Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, Bioethicist to be Keynote Speaker

Newswise New York, NY (May 10, 2012) New York University School of Medicine will hold its 170th annual graduation at 10am, Thursday, May 17, 2012, at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in Manhattan. Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, Sidney D. Caplan Professor of Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine in Pennsylvania will deliver the keynote address entitled Physician Advocacy in a Changing Health Care Environment.

About Arthur L. Caplan, PhD Dr. Arthur L. Caplan is the incoming director of the new Division of Medical Ethics in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Medical Center, effective July 1, 2012. He is the Sidney D. Caplan Professor of Bioethics at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, and also professor of medicine, philosophy, and psychiatry and a senior fellow at its Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. Dr. Caplan completed his undergraduate work at Brandeis University, and received his PhD in the history and philosophy of science from Columbia University. He is the author or editor of thirty books and over 550 papers in peer reviewed journals. He holds seven honorary degrees and is a fellow of the Hastings Center, the NY Academy of Medicine, the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the American College of Legal Medicine and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Caplan is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the McGovern Medal of the American Medical Writers Association; the Franklin Award from the City of Philadelphia and the Patricia Price Browne Prize in Biomedical Ethics for 2011. He was a Person of the Year-2001 from USA Today and has been described as one of the ten most influential people in science by Discover magazine in 2008. He was honored as one of the fifty most influential people in American health care by Modern Health Care magazine, one of the ten most influential people in America in biotechnology by the National Journal, and one of the ten most influential people in the ethics of biotechnology by the editors of Nature Biotechnology.

The Ceremony Following the procession, class president Feres Samra, MD, will deliver the Valediction. Robert I. Grossman, MD, Saul J. Farber Dean and Chief Executive Officer of NYU Langone Medical Center will then address the men and women of the class of 2012 as they embark on what Dr. Grossman has referred to as an ancient and eternally noble calling.

The conferring of diplomas will take place directly after Dr. Caplans talk and Dr. Grossman will administer the Hippocratic Oath. A champagne brunch reception for the graduates, their families and faculty follows.

Anthony J. Grieco, MD, associate dean for Alumni Relations and Academic Events, Martin Lipton, Esq., NYU Board of Trustees, Kenneth G. Langone, chair, NYU Langone Medical Center Board of Trustees and Robert Berne, PhD, executive vice president for health, New York University will also offer greetings to the graduates.

About the Class of 2012 The Class of 2012 is comprised of 173 students, 89 men and 84 women all receiving Doctor of Medicine Degrees. In addition, 6 students will receive a dual Doctor of Medicine/Master of Science Degree, 8 students will awarded the Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy Degrees through the Medical Scientist Training Program and 8 degrees will be conferred with honors. The class includes 29 members of Alpha Omega Alpha, the national honor medical society, established in 1902.

About NYU School of Medicine NYU School of Medicine is one of the nations preeminent academic institutions dedicated to achieving world class medical educational excellence. For 170 years, NYU School of Medicine has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history and enrich the lives of countless people. An integral part of NYU Langone Medical Center, the School of Medicine at its core is committed to improving the human condition through medical education, scientific research and direct patient care. The School also maintains academic affiliations with area hospitals, including Bellevue Hospital Center, one of the nations finest municipal hospitals where its students, residents and faculty provide the clinical and emergency care to New York Citys diverse population, which enhances the scope and quality of their medical education and training. Additional information about the NYU School of Medicine is available at http://school.med.nyu.edu/.

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