Offers Women "One-Stop Shopping" for Wide Range of Health-Care Services
Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital jointly celebrated the establishment of the new Iris Cantor Women's Health Center at dedication ceremonies held at the Center on April 24.
Joining Mrs. Cantor (center) in cutting the ribbon for the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center are (from left) Dr. Antonio Gotto, dean of the Medical College; Sanford Weill, chairman of Weill Cornell's Board of Overseers; Dr. Orli Etingin, director of the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center; Frank Bennack Jr., vice chairman of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's Board of Trustees; Libby Pataki, first lady of New York; Dr. Thomas Frieden, NYC Commissioner of Health; and Dr. Herbert Pardes, president of NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System.
Dr. Antonio Gotto, dean of the Medical College; Dr. Herbert Pardes, president of NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System; Sanford Weill, chairman of Weill Cornell's Board of Overseers; and Frank Bennack Jr., vice chairman of the Hospital's Board of Trustees, joined Mrs. Cantor in welcoming friends and supporters and members of the media to the dedication.
The ceremonies were held under a festive tent outside the entrance to the building at 425 E. 61st St., where the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center occupies the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th floors. (Several Weill Cornell offices also occupy space on other floors of the building.)
Joining Weill Cornell and the Hospital in celebrating the establishment of the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center were New York state's first lady, Libby Pataki; Dr. Thomas Frieden, NYC Commissioner of Health, who also represented Mayor Michael Bloomberg; and New York state Sen. Liz Krueger.
The speakers paid tribute to Mrs. Cantor for her extraordinary efforts that led to the establishment of the Center—one of the most comprehensive medical facilities for women in New York City.
A native New Yorker and leading philanthropist, Mrs. Cantor has been a long-standing supporter for the advancement of medicine, specifically health-care initiatives for women. The Iris Cantor Women's Health Center reflects Mrs. Cantor's vision to create a full-service women's health center on the East Coast.
"Our city now has an extraordinary facility that brings together the finest medical care for women. We have placed the most essential medical specialties under one roof, providing, as I like to call, 'one-stop shopping,'" said Mrs. Cantor.
Mrs. Cantor welcomes guests touring the 10th floor, which houses the dermatology, gastroenterology and physical therapy services.
Dr. Orli Etingin, professor of clinical medicine and director of the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center, says the Center offers complete women's health care including a team of internal medicine specialists, a breast center, an imaging center, and physicians offices in dermatology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, gynecology and neurology. "Our goal is to provide our patients with superb coordinated care in one single setting," said Dr. Etingin. "They will have access to the latest prevention, screening and treatment services in all areas of medicine, especially those relating to women."
Additional services available at the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center include on-site osteoporosis testing, on-site mammography, nutritional counseling and on-site physical therapy. A comprehensive women's health education and resource center is also available to provide patients with additional support and empower women to achieve their optimal level of care.
"We salute Mrs. Cantor for her extraordinary support of the women's health-care initiatives that led to the creation of our Iris Cantor Women's Health Center. Through this unique facility, our team of physicians, nurses and other health-care professionals can provide the latest prevention, screening and treatment services in one convenient location," said Dr. Gotto.
"Mrs. Cantor's long-term dedication to women's health-care initiatives mirrors our commitment to providing high-quality medical care to women in New York. The new Iris Cantor Women's Health Center will focus on meeting the needs of the whole patient in a warm and compassionate environment, " said Dr. Pardes.
Libby Pataki, first lady of New York and a strong advocate for women's health services, brings greetings and congratulations from Gov. George Pataki.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Mrs. Cantor is chairman of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation. Established in 1978, it funds the visual arts as well as medical, educational and cultural institutions and programs in the United States and abroad. She has been a dedicated supporter of advancements in health care, with a focus on women's health programs. Continuing her commitment to women's health care on the East Coast, Mrs. Cantor made a generous donation in June of 2000 to create the new Iris Cantor Women's Health Center as part of the NewYork Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Her commitment to health care in New York is long-standing, as she serves on NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's Board of Trustees, and as vice chairman of the Lying-In Hospital. Iris Cantor, and her late husband, Bernie, have also contributed funds to create the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Ambulatory Surgery Center for outpatient care and the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Laboratory for Immunological Research in Diabetes at the Medical Center. In 1996, Mrs. Cantor donated funds to the Medical Center's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology that provided 11 birthing rooms, two operating rooms and a new waiting room.
Ehrenkranz Professorship in Women's Health
Dr. Orli Etingin, director of the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center, with Lisa and Sanford Ehrenkranz, who have made a gift to Weill Cornell to establish the Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz Professorship of Women's Health. Dr. Etingin will be the first holder of the Ehrenkranz Professorship.
Dean Gotto announced at the dedication that a new endowed professorship—the Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz Professorship in Women's Health—is being established at Weill Cornell through an endowment gift from Mr. and Mrs. Ehrenkranz. Dr. Orli Etingin, director of the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center, will be the first holder of the Ehrenkranz Professorship.
Mr. Ehrenkranz, a member of Weill Cornell's Board of Overseers, and his wife, Lisa, have been generous supporters of a number of programs at the Medical College, including the New Horizons for Medicine capital campaign, the Strategic Plan for Research, and the Departmental Associates.
Click here for the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center Web site.
Photos by Marie Wallace and Richard Lobell.