Brown University News Bureau

The Brown University News Bureau

1997-1998 index

Distributed February 3, 1998
Contact: Scott Turner

Edward J. Wing, M.D., named chairman of the Department of Medicine

Edward J. Wing, M.D., has been named chairman of the Department of Medicine in the Brown University School of Medicine. Wing comes to Brown after serving as interim chairman of the Department of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Edward J. Wing, M.D., has been named chairman of the Department of Medicine in the Brown University School of Medicine, according to an announcement today by Dr. Donald J. Marsh, dean of medicine and biological sciences. Wing was a former interim chairman of the Department of Medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

At Brown, Wing will hold the Joukowsky Family Chair in the Department of Medicine, which is the medical school's largest department. Comprised of 11 subdivisions, the department contains 140 full-time faculty, making it the school's largest section. All 11 subdivision heads will report to Wing.

Wing's clinical title will vary within Brown's affiliated hospitals. In Rhode Island Hospital and in The Miriam Hospital, Wing will carry the title of physician and chief. In Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, Veterans Administration Medical Center and Women and Infants Hospital, Wing's title will be executive physician and chief.

Wing looks forward to further developing the Department of Medicine in the Brown University School of Medicine. "Having a very strong research, clinical and academic base will allow us to put resources into new clinical programs," said Wing, who will have offices at Rhode Island Hospital and at The Miriam Hospital. "Unifying the whole department will allow us to build these new programs quickly and to recruit the best faculty to run them. I look forward to developing the department into one of the finest in the nation."

Department of Medicine faculty are concentrated in The Miriam Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital, two members of Lifespan, the health care system. There are also departmental faculty at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island and the Veteran's Administration Medical Center.

"Dr. Wing's hiring is a chance for us to choose a single chair who can exercise leadership," said Marsh. "His appointment is a major step forward for us. As a manager, Dr. Wing has maintained leadership in an era of market-driven reform in the health-care environment. I am delighted to welcome him."

Steven D. Baron, president of Lifespan Rhode Island, said, "We are delighted to have been able to attract Dr. Wing to Rhode Island. Dr. Wing will be a key factor in the further development of programs of excellence at Lifespan and within all of the Brown-affiliated teaching hospitals. He brings a wealth of knowledge about academics, education and patient care."

Edward Joseph Wing, M.D.

Born in Mineola, N.Y., Wing, 52, earned a bachelor of arts in chemistry from Williams College in 1967. In 1971, he graduated from Harvard Medical School. After an internship at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston and postdoctoral fellowships at Stanford University and the Palo Alto Medical Research Foundation, Wing began his academic career as an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. There, his appointments progressed to associate professor, professor, physician-in-chief at Montefiore University Hospital and vice chairman of the Department of Medicine. His most recent positions in the University of Pittsburgh also included executive vice chairman and vice chairman for clinical programs in the Department of Medicine. In addition, Wing was a member of the medical staffs at Presbyterian University Hospital and Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, both in Pittsburgh.

Wing has published more than 100 research papers, book chapters, abstracts and other works. He has presented more than 70 addresses and seminars across the United States and in Canada and Europe. Wing has served as a referee for 18 journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine and the Archives of Internal Medicine. In 1983, he was elected a fellow in the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Wing's research focuses on how the body defends itself against various microorganisms. In particular, he studies the pathogens that cause Legionnaires' disease, listeriosis and pneumonia. His work has been supported by almost $3 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health. At Brown, Wing will maintain a laboratory and an active research program in infectious diseases.

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