Medical school to note sesqui

By LOIS BAKER

News Services Staff

A THREE-DAY national symposium on Ethics and Values in Medicine, the national meeting of the American Association of the History of Medicine and a special opera performance will highlight the celebration of the 150th birthday of the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Founded in 1846, the medical school was the first component of what is now the University at Buffalo, which is marking its sesquicentennial during an 18-month period in 1996 and 1997. A 24-member committee composed of physicians, historians, archivists, scientists and representatives from UB's teaching hospitals has spent the past three years planning special events to commemorate the medical school's century-and-a-half of education, research and service.

Ronald E. Batt, clinical associate professor of gynecology and obstetrics, and Harold Brody, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, co-chair the committee. Joyce Vana, clinical assistant professor of social and preventive medicine, serves as its coordinator and liaison to the dean of the medical school.

For residents of Western New York, the most visible sign of the medical school's sesquicentennial celebration will appear in January 1996, when 50 blue-and-gold commemorative banners will be installed along Main Street and Bailey Avenue on UB's South Campus, home of the medical school.

The celebration will begin officially on Feb. 22, 1996-University Day-with the dedication of the medical school's new $33 million biomedical research building, the awarding of an honorary degree and the presentation of the 1995 D.W. Harrington Lecture. Events planned for 1996 and 1997 include:

  • Publication of a pictorial history of the medical school-February 1996

  • Mounting of memorial plaques marking the three original medical school buildings in downtown Buffalo-May 1996

  • National meeting of the American Association of the History of Medicine in Buffalo in honor of the medical school sesquicentennial-May 9-12, 1996

  • Bestowal of honorary degrees at commencement in 1996 and 1997

  • Symposium on Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine-Sept. 20 & 21, 1996

  • National symposium on Ethics and Values in Medicine-Nov. 14-16, 1996

  • One-day scientific colloquium and bestowal of an honorary degree-February 1997

  • Special performance by the Greater Buffalo Opera Company-February 1997

  • Special exhibits at the medical school's affiliated teaching hospitals

    Other members of the sesquicentennial committee are: Douglas Bacon, assistant professor of anesthesiology; Lois Baker, senior health sciences editor, UB News Services; James Bono, associate professor of history; Joyce Buchnowski, director of public affairs and marketing at Roswell Park Cancer Institute; Ivan Bunnell, clinical professor emeritus of medicine; Stephen Ebsary, Jr., assistant dean of the medical school and director of development.

    Also, Leon Farhi, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Physiology; Thomas Feldman, Millard Fillmore Hospital administrator; Shonnie Finnegan, university archivist; David Gerber, professor of history; Richard Jones, medical school registrar; Richard Lee, professor of medicine; Gerald Logue, professor of medicine and chief of staff of the VA Medical Center; Barbara Mierzwa, director of continuing medical education for the medical school.

    Also, John P. Naughton, vice president for clinical affairs and dean of the medical school; Janet Parker, staff assistant to the dean of the medical school; Carole Smith Petro, associate vice president for university services; Jack Richert, associate dean for alumni affairs in the medical school; Mildred Sanes, retired medical reporter with The Buffalo News; Lilli Sentz, curator of the History of Medicine Collection, Connie Oswald Stofko, research associate.

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