Carlson named Kaess Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology Edward Carlson, chair and Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, has been named as the first Dr. Karl and Carolyn Kaess Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology. The professorship was created with a significant gift from Carolyn Kaess of San Diego and her husband, the late Dr. Karl Kaess, a 1938 graduate of the UND medical school. It is the second professorship established with a major endowment to support the school. In 1986, the couple also established a scholarship endowment to support medical students at UND through the UND Foundation. "We are deeply grateful to Dr. Karl and Carolyn Kaess for their continuing commitment to the excellence of the medical education program at the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences," said H. David Wilson, dean of the school. "Their extraordinarily generous gifts have been important to advancing our mission and enhancing the outstanding reputation of this medical school. "Their contribution which created the Dr. Karl and Carolyn Kaess Professorship in Anatomy and Cell Biology is most critical to strengthening an already excellent academic department." Dr. and Mrs. Kaess chose to endow the professorship in anatomy because of their esteem for Harley French, an exceptionally gifted professor who served as anatomy department chair as well as dean of the medical school for 37 years, ending in 1948. "We are sincerely grateful to Dr. and Mrs. Karl Kaess for their remarkable generosity," said Carlson. "Their gift will directly impact my teaching and research career and benefit our department for years to come." A native of Fargo, Dr. Kaess graduated from the UND medical school and went on to earn the Doctor of Medicine degree from Rush Medical School in Chicago in 1940. He received specialized training in dermatology at Northwestern University in Chicago and completed residency training at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania. He was board-certified in dermatology. In the Navy Medical Corps, he served as commanding medical officer on the battleship USS Missouri and other naval hospitals in New Hampshire and the Philippines. He retired from the military as a captain in 1973 and passed away in 2003. Carlson, who has served as chair of the anatomy and cell biology department since 1981, is highly respected as an award-winning educator, a highly effective administrator and a creative investigator. His work has centered on the morphometric analysis of cellular and extracellular ultra-structure, especially as applied to models of diabetic retinal and kidney ailments. Results of his research, represented by more than180 papers and abstracts, has been widely published. In May 2006, he received the highest faculty honor bestowed by UND, the title Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor. -- School of Medicine and Health Sciences.