The Ralph Muller Presidential Professorship

This professorship was established in 2018 to honor UPHS CEO Ralph Muller for his many significant contributions to Penn Medicine and to health care nationally.

During his 17-year tenure, Mr. Muller helped transform Penn and Philadelphia’s health care landscape through a series of world-class new facilities such as the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Penn Medicine Pavilion. He led the expansion of Penn Medicine’s footprint throughout the region, improving access to exceptional patient care.

Under his leadership, UPHS created “practices of the future” across the region, which fostered patient-centered care continuity by housing primary care and other specialties under one roof. All these practices were linked by a common electronic health record to ensure care coordination throughout the health system’s hospitals and numerous outpatient facilities. In addition, Mr. Muller’s support for telemedicine-based approaches boosted outcomes for both inpatients and those managing chronic illnesses at home.

With his diverse skills and scholarship in policy and health care economics, Mr. Muller has led national health care industry initiatives from patient safety improvements to health insurance expansion and increased support for physician training. He also formed collaborative partnerships with insurers such as Independence Blue Cross, mapping fresh strategies that improve patient outcomes while reducing costs. A signature accomplishment of his tenure was the creation of the Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation, which brings together physicians, nurses and social scientists to test new models of healthcare to advance care at Penn Medicine and throughout the nation.

Mr. Muller is also well known for his strong civic engagement and track record of community development and service. He led the development of the Penn Medicine High School Pipeline program to buoy educational opportunities for West Philadelphia students. He also spearheaded the Penn Medicine CAREs grant program which supports over 180 community service initiatives from nutrition and hunger initiatives to science-mentoring programs to innovative supports for the region’s homeless population.

Before arriving at Penn, Mr. Muller served as President of the University of Chicago Hospitals and Health System from 1985 to 2001. He previously received a master’s degree in government from Harvard University and held senior posts with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including Deputy Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare.

Mr. Muller has served on the boards of several national health care organizations. He is a Director of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), Vizient and the Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI). He has served as Commissioner on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Commissioner of The Joint Commission (TJC), Chairman of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Chairman of the Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems (COTH), Chairman of the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) and Chairman of the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC).

He is an elected Member of the National Academy of Medicine, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In 2019, the American Hospital Association presented him with the Distinguished Service Award “for his unstinting service and contributions to improving the nation’s health care. Through his renowned leadership and pivotal influence across the field, he has paved the way for high-quality innovative care.”

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.

Current Chairholder: Eugenia C. South, MD MS

Eugenia (Gina) South is the Ralph Muller Presidential Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. She is the Faculty Director for the Penn Medicine Center for Health Justice as well as Associate Vice President of Health Justice for the University of Pennsylvania Health System. The vision of the Center for Health Justice is to enable health through racial, economic, and environmental justice for Black, Brown, and other people and neighborhoods harmed by structural inequity. The Center has two broad portfolios: (a) research and community action led by the Urban Health Lab and (b) health system operations led by the Health Justice Transformation group.  Dr. South has studied a variety of place-based interventions including vacant lot greening, abandoned house remediation, tree planting, and structural repairs to homes, demonstrating an impact on gun violence prevention, and mental and physical health. Her research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Commonwealth Fund. Her work has been published in JAMA, NEJM, PNAS, and AJPH, and has been covered by national and international media outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, and NPR. Dr. South is also passionate about infusing joy, hope, and peace into the lives of mentees, staff, and colleagues. She is guided by her core values of authenticity, caring, and rest, and seeks to create a work environment where all can thrive. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and three children, where you can find them exploring parks, the Philly dining scene, and cheering for the New York Mets.

Previous Chairholder

• Mitesh Patel, MD, MBA, MS 2019 - 2021