Chairmen

Nathaniel Potter (1807-1843):  Dr. Potter was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and came to Baltimore in 1797. After helping found the School of Medicine and securing its charter to operate, Dr. Potter served as the first Professor of Theory and Practice of Medicine, a position he held from 1807 until 1843, the year of his death.

Elisha Bartlett (1844-1846):  Dr. Bartlett received his MD from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island in 1826. After serving as Mayor of Lowell, MA, and later as a Massachusetts legislator, he was recruited to Maryland after Dr. Potter's death to assume the Chair of the Theory and Practice of Medicine in 1844.

William Power (1846-1852):  Born and raised in Baltimore, William Power obtained his MD from the University of Maryland in 1835. At the age of 33, Dr. Power was appointed to full Professor and became Chairman upon the resignation of Dr. Bartlett. He was the first alumnus to hold the position of Chair of the Theory and Practice of Medicine.

Samuel Chew (1852-1863):  Born in Calvert County, Maryland, Samuel Chew received his MD from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1829. He was a pioneer in medical education and clinical teachings, insisting students be taught to place a right value on diagnosis as well as the quality of the agents used in controlling it. He became Chair of the Principles and Practice of Medicine in 1852 and served until his death from pneumonia on Christmas Day in 1863.

Richard McSherry (1863-1885):  Dr. McSherry received his MD in 1841 from the University of Pennsylvania. A commissioned United States Naval Officer, Dr. McSherry cruised around the world on the Frigate Constitution, a sister of Baltimore's Constellation. He served as the Fifth Chairman of the Department of Medicine from 1863 to 1865.

Samuel Clagett Chew (1886-1909):  Son of Dr. Samuel Chew (see above), Samuel Clagett Chew was educated at Princeton and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He was the Chair of Materia Medica and Therapeutics (now known as Pharmacology) at Maryland for 21 years before being transferred by the Dean to the Chair of the Principles and Practice of Medicine in 1886. Chew had the full respect of the entire medical community, and his outstanding qualities as a physician and medical educator were often compared to that of his father.

Ernest Zueblin (Acting Chairman, 1910-1913):  Dr. Zeublin received his medical degree from the University of Lausanne in 1903 after prior study in Heidelberg, Zurich. He was known to be a well-informed, earnest and bright physician with a pleasing personality.

Gordon Wilson (1913 - 1922):  Although an internist, Dr. Wilson's practice focused primarily on tuberculosis, which he had experienced first-hand. Not particularly keen on administrative affairs, Dr. Wilson spent his mornings conducting medical rounds and lectures and his afternoons in his office at Madison and Reed Streets. He was regarded as a superlative teacher, and students hastened to sign up to work with him in the tuberculosis ward of the local poorhouse. Dr. Wilson retired in 1922 due to frail health and died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1932 at the age of 55.

Maurice C. Pincoffs (1922 - 1954):  Already a decorated World War I Veteran at the age of 35, Dr. Pincoffs became Chairman of the Department of Medicine in 1922. His excellent leadership qualities helped move the Department through one of the 20th Century's most explosive times as far as scientific discovery and development. Dr. Pincoffs was an inspiring teacher who imparted a sense of responsibility and attention to detail to those fortunate enough to work with him. He volunteered for active duty during WWII and served in the Pacific Theatre under the Chief Surgeon and General Douglas MacArthur. Because of the great respect in which he was held, upon his retirement in 1954 a lectureship was established in his name. The Pincoffs Lecture in Medicine is now in its 49th year.

Theodore E. Woodward (1954 - 1981):  One of the most notable Chairman of Medicine to date, Theodore Woodward received his MD from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1938. Under his auspices, the Department of Medicine grew from having only 4 divisions and 10 house officers to 10 divisions, 65 house officers and 44 fellows by 1975. A nationally and internationally renowned authority in infectious diseases, he was instrumental in reporting the first cure for typhus and typhoid fever during WWII, which earned him a nomination for a Nobel Prize in Medicine. Dr. Woodward is perhaps even more well known for his dedication to teaching and his commitment to his patients. Over the years he received the Golden Apple Teaching Award from the University of Maryland over a dozen times and the faculty award for outstanding abilities as a teacher over 20 times. Dr. Woodward was one of the University of Maryland's most distinguished alumni and continued his devotion to the progress of our school well after his retirement in 1981. Retiring as Chairman of Medicine did not lessen Dr. Woodward's desire or ability to teach, which he continued to do right up until his death. The esteem and affection in which Dr. Woodward is held is evidenced by the thousands of former trainees, colleagues and friends who continue to contribute to the Theodore E. Woodward Professorship in Medicine, which is assigned to all Chairmen of the Department of Medicine who have succeeded him.

John A. Kastor (1984 - 1997):  A graduate of the New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Kastor went on to do a cardiology fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He led the Division of Cardiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine until he was recruited to Maryland in 1984 to be the first Theodore E. Woodward Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine. Dr. Kastor's strong administrative and leadership abilities enabled the Department of Medicine to flourish in areas of faculty development, clinical resources and research. Under his tenure, the number of full-time faculty members more than doubled, and the department's grant income grew from $3 million in 1984 to over $21 million in 1996, strengthening the Department of Medicine's stature nationally. Dr. Kastor is the author of Arrhythmias (second edition, W.B. Saunders, 2000) and Mergers of Teaching Hospitals in Boston, New York, and Northern California (University of Michigan Press, 2001).

William L. Henrich (1999 - 2006):  After receiving his MD in 1972 from the Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Henrich took an internship at the University of Oregon, followed by a renal fellowship at the University of Colorado. Much of his medical career was spent at the University of Texas-Southwestern, where he stayed until 1995. At that time he became Chairman of Medicine at the Medical College of Ohio. He was recruited to the University of Maryland in 1999 to become the second Theodore E. Woodward Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine. Dr. Henrich is the author or co-author of over 200 original publications and currently leads a NIH-sponsored multi-center study of the effect of analgesics on the kidney. He was honored with several outstanding teaching awards at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and at other institutions where he has served. Dr. Henrich returned to Texas in March 2006 to become Dean of the School of Medicine and Vice President of Medical Affairs at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio.

Frank M. Calia (Acting Chairman, 1981-84; 1997-99; Chairman 2006-2009):  Dr. Calia received his MD in 1962 from Tufts University in Boston. He was recruited to Maryland by Dr. Woodward in 1969, to lead the Section of Infectious Diseases at the VA Medical Center. Dr. Calia became Chief of the Medical Service at the VA and served as such from 1976-1987. Upon Dr. Woodward's retirement, Dr. Calia became Acting Chairman of the Department of Medicine from 1981-1984. He then became Vice Chairman and Director of Education in the Department of Medicine, and, in 1992, Vice Dean and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. An infectious disease specialist, Dr. Calia has made numerous contributions to that field and published extensively. His strong commitment to medical education has distinguished him as one of the school's finest teachers, and he has been a recipient of innumerable teaching awards by medical students and house staff. In 1997, Dr. Calia was again called upon to Head the Department of Medicine as Interim Chairman and did so until February of 1999. He was appointed Chair of the department in April 2006.

Stephen N. Davis (Chairman 2009 - ): Dr. Davis is an internationally recognized endocrinologist and research scientist, is the Theodore E. Woodward Endowed Chair and the Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine. Read more about Dr. Davis.