The Craig and Elaine Dobbin/Nancy P. Blumenthal Professorship for Advanced Lung Disease
Established in 2006 by Craig L. and Elaine Dobbin, the Professorship supports a tenured faculty member of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care with a national or international reputation in advanced lung disease or lung transplantation. In recognition of the importance of collaboration in excellent medical care, the chair is named for Nancy P. Blumenthal, Nurse Coordinator for Penn’s Lung Transplant Team. The chairholder is expected to develop and promote collaborative practice models in the care of patients with advanced lung disease.
Nancy P. Blumenthal, CRNP is the first nurse to have a Professorship at the Perelman School of Medicine endowed in her name. She has been the Nurse Coordinator for the Penn Lung Transplant Team since 1993 and has partnered with her medical and surgical colleagues in the strategic development of the Lung Transplant Program, which has become a national leader. Widely published on topics of lung transplantation and pulmonary disease, Ms. Blumenthal lectures internationally on the expanding role of nurse practitioners in transplant.
Craig Dobbin was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CHC Helicopter Corporation, the world’s largest helicopter company, with headquarters in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Penn Medicine was one of many philanthropic causes he supported; he served on the Penn Medicine Board from 2002 until his death in 2006.
Current Chairholder
Robert M. Kotloff, MD
Dr. Kotloff is Professor of Clinical Medicine and Director of the Harron Lung Center. He has worked in the field of lung transplantation for the past 29 years and has extensive clinical experience in the evaluation of transplant candidates and in the care of transplant recipients. In addition to his involvement in lung transplantation, Dr. Kotloff has special expertise in the evaluation and management of patients with interstitial lung disease, lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), and other cystic lung diseases. He also maintains an active interest in general pulmonary medicine and, in particular, in evaluating patients with complex pulmonary disorders.
In addition to his clinical activities, Dr. Kotloff has made medical education and scholarship a focus of his career. He has authored over 130 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, editorials, and book chapters and has edited or co-edited six books and monographs. He previously directed the Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship Training Program at the University of Pennsylvania for 24 years. He has served as Chair of the Pulmonary Disease Test Writing Committee of the American Board of Internal Medicine, Chair of the Transplant Network of the American College of Chest Physicians, and as President of the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors. Previous editorial board positions include Associate Editor of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Section Editor for CHEST, Associate Editor of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society (AnnalsATS), and, most recently, Senior Deputy Editor for AnnalsATS. Dr. Kotloff is the 2011 recipient of the American College of Chest Physicians College Medalist Award recognizing meritorious service in furthering work in chest medicine. He is also the 2016 recipient of the American Thoracic Society Outstanding Educator Award, which recognizes lifetime contributions to education and mentoring in the fields of pulmonary, critical care, or sleep medicine.
Dr. Kotloff has held a number of major administrative roles in his career. He served for many years as Chief of the Section of Advanced Lung Disease and Lung Transplantation at Penn. From 2014-19, he was Chair of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at Cleveland Clinic. In 2019, he returned to Penn and currently serves as Director of the Harron Lung Center.
Previous Chairholders
- Jason D. Christie, MD, MSCE