NYMC Honors Distinguished Faculty and Alumni at Annual Founder’s Dinner
The Event Celebrated Former And Present Members Of The NYMC Community And Raised Funds For Educating Future Physicians, Public Health Professionals And Research Scientists
The evening of October 26 was a special one for NYMC as guests gathered for the annual Founder’s Dinner at Marina Del Ray in the Bronx. More than 385 academic, healthcare, business, and community leaders came together to celebrate NYMC’s proud history and promising future and to honor distinguished faculty and alumni leaders for their impactful and transformative achievements. Proceeds of the evening directly benefit NYMC students through scholarships and important initiatives, and further NYMC’s mission to educate the next generation of physicians and healthcare providers, and support life-saving biomedical research.
“We always look forward to having the New York Medical College community come together annually for our Founder’s Dinner to praise the College’s accomplishments over the past year, and acknowledge those who have had made essential, positive impacts on our students and the healthcare provider and research communities,” said Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., chancellor and chief executive officer of NYMC. “The astounding support from all the Founder’s Dinner’s attendees is highly appreciated. Together we have fueled trailblazing biomedical research as well as support for the next generation of graduates through the scholarship funds raised.”
Most notably, Gladys M. Ayala, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P., former vice chancellor for College-wide student affairs, and senior associate dean for School of Medicine (SOM) student affairs, NYMC and now vice dean and professor of medicine, NYU Long Island School of Medicine; William H. Frishman, M.D., MACP, professor of medicine and pharmacology and chair emeritus of the Department of Medicine; Leonard J. Newman, M.D. ’70, professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics and associate professor of family and community medicine; James J. O'Brien, Ph.D., M.A., vice dean emeritus, School of Health Sciences and Practice and professor emeritus of public health; and Ben C. Watson, Ph.D., vice dean emeritus, School of Health Sciences and Practice and professor emeritus of speech-language pathology, were recipients of the Distinguished Service and Leadership Awards. The Distinguished Service and Leadership Awards honor individuals whose careers and contributions to health care, science, and our communities have profoundly impacted the practice of medicine and have added immeasurable prestige to the College. The evening also honored Francis L. Belloni, Ph.D., professor emeritus of physiology, with the Alfred B. DelBello Distinguished Service Award, given to those members of its faculty, staff, administration, and voluntary leadership who have helped advance the College’s mission of education and research through their service, and commitment.
The event was emceed by Vilma E. Bordonaro, M.B.A., chief of staff, NYMC, and Michael Crupain, M.D. ’06, M.P.H., senior vice president of clinical operations, Sharecare.
“As always, it was a pleasure to honor and commemorate our distinguished award recipients,” said Bess J. Chazhur, M.S., chief development officer and executive director of alumni relations. "This year’s event raised $335,000 toward the endowment and other important student initiatives at NYMC. We recognize and thank our more than generous donors for their contributions and support.”
Presenters throughout the evening included:
- Rabbi Moshe D. Krupka, M.S., executive vice president and university ombudsman, Touro University
- Alan Kadish, M.D., president, NYMC and Touro University
- Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., chancellor, and chief executive officer, NYMC, provost for biomedical affairs, Touro University
View the honoree videos from the 2022 Founder’s Dinner.
This year’s presenting sponsors of the Founder’s Dinner include:
Gold: NYMC Board of Advisors and Boston Children’s Health Physicians
Silver: William H. Frishman, M.D., MACP, and Westchester Medical Center
Bronze: Mr. and Mrs. Ben Chouake: Andrew and Sarah Levy; Dr. Meryl and Mr. Joseph Mark; Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence F. Neshiwat, M.D. ’88; Reva and Martin Oliner; Pavarini Construction Company Inc.; Ronald and Peggy Poe; Alan Rosenthal, D.M.D.; and Webster Bank
Flower: Westfair Communications
Dessert: Garfunkel Wild, P.C.; KPMG; and Walter M. Lewis, M.D. '91, and Christel Bauer, M.D.
