Professorship Endowed by Maurice R. Greenberg and the Starr Foundation
NEW YORK (April 26, 2007) — An internationally recognized authority in vascular surgery, Dr. K. Craig Kent has been named the first Greenberg-Starr Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, named for Maurice R. Greenberg and the Starr Foundation in recognition of their $2 million commitment to endow the position.
Dr. Kent is also chief of Vascular Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, including both its major medical centers — NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He is professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Maurice Greenberg, a member of the Medical College's Board of Overseers, is a long-standing benefactor of Weill Cornell.
"The pace of innovation and excellence that is continually demonstrated by the Division of Vascular Surgery would not be possible without the leadership and commitment of Hank Greenberg. For his continued support, we are all very grateful," says Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. "Congratulations also to Dr. Kent, who is highly deserving of this special honor."
"This professorship recognizes the numerous treatment options pioneered by Dr. Kent and the department — such as minimally invasive surgical techniques — that help and will continue to help those with vascular disease live longer and fuller lives," says Maurice Greenberg.
"In addition to outstanding surgical abilities, Dr. Kent is a dedicated teacher whose energy and enthusiasm inspires and trains future generations of vascular surgeons," says Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi, chairman of the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College and surgeon-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. Dr. Michelassi is also the Lewis Atterbury Stimson Professor of Surgery at Weill Cornell.
"I am grateful for this honor. The Division of Vascular Surgery is truly a team effort and recognition goes to the outstanding achievements of my many talented colleagues," says Dr. Kent, who is also program director for the vascular surgery fellowship, an effort he initiated at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
In 2001, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital merged the Divisions of Vascular Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, and Dr. Kent was chosen to be chief of the newly combined division. The combined division represents one of the largest academic vascular surgical programs in the United States, with a total of 14 surgeons.
Weill Cornell Medical College has led several important research findings in the treatment of vascular disease, including prevention and treatment of stroke and "Quick Screen" for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Ongoing research includes studies in gene therapy, drug-eluding stents and advanced carotid stenting and grafts for aneurisms.
Vascular faculty publish on average 15 peer-reviewed manuscripts every year and are regularly invited speakers at national scientific meetings.
Corinne and Maurice Greenberg have generously supported Weill Cornell Medical College for more than 25 years, greatly advancing patient care, education, and basic and clinical research. Notably, they were honored at the Jan. 26 opening of the new Weill Greenberg Center, the first clinical building in Weill Cornell's 109-year history. Among their many other significant contributions that have helped build the Medical College's reputation are Weill Cornell's inpatient Greenberg Pavilion, C.V. Starr Pavilion, C.V. Starr Biomedical Information Center, Greenberg Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, and support for the Genetic Medicine Program, the Division of Cardiology, the Division of Geriatrics, faculty recruitments and endowed student scholarships. The Maurice Greenberg Distinguished Service Award is NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell's highest honor. It is presented annually to a senior member of the medical staff for exceptional and long-standing service.
Dr. K. Craig Kent
Following his graduation from medical school in 1981, Dr. Kent completed his general surgery residency at the University of California at San Francisco and a fellowship in vascular surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital–Harvard Medical School. He was also awarded the prestigious annual E.J. Wylie Traveling Fellowship. In 1997, Dr. Kent joined the Division of Vascular Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. Dr. Kent has authored or co-authored more than 200 manuscripts and chapters that have been published in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks on vascular disease. He is regularly invited to speak at local, national and international scientific meetings on a wide variety of vascular surgery topics. His National Institutes of Health (NIH)–funded basic science lab is exploring the mechanisms of failure for bypass grafts and angioplasty following vascular intervention. Dr. Kent is active in the leadership of vascular surgery and serves as the 2006-2007 president of the Society for Vascular Surgery. He was selected for inclusion in New York Magazine's Best Doctors 2006 issue and America's Top Doctors 2005 edition.
Maurice R. Greenberg
Maurice R. "Hank" Greenberg (born May 4, 1925, in New York City) is an American businessman and former chairman and CEO of American International Group (AIG), the world's largest insurance and financial services corporation. He is currently chairman and CEO of C.V. Starr and Company, a diversified financial services firm, named from the founder of AIG, with assets of $3.5 billion. Mr. Greenberg is chairman emeritus of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He serves as a member of the Board of Overseers of the Weill Cornell Medical College, life trustee of New York University; a trustee for the School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science; and chairman of the Academic Medicine Development Company (AMDeC). He is on the Board of Directors of the International Rescue Committee and is active in a number of other civic and charitable organizations. Mr. Greenberg is honorary vice chairman and director of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Trilateral Commission. He is also a former chairman and current member of the U.S.-Korea Business Council, a member of the U.S.-China Business Council, and the Business Council. He has served on the Board of Directors of the New York Stock Exchange, the President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, and the Business Roundtable. He is a past chairman, deputy chairman and director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The Starr Foundation
The Starr Foundation was established in 1955 by Cornelius Vander Starr, an insurance entrepreneur who founded the American International family of insurance and financial services companies, now known as American International Group, Inc. Mr. Starr, a pioneer of globalization, set up his first insurance venture in Shanghai in 1919. He died in 1968 at the age of 76, leaving his estate to the Foundation. Currently chaired by Maurice R. Greenberg, the Foundation has assets of approximately $3.5 billion, making it one of the largest private foundations in the United States. It makes grants in a number of areas, including education, medicine and healthcare, human needs, public policy, culture and the environment.
Weill Cornell Medical College
Weill Cornell Medical College — located in New York City — is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine. Weill Cornell, which is a principal academic affiliate of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, offers an innovative curriculum that integrates the teaching of basic and clinical sciences, problem-based learning, office-based preceptorships, and primary care and doctoring courses. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research in such areas as stem cells, genetics and gene therapy, geriatrics, neuroscience, structural biology, cardiovascular medicine, AIDS, obesity, cancer and psychiatry — and continue to delve ever deeper into the molecular basis of disease in an effort to unlock the mysteries behind the human body and the malfunctions that result in serious medical disorders. Weill Cornell Medical College is the birthplace of many medical advances — from the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer to the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., and most recently, the world's first clinical trial for gene therapy for Parkinson's disease. Weill Cornell's Physician Organization includes 650 clinical faculty, who provide the highest quality of care to their patients. For more information, visit www.med.cornell.edu.
Lezlie Greenberg
leg2003@med.cornell.edu