The Brooklyn-based St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ex-Teachers Association of New York on Sunday, Jan. 14 honored one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers.
NYU Langone Health was the lone honoree at the group’s 35th Anniversary Gala Luncheon at Grand Prospect Hall in Brooklyn.
“Institutions, unlike individuals, can last forever. Over the last year or so, the members of SVG (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) Ex-Teachers Association, NY have recognized the role institutions play in our lives,” said the group in its souvenir journal. “We celebrate the work of NYU Longone and the individuals whose life’s work make the difference for people every day.
“Our tradition for over two decades has been to recognize individuals who have made a difference,” added the group at the event that is celebrated the Sunday before the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Holiday in the United States. “We have been moved and are forever grateful to the Tish Hospital of NYU for the level of care provided to one of our members over the last year.”
The group’s president, Jackson Farrell, a retired public school teacher in Brooklyn, told patrons that the group was pleased with the level of care extended to its vice president, Francis Frank, who underwent a kidney transplant at the hospital.
Although NYU Langone Health was singled out for the care and dedication that the ex-teachers witnessed, the group said its intention was “to bring attention to institutions like this that make our world a truly better place for so many and to offer reason for hope to many more.”
The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ex-Teachers Association of New York particularly singled out NYU Langone Health’s Drs. Bonnie Lonze and Bruce Gelb, vice chair of Transplant Research and surgical director of Kidney Transplantation, respectively, for recognition.
Neal Gorman, director of public relations, NYU Langone Health, NYU Langone Hospital, Brooklyn, said, for several decades, the specialists at NYU Langone Health’s Transplant Institute “have provided patients with exceptional care that incorporates the latest technological advancements in kidney transplantation and liver transplantation.”
He said the Transplant Institute now offers heart transplantation.
“As leaders in the field, NYU Langone physicians are committed to developing new treatment strategies in transplant medicine, driving clinical research, and creating innovative techniques to care for people with life threatening heart, liver, or kidney disease,” Gorman said.
He said NYU Langone Health is a world-class, patient-centered, integrated academic medical center, known for its excellence in clinical care, research and education.
It comprises more than 200 locations throughout the New York area, including five inpatient locations, a children’s hospital, three emergency rooms, and a level 1 trauma center.
Additionally, part of NYU Langone Health is the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute–designated cancer center, and NYU School of Medicine, “which since 1841 has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history,” Gorman said.
The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ex-Teachers Association of New York also presented scholarship gifts to siblings Denzil and Edesia Collis, whose mother, Donna Collis, has been bringing them to the annual celebration since they were 1-year and 6 months old, respectively, according to Farrell.
Denzil, 21, is now a college student, and Edesia is in high school.
The group also presented gift baskets to long-time supporters and Brooklyn residents Beverley Dublin and Sam Isles, a former St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Windward Islands middle-order batsman in cricket.
