The Eugene P. Pendergrass Professorship of Radiology

The Professorship was established in 1977 to honor Eugene P. Pendergrass, MD (1895–1980) for his many contributions to the field of radiology and to the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Pendergrass spent his distinguished career as a scientist, clinician, and teacher at the Perelman School of Medicine. After graduating from the School in 1918, he took his residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and joined the faculty of the School of Medicine in 1920 as an assistant to Henry K. Pancoast, MD. Dr. Pendergrass was instrumental in the groundbreaking discoveries in X-ray technology that emerged from Penn’s radiology laboratories. In 1939, he succeeded Dr. Pancoast as Chairman of the Department of Radiology, a position he held until he became Professor Emeritus in 1961. Dr. Pendergrass accepted the appointment on the condition that the Department of Radiology is officially separate from the Department of Surgery. In 1964, he emerged from retirement to become the first Matthew J. Wilson Professor of Research Radiology. He was an active member of numerous civic and medical associations and received countless awards and honors, including the American College of Radiology Gold Medal and the Golden Plate Award from the Academy of Achievement.

Current Chairholder

The Eugene Pendergrass Professorship of Radiology is currently open.  

Previous Chairholders

• Stanley Baum, MD 1977–1996
• R. Nick Bryan, MD, PhD 1999–2012
• Mitchell D. Schnall MD, PhD 2012-2024