UH announces
2 new endowed chairs
New endowed chairs have been established in marine biology and native Hawaiian health at the University of Hawaii.
Announced by the UH Foundation, they are:
>> The Sidney and Erica Hsiao Endowed Chair in the College of Natural Sciences, funded through a $1.4 million bequest from stained-glass artist Erica Karawina Hsiao and zoology professor Sidney Hsiao.UH-Manoa Chancellor Peter Englert said the Hsiao Chair "represents a major milestone for our research program" and "will enhance our recognized leadership in marine biology.">> The Myron "Pinky" Thompson Endowed Chair of Research in the John A. Burns School of Medicine's Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence. A three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health totaling more than $4.6 million will be used for the position.
Sidney Hsiao, a Harvard graduate who joined UH in 1949, died in 1989 at age 83 after retiring from the Department of Zoology. Erica Karawina Hsiao was an internationally acclaimed artist who died in April at age 99. They left a living trust to promote academic excellence.
Charles Hayes, dean of the College of Natural Sciences, said an international search will be conducted to fill the chair.
The Myron "Pinky" Thompson Endowed Chair of Research "is a breakthrough for native Hawaiian health," said Dr. Edwin Cadman, dean of the School of Medicine. "We believe it will prove to be an important step toward improving public health in all of Hawaii's medically underserved communities."
Thompson, a former trustee of the Kamehameha Schools, formerly Bishop Estate, was responsible for establishing Papa Ola Lokahi to work for improvement of native Hawaiian health. He also was instrumental in creating the Native Hawaiian Educational Assessment Project, which resulted in a range of programs devoted to health for native Hawaiians.
"The chair that now carries his name serves as a memorial to Pinky Thompson's accomplishments and as a powerful tool with which to carry on his legacy," said UH Foundation President Elizabeth Sloane.
