The Donald Guthrie Professorship of Surgery

Donald GuthrieThe Professorship was established in 1976 through the bequest of Emily Franklin Baker Guthrie (1890–1976), the widow of Donald Guthrie, MD (1880–1958), a graduate of the Perelman School of Medicine Class of 1905.

During the course of his distinguished career as a surgeon and teacher, Dr. Guthrie was a fellow of the Mayo Clinic and Chief of Surgery for the Lehigh Valley Railroad. He practiced at Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, PA, where he was appointed Surgeon-in-Chief at the age of 29. He established the Guthrie Clinic, Ltd. to provide diagnostic and treatment services and full intern and residency training programs. He also founded the Donald Guthrie Foundation for Medical Research. In 1954, Donald Guthrie was named Professor Emeritus of Clinical Surgery at Penn Medicine and, in 1958, received the Alumni Award of Merit from the Perelman School of Medicine.


Clyde F. BarkerCurrent Chairholder
Clyde F. Barker

Dr. Clyde F. Barker, MD, is Penn’s longest-serving Chair of the Department of Surgery.

Dr. Barker chaired the Department of Surgery from 1983 to 2001. He initiated the University’s transplant program by performing a kidney transplant, now one of only a small number in the world that still functions 50 years later. Under his leadership,

Penn’s transplant program grew to be one of the nation’s largest and most successful. Dr. Barker has published more than 430 scientific papers and is internationally recognized for his research and clinical expertise. Among his many honors, Dr. Barker is the current President of the American Philosophical Society, a member of the Academy of Medicine, and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Colleges of England and Ireland.