The New York Academy of Medicine: News & Publications: Black-Tie Gala Honors Leaders Who Keep New York Healthy

Black-Tie Gala Honors Leaders Who Keep New York Healthy

Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin among those honored at Cipriani 42nd Street; Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden on hand

NEW YORK CITY, January 30 – Three extraordinary leaders from the worlds of finance, health and business were feted last night at The New York Academy of Medicine’s 2003 Gala, an elegant black-tie affair held in the grand historic dining hall of Cipriani 42nd St.

Honoree Dr. Alfred Sommer, Academy President Dr. Jeremiah A. Barondess, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Honorees Dean R. O'Hare and Robert E. Rubin.

Robert E. Rubin, Treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, was among the men of great accomplishment honored for contributions to social responsibility and health. The other distinguished honorees were Dean R. O’Hare, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Chubb Corporation, and Dr. Alfred Sommer, Dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden were among the many dignitaries in attendance.

Main hall of Cipriani 42nd St., a National and New York City historic landmark.

“I thank you enormously for this honor,” said Rubin, who is now Director and Chairman of the Executive Committee at Citigroup Inc. “The delivery and funding of healthcare for the urban poor do not lend themselves to easy solutions and unfortunately, as I certainly saw when I was in Washington, does not have a political constituency even remotely commensurate with its importance for all of us. That makes the work of The New York Academy of Medicine all the more important.”

The theme of this year’s annual fundraising gala, attended by nearly 400 people, was “Beyond Medicine: Keeping New York Healthy.” Each honoree has touched countless lives in this city, the nation and the world, Academy President Dr. Jeremiah A. Barondess told the crowd. Improving public health requires mobilization of the brightest minds from every sector of urban life, and these men epitomize the best of the government, science, and corporate sectors.

Dr. Jack Barchas, Chairman of the Academy's Board of Trustees

“Their careers exemplify what we will need if we are to make a serious difference in the health of people who live in our cities and cities across the world,” Barondess said. “It is why we are so proud to be paying tribute to these remarkable individuals tonight.” The dinner was dedicated to the memory of David Skinner, a revered Trustee and Fellow who died on Jan. 24.

The memorable four-hour tribute to the Academy’s success was held in the gorgeous building that once housed the Bowery Savings Bank. Built in 1921, this Italian renaissance design features soaring marble columns, a 65-foot ceiling and glorious chandeliers. It is a national and New York City landmark interior. Each honoree received a Tiffany crystal prism engraved with his name and gratitude “for his leadership and commitment to the health of the public.”

“To be presented with this prestigious award is both humbling and deeply gratifying,” said O’Hare, an Academy Trustee and Fellow who retired in November as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Chubb Corporation. As one of the world’s leading property and casualty insurance providers, Chubb has long focused on issues of health and prevention, said O’Hare, who remains a leading voice of the business community on international trade issues. “I wholeheartedly believe that it is incumbent upon corporations to make a positive and sincere impact upon the population,” he said. “The Academy serves as a real model for other organizations to follow. Through their tireless efforts in research, the sources of poor health are unmasked.”

To shine a spotlight on the Academy’s significant contributions to public health, Dr. Sommer paused before accepting his award and asked the crowd to recognize Dr. Barondess. He described Dr. Barondess as the man who “resuscitated NYAM”— a remark that drew rousing applause. And then, Dr. Barondess returned the compliment.

“(Dr. Sommer’s) work epitomizes the links between health and socioeconomic status,” Barondess told the crowd upon presenting the award.

Research led by Dr. Sommer of Johns Hopkins resulted in the discovery that even a mild vitamin A deficiency dramatically increases childhood mortality rates. That is primarily because it reduces children’s resistance to infectious diseases. Dr. Sommer showed that the deficiency could be effectively, quickly, and cheaply treated with high oral doses of vitamin A supplements, an approach that the World Bank has described as one of the most cost-effective of all health interventions.

Dr. Sommer told the audience that in 18th century French villages, the average age of death was younger than the average age of marriage. By the early 1900s, the average life expectancy had improved to age 43 and by the year 2000, it had risen to age 80. Yet with all of society’s medical advances, many health problems persist, he pointed out. As has been true for centuries, he said, these problems can best be ameliorated through coalitions of caring segments of society.

Such coalitions are embodied by the Academy, said Dr. Jack Barchas, Chairman of the Academy’s Board of Trustees, and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

“At the Academy, we believe that medicine alone cannot keep us well,” Dr. Barchas said. “It takes the active participation and involvement of leaders from every professional discipline and sector to keep New Yorkers healthy.”

Posted on 01/30/2003

Contact:
Malini Doddamani
Director of Communications
mdoddamani@nyam.org
212.822.7285

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