Mayo Clinic Trustees Honor New Named Professors

Friday, May 14, 2010

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees today transitioned chairs and honored three new Mayo Clinic named professors.

Marilyn Carlson Nelson, chair of the Carlson company in Minnetonka, presided over her first quarterly meeting as chair of the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees. Ms. Carlson Nelson is chair and former CEO of Carlson, one of the largest privately held companies in the world, where she has been an extremely effective business leader. Under her leadership, the firm's systemwide sales nearly doubled, to $40 billion. She transformed Carlson into a "new model" company and initiated an employee effort that netted more than $200 million in cost reduction and program improvements. She has been named one of "America's Best Leaders" by U.S. News & World Report and Forbes magazine has regularly selected her as one of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women." In 2007, Ethisphere Magazine named her one of the "100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics."

James Barksdale, who completed his four-year term as board chair at the February 2010 meeting of the Trustees, continues as a public trustee. Barksdale, a trustee since 2001, heads Barksdale Management Corporation. "We are grateful for the visionary leadership provided by Jim Barksdale and look forward to working with Marilyn Carlson Nelson in the years ahead," says John Noseworthy, M.D., Mayo Clinic president and CEO.

Edward Leof, Ph.D., a consultant in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, with a joint appointment in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, is honored with the Erivan K. Haub Family Professorship in Cancer Research Honoring Richard F. Emslander, M.D. Erivan K. and Helga Haub of Germany established the Erivan K. Haub Family Professorship in Cancer Research Honoring Richard F. Emslander, M.D. Haub is owner and chairman of Tengelmann Group, an advisory entrepreneurial group. The Tengelmann Group was established in 1867 when Haub's great-grandparents started a coffee- and tea-importing company, which the subsequent generations expanded into a chain of grocery stores. This professorship honors Dr. Emslander, a consultant in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. This permanent endowment honoring Dr. Emslander is in recognition of his clinical expertise and his distinguished 50-year career at Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Leof has co-authored numerous articles and reviews and has served in journal responsibilities for publications such as Cancer Research, Journal of Cell Biology, Journal of Biological Chemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology. Dr. Leof's research, which focuses on transforming growth factor beta — a multifunctional protein with roles in cancer, wound healing, fibrotic disorders and immune modulation — has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for over 20 years. He currently is a recipient of a MERIT Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and holds two U.S. patents.

Morie Gertz, M.D., is recognized with the Roland Seidler, Jr. Professorship in the Art of Medicine in Honor of Michael D. Brennan, M.D. Dr. Gertz is a consultant in the Division of Hematology and chair of the Department of Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The Roland Seidler, Jr. Professorship in the Art of Medicine in Honor of Michael D. Brennan, M.D., was established by the Blue Donkey Foundation of California. Blue Donkey is a private charitable foundation whose mission is to make significant financial gifts to causes that are sustainable, have a proven impact and are led in a hands-on manner by talented, disciplined professionals. The medical care given by Dr. Brennan to three generations of Seidler family members inspired Blue Donkey to establish this professorship that will recognize Dr. Brennan, honor their father, Roland Seidler, Jr., and further educate medical professionals in the art of medicine. Through this professorship, the Seidler family expresses their appreciation to Dr. Brennan for his professionalism and his caring personal touch. Dr. Brennan is a consultant in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. He holds the academic rank of professor of medicine.

Dr. Gertz is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, such as the Excellence in Leadership Award and Distinguished Clinician Award at Mayo Clinic and the International Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Foundation Physician Service Award for Patient Education. He has been active in curriculum/course development, teaching and mentoring activities. In addition, he has given numerous invited and visiting professor presentations throughout the world and has co-authored many articles, books, book chapters, editorials, abstracts and letters.

William Young Jr., M.D. is the recipient of the Tyson Family Endocrinology Clinical Professorship in Honor of Vahab Fatourechi, M.D. Dr. Young is a consultant and vice chair in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The Tyson family has had a relationship with Mayo Clinic for more than 60 years. They established the Tyson Family Endocrinology Clinical Professorship in Honor of Vahab Fatourechi, M.D., to honor him for his compassionate and skilled care. Dr. Fatourechi is a consultant in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and holds the academic rank of professor of medicine. Tyson Foods' history dates back to the Great Depression. John W. Tyson, an Arkansas farmer, supported his family by selling vegetables and poultry. In 1935, Tyson developed a revolutionary method for transporting live poultry and expanded his business to include buying and selling chickens.

Today, Tyson Foods Inc. sells one out of every four pounds of beef, pork and chicken sold, and has operations throughout the world.

Dr. Young has received numerous honors and awards, including the Distinction in Clinical Endocrinology Award from the American College of Endocrinology, Distinguished Clinician Award at Mayo Clinic, Outstanding Faculty Member at Mayo School of Continuous Professional Development and Outstanding Speaker Award from the American Association for Clinical Chemistry. Dr. Young has published over 210 articles and has presented at over 250 national and international meetings. He has been an invited visiting professor for more than 80 medical institutions.

Named professorships represent the highest academic distinction for a Mayo Clinic faculty member. Faculty are appointed to a named 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.

These professorships are named in honor of the benefactors. The 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 group of public representatives and Mayo physicians and administrators, is responsible for patient care, medical education and research activities at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.; Rochester, Minn.; and Scottsdale and Phoenix, Ariz.

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