The Perelman School of Medicine Presidential Professorship II

Presidential Professorships are awarded to exceptional scholars of any rank who will contribute to the diverse experiences, perspectives, and eminence of Penn faculty. They were established in 2011 to strengthen the University’s ability to recruit, retain and mentor distinguished scholars who are preeminent in their fields and have demonstrated a commitment to sustaining an inclusive and vibrant academic community.

Current Chairholder

Sharlene M. Day, MD

Sharlene M. Day, MD recently joined Penn Medicine as a Presidential Associate Professor of Medicine and Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her B.S from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1991 and her MD from New York University School of Medicine in 1995. She completed her internal medicine residency and cardiovascular medicine fellowship at the University of Michigan, followed by a postdoctoral research fellowship in cardiovascular biology and physiology. Shortly after joining the faculty at the University of Michigan, she established the Program for Inherited Cardiomyopathies and Arrhythmias, where she served as the Director for 12 years. This program encompasses clinical care and translational research that spans bench studies assessing mechanisms of disease, to clinical prospective registries and clinical trials. Dr. Day was awarded Clinician of the Year by the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association, and Scholarships from the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute and Lefkofsky Foundation.

Dr. Day joined the Penn faculty in July 2019 as Associate Professor of Medicine and Genetics and Director of Translational Research for the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and the Cardiovascular Institute. She sees patients with genetic heart conditions in the Penn Center for Inherited Cardiac Disease. Her research program primarily focuses on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and integrates basic, translational and clinical science. She has published over 100 manuscripts and lectures nationally and internationally. Dr. Day is chair of the NIH Translational Development and Clinical Studies Study Section, a member of the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology National Committee for Establishing Treatment Guidelines for Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, past-Chair of the Sarnoff Foundation Scientific Committee, an Associate Editor for The European Heart Journal and the Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight, and an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation.