Clinical pharmacologist and biotechnology innovator Phyllis Gardner dies at 75

Gardner and Perlman returned to Stanford in 1984, she as an assistant professor of medicine and of pharmacology. They made their home on the Stanford campus. The couple had two children, Nicola Claire Perlman in 1987 and Jay Gardner Perlman in 1989.

Gardner built her research lab. It’s where she became the first to discover that an ion channel gene that causes cystic fibrosis, CFTR, is present and functional in immune cells, leading to a better understanding of how the disease affects the immune system.

“Our collaboration led to a decade-long effort to cure cystic fibrosis,” said Richard Moss, MD, emeritus professor of pediatrics who worked on the project with Gardner. “That research laid the groundwork for a new generation of gene therapy programs for cystic fibrosis.”

At Stanford Medicine, she combined her work in cardiology with her expertise in clinical pharmacology, treating complex cardiac cases and helping manage transplant patients, where her knowledge of immune rejection and drug mechanisms was especially valuable. She saw patients at the cardiology clinics until the mid-1990s, when she shifted her focus toward industry.

In 1994, Gardner took a sabbatical to join ALZA Corporation as vice president of research, applying her pharmacology expertise to the development of novel drug-delivery systems.

Returning to Stanford Medicine in 1998, she was appointed senior associate dean for education and student affairs, where she spearheaded significant reforms in medical education. Her vision drove a complete overhaul of the medical school curriculum into an organ system-based approach that integrated basic science and clinical training, a legacy that endures today.

During her deanship, Gardner built a strong leadership team that shaped medical education at Stanford for decades. She recruited Gesundheit, who served in the dean’s office for 26 years, as well as Gabriel Garcia, MD, professor of gastroenterology and hepatology, who became associate dean of admissions for nearly 20 years. She also appointed Charlene Hamada and Martha Trujillo — both of whom served for decades.

Gardner also shifted her focus to teaching and mentoring. She particularly enjoyed engaging with students interested in entrepreneurship, medicine and innovation, leaving a lasting impact on their careers, Parnes said.

When her associate deanship ended in 2001, Gardner expanded her work in biotechnology. Until 2015, she was a partner at Essex Woodlands Health Ventures, advising on investments in biomedical innovation and mentoring women in science and business. She frequently spoke about the challenges women faced in venture capital. In a Stanford Medicine Alumni Association presentation, she called it “the hardest place for women to succeed — harder than academia or industry.”

She later joined several corporate boards, including Revance Therapeutics, Ventaira Pharmaceuticals and MiMedx Group Inc., and she founded or co-founded multiple companies, including Genomics Collaborative, SKOLAR and CambriaTech Holding Co.

Devotion to family

Outside of her professional achievements, Gardner was known for her warmth, generosity and deep devotion to her family and community.

“We were very successful in juggling intensive careers and bringing up children,” Perlman said. “Phyllis never pushed the kids — she just had faith they’d do fine. That gave them strength and confidence. She was also a wonderful grandmother, spending hours playing silly games with the grandkids.”

The Gardner-Perlman family in 2004. Courtesy of the Gardner-Perlman family

Gardner valued curiosity and creativity outside of work. She loved art, travel and exercise, and found joy in continual learning.

“When she was younger, she was an avid runner and loved staying fit,” Perlman said. “After a fracture ended her running, she took up swimming and kept at it for years. She loved her dogs and crossword puzzles, and we took family trips to a ranch in Montana and to our place on Martha’s Vineyard.”

Gardner and Perlman shared a strong sense of purpose and philanthropy, supporting higher education, medical research and anti-hunger initiatives. “We see philanthropy as a duty and a privilege,” Perlman said.

“She cared deeply about people — it was entirely genuine,” Parnes said. “If you needed help, Phyllis was there.”

To her family, she was a source of love, humor and inspiration. “She was a superstar in life and career,” Perlman said, and “a singular, loving person we will never forget.”

Gardner received numerous national awards. She was honored as a Burroughs Wellcome Faculty Scholar in Clinical Pharmacology for her pioneering studies in ion channel biophysiology and cystic fibrosis. She received a Faculty Development Award from the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association Foundation, supporting her early pharmacologic research. Gardner was a member of the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows and Advisory Council on Education.

Gardner is survived by her husband, Perlman, of Stanford, California; her daughter, Nicola Claire Perlman, MD, of Burlingame, California; and her son, Jay Gardner Perlman, of Gandía, Spain. She is also survived by her siblings and four grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents.