NYU Langone Medical Center raised more than $7 million last night at its annual Violet Ball held at Cipriani on 42nd Street in New York City.
This year, J. Ira Harris, chair of the financial consulting firm J.I. Harris & Associates and his wife Nicki Harris, were honored for their years of dedication to the Medical Center.
The evening’s proceeds will create full medical school scholarships in the Harrises’ name, as part of an ongoing effort to train the most gifted future physicians and scientists, regardless of means.
For nearly two decades, the Harrises have provided leadership and support across many areas at the Medical Center, including the Department of Surgery. Their longstanding and most recent gift to endow the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professorship in Surgery and Bariatric Medicine have helped transform NYU Langone into an international leader of bariatric medicine. The Harris family began funding NYU Langone’s efforts in obesity prevention and treatment before obesity was widely recognized as a disease, and last night announced an additional gift to support the institution’s renewed efforts to respond to this national epidemic with a comprehensive initiative in research and care.
“The feats that once seemed impossible are now within reach.”
Experts and faculty discussed the remarkable rise of NYU Langone’s trajectory, which culminated in a video, entitled “Make it Happen,” describing the Medical Center’s rich history, great accomplishments, and highlighted what can still be achieved.
Addressing an audience of over 800 guests, Robert I. Grossman, MD, the Saul J. Farber Dean and CEO of NYU Langone Medical Center said, “Tonight is a celebration of how far we’ve come, but it’s even more about what we can achieve as a community in the coming years.” He continued, “The feats that once seemed impossible are now within reach.”
Guests in attendance at this year’s Violet Ball included: Catherine Adler, Judy and Ron Baron, Ambassador Stuart Bernstein, Susie Block Casdin, Diana and Joseph DiMenna, Larry Fink, Roy Furman, Trudy Elbaum Gottesman and Robert Gottesman, Julia Koch, Dorothy and Sidney Kohl, Elaine and Kenneth G. Langone, Bill and Phyllis Mack, Kelly Kennedy Mack and Stephen Mack, Roberto Mignone, Ellen Schapps and Richard Richman, Pat and John Rosenwald, Randi and Boaz Sidikaro, Larry and Klara Silverstein, Carol and Dan Strone, Alice Tisch, Dan Tisch, Meghan Mackay and Allen Thorpe.
Leadership supporters of this year’s Violet Ball included the Harrises, the Tisch family, and NYU Langone Trustees Lori Fink (also chair, Perlmutter Cancer Center Advisory Board) and Laurence D. Fink (chairman and CEO, BlackRock, Inc.), Elaine and Ken Langone, and Martin and Susan Lipton.
Mr. Langone, chair of the Board of Trustees at NYU Langone, served as Gala Chair, and Dr. Grossman was the Physician Committee Chair.
For more information, go to www.NYULangone.org, and interact with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Google+.
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