The Guggenheim Family-Thomas W. Langfitt, MD Professorship
The Professorship was created through the generosity of Colette and Michel Guggenheim and expresses their gratitude for the exceptional care provided to their son Jean-Pierre (1957–2010) throughout his life.
The chair honors Thomas W. Langfitt, MD (1927–2005), former Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Langfitt guided Jean-Pierre’s treatment with outstanding expertise and kindness.
Both Colette and Michel Guggenheim devoted their careers to teaching, and the couple has also supported medical education at the Perelman School by endowing the Guggenheim Family Neurosurgery Scholarship. Created through Jean-Pierre’s estate, the Scholarship funds summer research projects of Perelman School students interested in neurosurgery.
Dr. Langfitt was well known for his leadership of Penn’s head-injury program and his contributions to the management of intracranial pressure, then a common cause of death in neurosurgical patients. He also championed early child development, health-care reform and the environment. Dr. Langfitt served as the Charles Frazier Harrison Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery from 1968 to 1987.
Dr. Langfitt continued to advance medicine and the public good through his leadership of the Pew Charitable Trusts, the foundation created by the family who had established the Pennsylvania-based Sun Oil Company. Dr. Langfitt was President of the Trusts from 1987 to 1994 and served on the Board until his death. During his tenure, the Pew Charitable Trusts more than doubled its assets and became a nationally prominent funder of civic causes.
Current Chairholder
John H. Shin, MD, MBA
John H. Shin, MD, MBA is a neurosurgeon specializing in spinal reconstruction surgery for scoliosis deformities and spinal tumors such as chordoma, sarcoma, schwannoma, meningioma, and metastatic cancer. He has a particular interest in cervical kyphosis and complex cervical spine surgery. Throughout his career, he has advocated for patient-centered multidisciplinary clinical collaborations. He is passionate about providing personalized and empathic surgical spine care.
Prior to Penn Medicine, he was Chief of Spine Neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School, where he also served as Director of Spine Oncology and Spinal Deformity Surgery and founder of the Mass General Brigham Neurosurgery Complex Spine Fellowship training program. In 2022, he was honored as the inaugural Kingdon-Saylor Family Endowed Chair in Neurosurgery for exemplary contributions to Massachusetts General Hospital. He also earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
In addition to performing complex spine surgery, Dr. Shin holds leadership positions with many spine organizations. He is currently co-chair of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine Editorial Board and is often invited to lecture internationally at meetings and universities. He has directed surgeon education courses for the North American Spine Society, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, AO Spine, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and the AANS/CNS Division of Spine and Peripheral Nerves. He currently serves on the Executive and Scientific Planning Committees for the AANS/CNS Spine Section and served as the 2025 Scientific Program Co-Chair for the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting.