Dr. Arnold Relman to Give Anniversary Discourse at 158th Spring Stated Meeting of the Academy

NEW YORK CITY, April 20??? Arnold S. Relman, MD, Professor Emeritus at Harvard Medical School and former New England Journal of Medicine Editor who has written extensively about the impact of U.S. healthcare reform on the quality of care, will be the keynote speaker at The New York Academy of Medicine???s 158th Spring Stated Meeting on Wednesday, April 27. The black tie dinner event, which includes Dr. Relman???s discourse and presentations of awards to leaders in science and government, will be held in the Library of the Academy at 1216 Fifth Ave. (at 103rd Street).

Dr. Relman???s thought-provoking discourse will explore the impact of the corporatization of the health-care system on the medical profession and on the cost and quality of patient care services. He is one of the most respected and highly recognized thinkers in medicine and has written widely on the economic, ethical, legal, and social aspects of healthcare. In 2003 with Dr. Marcia Angell, he won the Polk Journalism Prize for their study of the pharmaceutical industry, and is currently working on a book about healthcare reform.

The Stated Meeting is an Academy tradition started in 1847 to mark the anniversary of the founding of the Academy that year. Awards will be presented as follows for distinguished contributions to goals the Academy holds in high esteem.

*Peter Vallone, Sr., will receive the Academy Plaque for Exceptional Service to the Academy. During his tenure as Speaker of the New York City Council, he worked in collaboration with the Academy to recruit promising scientists to New York City to work toward solving disease problems in urban populations.

*Lester Breslow, MD, MPH, ScD, will be presented with the first annual Stephen Smith Award for Lifetime Achievement in Public Health. Dr. Breslow is considered the pioneer of chronic disease prevention. He was among the first to show that following simple lifestyle habits could significantly extend a person???s life and reduce disease likelihood. His pioneering 1960s studies resulted in development of the ???Seven Healthy Habits???: not smoking, moderation in alcohol consumption, regular exercise, weight control, eating regular meals (especially breakfast), avoiding between-meal snacks, and getting a good night???s sleep. This advice is now considered common sense but was novel at the time. Dr. Breslow is a Professor in the Department of Health Services and Dean Emeritus at the School of Public Health, UCLA.

*Elizabeth H. Blackburn, PhD, will receive the Academy Medal for Distinguished Contributions to Biomedical Science. Dr. Blackburn is best known for her groundbreaking discovery of the enzyme telomerase???which explains the activity of the ends of chromosomes???and how to manipulate it to combat cancer. She is the Morris Herzstein Professor of Biology and Physiology in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco.

*Samuel O. Thier, MD, will receive the John Stearns Award for Lifetime Achievement in Medicine. Dr. Thier is an authority on internal medicine and kidney disease and is widely acknowledged as a leading expert on managed healthcare???s impact on medicine. Dr. Thier is Professor of Medicine and Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School.

The New York Academy of Medicine, one of the country???s premier urban health policy and intervention centers, focuses on enhancing the health of people living in cities through research, education, advocacy, and prevention.

Posted on April 20, 2005

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Contact:
Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
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New York, New York 10029
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amartin@nyam.org

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