The Rose H. Weiss Orphan Disease Center Director’s Professorship

Established in 2016 by George A. Weiss, the Professorship honors his late mother, Rose H. Weiss. Born in Vienna in 1908, Rose fled Europe with her family shortly before the Nazi invasion. She was a devoted mother and gifted businesswoman who instilled in her children a great spirit of generosity and a sense of duty to those in need. The chair created in her name provides support for the Director of the Orphan Disease Center, which Mr. Weiss founded in 2011.

An advocate of interdisciplinary research, George A. Weiss has endowed several professorships at Penn, including a PIK (Penn Integrates Knowledge) professorship now held jointly between the Perelman School of Medicine and Penn Nursing. He is currently co-sponsoring a challenge to create Presidential Distinguished Professorships at the Perelman School of Medicine.

Mr. Weiss is a Wharton graduate of the Class of 1965 and Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Weiss Multi-Strategy Advisers LLC, a next-generation boutique investment management firm with a nearly 40-year history. The Founder of Say Yes to Education, Inc., Mr. Weiss is well-known for opening access to higher education for high-poverty youth. His generosity to his alma mater is unparalleled: his philanthropy and leadership have created scholarships, professorships, innovative programs, and facilities that enhance many aspects of university life including athletics, technology, and residential living. He received an Honorary Degree from Penn in 2014.

Current Chairholder
James M. Wilson, MD, PhD

James M. Wilson, MD, PhD is the inaugural Rose H. Weiss Orphan Disease Center Director’s Professor and Director of the Gene Therapy Program at Penn Medicine. Dr. Wilson began his work in gene therapy during his graduate studies at the University of Michigan more than 30 years ago, and he has helped shape this emerging therapeutic area from its birth. In 1993, he joined the Perelman School of Medicine where he created the first and largest academic-based program in gene therapy.

Dr. Wilson’s laboratory recently discovered a novel and highly effective platform for gene transfer. The founder of several biotechnology companies, Dr. Wilson is currently leading a national dialogue on commercializing this potentially life-saving advance.

Throughout his career, Dr. Wilson has studied rare inherited diseases, including cystic fibrosis, dyslipidemia, and metabolic disorders. He has published more than 550 papers, reviews, commentaries, and editorials in peer-reviewed literature and is an inventor on more than 117 patents.