The Seymour Gray Professorship of Molecular Medicine

Seymour GrayThe Professorship was established in 1989 by Seymour Gray, MD, an esteemed alumnus of the Perelman School of Medicine Class of 1936, who also founded the Seymour Gray Research Foundation for Molecular Medicine at Penn Medicine.

Dr. Gray pioneered research in medical biophysics and, in 1948, produced the first radioactive chromium compounds for human use. He developed the methods applied worldwide for measuring the amount of blood in the body and for determining the survival time of critical blood components. While serving as a consultant to the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Gray was appointed chairman of a task force on Medical Education in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. He authored over two hundred articles and texts, and published Beyond the Veil: The Adventures of an American Doctor in Saudi Arabia, a memoir of his experiences while organizing the King Faisal Specialist and Medical School.

Daniel J. RaderCurrent Chairholder
Daniel J. Rader, MD

Daniel J. Rader, MD is a physician-scientist whose research focuses on the human genetics and functional genomics of cardiometabolic traits and disease, and their translational implications for novel therapies. He is internationally known for his original contributions to the understanding of lipid metabolism and its regulation by genetic variation in humans. He is one of the world’s experts in the study of the metabolism and function of high-density lipoproteins (HDL). He has been directly involved in new therapeutic approaches for lipid disorders, including leading the development of a novel therapy to lower low-density lipoproteins.

Dr. Rader serves as the Chair of the Department of Genetics as well as the Chief of the Divisions of Human Genetics in the Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics. He is a recipient of several national awards and has been elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and the National Academy of Medicine.

Previous Chairholders

  • Haig H. Kazazian, Jr., MD 1994–2010