The New York Academy of Medicine: News & Publications: An Evening of Celebration and Recognition

An Evening of Celebration and Recognition

Front from left to right:Jack D. Barchas, John E. Wennberg, Jo Ivey Boufford, Philip J. Landrigan; Back from left to right: Thomas Q. Morris, Harold T. Shapiro, David G. Nathan, Eric S. Lander

Last night NYAM inducted 132 new Fellows and Members and recognized 37 individuals who were celebrating their 30th anniversary as Fellows. A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the 162nd Anniversary Discourse, marking the anniversary of NYAM’s founding, and the bestowing of distinguished awards. More than 150 leaders in the fields of medicine, public health, and science attended the event to honor this year’s extraordinary awardees for lifetime achievement and distinguished contributions in biomedical science, medicine, public health, health policy and service to NYAM.

Dr. Shapiro delivering the Anniversary Discourse, "Medicine, Science and Public Responsibility."

In the Anniversary Discourse, “Medicine, Science and Public Responsibility,” Harold T. Shapiro, PhD, President Emeritus and Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University, discussed the public responsibility and behavior of institutions and professions. He noted that it is the responsibility of institutions to articulate whose interests are being served by their existence and challenged them to develop expansive moral imagination.

NYAM began the tradition of bestowing awards for distinguished contributions in biomedical science in 1929. The 2009 Academy Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Biomedical Science was presented to Eric S. Lander, PhD, for his leadership in the biomedical revolution generated by the new discourse in genetics and in particular the Human Genome Project. Dr. Lander is President and Director of the Broad Institute,

Dr. Lander and Trustee Allen M. Spiegel, MD

Co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Professor of Biology at MIT, and Professor of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School. Past recipients of this award include many individuals who went on to receive a Nobel Prize, most recently Elizabeth H. Backburn, PhD, who was honored by NYAM in 2005 and received a Nobel in Physiology or Medicine this year.

David G. Nathan, MD, received the 2009 John Sterns Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Medicine for his leading national role as a physician scientist and his outstanding contributions to the care of children, especially in relation to hematology and oncology.

Dr. Nathan and Emeritus Trustee Richard A. Rifkind

He is President Emeritus of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Robert A. Stranahan Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

The 2009 Stephen Smith Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Public Health was presented to Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc, for the significant ways he has contributed to improving public health nationwide and especially his accomplishments protecting children against environmental threats. He is the Ethel Wise Professor and Chair of the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine at the

Dr. Landrigan and presenter Kristine M. Gebbie, DrPH, RN.

Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Mount Sinai’s Children’s Environmental Health Center.

John E. Wennberg, MD, MPH, received the 2009 Academy Medical for Distinguished Contributions in Health Policy, for his contributions reshaping the U.S. health-care system to focus on objective evidence and outcomes. He is the Peggy Y. Thomson Professor and Chair for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences, and Founder and Director Emeritus of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. Dr. Wennberg is founding editor of the highly-respected Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care,

Dr. Wennberg and NYAM President Dr. Boufford

an ongoing long-term study that examines the patterns of medical resource intensity and utilization in the United States.

The 2009 Academy Plaque for Exceptional Service to the Academy was given to Jack D. Barchas, MD, for outstanding contributions as a NYAM trustee and his visionary leadership as Chairman of the NYAM Board of Trustees. He is a renowned researcher on neuroregulators and behavior; his research included fundamental basic, clinical and translational aspects of what is termed systems neuroscience.

Dr. Barchas and presenter Dr. Thomas Q. Morris

Dr. Barchas is Barklie McKee Henry Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University and Psychiatrist-in-Chief of the New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medication Center.

“These professionals have all been innovators in their respective fields. They have made a profound difference—in basic science investigation, in therapeutic discovery, in helping shape critical health policy, and in public health impact at home and abroad,” said Jo Ivey Boufford, MD, President of NYAM.

Dr. Thomas Q. Morris, Chairman of the Board, recognized David A. Hamburg, MD, President Emeritus of Carnegie Corporation of New York, who will be retiring in December from the Board of Trustees. Of his many contributions to NYAM, Dr. Hamburg was especially praised for his leadership of a Board committee that recommended the creation of the now very effective Division of Health Policy. Dr. Hamburg will continue as an Advisory Board member to NYAM’s policy work.

NYAM has been advancing the health of people in cities since 1847. An independent organization, NYAM addresses the health challenges facing the world's urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to innovative research, education, community engagement and policy leadership. Drawing on the expertise of diverse partners worldwide and more than 2,000 elected Fellows from across the professions, our current priorities are to create environments in cities that support healthy aging; to strengthen systems that prevent disease and promote the public's health; and to implement interventions that eliminate health disparities.

Posted on 11/18/2009

Contact:
Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
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www.nyam.org

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