The Reporter: June 1995, Vol.6, No.3
Dean's Awards Presented At Council Meeting

Herbert and Florence Irving and former Connecticut Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. received the College of Physicians and Surgeons Dean's Award at a luncheon ceremony during the Columbia-Presbyterian Health Sciences Advisory Council meeting in April. Dr. Herbert Pardes, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Faculty of Medicine, presented the awards.

The Dean's Award recognizes individuals who have shown a strong and committed interest in health sciences and whose influence and reputation have made a significant impact on the public, especially concerning health care.

Mr. Irving, vice chairman and co-founder of Sysco, a national food distribution group with listing on the New York Stock Exchange, graduated from years as a patient at Harkness to staunch supporter of CPMC. In October 1987 he and his wife pledged funding to establish the Herbert and Florence Irving Clinical Research Center. He is also a trustee of PH.

As chairman and later ranking Republican member of the Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee that funded health and education programs, Mr. Weicker built Congressional support for the National Institutes of Health and maintained federal funding for a range of significant health incentives, from primary health care and family planning to care for AIDS patients. In 1988, Mr. Weicker received the Albert Lasker Public Service Award for his work on behalf of NIH and the country's medical research community.

Previous Dean's Award recipients have included Mary Lasker, Ursula Corning, Rosalynn Carter, Dr. Burton J. Lee III, Ann Landers, Matilda Cuomo, William Bloor, Judy Blume, and Tipper Gore.

The Dean's Award medallion is emblazoned with the original seal of the P&S, designed by Dr. Alexander Anderson, a Columbia graduate also known for illustrating "Webster's Spelling Book," a best-seller among textbooks for 70 years, and for engraving paper money for the government in the early part of the 19th century.

The advisory council meeting, titled "Academic Medicine in the Technological Age," included morning presentations on the impact of technology on medical education, on research, and on clinical care. Pat Molholt, assistant vice president and associate dean for scholarly resources, spoke on "The New Integration of Technology and Curriculum;" Dr. Herbert Chase, associate professor of clinical medicine, spoke on "Computer-based Curriculum;" and Jeffrey Szmulewicz, director of the Center for Biomedical Communications, gave a presentation titled "Expanding the Frontiers of Medical Education Through Media."

On the research side, Dr. Patrick Moore, assistant professor, School of Public Health, spoke on "Kaposi's Sarcoma: A Cancer Caused by a New Human Herpes Virus," research he conducted with Dr. Yuan Chang, assistant professor of clinical pathology. Dr. John Mann, chief of neuroscience, spoke on "Visualizing the Human Brain at Work in Health & Disease."

On the clinical care side, Dr. Ronald Van Heertum spoke on the impact of PET and MRI, and Dr. Arnold Gold, professor of clinical neurology and pediatrics, spoke on "Childhood Epilepsy: Triumph of Clinical Care Technology."