Berger to be 10th PIK professor

University President Amy Gutmann and incoming Provost Vincent Price announced Shelley Berger as the 10th Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor.

Berger will hold appointments in the School of Medicine's Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and the School of Arts and Sciences' Department of Biology.

"It's a great honor," Berger said about her appointment. "The whole program is great because it encourages synergy between disciplines."

Known for her research in epigenetics - the study of genetic changes caused by factors other than genes - Berger will draw from both genetics and biochemistry to study critical diseases in her new role as the Daniel S. Och University Professor.

She previously taught at the Wistar Institute, a biomedical research institute, as the Hilary Koprowski Professor.

"Her research holds great potential for not only treating diseases such as cancer, but also for preventing them entirely," said Gutmann. "She's also an outstanding teacher who has recruited and trained outstanding students during her career."

Gutmann also called Berger's appointment a "great home run for Penn, for medicine, for arts and sciences and for the University," adding that "her research and her teaching are both truly path-breaking."

Price praised Berger for similar reasons as Gutmann, saying "her discoveries bridge the basic science-applied science divide," and "work well as a conduit between the School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences."

SAS Dean Rebecca Bushnell and Medical School Dean Arthur Rubenstein both emphasized that Berger will be teaching both graduate and undergraduate students.

"This is a great opportunity to take someone world-renowned like Dr. Berger and have her play a role with undergraduates in the School of Arts and Sciences," Bushnell said.

Launched in 2005, the PIK program recruits faculty who, like Berger, are known for working across disciplines.

Under the program, professors are given appointments in two schools. Each professorship is supported by a $5 million endowment that funds their salaries and helps them begin their research at Penn.

Gutmann said that because the professorships are funded by endowments established through donations, the program enables the University to bring on new faculty despite a tough economy and hiring freezes.

"The PIK opportunity really gave us the edge to recruit somebody like Shelley," Rubenstein said. "The Penn Integrates Knowledge professorship is like an endorsement."

Berger's appointment marks the second PIK appointment in two weeks. Karen Glanz, the most recent addition to the PIK program, was appointed last week to the Medical School and the School of Nursing.

Bushnell said she would like to see a future appointed professor work in the humanities, since most PIK professors so far have been appointed to work in the social sciences and the natural sciences.

However, the University will focus on neuroscience professorships for the time being.

Last year, the Penn Health System contributed $50 million to the effort, helping to establish the Penn Integrates Knowledge Neuroscience Initiative. The contribution endowed five new PIK professorships in neuroscience. These positions have not yet been filled.

Gutmann added that the University will continue to raise funds for future PIK professorships and predicted that Penn will have 15 PIK professorships one day in the not-so-distant future.

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