NYU Langone Medical Center raised $1.6 million at its annual Musculoskeletal Ball on November 15, where NYU Langone leaders also announced a new anonymous gift to the institution. The $7 million gift will be dedicated to NYU Lutheran initiatives in Brooklyn, including orthopaedics and medical education, and was made in tribute to Philip Moskowitz, MD—one of the evening’s honorees.

Held at the American Museum of Natural History, the Musculoskeletal Ball itself raised important funding to advance clinical care, education, and research at NYU Langone’s Hospital for Joint Diseases, Center for Musculoskeletal Care, and Rusk Rehabilitation.

In addition to Dr. Moskowitz—the Mamdouha S. Bobst Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, recognized for serving the Medical Center for five decades in various capacities—Judith and Stewart Colton were honored at the event for their longtime and generous support of the Medical Center. This year, the chair of the event was Gary D. Cohn, president and COO of Goldman Sachs.

Steadfast partners of NYU Langone for over three decades, Judith and Stewart Colton have been passionate about supporting emerging research fields and young promising investigators at NYU Langone. In 2014 the Coltons provided a $10 million gift to create the Judith and Stewart Colton Center for Autoimmunity at NYU Langone, a multidisciplinary hub for developing new diagnostics and treatments for autoimmune diseases. This gift is especially meaningful for the Coltons, as one of their sons lives with autoimmune diseases. “We’re pleased to be doing this, and we would love for it to nudge the field, hopefully sooner rather than later,” Mr. Colton said. According to the National Institutes of Health, it is estimated that there are at least 80 human diseases caused by an autoimmune response, and up to 50 million Americans suffer from autoimmune diseases.

The Coltons’ interest in fostering early-career researchers led to the creation of Colton Family Scholars Program, which provides financial support to promising early-career physician–scientists engaged in novel investigations at NYU School of Medicine. Additionally, the Coltons established the Dr. Lester Breidenbach Student Loan Fund for medical students in need of financial assistance. The Breidenbach Fund was named in honor of Mrs. Colton’s uncle who served as attending surgeon at NYU Langone and later as director emeritus of emergency services.

Addressing more than 400 guests, Robert I. Grossman, MD, the Saul J. Farber Dean and CEO of NYU Langone said, “Judy and Stewart Colton, your generosity will lead to discoveries that will make a difference in autoimmunity.”

Dean Grossman added, “Tonight we celebrate not only an outstanding physician, but also a compassionate and kind human being. Phil Moskowitz, the Frauenthal honoree, is a highly respected member of our faculty who has made a difference for 50 years and counting.”

A beloved primary care physician, Dr. Moskowitz has cared for multiple generations of families. Additionally, as a member of the executive committee for medical school admissions, he is actively involved in the recruitment of the next generation of physicians to NYU School of Medicine.

Dr. Moskowitz has also served as faculty director of development at NYU Langone for over a decade. He was instrumental in securing major funding for the Medical Center’s new emergency department, the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine, and worked closely with his personal friends Judith and Stewart Colton when they shared their vision for a center dedicated to interdisciplinary autoimmunity research.

Those who attended the Ball included Marjorie and William Berkley; Casey Box; Elisabeth Cohen, MD; Lisa Pevaroff Cohn; Lori Fink; Julia Koch; Elaine and Kenneth G. Langone; Susan and Martin Lipton; Ninah and Michael Lynne; Sophie Nicholson and Tarek Sherif; Klara and Larry Silverstein; Eileen and Marc Steglitz; Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee; Beryl Snyder and Steven Trost; and Herbert Wachtell, ESQ.

In addition to Dean Grossman, physician co-chairs for the evening included Steven Abramson, MD, the Frederick H. King Professor of Internal Medicine, chair of the Department of Medicine, professor in the Department of Pathology, and senior vice president and vice dean for education, faculty, and academic affairs; Jill P. Buyon, MD, the Lady Va and Sir Deryck Maughan Professor of Rheumatology and director of the Division of Rheumatology; Steven R. Flanagan, MD, the Howard A. Rusk Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine; Richard Iorio, MD, the Dr. William and Susan Jaffe Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and chief of the Division of Adult Reconstructive Surgery; Andrew D. Rosenberg, MD, the Dorothy Reaves Spatz, MD, Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, and professor in the departments of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, and Orthopedic Surgery; and Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD, Walter A.L. Thompson Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery.

Media Inquiries

Deborah (DJ) Haffeman
Phone: 212-404-3567
deborah.haffeman@nyulangone.org