New York State Department of Health Kicks off Centennial Lecture Series
Roster of 13 Speakers Features a Who's Who of Science, Medicine and Public Health
Albany, December 20, 2001 – The New York State Department of Health, which recently observed its 100th anniversary, has unveiled a year–long Second Century Lecture Series, inviting leading scientists and public health leaders from across the country to speak on a wide range of critical medical issues.
Dr. Eric R. Kandel, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, is the inaugural speaker and will discuss "Steps Toward a Molecular Biology of Memory Storage and its Disorders" at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 20 in the Clark Auditorium of the New York State Museum. Dr. Kandel is a professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Senior Investigator at Columbia University. His world–renowned work illuminates the molecular processes underpinning learning and memory.
Born in Vienna, Austria, Dr. Kandel graduated from Harvard College, where he majored in history and literature. He received his medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine. His postdoctoral training was with Wade Marshall in the Laboratory of Neurophysiology at the National Institute of Health; his residency training in psychiatry was at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Harvard Medical School; and he did a postdoctoral fellowship with Ladislav Tauc at the Institut Morey in Paris.
Dr. Kandel held faculty positions at Harvard Medical School and the New York University School of Medicine before coming to Columbia, where he was the founding director of the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and counts among his honors the Lasker Award, the Gairdner Award, the Harvey Prize and the National Medal of Science.
"These lectures commemorate the New York State Department of Health's 2001 Centennial by looking toward the future of science, medicine and public health as the Department enters its second century," said State Health Commissioner Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H. "We are very honored to have Dr. Kandel as the first speaker in our lecture series. His accomplishments have drawn much well deserved praise in the neuroscience field."
The lineup of renowned speakers also includes:
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| February 12, 2002 | Dr. Alfred Sommer, Dean and Professor of Epidemiology and International Health Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Winner of 1997 Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award |
| February 28, 2002 | Dr. Robert C. Gallo, Director, Institute of Human Virology, and Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine University of Maryland at Baltimore |
| March 13, 2002 | Dr. Richard D. Klausner, President Case Institute of Health, Science and Technology |
| March 20, 2002 | Dr. Samuel Waksal, President and Chief Executive Officer ImClone Systems, Inc. |
| April 9, 2002 | Dr. Donald A. Henderson, Director U.S. Office of Public Health Preparedness, Department of Health and Human Services |
| April 23, 2002 | Dr. Harold E. Varmus, President and Chief Executive Officer Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Co–recipient of 1989 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine |
| May 15, 2002 | Dr. Francis S. Collins, Director National Human Genome Research Institute |
| May 21, 2002 | Dr. Michael Zasloff Magainin Pharmaceuticals |
| May 29, 2002 | Dr. Steven A. Rosenberg, Chief of the Surgery Branch National Cancer Institute |
| June 25, 2002 | Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases |
| July 16, 2002 | Dr. Barry Bloom, Dean and Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases Harvard School of Public Health |
| July 23, 2002 | Dr. Harvey Fineberg, president–designate Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Science |
12/20/01– 135 OPA
