Mayo Clinic Trustees Recognize New Named Professors

Friday, November 11, 2005

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees honored two awardees of named professorships at its quarterly meeting.

Paul Leibson, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic immunologist and professor of Immunology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, received the Rose M. and Morris Eisenberg Professorship. This professorship was established in 1986 by George M. Eisenberg in honor of his parents, and was the second of eight professorships he endowed. Dr. Leibson joined Mayo Clinic's staff in 1986. He has served in various leadership positions in education and research at Mayo Clinic, including dean of Mayo Graduate School and a member of the Rochester Research Executive Committee. He is a member of the Mayo M.D.-Ph.D. Program Executive Committee and is a research Theme Leader for Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Leibson's research has focused on using the body's immune system to fight cancer.

Douglas Johnson, M.D., was honored as the recipient of the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Professorship in Ophthalmology, established in 1998 to honor the leadership and medical career of Robert Waller, M.D., as he retired as president and chief executive officer of Mayo Foundation. Dr. Johnson joined the Mayo Clinic staff in 1983. He is a professor of Ophthalmology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Dr. Johnson's research focuses on finding the cause of glaucoma, the eye disease. His research laboratory developed a system to study eyes in the eye bank, and uses electron microscopy and molecular biology in this quest. He also has been instrumental in clinical studies of why glaucoma can lead to blindness and how this blindness can be prevented.

Named professorships at Mayo Clinic represent the highest academic distinction for a faculty member. Faculty are appointed to a professorship through nomination and endorsement of their peers and then confirmed by Mayo Clinic senior leadership. Appointed individuals are recognized for distinguished achievement in their specialty areas and service to the institution.

Named professorship gift funds, which may be unrestricted or focused on a specific medical area, are held in endowment. All income from the endowed professorships supports Mayo Clinic programs in medical education and research.

The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees, a 30-member group of public representatives and Mayo physicians and administrators, is responsible for patient care, medical education and research activities at Mayo Clinic in Florida, Minnesota and Arizona. ###

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