New York Academy of Medicine’s Annual Gala: Healthier
Longer Lives for Everyone
For 178 years, New York Academy of Medicine has addressed the most pressing challenges of the time, spanning issues of public health, sanitation, childbirth, vaccines, climate change and many more. By remaining focused on the future, we make healthier, longer lives possible for New Yorkers and communities around the world.
This evening, we celebrate our shared vision for a world where everyone has what they need to live a healthier, longer life. At New York Academy of Medicine, we know that life is more than just the number of years lived, but a life enriched by the greatest possible number of years in good health. We call this the “healthspan,” extending across every stage of life, from ensuring safe childbirth to promoting healthy aging for all. Yet for too many people across New York, this journey across the healthspan is defined by poor outcomes perpetuated by systemic inequities and inadequate resources. New York Academy of Medicine is committed to finding real, concrete solutions to the challenges our communities face and making healthy futures a reality for everyone, everywhere.
We are deeply grateful for your presence and support tonight. For more than half of our history, our home on Fifth Avenue has been a visible symbol of our mission. As we prepare to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our building , we are reminded of the visionary leaders whose generosity made this enduring space possible.
Tonight, we honor three distinguished leaders whose work embodies our mission. We invite you to join us in celebrating our honorees: John W. Rowe, MD, Tom Wright, and Pat Wang. These remarkable individuals have made extraordinary contributions to public health and healthcare, inspiring our collective efforts to improve health for all.
As individuals, as a city, and as a nation, we must collectively ensure that the path toward optimal health is open to everyone. Your presence here tonight proves what’s possible when we unite for this vital cause.
Thank you for standing with us, for investing in our mission, and for helping to ensure healthier, longer lives for all.
Ann Kurth, PhD, CNM, MPH President, New York Academy of Medicine
Tonight’s P rogram
• WELCOME
Kristine Johnson
Anchor, CBS News New York
• OPENING REMARKS
Ann Kurth, PhD, CNM, MPH
President, New York Academy of Medicine
• OUR HONOREES
HEALTHCARE LEGACY
John W. Rowe, MD
Julius B. Richmond Professor of Health Policy and Aging, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
BOLD & BRAVE AWARD
Tom Wright
President & CEO, Regional Plan Association (RPA)
HEALTH EQUITY CHAMPION
Pat Wang
President & CEO, Healthfirst
• CLOSING REMARKS
Tonight’s Award
Our honorees tonight will receive an award that depicts a historic time from Harlem Hospital’s history. It powerfully reflects the values our honorees embody: courage in care, commitment to equity, and service that transforms lives. In 1958, Harlem Hospital’s surgical team saved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life after a near-fatal attack — an act of medical excellence and humanity that rippled far beyond its walls. As we honor our awardees tonight, we celebrate their dedication to building a healthier, more just future for all.
Harlem Hospital made national news when Martin Luther King was stabbed with a letter opener at a book signing in Harlem on September 20th, 1958. The blade struck King’s upper chest, and Harlem Hospital’s surgical team operated immediately. Two of King’s ribs and part of his breast plate were removed. The team later said of Dr. King’s wounds, “Had Dr. King sneezed or coughed, the weapon would have penetrated the aorta… He was just a sneeze away from death.” Ten days after the stabbing, Dr. King issued a press release, insisting he felt no ill will toward Izola Curry, his attacker. During his recovery, Coretta Scott King presented flowers sent to Dr. King by his well-wishers to the hospital’s children’s ward. King was sent home on October 3rd.
TONIGHT’S EMCEE
Kristine Johnson
Anchor, CBS News New York
Kristine Johnson is a multi-Emmy award-winning TV news journalist. Since 2006, she has anchored the evening news on CBS News New York, covering numerous major breaking news stories and a worldwide pandemic. In times of calm and uncertainty, viewers across the tri-state area turn to Kristine each evening for clear, trusted information about local, national, and global events.
