The J. William White Professorship of Surgical Research

The Professorship was created in 1926 through the bequest of J. William White, MD (1850–1916), a pioneer in research surgery and an esteemed alumnus of the Perelman School of Medicine Class of 1877.

Dr. White was the third incumbent of the John Rhea Barton Chair in Surgery at Perelman School of Medicine. Among his contributions to his medical alma mater, he helped to bring the Army-Navy football game to Franklin Field in 1899. Although better known as a clinician, Dr. White emphasized the importance of research to his colleagues and students, serving as a role model through his own innovative investigatory work. Dr. White was the first to utilize X-ray therapy to detect fractures and bone deformities, and his experimentation in the removal and treatment of carcinoma of the prostate has been invaluable in the effective treatment of the disease.

Current Chairholder

J. William White Professorship of Surgical Research is currently open.

Previous Chairholders

• J. Edwin Sweet, MD 1926–1927
• Isidore S. Ravdin, MD 1927–1936
• Jonathan E. Rhoads, Jr., MD 1949–1951
• William Blakemore, MD 1956–1963
• Robert Ravdin, MD 1964–1970
• Leonard D. Miller, MD 1970–1978
• Clyde F. Barker, MD 1978–1983
• Larry W. Stephenson, MD 1988–1989
• Ali Naji, MD, PhD 1990-2023