The Brooke Roberts–William Maul Measey Professorship of Surgery

The Brooke Roberts–William Maul Measey Professorship was established in 2004 through the generosity of the Measey Foundation, the Department of Surgery, and family and friends of Brooke Roberts, MD. The chair honors Dr. Roberts (1917–2003), a former Chief of Vascular Surgery who epitomized excellence in research, teaching, and patient care, and William Maul Measey (1875–1967), an alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania Law School Class of 1898.

Brooke Roberts, MD graduated from the Perelman School of Medicine in 1943 and served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during World War II. He joined the faculty of the Perelman School in 1947 and was a surgeon for 40 years at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He pioneered vascular surgery, devising innovative techniques for such conditions as aortic aneurysms and obstructed arteries.

Dr. Roberts was a member of many professional organizations and served on the boards of Independence Blue Cross and the Measey Foundation. He helped train two generations of medical students, including the first holder of the Roberts–Measey Professorship, Joseph E. Bavaria, MD.

William Maul Measey (1875–1967), a distinguished corporate attorney in Philadelphia, created the Benjamin and Mary Siddons Measey Foundation in 1958 to honor the memory of his parents. Since the Foundation supports several colleges, universities, schools of medicine, and hospitals in the Philadelphia area, the Measey name has become synonymous with the furtherance of medical education in the region.

Current Chairholder
Joseph E. Bavaria, MD

Joseph E. Bavaria, MD is the Brooke Roberts–William Maul Measey Professor of Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine and Vice Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also Director of the Thoracic Aortic Surgery Program at Penn Medicine, a multidisciplinary program encompassing all aspects of aortic disease, including thoracic aortic reconstruction and Marfan syndrome.

Dr. Bavaria graduated with honors in chemical engineering from Tulane University, where he also received his medical degree. He was awarded the “gold scalpel,” the highest surgical honor for a graduating Tulane medical student. He completed his general surgery and cardiothoracic training at Penn Medicine and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Bavaria’s current research investigates the microbiology and pathology of the aortic wall in genetically triggered aortic conditions and disease as well as neuro-cerebral metabolism and brain protection during cardio-aortic surgery. He is the current President of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.