Kristine has also served as a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning and Entertainment Tonight and as a sub-anchor for CBS Mornings and The Talk. If you pay close attention, you’ll spot her on individual episodes of the TV dramas Elementary and Person of Interest, the sitcom The Crazy Ones, and the Clint Eastwood-directed movie Sully.
Kristine frequently interviews public officials, celebrities, and athletes. She is well-regarded for ‘going beyond the script’ and asking questions that foster a new and unique perspective on topics. Additionally, she moderated New Jersey’s gubernatorial debates in 2013 and 2017. Kristine has moderated public and business forums and been a keynote speaker.
When she’s not on-air, Kristine enjoys working with non-profits, staying active through running (she finished three NYC marathons), and practicing yoga. She lives with her husband, daughter, and son in northern New Jersey.
2025 Honorees
John W. Rowe, MD
Julius B. Richmond Professor of Health Policy and Aging, Columbia University
Mailman School of Public Health
Dr. John W. Rowe is the Julius B. Richmond Professor of Health Policy and Aging at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Previously, from 2000 until late 2006, Dr. Rowe served as Chairman and CEO of Aetna, Inc., one of the nation’s leading health care and related benefits organizations. Before his tenure at Aetna, from 1998 to 2000, Dr. Rowe served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Mount Sinai NYU Health, one of the nation’s largest academic health care organizations. From 1988 to 1998, prior to the Mount Sinai-NYU Health merger, Dr. Rowe was President of the Mount Sinai Hospital and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
Before joining Mount Sinai, Dr. Rowe was a Professor of Medicine and the founding Director of the Division on Aging at the Harvard Medical School, as well as Chief of Gerontology at Boston’s Beth Israel Hospital. He was Director of the MacArthur Foundation Research Networks on Successful Aging and an Aging Society and is co-author, with Robert Kahn, Ph.D., of Successful Aging (Pantheon, 1998). Dr. Rowe was President of the Gerontological Society of America and the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics and has received many awards awards and honors for his contributions to the field.
Dr. Rowe was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He was Chairman of the Board of Overseers of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School and continues to serve on those Boards as well at the Board of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He previously served on the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation, was a founding Commissioner of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (Medpac), and Chair of the Boards of Trustees of the University of Connecticut and the Marine Biological Laboratory. Regarding his business career Dr Rowe has been recognized by Business Week and the Harvard Business Review as one of the nation’s leading CEOs.
BOLD & BRAVE AWARD
Tom
Wright President & CEO, Regional Plan Association
Tom Wright is president and chief executive officer of Regional Plan Association. Prior to becoming RPA’s president in 2015, Tom was RPA’s executive director for over a decade. Tom has led many key RPA initiatives, including both the RPA Fourth Regional Plan (2017) and Third Regional Plan, “A Region at Risk” (1996). He helped manage RPA’s response to 9/11 and the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan, including hosting the historic “Listening to the City” forum in 2002; the campaign to build a mixed-use district at Manhattan’s Hudson Yards; and producing RPA’s centennial exhibition, The Constant Future, in Grand Central Terminal in 2022.
In January, 2020, Governor Phil Murphy appointed Tom to be the Chair of the New Jersey State Planning Commission, which is currently overseeing the process of readopting the New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan.
Tom is a frequent public speaker and commentator on regional governance, economic growth and development, transit investment, and other issues. A visiting lecturer at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Tom has a master’s in urban planning from Columbia University and a bachelor’s in history and a certificate in American Studies from Princeton University.
HEALTH EQUITY CHAMPION
Pat Wang President & CEO Healthfirst
Since 2008, Pat Wang has served as President and CEO of Healthfirst, a notfor-profit health insurer serving more than 2 million members in New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley. Healthfirst was founded by area health systems and operates through a comprehensive value-based care model, working in close collaboration with local health systems, independent providers and Federally Qualified Health Centers, and community organizations to improve health outcomes for all New Yorkers. The company addresses the myriad needs of its varied membership through trusted relationships with the community supported by data-driven insights, clinical expertise, and digital tools. Healthfirst has the unique honor of holding top quality ratings across its portfolio, including being #1 Medicaid plan for quality in New York State, the #1 Essential Plan carrier, and the only 4.5-Star Medicare Advantage HMO and MAP in its service area.
