The David W. Kennedy, MD Professorship
Created in 2002 by a dedicated group of Penn Medicine friends and supporters, this Professorship honors David W. Kennedy, MD for his innovations in head and neck surgery and his leadership in clinical excellence at Penn Medicine.
Dr. Kennedy was among the first to recognize the advantages of endoscopic sinus surgery and minimally invasive skull-base surgery to improve the diagnosis and treatment of sinonasal disease. He brought endoscopic technology to the U.S., where he helped to develop its applications and to disseminate them through teaching at Penn and around the world. His work has transformed treatment and outcomes for multitudes of head and neck surgery patients.
Through his leadership roles at Penn Medicine, Dr. Kennedy has helped to develop new programs and set standards for patient care. He chaired the Department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and served as Vice Dean for Professional Services for the Perelman School of Medicine and Senior Vice President of UPHS.
Dr. Kennedy supported the growth of Penn Medicine by leading the Clinical Practices of the University of Pennsylvania. He also helped to develop Penn Medicine’s Patient Facilitated Services Program, which provides world-class amenities to complement Penn Medicine’s clinical services.
Dr. Kennedy’s many awards include election to the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland, and the National Academy of Medicine in the U.S. Dr. Kennedy has served as president of many professional organizations, including the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the American Rhinologic Society, and the International Rhinologic Society. He helped to establish the rhinology subspecialty by developing the first fellowship and holding the first courses in endoscopic sinus surgery internationally. Elected to the National Academy of Medicine, he is a recipient of the Academy Practitioner Excellence and the 2010 National Physician of the Year for Clinical Excellence awards. He has served as Editor-in-Chief of the International Forum of Allergy and Rhinology and has published approximately 250 articles and chapters.
The David W. Kennedy, MD Professorship was established with leadership support by Stewart Bainum, Sr., Mr. and Mrs. Donald J. Donahue, Donald Drapkin, Alan C. Greenberg, the estate of Irma A. Howard, and Daniel I. Sargent and Elaine Sargent.
Current Holder
James N. Palmer, MD
Dr. Palmer serves as Professor and Director of the Division of Rhinology at the University of Pennsylvania, Departments of Otorhinolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery and Neurosurgery, as well as Co-Director, Center for Skull Base Surgery. The Division of Rhinology at the University of Pennsylvania is widely recognized as a leading Academic unit in the world of rhinology both in clinical and research arenas.
A native of the Midwest, Dr. Palmer graduated from the University of Chicago, went on to receive his medical degree from The Ohio State University, and performed his residency training at Northwestern University. Following his time at Northwestern, he performed a fellowship in Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery at the Georgia Nasal and Sinus Institute. Since that time, he has served on faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. On the clinical and administrative side, Dr. Palmer has served as President of the International Society on Infection and Allergy of the Nose (ISIAN) and led the world’s largest gathering of medical professionals dedicated to treatment of diseases of the nose and paranasal sinuses in Philadelphia in 2009. Dr. Palmer continues to serve in many capacities in the American Rhinologic Society, which is the leading organization dedicated to care of diseases of the nose, paranasal sinuses, and skull base, including President in 2019. His clinical practice ranges from revision sinus surgery to treat chronic sinusitis to minimally invasive approaches to cure skull base tumors in both adults and children.
Dr. Palmer collaborates with an extensive research endeavor via the Division of Rhinology, and has been an author on over 250 peer-reviewed publications, which most recently include multiple articles in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Nature Genetics, and Cell. His grant awards include the Young Investigator Award from the American Rhinologic Society and a Clinical Investigator Award from FAMRI, as well as multiple collaborations on NIH grants, most recently as a Co-Investigator on an R01 investigating the role of machrophages in Chronic Rhinosinusitis. His work was the first to identify the role of Bacterial Biofilms in chronic sinusitis, which was a piece of the groundwork that grew into a multiple institutional investigation into the role of bitter taste receptors in inflammatory disease. Dr. Palmer has given numerous lectures and visiting professorships in Rhinology on a variety of Rhinologic topics on six continents. His book, Atlas of Endoscopic Sinus and Skull Base Surgery, which was the first of its kind in the field, has become a best seller.