The Thorne Sparkman, Jr., MD Professorship at Penn Medicine

Thorne SparkmanEstablished in 2010 by the gift of Janet F. Haas, MD, and John Otto Haas, the Professorship honors the exemplary physician Thorne Sparkman, Jr., MD.

Originally titled the Penn Medicine at Radnor Clinical Endowed Professorship, the chair is the first to support a faculty member at Penn Medicine Radnor. It was renamed in honor of Dr. Sparkman, the inaugural holder, upon his retirement in 2012.

In his 40 years at the Perelman School of Medicine, Dr. Sparkman has been a trusted physician beloved by his patients, trainees, and colleagues alike. He is widely admired for his ability to recognize not just the physical, but the psychological and spiritual needs of his patients.

That ability was developed early on. In 1968, Dr. Sparkman was Commander in the U.S. Air Force Air Evacuation Hospital in Da Nang during the Tet Offensive. Back in the U.S., Dr. Sparkman joined the Perelman School of Medicine faculty in 1972, serving at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in both clinical and administrative roles. He was a natural choice to lead Penn Medicine Radnor, and served as Medical Director of the Division of General Medicine there from the facility’s opening until his retirement.

Janet F. Haas, MD, and John Otto Haas are long-time supporters of the University and Penn Medicine. The Haases’ gift for the Professorship arose from both admiration for Dr. Sparkman and the desire to support excellence in medical training. Dr. Haas is an emerita Penn Trustee and Penn Medicine Board Member, and currently serves on Penn Medicine’s Development Leadership Cabinet.


LautenbachCurrent Chairholder Gillian L. Lautenbach, MD

A 1993 graduate of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Lautenbach has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to compassionate care throughout her medical career. On top of receiving numerous awards for her exemplary work in medical school, during her residency at the University of Pennsylvania Health System she received the Pfizer Award for Outstanding Performance by a House Officer in Infectious Disease. 

Her commitment to excellence has led her to aid in the instruction of others. She has become thoroughly involved in teaching Penn Medicine’s medical students and residents across various settings—including as a ward attending, outpatient practician, core clinical preceptor, and medical student preceptor. For these efforts, she is a recipient of the Sylvan Eisman Outstanding Primary Care Award, the John Eisenberg Teaching Award, and the Donald Martin Teaching Excellence Award. 

Dr. Lautenbach served as practice lead for Penn Internal Medicine at University City until 2016, when she became the Division of General Medicine’s Associate Chief for Ambulatory Medicine and Clinical Operations. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, she has served on numerous committees to ensure the safe delivery of primary care and redeployment of providers to sites where they are most needed. 

She currently serves on the Service Domain (Patient Experience) CPUP (Clinical Practices of the University of Pennsylvania) Committee, which she co-chaired until 2016, and is a member of the CPUP Access Domain. She is also Vice President of the Filene Foundation, focused on promoting civic education and engagement across all educational levels. Additionally, she is a board member of TogetherWeCan, which works to address food insecurity. 


Previous Chairholders

  • Thorne Sparkman, Jr., MD
  • Kristin G. Christensen, MD, FACP