In 2025, Pat was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. She is a Board Member of the Chinese-American Planning Council, the nation’s largest Asian-American social services organization, and a trustee of America’s Health Insurance Plans.
Pat served as a commissioner on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which advises Congress on Medicare payment policy, from 2016 through 2022. In addition, Pat has participated in several New York State initiatives, serving on the Commission on the Future of Healthcare, the Emerging Technology Advisory Board, the Medicaid Redesign Team II, and the COVID Vaccine Equity Taskforce.
Pat is a graduate of Princeton University and New York University School of Law, cum laude. She is a longtime, dedicated resident of New York City.
2024
Margaret “Peggy” Hamburg, MD
J. Mario Molina, MD
Steven J. Corwin, MD
Honorees 19952024
2023
Michael Sneed
Terry T. Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN
Peggy Shepard
2022
Darren Walker
Hip Hop Public Health
2019
Robert F. Smith
Cynthia Germanotta
Harlem Capital
2018
Freda C. Lewis-Hall, MD, DFAPA
Ruth Watson Lubic, RN, CNM, EdD
ProPublica and NPR
2017
Jo Ivey Boufford, MD
Julie Louise Gerberding, MD, MPH
Richard N. Merkin, MD
2016
John Catsimatidis
Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD
2015
Norman H. Volk
Paul Steely White
Derek Yach
2014
Jeremiah A. Barondess, MD
eCaring
Thomas Q. Morris, MD
2013
John J. Connolly, EdD
Ray E. López
2012
Thomas L. Harrison, LHD
Jack and Susan Rudin
2011
Marcel Van Ooyen
William C. Weldon
2010
Aetna
Earvin “Magic” Johnson
2009
Kraft
Bernard Poussot
Elias A. Zerhouni, MD
2008
Peter Piot, MD, PhD
Mehmood Khan, MD
David B. Snow, Jr.
2007
Joseph M. Feczko, MD
James W. Fordyce
Bob Wright
2006
Edward J. Ludwig
Judith Rodin
2005
Katie Couric
Paul E. Farmer, MD, PhD
Edward Lewis
John C. Whitehead
2004
Joseph M. Hogan
Anthony S. Fauci, MD
Daniel Libeskind
David H. Koch
2003
Robert E. Rubin
Dean R. O’Hare
Alfred Sommer, MD, MHS
2002
Paul Greengard, PhD
Eric R. Kandel, MD
Charles R. Lee
William J. McDonough
2001
Leroy E. Hood, MD, PhD
Arnold J. Levine, PhD
Paul M. Montrone
2000
Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD
Henry A. McKinnell, PhD
Robert B. Shapiro
1999
C. Michael Armstrong
Donald A. B. Lindberg, MD
Mark L. Nelson
1998
Raymond V. Gilmartin
David D. Ho, MD
Elizabeth Taylor
1997
David A. Hamburg, MD
Evelyn H. Lauder
1996
Martin Cherkasky, MD
Harry P. Kamen
1995
Saul J. Farber, MD
Mathilde Krim, PhD
HEALTHIER, LONGER LIVES FOR EVERYONE
At New York Academy of Medicine, health progress is our purpose.
For 178 years, New York Academy of Medicine has addressed the most pressing challenges of the time, spanning issues of public health, sanitation, childbirth, vaccines, climate change and many more.
By remaining focused on the future, we make healthier, longer lives possible for New Yorkers and communities around the world.
With your support, we continue to bring together grassroots advocates, global leaders, clinicians, policymakers, and community members to co-create solutions that advance health equity.
Drawing from New York’s culture of innovation and resilience, we harness the collective expertise of our renowned Fellows community and our world-class historical medical library. From addressing care gaps to navigating climate change impacts, we consistently help turn ideas into action.
