Five New Professorships Created at BU Medical School as Part of Avedisian, Chobanian Gift

Rachel Fearns, chair of virology, immunology, and microbiology, was named the Ernest Barsamian, MD, Professor. Barsamian grew up poor in Syria, became a professor of surgery and faculty dean at Harvard Medical School, invented one of the early heart-lung machines, and was the chair of cardiac and thoracic surgery, chair of surgical services and chief of staff at the Boston VA Medical Center.

“From the earliest days of his medical career, our father worked tirelessly to balance leading edge prowess in medicine, particularly surgery, with the compassion and humanity that marks the successful physician,” said his son, Peter Barsamian.

From the UK, Fearns holds a PhD from the University of St. Andrews. Her research focuses on the transcription and replication of RNA viruses, like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and emerging pathogens like the Marburg, Ebola, and Nipah viruses. Fearns frequently works with the pharmaceutical industry on small molecule polymerase inhibitors that help fight diseases by inhibiting their functionality. “It’s such an honor to be the inaugural Barsamian chair. I’m excited to take this on,” said Fearns. “My parents are educators and they imbued in me the sense that education (allows) you to make choices in life.” She thanked her mentors, including Ronald Corley, recently retired as chair of virology, immunology, and microbiology, who, she said, “built a wonderful department here,” and the department faculty who have helped to mentor her students and elevate her science.

Hee-Young Park, a professor and chair of medical sciences and education, professor of dermatology, and associate dean for faculty affairs, was named the Carolann S. Najarian, MD, Professor. Najarian (CAMED’80) worked most of her career in private practice. In response to the devastating 1988 Armenian earthquake, she established the Armenian Health Alliance, delivering medicine and medical supplies, established a primary care center and a center for expectant women. She was assistant medical director at Middlesex County Hospital and an instructor in clinical medicine at Harvard Medical School.

“I know this chair will add significantly to the education of students here, enriching their medical education and preparing them to go out into a culturally diverse world to care for patients,” Najarian said.

In comments before the event, Najarian said the news of the professorship was unexpected. “I was shocked upon reading the email I received from Laurie Onanian informing me that my name would bear one of the five professorships endowed through the major gift made by the late Edward Avedisian and his wife, Pamela, to the then BU School of Medicine. I was of course thrilled by this news and greatly honored. I knew both Edward (whom I admired greatly) and Dr. Aram Chobani an, who was a close friend and mentor,” she said.

“I first met Aram in the early 1970s when I was 32 years old and he was a faculty member at BU. I had heard about an Armenian doctor at BU who might be able to advise me on whether to pursue a career in medicine. He was gracious enough to take time from his busy schedule to meet with me. We talked nearly an hour. I asked if someone like myself, with a degree in music and a varied work background, should even dream about becoming a physician. He gave me an unequivocal yes and so I continued my studies and application process.   We became good friends over the years and after the earthquake in Armenia his remarkable wife, Jasmine, was at my house everyday manning the phones helping to coordinate the relief effort. I couldn’t be more proud than to have this honor in both these great men,” she concluded.

Park said it took a global community to raise her and get her to where she is today. Born in Korea, she credited her father with believing that education was for all, including women. Arriving in Arkansas at age 15, by herself, to pursue science education, Park said she was grateful to the Blyholder family in Fayetteville, Ark., who sponsored and hosted her.

“Today would not be possible without friends, families, and colleagues,” said Park.

Andrew Taylor, associate dean of research and a professor and vice chair of research in ophthalmology, was named the Sarkis J. Kechejian, MD, Professor. He is an internationally known researcher in ocular immune privilege, ocular autoimmune disease, and the role of melanocortin pathways in regulating inflammation and immunity. He thanked the Avedisian family, his family, students, colleagues, and research collaborators, and gave a tribute to his mentors, J. Wayne Streilein and Joan Stein-Streilein.

Kechejian (CAMED’63) is the president of K Clinics in Texas, CEO and chairman of Alliance Health, and president of the Kechejian Foundation. He said his mother taught him “the necessity of being involved in the community… and instilled in me the concern for helping others.”

He has been a longtime advocate for increased scholarships for BU medical students, especially to ease the financial considerations that exacerbated a chronic shortage of primary care physicians and other nonsurgical specialties, and is a recipient of the BU medical school’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for Service to the School. The 2022 Avedisian gift included $50 million for student scholarships, and Kechejian said the scholarship fund has grown from $5 million in 1996 to $150 million today.

