New Endowed Chair Furthers Research and Treatments in Colorectal Surgery
Monday, March 20, 2017
Matthew Mutch, MD, a Washington University colorectal surgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and chief of the Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery, has been named the Solon and Bettie Gershman Endowed Chair for Colon and Rectal Surgery.
The endowed chair was established by the Solon and Bettie Gershman Family through The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital to support vital clinical services for patients and groundbreaking research to better understand and treat colon and rectal conditions.
The chair was previously held by Ira Kodner, MD, professor emeritus of surgery, who served as the first colon and rectal surgery chief and retired in 2013. The honor recognizes Dr. Mutch’s national leadership in the laparoscopic treatment of colorectal cancer and training of surgeons in this procedure. The funding from the chair will enable Dr. Mutch to advance ideas and make discoveries that lead to better treatments and new technology to benefit patients with colorectal diseases.
“We are so fortunate to have such a terrific leader in this field as our chief of colorectal surgery,” says Timothy Eberlein, MD, chairman of the department of surgery and director of Siteman Cancer Center. “Dr. Mutch has been a leader in developing innovative treatments for rectal cancer, minimally invasive techniques for colon surgery and new pathways for treating patients more efficiently and more safely. We are so appreciative of the entire Gershman family for thie generosity and support of this chair.”
Solon and Bettie Gershman established the chair in 1998. Solon Gershman —founder and chairman of both Solon Gershman Realty and Gershman Investment Corp.— was a generous and dedicated philanthropist who gave to dozens of charities and organizations in the St. Louis area.
Endowed chairs through The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital give Washington University School of Medicine Faculty members at Barnes-Jewish important support, which allows them more time to conduct breakthrough research.
“This chair recognizes Dr. Mutch’s leadership in the collaborative research that develops better standards of care and better outcomes for patients in St. Louis and beyond,” says Bob Cannon, president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and group president of BJC HealthCare.
Dr. Mutch is a Washington University School of Medicine graduate and has been a member of the faculty since 2002. He completed his general surgery residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University, followed by a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts.
Dr. Mutch has served as colon and rectal surgery chief since 2015 and was the program director for the Washington University Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship from 2007 to 2016. He serves on the Quality Assessment and Safety Monitoring Committee and is co-chair of the Lower GI Cancer Group at Siteman Cancer Center. He is also a member of the Surgical Innovations Committee for Washington University Department of Surgery.
His research interests include the identification of molecular markers to predict cancer-related outcomes in patients with rectal cancer and clinical outcomes related to laparoscopic colorectal surgery.
To learn more about supporting a chair through The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, please contact the Foundation at 314-286-0600.