Pittsburgh, March 1, 2003 -- To honor and provide recognition to the career contributions of a talented and unique individual, the University of Pittsburgh has initiated a campagn for The Peter E. Sheptak Endowed Chair in Neurological Surgery.

Dr. Sheptak has served with great distinction as clinical professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh for more than ten years and as vice chairman of the department for five years. He has performed innovative, investigative and clinical work related to spinal degenerative disorders, pain management, cerebrovascular disease, and brain tumors.

Completion of the Peter E. Sheptak Endowed Chair will help promote the career of the next generation neurological surgeon.

How to Contribute

If you would like to contribute to the Peter E. Sheptak Chair fund, you can download the pledge brochure (.pdf) at right. Complete the attached form and return it to the address indicated. You can also obtain the brochure and more information by calling the department at (412) 647-0990 or Gary Dubin, director of principal gifts for the School of Medicine at (412) 383-8727 or (877) 633-2586.

You may fulfill your tax-deductible pledge over a five-year period. Special arrangements can be made for corporate match programs or for those who choose to contribute through a planned or deferred gift (bequests, trusts, insurance). Pledges can be fulfilled through gifts of stock or other securities.

Project Overview

Sheptak Biography

Department Overview

Our Goal

Project Overview

Endowed chairs at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine provide a unique source of support to individuals who have achieved national prominence relative to patient care, investigative research, and teaching. Each endowed chair helps to provide support for that faculty member who is recommended for the honor by the department chair and confirmed by the executive committee of the School of Medicine. Formal endowment of the chair occurs at the time the University Provost presents the honoree with a specially crafted endowment medal, after which an inaugural lecture is delivered.

Currently, the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh has four fully endowed professorships in neurological surgery. Each endowed chair confers special recognition to the holder of the chair and also provides special honor to the sources of the endowment itself. Other endowed chairs at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery include the Lars Leksell Chair, The Walter Dandy Chair, The Peter J. Jannetta Chair, and the Children's Neurosurgery Chair.

Revenue from a fully endowed chair ($1.5 million) provides annual benefit to the holder of the chair by facilitating his or her work within the department. Current holders of endowed chairs in the department have achieved national and international recognition for their clinical, research and teaching abilities.

The Peter E. Sheptak endowed chair in neurological surgery will provide recognition of the contributions of a talented and unique individual. Dr. Sheptak has served with great distinction as clinical professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh for more than ten years and as vice chairman of the department for five years. After having trained at the University of Pittsburgh in neurological surgery, he performed innovative, investigative and clinical work related to spinal degenerative disorders, pain management, cerebro-vascular disease, and brain tumors.

The endowment rests at the University of Pittsburgh and guarantees an annual fixed return on investment to the holder of the chair. Contributions to the Peter E. Sheptak chair endowment are fully tax deductible. Please join the Department of Neurological Surgery and Dr. Sheptak by contributing to this special endowment in honor of a premiere clinician, skilled surgeon and dedicated teacher.

Biography

Dr. Peter Sheptak is a native of Butler, Pennsylvania. He graduated Cum Laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1959 where he was a varsity letterman. He then attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. After he received his MD degree in 1963, he obtained general surgical and neurosurgical training at the University of Pittsburgh between 1963 and 1968.

Dr. Sheptak joined the clinical neurosurgical faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in 1968 and advanced steadily from instructor in neurological surgery (1968) to clinical professor (1992). During that interval, he also served St. Francis, Presbyterian, Montefiore, St. Margaret's, Passavant, Shadyside, Butler Memorial and Western Pennsylvania hospitals.

Dr. Sheptak was board certified in 1970. He is a member of many professional and scientific societies. He has served as a neurosurgical consultant to the Pittsburgh Penguin Hockey Club and the University of Pittsburgh Athletic Teams.

Contributions in Dr. Sheptak's academic portfolio include important articles on the treatment of intractible pain, the first use of tissue adhesive in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms and the two-staged excision of skull base tumors.

Known for years as a consummate, energetic and gentlemanly surgeon, Dr. Sheptak has been one of the major teaching influences in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Pittsurgh for more than 35 years. During that interval, he has assisted in the training of almost 100 neurosurgical practitioners in the United States and abroad.

Dr. Sheptak has been married for more than 40 years to Gracia Sheptak, and is the father of two children, Alexa and Peter. They have three grandchildren. He is known for his sense of humor, his love of sports, his skill and affection for the game of golf, and his civic responsibilities including the Pittsburgh Opera. It is fitting that the Department of Neurological Surgery recognize his contributions with the establishment of an endowed chair named in his honor.

Department Overview

The Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is dedicated to the concept of clinically effective and often minimally invasive surgery for brain tumors, vascular malformations, movement disorders, chronic pain and degenerative spine conditions.

The department serves as the academic arm of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's clinical endeavors in advanced neurosurgical care.

Annually more than 6,500 persons come to UPMC institutions for specialized neurosurgical care -- more than any other health system in the United States.

UPMC neurosurgeons perform more than 2,500 spine procedures each year. Multispecialty teams offer patients the benefit of collective experience in many disciplines.

University of Pittsburgh neurosurgeons also collaborate with biomedical engineers and scientists in other disciplines to maintain our status as innovators in clinical and laboratory investigations as well as in patient care.

Financial Goal

The goal for The Peter E. Sheptak Chair in Neurological Surgery is $1.5 million. An aggresive campaign is underway to secure the funds needed to complete the professorship from private sources -- most notably from former and current patients, friends, faculty, and former trainees of the department. In the event the goal is not achieved, the monies raised will be used to create a permanent endowment to support the ongoing initiatives of the department in honor of Dr. Sheptak.