Please join us annually for these special lectureships made possible through the support of generous philanthropic funding.
Sidney Leskowitz Memorial Lecture – October
Dr. Sidney Leskowitz was Professor of Pathology and served as acting Dean of the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences from 1982-1984 and as Director of the Immunology Program from 1972-1984. An outstanding teacher and scientist, with an exemplary lecture style, Dr. Leskowitz was greatly admired and respected by students and colleagues. His textbook Immunology: A Short Course, first published in 1988, has been used in many medical schools. He wrote more than 100 research papers, most concerning basic mechanisms of recognition and response to foreign substances by the immune system. Applying his skills as an organic chemist, he constructed a variety of chemically defined antigens that served as model stimulants of the immune system allowing the distinction between cellular and humoral immunity. The Leskowitz Lectureship was established by colleagues and friends after his death in 1991.
The Jeffrey M. Isner, M.D. Endowed Memorial Lecture - November
Jeffrey M. Isner, M.D., M73 was the Chief of Cardiovascular Research and Director of the Human Gene Therapy Laboratory, where he played a pioneering role in developing gene therapies for treating obstructive atherosclerosis and peripheral vascular disease. At the forefront of gene therapy research before his untimely death in 2001, Jeff Isner’s dedication to cardiovascular research for which he received many awards including the AMA’s William Beaumont Award in Medicine for outstanding research achievements by an investigator under the age of 50 was only matched by his deep love and devotion to his patients, colleagues, friends, and family. Since its establishment in 2006, the Tufts community convenes in November to hear cutting-edge presentations by leaders of the basic or clinical scientific communities on topics in the field of angiogenesis-related research and other seminal studies in vascular biology and cardiovascular medicine.
2009 Isner Lecturer
Jean Bennett, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Ophthalmology, Cell and Developmental Biology
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
4 p.m., Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Behrakis Auditorium
2007 Isner Lecture presented by Judah Folkman, M.D.
http://media.web.tufts.edu:81/asxgen/edmedia/2009/07/Isner/IsnerLec07Folkman.wmv
http://media.web.tufts.edu/edmedia/2009/07/Isner/IsnerLec07Folkman.mov
The Claire Gordon Lecture in Compassionate Care - May
Mrs. Claire Gordon established the Gordon Lecture Series in 1999 in honor of her husband, Edward T. Gordon, M.D., A44, M47 and in memory of her parents, Dr. and Mrs. Harry Braverman to explore the important relationship between physicians, patients and family. Mrs. Gordon holds a degree in psychology from Boston University and has conducted extensive graduate work in the field. As a breast cancer and leukemia survivor, she appreciates the importance of state-of-the-art equipment and medical technology. However, she feels that the role of compassion and professionalism in medicine is equally important and hopes that this lecture series will be a constant reminder. As Dr. Frances Weld Peabody expressed, “The secret of the care of the patient is in the caring of the patient.”
The William Shucart, M.D., Lecture - May
William Shucart, M.D., served as Neurosurgeon-in-Chief at Tufts-New England Medical Center as well as professor and chairman of neurosurgery at Tufts University School of Medicine from 1981 to 2005. The Shucart Lectureship was established in 2005 in honor of Dr. Shucart by gifts from colleagues and friends to recognize his commitment to advancing the field of neuroscience and the treatment and cure of neurological diseases and disorders. The Shucart Lecture is held in conjunction with the annual Neuroscience Symposium in May.
Gerhard Schmidt, M.D., Memorial Lecture - May
Gerhard Schmidt, M.D., was a great scientist and a great humanist. A man of charm and charisma, a noted researcher and a devoted educator, he combined brilliance, humor, idealism and apparent simplicity in an extraordinary way. Professionally known for his work in nucleic acid and phospholipid metabolism, he was as deeply involved in areas as diverse as chamber music and literature. He joined the Tufts faculty in 1940 and, soon after his arrival, made a most important contribution to the development of nucleic acid metabolism, describing a quantitative method for determination of DNA and RNA in tissues. The simplicity and reliability of this method played an important role in early research in molecular biology. Dr. Schmidt pioneered work on enzymes involved in nucleic acid degradation and was a world authority in the field of nucleic acids and phospholipids. In 1973, the same year in which he was named professor emeritus at Tufts, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Although in poor health in later years, he worked regularly at his laboratory almost until his death on April 24, 1981. A final tribute to a life of devotion to science and to humanism is the establishment of the Gerhard Schmidt Memorial Lectureship in 2002. The Schmidt Lecture helps to sponsor cutting edge research presentations by visiting seminar speakers and is hosted by the Biochemistry Department at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences in May.
The Joseph H. Nicholson, M.D. Lecture - June
The Joseph H. Nicholson, M.D. Lecture was established in 1985 by Mrs. Adeline B. Nicholson and her son, Robert Nicholson, Esq., in memory of one of Tufts finest teachers and graduates, Joseph H. Nicholson, A’30, M’33. Dr. Nicholson was an internist with special expertise in cardiology. The Nicholson Lecture provides an opportunity for visiting lecturers to present to the medical school and hospital community scientific accomplishments in the field of cardiology.
Maurice S. Segal, M.D. Lecture Series - TBD, held again in 2013
Every four years, Tufts University School of Medicine and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy are pleased to co-sponsor the Segal Lecture Series. This lecture series was established in 1989 to honor Dr. Maurice S. Segal, A38, M32, Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the Medical School and a member of the Fletcher School Board of Visitors. Dr. Segal maintained a long-standing interest in issues of international cooperation in the area of health and the training of health professionals as exemplified by the establishment at Tufts of the Dr. Maurice S. Segal Pulmonary Fellowship Program for Advanced Training. His contribution to the teaching of students and research activities at TUSM spanned a period of forty years and led to his election as Professor Emeritus in 1973. In 2009, the Segal Lecture was held in conjunction with the Tufts Symposium on Climate Change, Women and Health A Panel Discussion in Celebration of International Women’s Day.
