May 15, 2009

NEW YORK—Robert I. Grossman, MD, the Saul J. Farber Dean and CEO of NYU Langone Medical Center, told the graduating class of NYU School of Medicine students Thursday, May 14, that "Whatever booms and busts and bubbles may swirl around you in the coming years, you will be anchored to an ancient, eternal noble calling.  You have chosen a profession that is real and that matters.  And at the end of the day, that, in my eyes, is what success is all about." (Read full remarks from Dean Grossman - PDF)

Geoffrey Canada, education reform advocate and president and chief operating officer of Harlem Children's Zone, was the keynote speaker. The Zone, an organization that targets 100 blocks in Central Harlem with a range of educational, social and medical services, aims to serve over 10,000 children by 2011 with services that start at birth and follow children to college. (Read full remarks from Geoffrey Canada - PDF)

The School of Medicine's class of 2009 comprises 80 women and 84 men, ranging from their early 20s to mid 40s, who come from 26 states, Puerto Rico and Canada.  Of the 164 graduates, 32 will remain at NYU for their residency and 76 percent received appointments at the top 50 medical schools. The most popular specialties were internal medicine/primary care, followed by pediatrics, diagnostic radiology, anesthesiology, emergency medicine and psychiatry.

Christopher J. Agrusa, president of the class of 2009, delivered the valedictory speech. Other speakers included Martin Lipton, Esq., chairman of the board, New York University; Kenneth G. Langone, chairman of the board, NYU Langone Medical Center; and John Sexton, president, New York University. The graduation cermonies were held in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City.  

Contact:
Lorinda Klein
Office of Communications and Public Affairs
NYU Langone Medical Center
(212) 404-3555
(212) 404-3533 (direct)
(917) 693-4846 (cell)
lorindaann.klein@nyumc.org

About NYU Langone Medical Center
Located in the heart of New York City, NYU Langone Medical Center is one of the nation's premier centers of excellence in health care, biomedical research, and medical education. For over 167 years, NYU physicians and researchers have made countless contributions to the practice and science of health care. Today the Medical Center consists of NYU School of Medicine, including the Smilow Research Center, the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, and the Sackler Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences; the three hospitals of NYU Hospitals Center, Tisch Hospital, a 726-bed acute-care general hospital, Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, the first and largest facility of its kind, and the Hospital for Joint Diseases, a leader in musculoskeletal care; and such major programs as The Cancer Institute, The Child Study Center, and the Hassenfeld Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.