“It was a surprise and an honor. Dr. Hill was my mentor, and now I have the opportunity to identify talent in the department that I can support financially and mentor, similar to what Harry did for me,” Delgado said.
Hill, the renowned immunologist and cofounder of ARUP for whom the chair is named, recruited Delgado to join ARUP in 2006 as a medical director in the Immunology Department. Hill also helped recommend Delgado for the endowed chair.
“I am proud of Dr. Delgado’s accomplishments and anticipate him to accomplish much more. He has an extraordinary record, trained in excellent places, and continues to work to improve immunology,” said Hill.
Delgado received his doctor of medicine degree from Universidad Industrial de Santander in Colombia and his master of science degree in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health, and completed both his clinical residency training in clinical pathology and his research fellowship in immunology at the Harvard Medical School. He served as ARUP’s chief medical officer during the COVID-19 pandemic and has said it was the biggest honor of his life. About his selection for the endowed chair, he said, “This is an equal or bigger honor.”
“Dr. Delgado is in many ways an ideal person to be named the inaugural holder of the Harry R. Hill, MD, Presidential Endowed Chair. He, as with Dr. Hill before him, has made contributions to the department and ARUP that have been broad and highly impactful, and Dr. Delgado continues to be a critical leader and role model in our organization,” said Peter Jensen, MD, chairman of the Department of Pathology and the ARUP Board of Directors.
Hill retired from the U and ARUP on October 1, 2021. The establishment of the endowed chair was a surprise, announced at his retirement open house. He was the first director and the driving force behind the ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology®. Delgado served as co-executive director of the institute from 2013 to 2015.
“I’m following in Dr. Hill’s footsteps. I’ll never be him, but to be recognized as a contributor to ARUP and the field of immunology makes me proud. I hope to continue to do the work that he started and influence a younger group of people who could benefit from the resources this endowed chair provides,” Delgado said.
The presidential endowed chair creates an opportunity for the Department of Pathology to recognize excellence in leadership and academic contributions. Delgado will have access to income from the endowment to support research, education programs, and new initiatives.
The Department of Pathology has five other presidential endowed chairs, including two that honor Carl Kjeldsberg, MD, and John Matsen, MD, both of whom cofounded ARUP along with Hill. The most recent chair, honoring Matsen, was established in 2013.
Read more about Hill in this article.
About ARUP Laboratories
Founded in 1984, ARUP Laboratories is a leading national reference laboratory and a nonprofit enterprise of the University of Utah and its Department of Pathology. ARUP offers more than 3,000 tests and test combinations, ranging from routine screening tests to esoteric molecular and genetic assays. ARUP serves clients across the United States, including many of the nation’s top university teaching hospitals and children’s hospitals, as well as multihospital groups, major commercial laboratories, group purchasing organizations, military and other government facilities, and major clinics. In addition, ARUP is a worldwide leader in innovative laboratory research and development, led by the efforts of the ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology®. ARUP is ISO 15189 CAP accredited.
ARUP Media Contact
Bonnie Stray, bonnie.stray@aruplab.com