The John Herr Musser Professorship of Research Medicine

John Herr Musser

The Professorship was established in 1912 through the generosity of Harriet C. Prevost to honor John Herr Musser, MD (1856–1912) for his dedication to the Perelman School of Medicine.

An alumnus of the School of Medicine Class of 1877, Dr. Musser was one of the best-known diagnosticians of his day. In addition to serving as a distinguished member of the faculty at the Perelman School, he also was the Medical Registrar and Chief of the Medical Dispensary at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1909, with the financial assistance of his friend and former patient, Harriet C. Prevost, Dr. Musser organized and directed the first department within a medical school devoted to biomedical research.

Until his death in 1912, Dr. Musser contributed to many publications, including A Reference Handbook of the Medical Sciences. He was an active member of numerous local and national medical associations and served as President of the Pathology Society and the Philadelphia Medical Club.

 

Amita SehgalCurrent Chairholder
Amita Sehgal, PhD

Amita Sehgal, PhD is the John Herr Musser Professor, Professor of Neuroscience Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Director of the Chronobiology Program at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Sehgal received her PhD from the Weill Graduate School of Cornell University and conducted her post-doctoral work at Rockefeller University. Her research focuses on the genetic basis of circadian rhythms and sleep, using primarily Drosophila as a model system. Dr. Sehgal serves on national and international advisory panels and has received several awards and honors, which include the Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award from the Sleep Research Society, as well as the Michael Brown Junior Research and Stanley Cohen Senior Research awards at the Perelman School of Medicine. She has also been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences.

Previous Chairholders

  • Richard M. Pearce, MD 1912–1920
  • J. Harold Austin, MD 1921–1943
  • William A. Stadie, MD 1943–1956
  • Colin McLeod, MD 1956–1960
  • Eugene A. Hildreth, MD (Acting) 1960–1962
  • Robert Austrian, MD, ScD 1962–1986
  • James M. Wilson, MD, PhD 1993–1997
  • Elias Melhem, MD 2007–2012