Dr. Clyde F. Barker, as Chairman, guided the Department of Surgery from 1984 to 2001. During that time the Department has flourished both from an academic and financial perspective. The faculty has more than doubled in size and has consistently ranked in the top 10 in NIH funding. The vast majority of individuals finishing the program during Dr. Barker’s tenure have gone on to academic positions and several have already become chairs of their own departments. His individual accomplishments are too numerous too mention but highlights would include the presidency of the American Surgical Association and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, and election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society (Vice President, 2005-2008) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has been and continues to be a mentor and role model for a generation of surgeons.

His clinical interests are focused in transplantation and vascular surgery. His research interests are transplantation biology and diabetes. His research has been funded through NIH grants since 1974, including a MERIT grant from 1987 to 1995.

Dr. Barker's memberships in Surgical Societies include the American Surgical Association (President, 1996-97); Society of University Surgeons, The Society of Clinical Surgery, Halsted Society (President, 1986-87); the Society for Vascular Surgery, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (President, 1992); the International Surgical Group (President, 1994-94). He is also a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the Association of American Physicians, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Transplantation Society (Council, 1978-84). He has served on the editorial boards of Transplantation, Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Annals of Surgery, Surgery, Archives of Surgery, and Diabetes.

He has authored and published more than 400 scientific papers, and has been the recipient of numerous grants from the NIH, including MERIT Awards, spanning the years, 1974 through 2000. He is recognized as one of the leading investigators in the transplant field in the United States. He is also credited with building the clinical transplant service at HUP into the largest and most successful program in the area.