Last year, the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute and Research Center named David E. Kang, PhD, professor of molecular medicine the position of director of the Division of Basic Research in the Morsani College of Medicine. He will also hold the Mary F. and Louis E. Fleming Endowed Chair in Alzheimer’s Research. Dr. Kang will lead day-to-day operations of research activities at “the Byrd” and will spearhead recruiting efforts for new researchers.

Dr. Kang joined the University of South Florida in 2012 as an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine and later earned full professorship in 2017. Along with teaching at USF, Kang also held the position of research neurobiologist at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa. Prior to moving to Florida, he was an associate professor at the University of California, San Diego, as well as at the Seoul National University in Korea.

Created by Mary F. Fleming in October 2006, the Mary F. and Louis E. Fleming Endowed Chair in Alzheimer’s Research was an estate gift to the Morsani College of Medicine. The chair was named after Fleming and her husband, Louis E. Fleming, who had passed away in 2004. Shortly after establishing the chair, Mrs. Fleming passed away in December 2006 at the age of 77.

Endowed chairs are funded by gracious donors and are vital to help USF retain and reward only the most qualified researchers to allow them to continue making strides in research and education.

For more information about establishing an endowed faculty professorship or chair at USF Health, contact Arty Giallourakis at 974-3676 or agiallou@health.usf.edu.