Eric Zinterhofer, a successful financier, was inspired to honor the remarkable career of his father, Louis J.M. Zinterhofer, MD, the former chair of Pathology at Monmouth Medical Center in New Jersey, with an endowed professorship.
Dr. Zinterhofer spent his formative years at Yale as a pathology resident from 1967-1971, and his colleague at Rutgers, Chen Liu, MD, PhD, is chair of Yale Pathology.
So what began as an idea three years ago came to fruition on September 18, 2025, when David Klimstra, MD, was introduced as the inaugural Louis J.M. Zinterhofer, MD Professor of Pathology. Nancy J. Brown, MD, dean of Yale School of Medicine, joined Pathology faculty and staff, as well as Dr. Zinterhofer, his wife, Susan, and Eric Zinterhofer, in honoring Klimstra at a reception at Brady Memorial Hall.
“I cannot imagine a more fitting inaugural Zinterhofer Professor than David Klimstra,” Liu says. “In addition to his professorship, he will serve as strategic director of Digital Pathology and AI, and chief of the Expert Consultation Service in Pathology. These roles will help propel Yale Pathology to new heights in advancing patient care and medical innovation.”
Klimstra, who was accompanied by his wife, Sibel A. Klimstra, MD, was grateful.
“This kind of event fills you with a number of emotions, the first being gratitude,” Klimstra says. “This is an incredible honor and I want to thank Dr. Liu for working with me and recruiting me. I want to thank the medical school and the department for supporting this. And, of course, Eric Zinterhofer. This would not be possible without your generosity. Thank you and your whole family for this amazing gift.”
‘Unforgettable Experience’
When he first learned of his son’s plans for an endowed professorship, Dr. Zinterhofer decided on Yale.
“The place that had the most influence on my professional life, and other aspects of my life as well, was here at Yale for four years,” Dr. Zinterhofer says. “I was surrounded by people who I developed tremendous affection and respect for – faculty and eight other residents in my group. The atmosphere was so warm and civilized that I’ve never really forgotten my experience here. Good performance was recognized, appreciated, and rewarded. The high standards here were subsequently, to the best of my efforts, applied to my entire professional career as a practicing pathologist.”
He and Liu became close when Liu was chair of Pathology at Rutgers in New Jersey before coming to Yale. “Dr. Liu being here when this endowment was conceived was perfect – I got to see my friend again and he was enthusiastic about the concept of this endowment.”
Eric Zinterhofer, a founding partner of Searchlight Capital, likes the idea of honoring his father’s legacy while looking to the future with AI and digital pathology.
“My father has often told me, ‘I think the next 30 years of medicine are going to be even more exciting than the last 30 years,’ ” he says. “I think this concept of AI pathology is really about the future, embracing the next generation of diagnostic pathology through AI to change the world and change medicine and, obviously, save lives. So I’m proud we’re able to do this and honor my father in the process.”