The Stuart and Emily Mudd Professorship of Human Behavior & Reproduction II
The Professorship was established in 1975 through a bequest from Stuart Mudd, MD (1893–1975) as a tribute to his wife, Emily Borie Hartshorne Mudd (1898–1998), “who has been ever mindful of the fundamental need for quality and quantity of population and who has dealt creatively with the many facets of human interaction within families.”
Dr. Emily Mudd, Professor Emeritus of Family Study in Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine, was the first woman to be named a full professor at the School. A pioneer in the fields of marriage counseling and family studies, she founded the Marriage Council of Philadelphia and served as Director for 34 years. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Dr. Mudd was an active lecturer, author, and consultant in family study programs both nationally and internationally. An alumna of both the School of Social Work and its graduate school, Emily Mudd was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1972.
Stuart Mudd, MD was Chairman of Penn’s Department of Microbiology from its founding in 1931 until his retirement in 1959. As a scientist, he was best known for his part in the freeze-drying process for preserving blood plasma, which helped to save many lives during World War II. He also was a pioneer in the use of the electron microscope in biomedical research. Outside the field of microbiology, Dr. Mudd was active on several international committees and was committed to the search for and application of techniques for population control.
Current Chairholder
Courtney A. Schreiber, MD, MPH
Courtney A. Schreiber, MD, MPH is the Stuart and Emily B.H. Mudd Professor of Human Behavior and Reproduction Professor II in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Schreiber is also Chief of the Division of Family Planning, Executive Director of the Perelman School of Medicine’s FOCUS on Health & Leadership for Women, and a Senior Fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics.
Dr. Schreiber’s career is devoted to overcoming inequities and improving the lives and well-being of females and women. She applies the tools of academic medicine to provide innovative clinical care solutions and advance the science of women’s reproductive health while nurturing the pipeline of future leaders. Dr. Schreiber is the founder of PEACE, the Pregnancy Early Access Center at Penn Medicine, where clinical family planning and pregnancy loss care, clinical research, and teaching unite to advance person-empowering care now and in the future.
Dr. Schreiber’s research career spans from translation to clinical to policy-relevant science to overcome barriers to reproductive health care and access as well as to close the sex and race disparity gaps. She was awarded a 2019 Clinical Research Achievement Award from the Clinical Research Forum for her paper “Mifepristone Pretreatment for the Medical Management of Early Pregnancy Loss.” Dr. Schreiber serves as Program Director of the Fellowship in Complex Family Planning at Penn and Research Director of the Penn BIRCWH (Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health) K12. She is most inspired when working to support the careers of clinicians and scientists.
Dr. Schreiber recently served in a leadership role in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accreditation process of Complex Family Planning as an American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ABOG) subspecialty. She also serves as Chair of the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology Division of Complex Family Planning.