Dr. Beth Karlan named inaugural chair holder
UCLA has received a $5 million gift from Nancy and Howard Marks to endow a faculty chair in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The Nancy Marks Endowed Chair in Women’s Health Research will provide resources to help ensure that women’s health research efforts at UCLA Health are led by an eminent physician-scientist for many years to come.
Dr. Beth Karlan, a UCLA professor of obstetrics and gynecology and the department’s vice chair of women’s health research, is the inaugural holder of the Nancy Marks Endowed Chair in Women’s Health Research. Karlan is recognized as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on ovarian cancer.
“Beth Karlan is the ideal physician-researcher to lead new investigations and mentor others for this vital work,” Nancy Marks said. “Beth continues to treat and prevent cancer in families that may have otherwise been ravaged by genetic cancers. Her compassion and creativity make her uniquely suited for this work.”
Annual payouts from the endowment created by the Markses will enable Karlan to allocate funds to support promising research studies and the investigators leading them, mentor OB-GYN fellows and continue her own cancer research. The gift will also help to further promote preventive medicine for women, an area of increasing importance.
“Dr. Karlan is a pioneer in the use of cancer genetics to inform treatment decisions, improve survival and quality of life, and empower families with elevated genetic risk factors to take informed action,” said Dr. Steven Dubinett, interim dean of the Geffen School of Medicine. The Marks have specified that when Karlan retires, the endowed chair will be renamed in her honor.
