Herndon B. Lehr Endowed Professorship

Established in 2018, the Herndon B. Lehr Endowed Professorship honors the legacy of Dr. Herndon Briggs Lehr – a longtime faculty member of Penn.

Dr. Lehr was born in Laurel, Mississippi in 1923 and he received his medical degree in 1952 from the University of Pennsylvania. He went through his general surgical and plastic surgical residencies at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he remained in practice throughout his career, advancing from an Assistant Instructor to Professor of Surgery and Chief of Plastic Surgery. 

In 1947, Dr. Lehr received a degree in chemical engineering from the Georgia Technical Institute, and in 1970 he retired from the U.S Army Medical Reserve with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He was a member of ASPRS, AAPS, the Society of Head and Neck Surgeons, the American Association for Surgery of Trauma, amongst other professional organizations. 

Current Chairholder

Stephen J. Kovach, MD, FACS

Dr. Stephen Kovach serves as Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Plastic Surgery and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania as well as the Herndon B. Lehr Endowed Professor.  Dr. Kovach completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania followed by medical school at the George Washington University.  He completed his general surgery residency as well as his basic science research fellowship at the University of Rochester Medical Center.  He completed his plastic surgery training at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC as well as the Christine M. Kleinert Institute for Hand and Microsurgery in Louisville, KY.   

Dr. Kovach’s practice consists of reconstructive surgery and reconstructive microsurgery.  Dr. Kovach practices the spectrum of general reconstructive surgery and aesthetic surgery.  Dr. Kovach’s practice has a focus on abdominal wall reconstruction and rejuvenation, and microsurgical reconstruction of the extremities for oncologic, traumatic, and acquired defects.  Dr. Kovach has authored over 200 manuscripts, numerous book chapters, and speaks at national as well as international meetings regarding reconstructive surgery.  He is a member of multiple national and international societies and also serves a team member for the vascularized composite allotransplantation team at the University of Pennsylvania.