Office of Institutional Advancement
Division of News & PublicationsBiography of Gerald J.
Pepe, Ph.D.
EVMS Dean and Provost
Dr.
Pepe obtained his undergraduate degree in biology at Providence College
in his native state of Rhode Island. He earned a master's degree in
biology at Northeastern University in Boston and his Ph.D. in
physiology at the University of Kansas, then completed a two-year
postdoctoral fellowship at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio. He
joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a senior staff fellow
where during six years of work he participated in developing the
primate model of fertility and reproduction that he continues to use
today.
He came to EVMS from the NIH in 1978
and within seven years was named professor and chairman of the
Department of Physiology. The department would later merge with two
others to form the current Department of Physiological Sciences.
During his research career at EVMS, Dr.
Pepe has continued to study how estrogen and various endocrine organs
interact during pregnancy to facilitate maternal-fetal well-being. Dr.
Pepe also was awarded a grant as part of a program project with the
University of Maryland. With that award, Dr. Pepe expanded his research
efforts in basic reproductive biology to include examination of the
role of estrogen in fetal ovarian development and its impact on
fertility of offspring. Dr. Pepe has forged research collaborations
across departmental lines by working with faculty in the areas of
maternal-fetal medicine and reproductive medicine. He has received
extensive support from the NIH.
Dr. Pepe is among the leaders in his
field of research, and has been invited to lecture around the world. He
has served on several study sections at the NIH and is an ad hoc
reviewer for other organizations. A member of two editorial boards, he
also referees 11 professional journals. He is the author of 135 journal
articles and eight book chapters.
Dr. Pepe has taught several courses for
medical and graduate students, including courses in cell physiology,
cell and molecular endocrinology, and hormones of pregnancy. He has
received two awards from the school for excellence in teaching. He also
has received Eastern Virginia Medical School's award for achievement in
research and the highest award for faculty, the Dean's Outstanding
Faculty Award.
In addition to the administrative
burdens of a very productive basic science department, Dr. Pepe has
served on a multitude of committees at the institutional level. He is a
former president of the Faculty Senate; and former chairman of the
committees on student progress, tenure and space allocation.
Dr. Pepe is the father of two sons with
his wife, Catharine. He lives in Virginia Beach.
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