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New York Medical College and Metropolitan Hospital Center are pleased to host the “Music, Medicine and Metropolitan”

“Music plays such an important role in the lives of our patients and staff,”

Date: October 02, 2014
Media Contact:

Jennifer Riekert, M.B.A.
Vice President of Communications
New York Medical College
(914) 594-4552
Jennifer_Riekert@nymc.edu

Program will focus on Beethoven, the impact of his deafness and the strong connection between medicine and music

Valhalla, N.Y., October 2, 2014—New York Medical College (NYMC) and Metropolitan Hospital Center are pleased to host the “Music, Medicine and Metropolitan” program on Wednesday, October 8. The program, hosted by Stephen Moshman, M.D., professor of clinical medicine at NYMC, will focus on Beethoven and the impact of his deafness, followed by a musical performance by a string quartet from the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase.

When asked about his intentions for the program, NYMC Chancellor and CEO Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., explained: “For health care providers, music can be a diversion from their daily activities, a way of connecting with their own inner lives. It can be an entryway into thinking about the causes and implications of disease such as Beethoven’s deafness, or a clinical and research interest such as the diseases to which musicians are subject to or to understand the way the brain processes music.” Additionally, many health care students are gifted in music. 

“Music plays such an important role in the lives of our patients and staff,” said Elizabeth Guzman, acting executive director of Metropolitan Hospital Center. “Musical performances such as these lift the spirit and motivate us all to live to our fullest potential. We’re happy to be able to share this informative and entertaining program with our hospital community.”

The program coincides with the unveiling of an impressive marble plaque purchased at auction by alumnus Jay Tartell, M.D., ’82, and donated to the College. It served as the plaque for the predecessor of Metropolitan Hospital on Ward’s and Blackwell’s Islands in the East River: The New York Inebriate Asylum. Historical sources indicate that the asylum served Civil War veterans and that it ultimately became the first facility of Metropolitan Hospital.

WHO:   Stephen Moshman, M.D., Professor of Clinical Medicine at New York Medical College String quartet from the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase
WHAT:   Plaque unveiling followed by discussion on Beethoven and the impact of his deafness and a musical performance
WHERE:    Metropolitan Hospital Center, 6th Floor Auditorium
1901 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10029 
WHEN:    Wednesday, October 8 
TIME:     Plaque Unveiling: 11:30 a.m.; Performance noon -1 p.m.

About New York Medical College and Metropolitan Hospital Center
Founded in 1860, NYMC is one of the oldest and largest health sciences universities in the country with more than 1,400 students, 1,300 residents and clinical fellows, nearly 3,000 faculty members, and 15,000 living alumni. The College, which joined the Touro College and University System in 2011, is located in Valhalla, NY, and offers advanced degrees from the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, and the School of Health Sciences and Practice. As a leading academic and biomedical research institution, the College manages more than $36 million in research and other sponsored programs, notably in the areas of cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, kidney disease, the neurosciences, disaster medicine, and vaccine development. 

Metropolitan Hospital Center (MHC) is the community hospital of choice for residents of East Harlem, northern Manhattan and neighboring communities. Metropolitan has been affiliated with NYMC since the hospital was founded in 1875. It is one of the oldest partnerships between a hospital and a private medical college in U.S. history. Metropolitan Hospital Center is part of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), the largest municipal hospital and health care system in the country. For more information, visit www.nymc.edu orhttp://nyc.gov/mhc.