The Harry P. Schenck Endowed Professorship

This Professorship was established in 2017 within the Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Harry P. Schenck, MD (1894-1978) was an internationally known otorhinolaryngologist, who chaired the Perelman School of Medicine’s Department of Otorhinolaryngology from 1939 to 1959. His areas of specialty included diseases of the ear, nose and throat; allergies;, and head and neck surgery.

A Philadelphia native, Dr. Schenck graduated from Haverford College in 1917. He served in both World War I and II. In the interim, he graduated from the Perelman School in 1923 and joined the faculty two years later. During World War II, he served as Captain in the Navy Medical Corps on the USS Solace, a hospital ship. In addition to his role as professor, Dr. Schenck was Curator of the Mutter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

Current Chairholder

Erle S. Robertson, PhD

Dr. Robertson is the Vice-Chair and Harry P. Schenk Endowed Professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. He also serves as Professor of Microbiology, the Director of the Tumor Virology Training Program, and the Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Otorhinolaryngology. Dr Robertson is an internationally recognized scientist in the field of viral oncology and has received numerous national and international honors and awards.

Dr. Robertson received his BS in Microbiology from Howard University and PhD in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Wayne State University. He then moved to Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he completed his post-doctoral training in viral oncology. Dr. Robertson was recruited to the University of Michigan School of Medicine as Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He joined the University of Pennsylvania Department of Microbiology in 2002 and was promoted to Professor with tenure in 2006.

The Robertson lab is dedicated to the study of virus-host interactions with a focus on viruses associated with cancers, in particular the two human gammaherpesviruses Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpesvirus (KSHV). The lab explores mechanisms of oncogenesis regulated by these tumor viruses. Dr. Robertson’s group has identified molecular pathways involved in oncogenic events in order to develop mechanistic models of cell transformation by these viral agents. Additional studies focus on understanding the role of the microbiome and its contribution to cancer. The lab is also working to develop therapeutic compounds with specificity for viral-associated cancers in preclinical studies with the potential for early phase I trials.

Dr. Robertson’s research program has been consistently supported by the NIH and other non-federal/industry foundations. He serves on many national and international scientific committees and is a member of numerous scientific societies. He is an editor and reviewer of high-impact journals in the field of virology and cancer, and leads an active laboratory with students, post-doctoral fellows, and research scientists. Dr. Robertson has edited eight books and produced over 200 publications and 9 patents.