GALVESTON, Texas — Dr. Valerie M. Parisi, dean of the University of Texas Medical Branch’s School of Medicine, has been appointed to the Thomas N. and Gleaves T. James Distinguished Chair. Created in honor of UTMB’s third president and his wife, the distinguished chair was largely funded by The Sealy & Smith Foundation, Houston Endowment Inc. and John S. Dunn Research Foundation.
Parisi, the second faculty member to hold the endowed position, said she was surprised by the announcement. “I’m so honored to be selected for this distinguished chair, particularly since it bears the name of the university’s former president and his wife,” Parisi said. “This endowment is a great mark of distinction, and I’m humbled to have been appointed to it.”
Parisi is already noted for becoming the first female dean of UTMB’s medical school in 2004. She is one of only 14 women nationwide who serve as deans among the nation’s 125 medical schools. In addition to her role as dean of medicine, she was recently named chief academic officer and vice president for academic program administration and services at UTMB. Prior to joining the academic health center, she chaired the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and served as obstetrician/gynecologist-in-chief at North Carolina Women’s Hospital. Parisi chaired the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the State University of New York at Stony Brook from 1994 to 1997.
UTMB President John D. Stobo, who succeeded Dr. Thomas N. James as president in 1997, said the distinguished chair is a well-deserved accolade for Parisi. “This is a tremendous way to recognize Dr. Parisi for the wonderful work she has done and will continue to do at UTMB,” Stobo said. “She is a fitting choice for the James Distinguished Chair.”
Parisi began her administrative medical career in 1984 as the director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, where she also directed the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native earned her medical degree as part of the first graduating class of Brown University’s medical school in 1975. Parisi completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Women’s and Infants’ Hospital of Rhode Island, as well as her fellowship training in maternal and fetal medicine at the University of Wisconsin Center for Health Sciences.
Parisi also holds a Master of Public Health degree in maternal and child health from the University of California-Berkeley School of Public Health, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler School of Business. She is married to Gary Strong, a commercial airline pilot.
James, the inaugural recipient of the distinguished chair bearing his and his wife’s name, served as UTMB president from 1987 to 1997. The internationally recognized authority on cardiology practice and research came to the university after spending nearly 20 years on the faculty at the University of Alabama Medical Center in Birmingham.
During his tenure as UTMB president, James is credited for strengthening the university’s research environment. Key faculty were recruited, a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases was established and a leading arbovirus reference center was relocated to UTMB from Yale University. These accomplishments served as the catalyst for the university’s current prestige in infectious diseases research. UTMB is home to the first biosafety level 4 (maximum containment) facility on an academic campus in North America, was named the lead agency for the Western Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and received a $110 million NIAID grant to construct one of two planned national biocontainment laboratories.
After stepping down as UTMB president, James served as a distinguished faculty member and scientist in the university’s Division of Cardiology. James and his wife, Gleaves, currently reside in Birmingham, Ala.
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
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