At the January 13 reception celebrating the Topkins-Van Poznak Distinguished Professorship in Anesthesiology are (from left) Dr. Stephen Thomas, the first Topkins-Van Poznak Professor; Dr. Marjorie Topkins; Dr. Antonio Gotto, dean of the Medical College; and Dr. Alan Van Poznak.
Weill Cornell Medical College celebrated the establishment of the Marjorie J. Topkins, M.D.-Alan Van Poznak, M.D. Distinguished Professorship in Anesthesiology at a reception on January 13. The professorship—which honors two highly respected members of the faculty in the Department of Anesthesiology—has been endowed by gifts from Nancy and Daniel Paduano and other donors.
Funding for the professorship was launched as part of the New Horizons for Medicine campaign (1993-1999), starting with a challenge grant of $1 million from the Department of Anesthesiology. In 1996, Nancy and Daniel Paduano, who have been dedicated supporters of the Medical Center, made a major gift in support of the professorship, in recognition of the life-saving medical care administered to their son by Dr. Van Poznak.
Major gifts were also received from David and Julia Koch and Stephen and Suzanne Weiss, longtime supporters of the Medical College. Other gifts were made by Dr. Marjorie Topkins; Dr. Joseph Artusio, retired chairman and professor of anesthesiology; Dr. John Savarese, chairman of anesthesiology; Philip Dusenberry; the Irving Weinstein Foundation; and Dr. Stephen Thomas, the Topkins-Van Poznak Distinguished Professor of Anesthesiology and vice chair of the department. These generous gifts were combined with other contributions from grateful patients, alumni, friends and faculty to endow the new chair, which will be dedicated to clinical training in anesthesiology.
Dr. Stephen J. Thomas
The first holder of the Marjorie J. Topkins, M.D.-Alan Van Poznak, M.D. Distinguished Professorship in Anesthesiology is Dr. Stephen Thomas, professor of anesthesiology at the Medical College.
Dr. Stephen Thomas with Daniel and Nancy Paduano, who provided a major gift for the Topkins-Van Poznak Professorship.
A nationally recognized cardiac anesthesiologist, Dr. Thomas received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in 1968. He completed an internship at San Francisco General Hospital in 1969 and a residency in anesthesia at the United States Public Health Service Hospital in Staten Island. After additional training at Massachusetts General Hospital, he joined the faculty at New York University in 1976.
In 1989, he was recruited to Cornell University Medical College and has been professor of clinical anesthesiology since 1991. Dr. Thomas is noted for his expertise in anesthesia for bloodless surgery, cardiac anesthesia and cardiothoracic anesthesia. His textbook, "Manual of Cardiac Anesthesiology," is one of the best known and widely read instructional sources for cardiac anesthesiologists in training.
Dr. Marjorie Topkins and Dr. Alan Van Poznak
Dr. Marjorie Topkins, professor emeritus of clinical anesthesiology, and Dr. Alan Van Poznak, professor emeritus of anesthesiology, are highly respected members of the Department of Anesthesiology, who have each served on the faculty for more than 40 years.
Dr. Topkins received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1946 and her medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in 1950. After completing her internship at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn (1950-1952) and her residency in anesthesiology at The New York Hospital (1952-1954), Dr. Topkins joined the faculty at Cornell as an instructor in surgery (in the Division of Anesthesiology). She has subspecialized in cardiac anesthesia, cardiothoracic anesthesia, and pediatric anesthesia, as well as anesthesia for plastic surgery. She was honored for her outstanding service at the time of her retirement in 1996.
Stephen Weiss, Dr. Stephen Thomas and Dr. Antonio Gotto.
Dr. Van Poznak, a "double" Cornell alumnus, received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1948 and his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in 1952. After completing his internship at The New York Hospital, he spent two years as a medical officer in the U.S. Army and then returned to The New York Hospital, where he completed residencies in surgery and anesthesiology. He then joined the Cornell faculty in the Department of Surgery (Division of Anesthesiology) and also completed a research fellowship in pharmacology.
Along with his colleague Dr. Joseph Artusio, Dr. Van Poznak is credited with the development of methoxyflurane (also known as "penthrane"), which, by the late 1960s, was the leading inhalation anesthetic used worldwide. In 1990, the Department of Anesthesiology honored Dr. Van Poznak for his dedication to medical education with the establishment of the Alan Van Poznak Award for Excellence in Anesthesiology, which is awarded to a medical student for meritorious work in the specialty.
In addition to his professional accomplishments in anesthesiology, Dr. Van Poznak is a recognized expert in hymnology, an avocational interest that he has pursued for many years.