The Frank A. And Gwladys H. Elliott Professorship of Neurology
The Professorship was established through the bequest of Frank A. Elliott, MD (1910– 2003), who founded the Department of Neurology at Pennsylvania Hospital—the first Department of Neurology in the U.S.—in 1959. The chair is awarded to a member of the standing faculty in the Perelman School of Medicine in the Department of Neurology based at Pennsylvania Hospital. In the first-ever endowed University position at Pennsylvania Hospital, the chair realizes the wishes of Dr. Elliott and his wife, Gwladys.
Dr. Elliott received his medical training in South Africa and in London. As Chief Consultant of Neurology to the British military, he oversaw services in Scotland, Ireland, and India from 1940 to 1947. In 1948, he became Chief of Neurology at Charing Cross Hospital, University of London. In 1959, Dr. Elliot was recruited to Pennsylvania Hospital to establish the Department of Neurology. He served as Professor of Neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine from 1960 until his retirement in 1974. He and Gwladys Hopkins Marvel of Philadelphia (1905–1997) were married in 1977.
Dr. Elliott’s research focused on the treatment of episodic rage disorders and on stroke prevention. He trained many future leaders in the field, including Thomas W. Langfitt, MD, who chaired the Perelman School of Medicine Department of Neurosurgery and was known for his pioneering work in the treatment of head injuries. Among Dr. Elliott’s accomplishments at Pennsylvania Hospital, he developed one of the first stroke risk-analysis clinics in the U.S. and authored the textbook Clinical Neurology, which was considered the classic reference book for students and doctors alike.
Current Chairholder
Lawrence R. Wechsler, MD
Dr. Lawrence R. Wechsler joined the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 as the Frank and Gwladys Elliott Professor of Neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Wechsler is also the Chair of the Department of Neurology at Pennsylvania Hospital. He was formerly the Henry B. Higman Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Vice President for Telemedicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). He founded the UPMC Stroke Institute in 1996 and developed an extensive telestroke network throughout the Western Pennsylvania region.
Dr. Wechsler holds memberships in several organizations, including the American Neurological Association, the American Stroke Association, the American Society of Neuroimaging, and the American Academy of Neurology. He has authored and co-authored numerous articles related to stroke and stroke therapy. He participated as an investigator, steering committee member, and advisor to multiple stroke trials and served on numerous committees for national organizations, including the American Heart Association, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Society of Neuroimaging. He was President of the American Society of Neuroimaging from 2009-2011 and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Neuroimaging from 1998-2006. He is a fellow of the American Neurological Association, the American Heart Association, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American College of Physicians.
Dr. Wechsler received his AB in biology from Harvard University and his MD from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his neurology residency and fellowship in cerebrovascular disease at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Previous Chairholders
- Howard I. Hurtig, MD 2006–2014
- Anjan Chatterjee, MD 2014-2020