Join us in creating lasting progress for healthier communities, generation after generation.
Board of Trustees 2025
Wayne J. Riley, MD, MPH, MBA, MACP Chair
President, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Gil Addo
Senior Vice President, Specialty Care and Solutions , CVS Health
Debra Albert, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC Chief Nursing Officer & Senior Vice President, Patient Care Services, NYU Langone Health
Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Executive, New York City Health + Hospitals
John Damonti, MSW Vice Chair
Retired President, Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation and Vice President of Corporate Philanthropy, Bristol Myers Squibb
Jim Flynn, MS Board Chair Emeritus Managing Partner, Deerfield Management Company, LP
Lorna Friedman, MD, MBA
Senior Partner, Health Transformation and Sustainability, MercerMarshBenefits
Barbara A. Green, PhD, Ex-officio
Senior Vice President New Business Initiatives, GNYHA Ventures, Inc
Ann Kurth, PhD, CNM, MPH President, New York Academy of Medicine
Dennis A. Mitchell, DDS, MPH
Interim Dean, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, Professor of Dental Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Jacqueline Moline, MD, MSc
Senior Vice President, Occupational Medicine, Epidemiology and Prevention at Northwell Health
Chair, Occupational Medicine at North Shore University Hospital
Michael P. O’Connor EdD, MPA
Executive Vice Dean and Clinical Professor, NYU College of Dentistry
Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, FAAN
Chief Nurse Executive and Senior Vice President of Cardiac Services, Mount Sinai Health System
Andrew D. Racine, MD, PhD
System Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Montefiore Health System, Executive Director, Montefiore Medical Group
Jennifer Radin
Principal, Life Sciences & Healthcare Deloitte
Marie-Laure Romney, MD, MBA
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, NewYork-Presbyterian/Children’s Hospital of New York
Janis Smith-Gomez, MBA
Independent Board Director and Retired Vice President, Global Brand Experience, Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices
Jannine Versi, MBA
Co-Founder and CEO Elektra Health
Tonya Walker, MD, MPH
Former Chief Medical Officer, Employee Health Netflix
Mark Weiss
Executive Vice Chairman Cushman & Wakefield
Lily Zhou
Founder Life Story Club
Wayne J. Riley, MD, MPH, MBA, MACP
CHAIR OF THE BOARD, NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE
Wayne J. Riley, MD, MPH, MBA, MACP, is the 17th president of the Brooklyn-based SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, where he also holds tenured professorships in internal medicine, health policy, and management. Dr. Riley joined the NYAM Board of Trustees in 2017 and was elected Chair in October 2020. Prior to joining SUNY Downstate in 2017, Dr. Riley served as clinical professor of medicine and adjunct professor of health policy and management at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management and its School of Medicine. Before that, Dr. Riley served from 2007 to 2013 with distinction as the 10th president, chief executive officer, and professor of medicine at historic Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee.
An academic and primary care general internist, Dr. Riley has more than 25 years of progressively senior executive-level management, policy, and leadership experiences in academic medicine, patient care, research administration, academic health center administration, healthcare management, health policy, biotechnology, the corporate sector, government service, advocacy, and organized medicine.
Ann Kurth, PhD, CNM, MPH
PRESIDENT OF NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE
Ann Kurth, PhD, RN, CNM, MPH, President of The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), is a leader with a lifelong passion to improve health for all. Dr. Kurth is the first epidemiologist president in NYAM’s 178-year history of advancing healthier and longer lives for everyone. Dr. Kurth previously served as Dean of the Yale School of Nursing, and Professor, epidemiology of microbial diseases at Yale School of Public Health. Dr. Kurth’s research has focused on HIV, reproductive health, and health system strengthening, in the context of pandemics, climate change and other stresses. Her science has been funded by the NIH, Gates Foundation, UNAIDS, CDC, HRSA, and others, for studies in the US and internationally. Dr. Kurth has published over 250 peer reviewed articles, chapters, and monographs. She served on the US Preventive Services Task Force which sets screening guidelines for the US, and she currently cochairs the National Academy of Medicine Board on Global Health, and the Age-Friendly NYC Commission; and is a member of Governor Hochul’s NYS Commission on the Future of Health Care.
