Founding Faculty
Dr. Robert Petrie Walton was professor and chairman of the Department of Pharmacology from 1942 until his death in 1971 and former coordinator of research.
Among his innovations was the strain gauge arch for measuring the contractile force of the heart muscle. This strain gauge led to developments in the area of open-heart surgery. In 1982, the research building on the quadrangle was renamed in his honor.
Dr. William M. McCord joined the faculty of the Medical College as professor of chemistry and chairman of the Department of Chemistry on December 4, 1945. Upon the resignation of Dr. Harold Rawling Pratt-Thomas as president of the Medical College in 1964, McCord served as interim president until his appointment as president in November 1965. He served in this capacity until 1975.
Dr. Theodor George Bernthal came to the Medical College in 1946 and served as chair of the Department of Physiology. Bernthal was a national leader in research in respiratory and circulatory physiology.
Dr. Melvin Henry Knisely was appointed chairman of the Department of Anatomy for the Medical College in 1948, and served in that position for more than 20 years.
He was a professor in the department until his death in 1975. Dr. Knisely was internationally known for his work in blood circulatory problems.
Dr. Frederick W. Kinard was the first chairman and first dean of the College of Graduate Studies. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and his M.D. from the University of Tennessee.
He was a member of the faculty of the Department of Physiology, which he served as acting director from 1968 to 1970. Dr. Kinard was instrumental in developing the College of Graduate Studies and with it the university’s reputation as a nationally renowned biomedical research institution.