Lennon appointed chair of medicine

Anne Marie Lennon, an MBBCh, PhD and leading innovator in the early detection of pancreatic cancer, will become chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and chair of medicine at UPMC effective March 1, 2024.

Lennon, the first woman named to these positions, comes to Pitt from Johns Hopkins University, where she is the Moses and Helen Golden Paulson Professor of Gastroenterology and holds joint appointments as a professor in medicine, surgery, radiology and oncology.

In Pittsburgh, Lennon will lead one of the nation’s largest departments of medicine, with 1,092 faculty, 1,458 staff members, 350 residents and clinical fellows and 151 postdoctoral trainees. “The departments of medicine at Pitt and UPMC are incredible—truly among the best in the country. And what makes them so impressive are the people,” Lennon says.  

An internationally recognized expert in the management of precancerous pancreatic lesions, Lennon focuses her research on the development of tests for early cancer detection and their translation into clinical practice.

“We’re confident that Dr. Lennon’s vision for the Department of Medicine, already top-ranked, will further elevate its national and international standing, as well as enhance population health and health equity in our local communities,” says Anantha Shekhar, an MD, PhD, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine at Pitt.

Mark Geraci, an MD and associate vice chancellor for interdisciplinary research, health sciences, as well as vice dean for research in the School of Medicine, has served as interim chair of medicine since the departure of previous chair Mark Gladwin in 2022.  

Vignali to lead immunology

Dario A.A. Vignali, a PhD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Immunology.

In a career spanning three decades, Vignali has conducted highly cited discovery-based research, translating novel findings to the clinic, and training and mentoring the next generation of cancer immunologists in academia and industry.

He is a Distinguished Professor of Immunology, the Frank Dixon Professor in Cancer Immunology and codirector of the Cancer Immunology Training Program. He served as interim chair of immunology from August 2022 until his permanent appointment.

For 30 years, Vignali has studied immune regulation and cell signaling and how these processes affect disease. He also leads discovery-based programs aimed at identifying novel targets for therapeutic intervention and works closely with scientists and clinicians to translate his findings into clinical practice, with a focus on solid tumors that are likely to respond to immunotherapies.

Read more from the Winter 2024 issue.