The David J. Mahoney Professorship of Neurological Sciences

David J. MahoneyThe Professorship was established in 1984 through the generosity of 1947 Wharton alumnus David J. Mahoney (1923–2000), an international leader in the business community, a devoted activist for the advancement of neuroscience, and a committed supporter of the University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Mahoney created his own advertising agency at age 28, became President of Good Humor Company at 33 and later was named Executive Vice President at Colgate-Palmolive, President of Canada Dry, and CEO of Norton Simon. Commitment to promoting research in the neurosciences occupied Mr. Mahoney after his retirement in 1983 and led to the establishment of the Mahoney Institute of Neurological Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania and the Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute. (The Penn Institution was renamed the Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences in 1985.) As Chairman of the Board of the Charles A. Dana Foundation, over the years Mr. Mahoney provided significant support to research and education in the neurosciences.

 

John A. DaniCurrent Chairholder
John A. Dani, PhD

John A. Dani, PhD was appointed the David J. Mahoney Professor of Neurological Sciences, Chair of the Department of Neuroscience, and Director of the Mahoney Institute of Neurological Sciences in 2013. He received his PhD in physiology from the University of Minnesota. After post-doctoral training and a junior faculty position at Yale University, Dr. Dani joined Baylor College of Medicine, where he rose through the ranks to become Professor and Director of the Center on Addiction, Learning, and Memory. During this period, Dr. Dani was a Visiting Scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Wiersma Visiting Professor at the California Institute of Technology. Dr. Dani has received a number of awards, including the New Investigator Research Award and the Jacob Javits Neuroscience Award from the NIH. Dr. Dani’s research focuses on fundamental neuronal mechanisms and how those mechanisms are misdirected and damaged during disease or commandeered by drug addiction.

Previous Chairholders

  • Robert L. Barchi, MD, PhD 1985–1999
  • Irwin B. Levitan, PhD 1999–2009