From the Dean & CEO
In Praise of Excellence

Robert M. Glickman, M.D.

The pages of this publication are often filled with news about distinctions earned by individual members of our faculty and staff. But this issue of News & Views reports on an award that reflects upon our entire Medical Center even as it honors our nursing staff in particular.

In the first week of April we learned that NYU Medical Center had earned the Magnet Award for excellence in nursing. This prestigious distinction is conferred by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association. Less than two percent of the nation’s hospitals and medical centers have earned the right to call themselves Magnet institutions. Those of us who are privileged to work side by side with NYU nurses are well aware of the high caliber of their performance, competence, and compassion. Congratulations to our superb nurses from all of us who are proud to call ourselves your colleagues.

It is yet another measure of the quality of our institution that the recent survey by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services found NYU Medical Center in compliance with all conditions of participation. I extend my thanks to the entire staff of the Hospitals Center for all their hard work that assured this successful outcome.

To ensure our institution’s continued excellence, we are well on our way to planning a new clinical facility that will enable us to expand and upgrade our patient care programs in those areas we have designated as future priorities—namely, cardiovascular disease, cancer, infectious diseases, neuroscience, and genetics.

These areas also constitute our research priorities. As the completion of the Joan and Joel Smilow Research Center draws near, we have already begun the recruitment process that will bring scores of eminent researchers to the Medical Center. The facility will provide much-needed space for new laboratories housing a total of 45–55 laboratory groups on 12 research floors.

Thanks to the generosity of two other leading benefactors, we recently established the Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Stem Cell Biology. This new center will create a world-class, multidisciplinary research program focusing on the basic biology of stem cells in animals. This will provide a vital platform for the eventual application of stem cells to treat a host of human diseases.
The good news about new facilities extends to our next door neighbor and long-time affiliate, Bellevue Hospital. Bellevue recently opened a new Ambulatory Care Pavilion designed by the distinguished firm of Pei, Cobb, Freed and Partners, which is the first structure built on the campus since the Hospital tower was constructed in 1973.

As we enter spring, a time of renewal, I’m happy to report that—thanks to the dedication, hard work and enthusiasm of all of you—good things are blooming and flourishing throughout the Medical Center.