November 21, 2023- Anne Marie Lennon, M.D., Ph.D., a physician-scientist and leading innovator in the early detection of pancreatic cancer, will become the next chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and chair of medicine at UPMC, effective March 1, 2024. She will be the first woman to lead the department.
As chair of the largest department in the Pitt School of Medicine, Lennon will oversee more than 1,000 faculty members with combined clinical and research revenues of nearly $600 million. She also will have clinical responsibilities, caring for patients as a gastroenterologist dedicated to early cancer detection and prevention.
An internationally recognized expert in the management of precancerous pancreatic lesions, Lennon’s research focuses on the development of tests for early cancer detection and their translation into clinical practice. While pancreatic cancer is relatively rare, it is among the deadliest cancers because it is hard to identify early, limiting effective treatment options.
Lennon has served in many leadership positions shaping current and future guidelines for medicine, including on the governing board of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) where she helped develop the society’s five-year strategic plan and brought together related societies to create international guidelines for the care of patients with pancreatic cysts. She also co-chaired the ASGE Women’s Task Force, which highlighted inequities in career advancement and pay equity, leading to change.