In 2017, the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine recruited nationally renowned surgeon and one of the “Best Doctors in America,” Paul C. Kuo, MD, as the new chair of the Department of Surgery. He was also named the Richard G. Connar Endowed Chair in Surgery.
Dr. Kuo joined USF from the Loyola Medical Center in Chicago, where he served as the John P. Igini Professor and chair of its Department of Surgery from 2010 to 2017. The Johns Hopkins medical graduate and Duke-trained surgeon has been consistently been named one of the “Best Doctors in America” and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of several surgical and medical societies and associations.
“Endowed chairs and professorships are a powerful tool in helping us recruit the brightest physician scientists, like Dr. Kuo, to the Tampa Bay Area,” said Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of Morsani College of Medicine.
The Richard G. Connar Endowed Chair in Surgery was created in 2005 by Elizabeth D. Connar in memory of her late husband Richard G. Connar, who served as the deputy vice president for medical affairs at USF from 1984 to 1985. Dr. Connar passed away in 1990 from cancer at the age of 70.
Dr. and Mrs. Connar had three children and three grandchildren, one of whom is currently attending USF.
“I would like to thank the Connar family for their generosity, which has allowed folks like me to pursue their academic dream,” said Dr. Kuo. “It has given me the opportunity to come to USF to build on a substrate of excellence and resources to bring the Department of Surgery to national attention.”
An endowed chair is the highest academic position that a university can award a faculty member, which supports research efforts for the recipient and their research team through the interest generated by the endowed fund.
“I hope that anyone considering creating an endowed faculty position would do so to allow research and education to continue to grow at a higher level into the future,” added Kuo.
For more information about establishing an endowed faculty professorship or chair at USF Health, contact Arty Giallourakis at 974-9776 or agiallou@health.usf.edu