June 7, 2016

Dean Mark Richardson recently appointed Eneida Nemecek, M.D., as the inaugural holder of the Nancy Jaggar Blount Professorship in Pediatric Oncology. The endowed faculty position was established in 2015 by William K. Blount in honor of his late wife, Nancy Jaggar Blount.

Dr. Nemecek joined OHSU in 2005. She specializes in bone marrow transplantation and cellular therapies for cancer and other disorders affecting blood and the immune system. She sees patients both at Doernbecher and at the Center for Hematological Malignancies of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. She is director of the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation Program at Doernbecher and co-director of the Northwest Marrow Transplant Program at OHSU.

Her research focus is to study methods to improve the long-term outcome of bone marrow transplantation, and management of graft-versus-host disease. Dr. Nemecek is the lead investigator for several clinical trials, and collaborates in multiple national and international research studies of blood and bone marrow transplantation.

Joining the celebration was Jean Sanders, M.D., a pediatric oncologist and member of the Clinical Research Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Sanders, considered an expert in the field of pediatric transplants, was a mentor to Dr. Nemecek.

The investiture also included the unveiling of a portrait of Bill Blount, managing partner of The Blount Team at UBS Financial Services. He joined the Doernbecher Children's Hospital Guild in 1961 and helped convert the Guild into the Doernbecher Children's Hospital Foundation. In 1993, he was elected a Life Director of the Doernbecher Foundation Board.

"Bill Blount is one of the greatest champions for the kids at Doernbecher – a Doernbecher leader and philanthropist that has made a real and lasting difference in the lives of sick children and their families for more than 50 years," said Jim Ervin, executive director, OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital Foundation, during the unveiling and investiture.

Pictured: (top, left to right) William Blount, Dr. Nemecek and Dr. Sanders.

(below) Dean Richardson addresses the audience during the professorship ceremony; the endowed faculty position is memorialized with a chair bearing the professorship's name.