News & Events

Dr. Mohan Suntha Awarded First Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Endowed Professorship in Radiation Oncology

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum are continuing their generous support of the School of Medicine with the establishment of the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Professorship in Radiation Oncology. A ceremony was held June 24, 2008, to induct Mohan Suntha, MD, as the first recipient of this endowed professorship.

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"It is recognized as one of the highest tributes that an institution can bestow on its most distinguished faculty," said E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, vice president for medical affairs, and the the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean. "It provides a faculty member with an enduring source to sustain his or her research and teaching efforts and is indicative of superior performance in the classroom, the laboratory and the clinical setting."

"I'm proud to describe myself as a faculty member of the School of Medicine," Dr. Suntha said in accepting his professorship. "And I’m equally proud to describe myself as a member of the medical center. Together they provide me with many opportunities to work with incredibly talented faculty who have pushed me to consider goals that I would have never dreamed possible."

The Greenebaums, who have long been crusaders in the fight against cancer, were only too happy to support Dr. Suntha. "I never say this, but he would be genuinely irreplaceable," said Mr. Greenebaum. "What makes him so extraordinary is the rarest kind of brilliance. A brilliance that resides as much in the heart as in the head, a brilliance that shines as brightly as his smile, and that's saying something. His enthusiasm for life is present in the research lab as well as the treatment room, bringing hope and comfort even to those who know their chances are slim. It's a brilliance that embraces and inspires everyone around him."

One of those he inspired is Frank Calia, MD, Theodore E. Woodward Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine. Dr. Calia once served as the Interim Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology and credits Suntha with helping him succeed in that position. "Mohan Suntha is the whole package," he proclaimed at the investiture ceremony. "He's a terrific physician, a skilled teacher and a productive investigator. Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum have done a wonderful thing, recognizing and honoring a respected member of this institution. Let's hope that all subsequent Greenebaum professors live up to the Suntha standard."