John F. Keaney Jr., MD, professor of medicine and chief of the division of cardiovascular medicine, has been named the Mary C. DeFeudis Chair in Biomedical Research. Dr. Keaney, who is the director of the UMass Medicine Heart and Vascular Center of Excellence, will be honored at Investiture on Thursday, Sept. 18, in the Sherman Center auditorium.
Established in 2010 by local philanthropist and long-time UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial Health Care supporter Mary C. DeFeudis, the chair supports the biomedical research of an outstanding UMMS faculty member whose research focuses on cancer and/or cardiology.
Keaney’s research focuses on vascular biology, specifically the mechanism of new blood vessel growth and injury repair. He is the author of more than 200 publications and has been deputy editor of the Journal of the American Heart Association. He is currently the cardiovascular associate editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. Keaney, who joined UMMS in 2007, received his medical degree from Yale University and trained at Brigham & Women’s Hospital.
DeFeudis is past chair of the UMass Memorial Foundation, the nonprofit organization that procures private philanthropic support for UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial. Upon completion of her term in 2009, she was named chair of the newly formed UMass Medical School/UMass Memorial Development Council, through which she continues to guide fund-raising strategies that benefit students and patients across Massachusetts. At Commencement 2010, DeFeudis received an honorary degree “in recognition of her enthusiastic support for the academic health sciences center and her abiding love for her community and its residents.”
UMass Chan has 37 named professorships supported by endowments. These endowments increase the institution’s ability to attract and retain individuals who are distinguished in their fields and provide an opportunity for donors to contribute directly to the enrichment of the academic and scientific environment.
