More than 450 pre-eminent physicians and government, business and community leaders gathered on May 3 to honor Dr. Joseph G. Hayes with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center's highest honor, the Maurice R. Greenberg Distinguished Service Award, at a dinner at the Pierre Hotel in New York City.
From left: Dr. Peter Guida, co-chair of the Greenberg Award dinner; Dr. Joseph Hayes; Maurice Greenberg; and Arthur Mahon, vice chairman of the Board of Overseers and a trustee of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
Dr. Hayes is the Herbert J. and Ann L. Siegel Distinguished Professor of Clinical Medicine and associate dean of billing compliance at Weill Cornell Medical College and medical director of clinical information systems and attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
"I am deeply honored to be selected for this special award, not least because it bears the name of one of America's greatest philanthropists. The true reward has been the past 44 years of working with my talented colleagues and friends," said Dr. Hayes.
The award, which recognizes Dr. Hayes' years of outstanding service to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College, consists of a $50,000 grant made possible through an endowment from Maurice R. Greenberg, a longstanding friend of Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. The Greenberg Award was conceived as a way to identify and celebrate in perpetuity those individuals who make NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College a pre-eminent partnership in academic medicine in New York City and beyond.
"Dr. Hayes is also a superlative teacher, greatly revered by residents, medical students and colleagues—as evidenced by his numerous awards in this area," said Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. During his career at Weill Cornell, Dr. Hayes' teaching awards have included the J.J. Smith Award for excellence in teaching and scholarships (1996); the Weill Cornell Medical College senior list of 15 most influential teachers by the classes of 1994 and 1996; and the Weill Cornell Medical College Award for Teaching Excellence. Additionally, he has published on arrhythmias, exercise testing, and later, house-staff training, student teaching and the regulatory environment.
Addressing family, friends and colleagues, Dr. Hayes accepts the Greenberg Distinguished Service Award at the Pierre Hotel, May 3.
Dr. Hayes has also provided vision and leadership in the development of information technology at Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Dr. Hayes led the team that installed Eclipsys, the inpatient electronic medical record system that links clinical data from disparate areas such as from the laboratory, radiology, pharmacy and billing.
"In addition to serving our Medical Center as an outstanding and dedicated cardiologist for more than four decades, Dr. Hayes played an instrumental role in implementing of one of the nation's first electronic medical systems, helping to improve quality and safety for our patients," said Dr. Herbert Pardes, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. "Thanks to his pioneering efforts, we remain a model for organizations leveraging the power of information technology in health care."
Attendees danced the night away.
After graduating cum laude and alpha omega alpha from Georgetown University School of Medicine, Dr. Hayes came to the NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell (then called New York Hospital–Cornell Medical Center) as an intern in internal medicine. He went on to complete a residency in internal medicine and fellowship in cardiology, and was appointed chief medical resident. After serving as a major in the USAF at Eglin Air Force Base, Dr. Hayes returned to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell as the director of the cardiac graphics laboratory, where he introduced and started the second graded exercise testing laboratory in New York. He later joined R.A. Rees Pritchett, himself a Greenberg award recipient, in private practice while still remaining a member and teacher in the Cardiac Graphics Laboratory.
Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr. and his wife, Anita.
In 1988, he returned to the full-time faculty as vice chairman and the first program director in internal medicine. In 1997, he was asked to be the clinical leader for the upcoming computerization of the medical center, and shortly thereafter to be the associate dean. As an elected member of the Caduceus Society, Dr. Hayes is an honorary alumnus Weill Cornell Medical College.
Photography by Marie Wallace.