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CONTACT: Jennifer Forbes
Communications & Public Affairs
732-235-6356, jenn.forbes@umdnj.edu
Gala to Support Medical Student Scholarships is Grand Success
New Brunswick, NJ – The Second Annual Scholarship Gala for Alumni & Friends, hosted by University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the Foundation of UMDNJ, proved to be an exceptional evening, raising more than $205,000 in support of medical student scholarships. The celebration included 330 alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends on April 21 at the Heldrich in New Brunswick, in addition to leadership from 14 of the medical school’s hospital affiliates from throughout New Jersey.
“Proceeds from the event will support our medical students who are being challenged by increasing tuition rates as they enter medical school on the way to becoming physicians,” said Peter S. Amenta, MD, PhD, dean of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the emcee for the evening. “The Scholarship Gala allowed alumni, together with faculty and friends of the medical school, to give back by providing financial assistance to this next generation of physicians.”
Three exemplary individuals were honored at the Gala for their dedication to promoting medical and scientific education, research, philanthropy, patient care and community health. Harvey A. Holzberg, MBA, FACHE, President Emeritus, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), received the Meritorious Service Award for his leadership and dedication to improving health care in New Jersey.
Donald Rose, MD '80, clinical associate professor of orthopaedic surgery, NYU School of Medicine, founding director, Harkness Center for Dance Injuries at the NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, received the Distinguished Alumni Award.
The Honorary Alumni Award was given posthumously to Stephen F. Lowry, MD, MBA, a physician-scientist, who passed away in June 2011 while serving as professor and chair, Department of Surgery and senior associate dean for education at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
“In an age of increasing tuition costs in medical schools across the country, it is more important now than ever to support physicians of the future,” said George F. Heinrich, MD, vice chair and CEO of the Foundation of UMDNJ. “This gala provided us with a wonderful opportunity to show these future doctors that we encourage their efforts as they work toward realizing their own dreams of helping those in need.”
During the celebration, a video was presented that featured students who earned Gala Scholarships as a result of the inaugural gala in 2011. The video presentation can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/RWJMS .
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the Foundation of UMDNJ are extremely grateful to everyone who contributed to the evening in order to provide more scholarship support for our medical students.
NOTE: High-resolution photos of Gala guests and honorees are available upon request.
About the Foundation of UMDNJ
The Foundation of UMDNJ, an affiliate of New Jersey Health Foundation, is an independent, not-for-profit organization that connects individuals, corporations and foundations that want to advance healthcare with those at UMDNJ who are pursuing those same passions. For more information, visit www.foundationofumdnj.org.
About UMDNJ-ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDICAL SCHOOL
As one of the nation’s leading comprehensive medical schools, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school’s principal affiliate, they comprise one of the nation's premier academic medical centers. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 other hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region.
As one of the eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with 2,800 full-time and volunteer faculty, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 22 basic science and clinical departments, hosts centers and institutes including The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, and the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students on its campuses in New Brunswick, Piscataway, and Camden, and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs. To learn more about UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, log on to rwjms.umdnj.edu. Find us online at www.Facebook.com/RWJMS and www.twitter.com/UMDNJ_RWJMS.
