The Hales family from left: Alice Marie Hales, Lianne T. Shaw, Bartley Griffith, MD (Center), William P. Hales, and Thomas E. Hales

An investiture ceremony on June 10 recognized Bartley P. Griffith, MD, as the inaugural recipient of the Thomas and Alice Marie Hales Distinguished Professorship in Transplant Surgery. The Hales Family Foundation contributed $2.5 million to establish the new professorship to express their appreciation for Griffith, who performed a life-saving double-lung transplant on Mr. Hales.

“It’s a pleasure for us as a family to be able to honor someone as distinguished as Dr. Griffith,” said Hales during his remarks. He had come with his wife, son and daughter from their home in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., for the ceremony in Westminster Hall on the campus. “I’ve talked to a lot of thoracic surgeons, and every time I mention his name they would say, ‘He’s the best in the world; you couldn’t have a better doctor.’” Then turning to Griffith, he said, “So on behalf of us and our children and our grandchildren, I want to thank you.”

Griffith has been a professor of surgery at Maryland since 2001 when he arrived from the University of Pittsburgh. He is head of the division of cardiac surgery in the department of surgery chaired by Stephen T. Bartlett, MD.

“An endowed professorship is indicative of superior performance in the classroom, the laboratory and in the clinical setting,” said Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, when presenting Griffith with a medal to acknowledge his endowed professorship. “In the world of academia, endowed professorships are a coveted and universally recognized accolade, signaling a colleague at the top of his or her field.”

This is certainly true of Griffith, whose clinical work focuses on treating patients with the most severe forms of heart and lung disease and whose research interests are concentrated on heart and lung transplantation and advancing the use of artificial organs. Griffith has published more than 500 papers and has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health as a principal research investigator since 1988. His research funding has paved the way for the development of an artificial lung and a pediatric heart pump, as well as a study to reduce muscle scarring after heart attacks.

Griffith expressed his personal appreciation of Mr. Hales. “You have been a wonderful example of a patient who takes very good care of himself,” he said. “And what you are doing for this university truly can never be repaid. This will go a long way in establishing us as a center for continuous innovation and patient care.”

The professorship is open-ended, meaning it will accept further donations beyond the $2.5 million funded by the Hales Family Foundation. For more information please contact Tierra Dorsey at (410) 706-2846.

Endowed professorships are established with gifts of $1.5 million. Distinguished professorships and endowed chairs are set at $2.5 million. The school has a total of 49 such endowed faculty positions.