UH CEO Honored by New Endowed Chair
A group of supporters united to recognize the inspiring career of Cliff A. Megerian, MD, FACS, UH CEO and Jane and Henry Meyer Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair, by creating the Cliff A. Megerian, MD, Chair in Excellence in Otolaryngology.
In the world of medicine, few professional honors surpass that of receiving an endowed position. UH CEO Cliff A. Megerian, MD, FACS, has been so honored more than once. Dr. Megerian currently holds the Jane and Henry Meyer Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair and was previously the inaugural Richard W. and Patricia R. Pogue Endowed Chair in Auditory Surgery and Hearing Sciences. Under his leadership, UH Ear, Nose & Throat Institute has become one of the nation’s most endowed ENT programs, with seven chairs.
Now, Dr. Megerian ranks among those active physicians with a chair established in their name.
Unbeknownst to him, two UH physician-leaders – Nicole Maronian, MD, Chair, Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and Richard W. and Patricia R. Pogue Leadership Chair in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery; and Daniel I. Simon, MD, President of Academic & External Affairs, UH Chief Scientific Officer, and Ernie and Patti Novak Distinguished Chair in Health Care Leadership – encouraged a group of friends and colleagues to collectively contribute $1.5 million and create the Cliff A. Megerian, MD, Chair in Excellence in Otolaryngology.
“I have not received a more meaningful honor in my professional life than learning that a group of individuals got together and decided there should be a chair endowed in my name,” said Dr. Megerian.”
An Enduring Commitment to Otolaryngology Training
Sarah Mowry, MD, Vice Chair of Education and Residency Program Director for the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, is the first to hold this new chair.
“To be named the inaugural Megerian Chair is a huge honor and a tremendous opportunity for our educational programs,” said Dr. Mowry, who has worked to strengthen UH’s otolaryngology training by evolving faculty development and adding symposiums and fellowships. “The donors who made this possible gave their support as a lasting tribute to Dr. Megerian and his legacy in our department.”
Dr. Megerian has trained a generation of otolaryngologists and his passion has always focused on the importance of education for residents and fellows. In that spirit, funding from the Megerian Chair will provide for medical education at all stages, benefitting medical students, residents, fellows and faculty alike. It will also support external coursework, visiting experts, capital improvements, equipment upgrades and initiatives such as the department’s Temporal Bone Course and ENT Skills Bootcamp.
“Dr. Mowry is a fantastic recruiter of talented medical students who become our residents,” said Dr. Megerian. “For generations to come, the holder of this chair will embody the tenets of educational, service and recruiting excellence, which are the bedrock of an academic department of otolaryngology.”