Gustavus Adolphus College

Talmadge E. King, Jr. ‘70 (Photo by Susan Merrill, UCSF)

Gustavus Adolphus College alumnus and former trustee Talmadge E. King, Jr., an internationally respected expert in lung disorders, has been named chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine.

King, the Constance B. Wofsy Distinguished Professor at UCSF, had been serving as interim chair of the Department of Medicine since 2006. Since being recruited to UCSF from the University of Colorado in 1996, King has served as vice chair of the Department of Medicine and chief of medical services at the UCSF-affiliated San Francisco General Hospital.

As chair of medicine, King will be the department’s academic leader and administrative head, guiding the research, education and patient care activities of more than 500 full-time faculty, 805 volunteer clinical faculty, 194 residents, 210 fellows and 1,500 staff.

The department has a long tradition of excellence in education, research, and clinical care. In research, it is the top-ranked internal medicine department in the United States in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with more than $150 million in NIH grants.

“It is a privilege to take the helm of one of the best departments in the country,” King said. “As chair, I have the chance to help support many important programs and to help steward new, cutting-edge programs in myriad areas.”

After graduating from Gustavus in 1970 with a B.A. in biology and psychology, King earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, Association of American Physicians, American Clinical and Climatological Association, and Fleischner Society.

He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Chest Physicians. He is an active member of a number of professional societies and is a past president of the American Thoracic Society.

King has served on the Lung Biology and Pathology Study Section of the NIH; the board of the American Board of Internal Medicine; American Board of Medical Specialties; Pulmonary and Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee; Center for Drug Evaluation & Research of the Food and Drug Administration; NIH Advisory Board for Clinical Research; and the Board of Extramural Advisors of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

King is a member of the editorial boards of American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, THORAX, and UpToDate in Pulmonary and Critical Care. He has authored more than 200 publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, critical reviews, editorials, and monographs. King has co-authored nine books, including the acclaimed reference book Interstitial Lung Disease, now in its fourth edition. He recently co-edited Medical Management of Vulnerable & Undeserved Patients: Principles, Practice, Population, the only reference currently available that focuses on the treatment of patients living with chronic diseases in poor and minority populations.