The Presidential Professorship of Neurology

psom shield placeholder

Supported in part by The Pew Charitable Trusts, Presidential Professorships are awarded to exceptional scholars of any rank who will contribute to the diverse experiences, perspectives, and eminence of Penn faculty. They were established in 2011 to strengthen the University’s ability to recruit, retain and mentor distinguished scholars who are preeminent in their fields and have demonstrated a commitment to sustaining an inclusive and vibrant academic community.


 

phillips photoCurrent Chairholder

Richard E. Phillips, MD, PhD

Dr. Phillips joined Penn as Assistant Presidential Professor of Neurology in 2020. He earned both his MD and PhD degrees from King's College London. He then completed his internship at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a residency in neurology at MGH/Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and a fellowship in neuro-oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. 

His clinical and research interests focus on primary brain tumors, particularly on malignant glioma, the most common type of brain cancer. His long term research goal is to understand the how epigenetic pathways are rewired in brain cancer during tumorigenesis, therapy, and evasion of immunity. The ultimate goal is to translate these discoveries into novel therapeutics for brain tumor patients.  

Previous Chairholder: 

  • Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, MD, PhD 2016-2021