Dr. Kurth is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Medicine, of the American Academy of Nursing, and of the American College of NurseMidwives.
OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS
Advocate for Change
John ‘Jack’ W. Rowe, MD
Advocates for Progress
Advocates for Dreams
Nesa Amamoo | Cushman & Wakefield | Columbia University College of Dental Medicine |
Lorna Friedman MD, MBA | Jennifer Radin | Ann Kurth, PhD, CNM, MPH | Mount Sinai | NYU
Langone Health | Janis Smith-Gomez, MBA | Jannine Versi & Dr. Daniel Weisberg | Zapleap
Philanthropic Fund
Equity Sponsors
Convene | The Durst Organization
Contributors*
Laura Ardizonne
Suzanne Bakken
Kenya Beard
Andrea Choi
Elizabeth Cohn
Barry & Bobbi Coller
Dina Dublon
Helen Edelberg
Marilda Gandara
Elsa-Grace Giardina
Mattia Gilmartin
Marthe Gold
Barbara A. Green
John Guidry
Kathryn T. Hall
Danielle Laraque-Arena
Elaine & Steven Larson
Menlo Realty Ventures
M&T Bank
New York Health Foundation
NYC Health + Hospitals
Stuart Orsher
PKF O’Connor Davies
Judith Salerno
Siemens Financial
Services Inc.
*Current as of October 15, 2025
Andrea Sonenberg
Sterling Affair
George &Barbara Thibault
Daniel Toscano
The TurboChyll Company
United Hospital Fund of New York
The University of Connecticut
Angela Vassallo
Wiley
Tom Wright
David & Geri Wolf
The
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With cutting-edge tech, flexible layouts, and spaces designed for tomorrow’s ideas, New York Academy of Medicine is your partner in creating impactful, future-focused events. Let us help you deliver unforgettable experiences that set the standard for what’s next.
JAMES & KERIANNE FLYNN
CONGRATULATE
THE 2025 GALA HONOREES
PAT WANG JOHN W. ROWE, MD TOM WRIGHT
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE
ON ITS 2025 GALA:
HEALTHIER, LONGER LIVES FOR EVERYONE
Thank you for your continued leadership in enhancing quality of life lived, and a longer healthspan for all.
- VALERIE AND JACK ROWE
Healthfirst celebrates New York Academy of Medicine Your commitment to improving the health of the communities we serve inspires us. Congratulations to all honorees, among them Healthfirst President and CEO
Wang for being recognized as a Health Equity Champion.
All people deserve healthcare.
Wayne J. Riley, M.D., MPH, MBA, MACP CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES
A leader, healer and visionary
We congratulate Dr. Rowe on becoming a Healthcare Legacy Honoree. Through your leadership, compassion and philanthropy, you’ve tirelessly advocated for healthier, longer lives for us all.
Our Aetna® members can still feel the influence of your contributions, as your dedication to health care equity and research continue to uplift communities.
With deep gratitude and the utmost respect, we celebrate your legacy at the NYAM Gala 2025.
QUALITY COUNTS.
#1 IN NEUROLOGY & NEUROSURGERY
#1 IN CARDIOLOGY, HEART & VASCULAR SURGERY
#1 IN PULMONOLOGY & LUNG SURGERY
#1 IN GERIATRIC MEDICINE
The most #1 ranked specialties in the U.S.
We
Better health starts with a better health system.
Thank you NYAM for improving the health of all.
We join you in celebrating your honorees, including John W. Rowe, MD, pioneering researcher improving the lives of older adults.
In honor of our longstanding colleague and friend, Pat Wang
JOHNAHARTFORD.ORG
We’re inspired by a single vision:
We are in the business of breakthroughs —our diverse, promising pipeline is focused on innovative medicines that transform patients’ lives. Our scientists are addressing some of the most challenging diseases of our time. We will never give up our search for more hope, for more patients, around the world.