Speaking before the event, Kechejian said that his connection to Avedisian and Chobanian went back 60 years. He recalled that he met Chobanian when the latter was a research fellow in hypertension, and Avedisian was studying for a master’s in fine arts from BU.

“Aram was a mentor and lifelong friend,” he said, as was Avedisian.

He added that Avedisian called him two years before his massive donation to the School of Medicine in his friend’s name was announced. “He told me he wanted to honor his lifelong friend Aram

The Edgar Minas Housepian, MD, Professorship went to David A. Harris, chair of biochemistry and cell biology since 2009. He studies molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying human neurodegenerative diseases. His work on infectious prion diseases like mad cow disease, where brain proteins fold and can result in neurodegenerative effects, has helped research into other neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s.

“What I want to highlight here is the incredible foresight to use that endowment ($25 million of the Avedisian endowment is dedicated to research and teaching) to support basic research, which is…always at the root of great medical discoveries,” said Harris. “I am honored to be associated with a legacy that values the pursuit of knowledge and scientific excellence.”

Housepian was a renowned neurosurgeon at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and professor of neurology at Columbia University’s medical school, where he taught for 44 years.

“He was a very creative person with a long-range vision,” said his daughter, Jean Housepian. Even with a career that began in labs, then surgery, education remained his key concern, and in his retirement years, he remained an advocate for international educational affiliations for medical students.

In comments before the event, Jean Housepian said she was “flabbergasted” to hear of the professorship.

“My father was born, raised and educated in New York City. His parents were survivors of the genocide. His father Moses M Housepian was an American-trained physician who returned to Armenia in 1916 to minister aid during the height of the genocide to refugees as they were marched through the desert to nowhere. His mother was on the Board of the AGBU in New York for 30 years. He spent his entire 60+ year medical career at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center’s (CPMC) Neurological Institute. But he had a very broad world view and made friends easily with people and colleagues around the globe. At CPMC he created and ran a well-attended continuing education neuroscience board review course for over 30 years. He made sure it was affordable for any doctor who signed up. He became well known in the local Armenian community as genuine, kind, and caring spirit. He was an excellent listener,” she noted.

In the immediate aftermath of the devastating 1988 earthquake in Armenia, he, Archbishop Torkom Manoogian from the Eastern Diocese and the developer Kevork Hovnanian, flew to Armenia to assess the situation. They ended up starting the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), which continues to operate today.

In addition, she said, her father “helped create ‘fellowships’ for Armenian physicians and nurses to come to America for an average of 3 months and upgrade their skills and knowledge with one-on-one training with their American counterparts. Over a two-year period, more than 90 doctors enjoyed this FAR-sponsored fellowship program and returned to Armenia to share their new knowledge with their Armenian colleagues. Several of them later became Minsters of Health and Directors of major hospitals in Armenia. This program has had a lasting impact on improving the delivery of quality healthcare in Armenia.”

It was around this time that her father first met Dr. Chobanian. “As the Dean of the Medical School at BU, Dr. Chobanian was able to facilitate placement of physicians and nurses at BU for FAR sponsored fellowship training. Through this introduction, Dr. Chobanian and my father became the closest of friends,” she added.

In 2010 Dr. Housepian and Dr. Chobanian created the landmark “Combatting Childhood Malnutrition” for FAR.

She concluded, “Dr. Chobanian and my father were both brilliant, creative, broad-minded physicians, humanitarians and visionaries. Together they formed a powerful and positive presence on the Board of FAR through which they created programs that have transformed the lives of Armenians and will continue to have a positive impact on generations to come.”

Freeman noted that the five endowed chairs did not bear the Avedisian name, but had been selected to honor others.

“We chose to name these professorships to honor individuals who not only achieved great success in their medical careers, but [also] have continually used that success to help others,” said Pamela Avedisian. “We want them to inspire the current and future generations of medical students.”

In her comments, she noted how Avedisian had grown up in a family that while not well off, saw service to others as their obligation and that this donation was another extension of that generosity. The trappings of wealth never interested him, she added, joking, “He used to embarrass me when he would wear pants with holes or shirts that were falling apart.”

She also paid tribute to Chobanian, noting that like her late husband, the former dean “grew up in a loving Armenian family.”

“In medicine, we often say that we stand on the shoulders of giants,” said Karen Antman, dean of BU’s medical school and provost of the Medical Campus, who chaired the installation ceremony.

(Doug Fraser is a School of Medicine public relations associate. Alin K. Gregorian contributed to this story.)