to reappoint, the Committee will seek a new appointee.
Procedures/Criteria - The Advisory Committee will use the same selection and review procedures as the Faculty would use for the selection and review of appointees at the rank of Professor or Associate Professor (as appropriate). The criteria used by the Committee will be the same as, or more demanding than, those used for the selection and review of regular appointees. These criteria are found in the terms of reference specific to each Chair or Professorship.
Chair Endowments - The expendable income from a Chair endowment (determined in accordance with the University's policy on endowment income and expenditures) should be sufficient to pay the appointee's full initial term and prospective reappointment salary and benefits. In addition, whenever possible, the amount should also include an expense allowance for general secretarial, research, and research and appointment-related travel costs.
Named Professorship Endowments - The expendable income from a Named Professorship endowment (determined in accordance with the University's policy on endowment income and expenditures) should be sufficient to pay at least one-half of the appointee's initial term and prospective reappointment full salary and benefits. In addition, whenever possible, the amount should also include a contribution to an expense allowance for general secretarial, research, and research and appointment- related travel costs.
Fundraising - Community and/or corporate fund raising, if required, may be carried out with the Board's approval of a fundraising proposal, coordinated and supervised by the Development Office. Approval/allocation of any matching funds for which the proposal may be eligible is also sought/obtained through the Development Office.
Financial Viability - If the expendable income is insufficient to meet continuing appointment and expense costs, the Dean will consult with the Vice-Presidents, the Director of Fund Development, and if appropriate, the Sponsors. A decision will then be made to leave the position vacant intermittently, supplement the income from other sources, initiate additional fund-raising, or some combination of these measures.
Financial Responsibility - The Vice- President (Finance and Services) has responsibility for the financial administration of the endowments and, in particular, for timely information and advice on the adequacy and availability of funds for budget purposes. In determining the annual budget, the Vice-President (Finance and Services) will consult the Vice-President (Research & International) and the Dean of the Faculty in which the appointment is held.