The history of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology would not be complete without a tribute to our emeritus professors.

When Southwestern Medical School was founded in 1943, volunteer faculty from the community were frequently given an honorary emeritus title, but that practice was discontinued probably when the University of Texas System took over the Medical School in 1949.

It was not until 1990 that the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology got its first emeritus professor.

Chairman F. Gary Cunningham, M.D., (1983 – 2004) nominated the first three — all of whom were early pioneers in reproductive physiology and/or maternal-fetal medicine. These three were followed by outstanding academicians whose contributions to women’s health care, research, and teaching merited such distinction.

Jack Arthur Pritchard, M.D.

Professor Emeritus: 1990 – 2003

Subspecialty: Reproductive physiology
Medical School: Case Western Reserve
Residency: University Hospitals of Cleveland
Fellowship: Case Western Reserve: pharmacology, obstetrics and gynecology
Years of service: September 1, 1955 – August 31, 1990

Dr. Pritchard breathed life into the Department and invigorated faculty and students with the concept of evidence-based medicine. His insistence on dignity and excellence in clinical care, eye for detail, and his honest, straightforward approach inspired generations of physicians.

Peggy Joyce Whalley, M.D.

Professor Emeritus: 1992 – 2021

Subspecialty: Maternal-fetal medicine
Medical School: UT Southwestern
Residency: Parkland Memorial Hospital/UT Southwestern: obstetrics and gynecology; chief resident
Fellowship: UT Southwestern: internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology
Years of service: July 1, 1960 – August 31, 1992

Dr. Whalley is credited with establishing one of the first high-risk antenatal units in the world. By 1988, "Peggy's Palace" had cared for more than 8,000 pregnant women suffering from problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or premature ruptured membranes.

John Charles Porter, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus: 2003 – 2018

Subspecialty: Neuroendocrinology, basic research
Graduate School: Iowa State University, Ames
Fellowship: Duke University Medical School: endocrinology
Years of Service: September 1, 1953 – August 31, 2003

Dr. Porter was a pioneer in the science that became known as neuroendocrinology — the study of how the nervous system and the endocrine system interact. He was among the first to study how the hypothalamus interacted with the pituitary gland and to measure peptide hormones in the brain. 

Norman Ferrell Gant, Jr., M.D.

Professor Emeritus: 2010 – present

Subspecialty: Maternal-fetal medicine
Medical School: UT Southwestern
Residency: Parkland Memorial Hospital/UT Southwestern: obstetrics and gynecology
Fellowship: UT Southwestern: reproductive physiology
Years of service: October 1, 1968 – December 31, 2009

Dr. Gant is a world-renowned expert on hypertension in pregnancy and a pioneer in studying vascular responsiveness to angiotensin II in human pregnancy.

David Lindsey Hemsell, M.D.

Professor Emeritus: 2016 – present

Subspecialty: Gynecology, pelvic inflammatory disease/infections
Medical School: University of Kansas Medical Center
Residency: Wilford Hall USAF Hospital: obstetrics and gynecology
Fellowship: UT Southwestern: reproductive endocrinology
Years of service: December 1, 1977 – January 31, 2016

Dr. Hemsell’s evidence-based approach to health care marks his work as a leading authority on gynecological infectious disease and prevention of surgical infections.