We are proud to support the New York Academy of Medicine.
Montefiore Einstein proudly supports the New York Academy of Medicine.
Thank you for advancing health equity and ensuring that all people have what they need to live longer, healthier lives.
Congratulations to this year’s honorees:
Pat Wang, President and CEO, Healthfirst
John W. Rowe, MD, Julius B. Richmond Professor of Health Policy and Aging, Columbia University
Tom Wright, President and CEO, Regional Plan Association
New York University College of Dentistry salutes the distinguished honorees at the New York Academy of Medicine Annual Gala 2025 for their commitment and lasting contributions to a healthier future for all.
Charles N. Bertolami, DDS, DMedSc
Herman Robert Fox Dean, NYU Dentistry
As a proud partner of Healthfirst, Elektra Health congratulates Pat Wang and fellow awardees,
John W. Rowe, MD and Tom
Wright
The New York Academy of Medicine 2025
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Elektra Health is an innovative women’s health organization that provides innetwork, evidence-based virtual care for midlife women. Elektra partners with health plans and health systems to reimagine the traditional model of women’s healthcare, starting with the menopause transition. Focusing on convenient access and quality, Elektra’s care model – medical care in concert with wraparound coaching, navigation, and education – equips women with the support they deserve to age in better health.
NewYork-Presbyterian celebrates the New York Academy of Medicine
Healthier, Longer Lives for Everyone 2025 Gala www.nyp.org
Hearty Congratulations
TO NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE on its Gala 2025: Healthier, Longer Lives for Everyone and to its Honorees
PAT WANG, JACK ROWE, AND TOM WRIGHT!
Continue to Boldly Lead and Champion Efforts to Build a Healthier Future for All!
-
JANIS SMITH-GOMEZ AND TODD GOMEZ
The Durst Organization is proud to support
New York Academy of Medicine
CONGRATULATIONS
2025 NYAM ANNUAL GALA HONOREES!
We commend NYAM for its continued dedica tion to advancing public hea lth and are proud to suppor t this celebra tion.
Lear n more a t nychea lthandhospita ls.org/nursing/
JOIN US IN CELEBRATING THE EXCELLENCE OF WOMEN IN MEDICINE
DR. JOHN W. ROWE,
Your lifelong commitment to advancing healthy aging and improving the lives of older adults continues to inspire us all.
Thank you for bringing your extraordinary insight, compassion, and leadership to everything you do.
Congratulations on this well-earned recognition.
- Dina Dublon
We are so proud to support New York Academy of Medicine’s Gala 2025: Healthier, Longer Lives for Everyone. And to celebrate this year’s distinguished honorees: for their visionary leadership and commitment to building a healthier, more equitable future for all.
John W. Rowe, MD Tom Wright Pat Wang
Joseph A. Izzo, Partner 646.449.6325
jizzo@pkfod.com pkfod.com
KNOWLEDGE TO IMPACT
At Wiley, we know firsthand how much goes into transforming knowledge into the actionable intelligence that answers today’s challenges and brings to life tomorrow’s possibilities. That’s why we’re proud to support NYAM’s 2025 Annual Gala and extend our deepest thanks and congratulations to Tom Wright and all of the honorees for the future they’re helping to create. www.wiley.com
The need for a trusted, independent voice in health has never been greater. With your support, New York Academy of Medicine is that voice: a place where rigorous research meets on-the-ground collaboration, where community experience informs solutions, and where science is translated into action that improves people’s health.
By remaining focused on the future, we make healthier, longer lives possible for New Yorkers and communities around the world –that’s why we say that health progress is our purpose.
To ensure everyone has what they need for a healthier, longer life, we need the partnership of friends like you. Every investment strengthens our ability to turn evidence into impact, equip leaders with practices that work, and amplify community voices in decision-making. With your help, we can drive systemic change that extends far beyond our city.
