At the reception celebrating the establishment of the Anne Belcher, M.D. Assistant Professorship of Otorhinolaryngology are (from left) Dr. Rosemary Desloge, the first Belcher Assistant Professor; Suzanne Bunzel and Kate Webster, daughters of the late Dr. Belcher; and Dr. W. Shain Schley, chairman of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology. (They are holding an etched crystal bowl commemorating the establishment of the Belcher Assistant Professorship.)
At a reception held on June 1, family, friends and patients of the late Dr. Anne Belcher joined Weill Cornell faculty and staff to celebrate the establishment of the Anne Belcher, M.D. Assistant Professorship of Otorhinolaryngology and the appointment of Dr. Rosemary Desloge as the first Belcher Assistant Professor.
A double Cornell alumna (A.B., 1917; M.D., 1920) and a pioneer in the field of otorhinolaryngology, Dr. Belcher maintained a private practice in Manhattan for more than 60 years and was an active and beloved member of the Medical College's Department of Otorhinolaryngology, where she taught and mentored generations of students and residents.
Dr. Belcher, who passed away in 1995 at the age of 100, was especially known for her remarkable devotion to her patients, who came from all walks of life—including shop clerks, corporate executives, many members of the Rockefeller family, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, among others.
Establishment of the Anne Belcher, M.D. Assistant Professorship in Otorhinolaryngology was made possible by a significant gift from Dr. Belcher's daughters, Suzanne Bunzel and Kate Webster, as well as other gifts from friends, patients and colleagues.
In June 1992, Dr. Anne Belcher was honored at a retirement party hosted by the Department of Otorhinolaryngology: (above) Dr. Schley gives Dr. Belcher a Cornell sweatshirt as one of her retirement gifts; (below) Dr. Belcher receives best wishes from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Maurice Tempelsman, who were among many friends and patients at her retirement party.
At the reception, Dr. W. Shain Schley, chairman of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, and Dr. Lloyd Dropkin, clinical associate professor of otorhinolaryngology, spoke with humor, admiration and love about Dr. Belcher, under whom both served as residents. Marilyn Bender Altschul, a longtime patient and friend of Dr. Belcher, also spoke movingly about this remarkable physician who enriched many, many lives with her caring touch.
"The Belcher Assistant Professorship will provide important financial support to a member of the junior faculty, like Dr. Desloge, who shows exceptional promise in and commitment to the field of otorhinolaryngology," said Dean Gotto. "It will be a valuable recruiting tool in the future to enable the department to attract the most promising physician-scientists in otorhinolaryngology."
Dr. Desloge, who joined the Medical College in 1999, received her M.D. from the University of Miami School of Medicine (1989) and her bachelor's degree at Notre Dame (1983). Her postgraduate training included residencies and fellowships at the University of South Carolina, New York University, Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, and Harvard. Her clinical and research interests focus on laryngology, phonosurgery and voice disorders.
