Darrell Kotton to Receive David C. Seldin Professorship

Darrell Kotton, MD, will be named David C. Seldin, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine at a ceremony and reception on Monday, Oct. 31, from 4-6 p.m. in Hiebert Lounge. (RSVP by Oct. 26 to busmdev@bu.edu or call 638-4570.)

The professorship honors Dr. Seldin, who died June 27, 2015. He directed the Amyloidosis Center, Hematology-Oncology Section and Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine. An accomplished investigator, clinician and teacher, Dr. Seldin was a beacon of hope for his patients, a source of inspiration for his trainees and greatly admired by his colleagues.

Kotton is Professor of Medicine (Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep and Critical Care) and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine as well as Director of the BU-BMC Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM). He received a BA in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and MD from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and fellowships in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at BUSM/Boston Medical Center as well as stem cell biology and genetics at Harvard Medical School.

Since joining the faculty as instructor of Medicine in 2004, Dr. Kotton rose quickly thru the ranks to professor. He has won numerous awards, including the Fellow of the Year Award from the Department of Medicine, the L. Jack Faling Award for excellence in clinical teaching (2007), and the Robert Dawes Evans Senior Research Mentor Award (2014). He has launched two centers on the Medical Campus – the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM) in 2009 with Drs. Gustavo Mostoslavsky and George Murphy, and the Alpha-1 Center in 2012 with Dr. Andrew Wilson that is dedicated to the care of patients and their families suffering from Alpha-1 Antitrypsin deficiency.

Kotton is nationally recognized as a leading researcher in lung stem cell biology and for championing a selfless research approach called Open Source Biology in which data and reagents are shared without restriction or exclusivity. CReM currently houses the sole NIH-supported lung disease-specific stem cell bank funded by an R24 grant for national resource sharing. As a mentor, Dr. Kotton has trained nine post-doctoral fellows, six PhD graduate students, numerous medical and undergraduate students as well as pulmonary fellows, many of whom have gone on to independent faculty positions.

“Darrell is an exceptional physician-scientist, mentor, and citizen of our academic community. He exemplifies the generosity, thoughtfulness, creativity, and professionalism of Dr. Seldin. We are delighted to honor his memory by awarding the Seldin Professorship to Dr. Kotton,” said David Coleman, MD, Wade Professor and Chair, Department of Medicine.