I am delighted and honored to once again assume the presidency of the New York Medical College Alumni Association. The last time this honor was bestowed on me, 1989 to 1993, it was a different millennium and at a very different time and place financially for the College.

One of the most important new projects at the College today is the planning and development of our first new academic building to be constructed on campus in the last 30 years. The Medical Education Center, which will be located next to and directly in front of the Basic Sciences Building, will provide the College with a 21st century teaching and learning environment for our students and faculty. 

At the heart of this new center will be one of the most important teaching laboratories for all medical students, residents, faculty and alumni-a new, modern Gross Anatomy Laboratory

As president of the Alumni Association, I have had the great opportunity to be part of the planning for this new center. I am excited that the College has committed itself to raising the needed funds to create the physical environment needed to sustain the rising quality of our students and advance support for research and other sponsored programs. I have expressed my personal opinion about the importance of gross anatomy as the core of medical education and committed myself to leading the effort to secure the needed funds for this facility. I hope to encourage all College alumni to learn about this project and to support it financially.

Fellow alumni, my thoughts keep coming back to what we have in common-that first day in the anatomy lab and the sense of bewilderment as we approached our cadavers. I am also reminded of the successes that we have achieved because of our education. As alumni of New York Medical College, our careers are forever joined in a bond that can never be broken, making us responsible to do everything we can to foster and sustain the quality of our university’s medical education. Please do all that you can to support this critical project.

If you have any questions or wish to help contribute to its success, I encourage you to contact me or Julie Kubaska, director for university alumni relations, at the Alumni Center (914/594-4556).

I am delighted to announce the appointment of four new members of the Board of Governors of the Alumni Association. Please welcome Louis V. Angioletti, Jr., M.D. ’66, Stephen J. Nicholas, M.D. ’86, Charles W. Episalla, M.D. ’88, and Christopher F. Riegler, M.D. ’88. In the coming months I hope to make known the addition of other new members who will continue our emphasis to include alumni who are more recent graduates.

Best regards,

Louis E. Fierro, M.D.