The Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine was officially unveiled at a ceremony at the Weill Greenberg Center, Sept. 26. From left: Dr. Herbert Pardes, Caleigh Perelman, Ronald O. Perelman, Samantha Perelman, Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr. and Dr. Zev Rosenwaks.
Weill Cornell Medical College held a ceremony on Friday, Sept. 26, to officially rename its internationally renowned reproductive medicine center, the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine.
Ronald O. Perelman, chairman of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, Inc., is a long-standing friend and supporter of the Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, serving on both the Weill Cornell Board of Overseers and the Hospital Board of Trustees.
"This is a personal and special moment for me and my two daughters," said Mr. Perelman, who was joined at the ceremony by his daughters, Samantha and Caleigh Perelman. "There is no fitter way to honor Claudia and to thank Dr. Zev Rosenwaks than by providing this gift. Work here at the Center will have an expansive effect on medicine throughout the world."
Mr. Perelman's former wife, Claudia Cohen, to whom he was married for nine years, died in 2007.
In February, Mr. Perelman donated $50 million to the Medical Center to further research and clinical care initiatives in cardiac and reproductive medicine. The gift was equally divided between the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine and the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
"Mr. Perelman has been a longtime advocate for women's health and for health care in general," said NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital President and CEO Dr. Herbert Pardes. "His vision helps to cement New York City, NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell's place among the world's leading resources for all aspects of heart care and for clinical care and research in productive medicine.
From left: Ronald O. Perelman, Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., Dr. Herbert Pardes and Dr. Zev Rosenwaks.
Currently, investigators at the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine are working with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, stem cell and nuclear transfer technology and other interventions that could one day deliver the gift of life to families who before had little hope of having children.
"Thanks to this generous gift, our research scientists will push ever forward the edges of knowledge in this field," said Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. "It will allow us to expand our faculty and staff, enhance our research, our space, equipment, and the technologies we need to ensure the very best outcomes for our patients."
"The excitement and wonder of an expectant mother's first ultrasound truly represents the essence of what our field is all about — to make it possible for couples to attain their dreams of having a family," said Dr. Zev Rosenwaks, director of the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine and the Revlon Distinguished Professor of Reproductive Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical College.
Photography by Joe Vericker.