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Endowed Chair & Professorships

The George D. Gross, M.D. and Ester S. Gross, M.D. Presidential Endowed Chair in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

George and Ester Gross spent their lives caring for others which is evidenced through their careers of service in family medicine. The endowed chair, established in June 2002, is used to find cures, treatments, and causes of diseases associated with family and preventive medicine.

[This chair is currently unfilled.]

Previous Chair Holders: Peter Catinella, MD, MPH (2007-2010), Joseph Stanford, MD, MSPH (2011-2014), and Kolawole Okuyemi, MD, MPH (2017-2024)


Dr. Nymphus Frederick Hicken, Alta Thomas Hicken and Margarete Stahl Wilkin Hicken Endowed Chair in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

Dr. Nymphus Frederick Hicken was a loyal and esteemed alumnus of the University of Utah School of Medicine. He distinguished himself as an outstanding physician and surgeon, exemplifying the highest of ethics and care for his patients.

The endowed chair was established in August 1998 to honor the Hicken family. The chairship aims to discover new treatments and cures to improve patient care and the quality of life.

Kyle Bradford Jones, MD, FAAFP was appointed to the chairship in April 2024.

Previous Chair Holders: Michael K. Magill, MD (2000), and Jennifer Leiser, MD (2023)


T.F.H. Morton, M.D. Medical Fund in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

Dr. Thomas Fincher Harry Morton practiced in Salt Lake City, UT from 1912 to 1950. The endowed chair was established in May 1993 by Carmen M Christensen to honor her father, Dr. Morton.

Steven Lacey, PhD, CIH, CSP, FAIHA and Jim VanDerslice, PhD were appointed to the chairship in September 2022.

Previous Chair Holders: Marc Babitz, MD (1994-1999 and 2005-2008), George White, MD (2000-2005), Susan Cochella, MD, MPH (2009-2012), Stephen Alder, PhD, MBA (2017-2021), and Jennifer Leiser, MD (2017-2021)