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[April 30, 2007]
PIONEERS AND LEADERS OF MEDICINE, SURGERY, ALLIED HEALTH AND NURSING TO BE HONORED AT COMMENCEMENT
Drs. Richard Smith, a founder of the physician assistant profession, and Donald Wilson, dean emeritus of the University of Maryland School of Medicine to Address Graduates, May 29
Addition honorees to include:
College of Medicine/School of Graduate Studies/MPH Program
Adrian Kantrowitz, the surgeon who performed 1st human heart transplant in U.S.;
Dr. Michael C. Gelfand, a pioneer in combination drug therapy;
Dr. Marvin Moser, an authority on hypertension
College of Health Related Professions and College of Nursing
Dr. Jeannette Lancaster, president of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Richard A. Smith, MD, MPH, one of the founders of the modern allied health professions movement, and Donald E. Wilson, dean emeritus of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a former chairman of the Department of Medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, will be the speakers at Downstate’s commencement ceremonies on Tuesday, May 29, 2007, at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan.
Adrian Kantrowitz, MD, a 1943 graduate of Downstate’s College of Medicine and a prolific cardiac innovator who performed the first heart transplant surgery in the United States while a member of the SUNY Downstate faculty, will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree. Also receiving an honorary Doctor of Science degree will be Michael C. Gelfand, MD. Dr. Gelfand, a 1968 graduate who also performed his residency at Downstate, has made significant contributions to the understanding of immunology and combination drug therapy, and is an active philanthropist.
Both degrees will be awarded at the commencement ceremony for Downstate’s College of Medicine, School of Graduate Studies, and Master of Public Health program, which will begin at 4:00 p.m. Dr. Wilson will deliver the commencement address and receive SUNY Downstate’s Ailanthus Award for his contributions to medicine. He is a nationally known advocate for diversity and equity in healthcare and medical education and is the nation’s first African-American to have been named dean of a predominantly white medical school. Marvin Moser, MD, clinical professor of medicine at Yale University’s School of Medicine and a foremost authority on hypertension, will receive the President’s Award.
Dr. Smith will speak at the ceremony for the Colleges of Nursing and Health Related Professions, beginning at 12:00 noon and will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. The founder of MEDEX, one of the first programs to train physician assistants, he also helped develop the nurse practitioner profession. An expert on health care delivery in developing countries, he was called to South Africa by President Nelson Mandela in 1993 to head the team designing the nation’s new national health system.
Jeanette Lancaster, PhD, RN, also will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the ceremony. Dr. Lancaster is the newly elected president of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and dean of nursing at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. An authority on community health nursing, Dr. Lancaster is an advocate for reducing gender imbalances in decision-making positions and for nurse workforce development and retention.
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Note to Editors:
The news media are invited to attend. Photographers, videographers, and broadcasters must obtain prior permission from Carnegie Hall at least two days in advance through SUNY Downstate: 718-270-2696.
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