NewYork-Presbyterian Honors Florence and Herbert Irving with Inaugural Samuel Bard Award

Over three decades, the Irvings have transformed cancer care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center, giving over $200 million in gifts

Nov 21, 2013

NEW YORK

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has named Florence and Herbert Irving the inaugural recipients of the Samuel Bard Leadership Award for Commitment to Health Care. Named for Samuel Bard, an influential physician and educator in early American health care, the award honors individuals who have demonstrated a remarkable level of commitment to improving health care through philanthropy and advocacy. The Irvings received the award at a luncheon and ceremony on Wednesday, November 20.

The Irvings have given over $200 million to NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center over the past three decades. They have focused their efforts on cancer care, where their generosity has allowed NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia to greatly strengthen and expand cancer services and facilities. Among those achievements are the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center; the Irving Pavilion, which offers five floors of state-of-the-art outpatient cancer care; the Herbert Irving Division of Child and Adolescent Oncology, one of the largest and most distinguished pediatric oncology programs in the United States; the Irving Inpatient Oncology Unit, a specialized inpatient unit; the Irving Radiation Oncology Center, which provides the most advanced diagnostic imaging and targeted treatment of cancer tumors in a relaxing, patient-centered setting; and the Irving Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, which will provide cutting-edge treatment for blood cancers and other diseases of the blood and bone marrow.

"With vision, dedication, and compassion, the Irvings have distinguished themselves in the fight against cancer," said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, CEO, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, who presented the Irvings with the award. "They have sought the best in care and caring for cancer patients, offering them both comfort and hope. We are immensely grateful to the Irvings for their leadership and incredible generosity. Through their longstanding commitment, they have transformed the full spectrum of cancer care at our medical center, and have touched the lives of countless patients and families."

The Samuel Bard Leadership Award is NewYork-Presbyterian's most prestigious award. The honor is named after Samuel Bard, who was instrumental in founding Kings College Medical School and New York Hospital, two institutions that still exist today as Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, respectively. An extremely influential figure in colonial and early American medical history, Dr. Bard was George Washington's personal physician and authored the first American treatise on medical ethics. The Samuel Bard Leadership Award honors individuals who, like Samuel Bard, have observed a need to improve health care and who have risen to the challenge through their philanthropy and/or advocacy.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, based in New York City, is one of the nation's largest and most comprehensive hospitals, with some 2,600 beds. In 2012, the Hospital had nearly 2 million inpatient and outpatient visits, including 12,758 deliveries and 275,592 visits to its emergency departments. NewYork-Presbyterian's 6,144 affiliated physicians and 20,154 staff provide state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine at six major centers: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division and NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital. One of the most comprehensive health care institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area and is consistently ranked among the best academic medical institutions in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. The Hospital has academic affiliations with two of the nation's leading medical colleges: Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

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