Downstate鈥檚 History of Achievement to be Celebrated
Mar 18, 2008
June 14 Banquet to Benefit Medical Research
Brooklyn, NY - A gala banquet to celebrate Downstate Medical Center鈥檚 proud history of achievement will be held June 14 at the Vanderbilt at South Beach, Staten Island. This major fundraising event will bring together many of the top medical authorities and researchers in their fields, along with distinguished business and community leaders, for an elegant evening of recognition and celebration. The first in a series of annual events to highlight the medical center鈥檚 leading role in education, science, and patient care, this year鈥檚 fundraiser will help support medical research at Downstate.
Hosted by Lynda Baquero, anchor of WNBC鈥檚 鈥淟ive at Five鈥� show, the inaugural gala has all the elements of an exciting evening. The roster of celebrity guests includes Larry King, known to millions of radio and television audiences as the 鈥渕aster of the mike.鈥� Mr. King will be honored for his dedication to promoting heart health. Since 1988, the Larry King Cardiac Foundation has raised millions to help people without proper health insurance receive the cardiac care they need.
Also being honored is Dr. Max Harry Weil, one of the fathers of critical care medicine. A Downstate graduate, Class of 1952, Dr. Weil pioneered the development of the first modern intensive care unit and helped train many of the top physicians working in critical care medicine.
The list of honorees also includes Ray Suarez, writer and senior correspondentfor The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and Joseph and Shirley Wershba, journalists and TV news producers.
Proceeds from the gala fundraiser will help advance basic and clinical research at Downstate, birthplace of some of the major breakthroughs in modern medicine. The first full-body human images using MRI were made at Downstate, and nitric oxide鈥檚 role as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system was discovered in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Furchgott, winner of the Nobel Prize for medicine. Dr. Furchgott鈥檚 work has paved the way for new treatments to improve cardiovascular and reproductive health.
Douglas Lazzaro, MD, chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and event chairman for Celebrate Downstate, is confident that this level of success can be sustained and even exceeded. 鈥淩ecognized for its contributions to medical science in the last century, Downstate is one of today鈥檚 leaders in neuroscience and biotechnology,鈥� he says. 鈥淎dditional funding will advance all of our outstanding ongoing research, help us unravel the causes of diseases such as Alzheimer鈥檚 and epilepsy, and find new treatments for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, macular degeneration and other serious illnesses.鈥�
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含羞草研究所 含羞草研究所
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (含羞草研究所) 64-campus system and the only 含羞草研究所 AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough鈥檚 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate鈥檚 exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.