NYU Langone raised more than $1.2 million at its annual Musculoskeletal Ball on November 1, 2018 at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. The event honored Christopher Kyriakides, DO, founder and medical director of New York Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation and co-founder and medical director of Health East Medical Alliance. Also honored was Jonathan H. Whiteson, MD, associate professor of rehabilitation and medicine, vice chair for clinical operations, and medical director of cardiac rehabilitation at NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation.

Each year, the Musculoskeletal Ball raises funds to advance clinical care, education, and research at NYU Langone’s Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Rusk Rehabilitation, and Division of Rheumatology.

Addressing 425 guests, Robert I. Grossman, MD, the Saul J. Farber Dean and CEO of NYU Langone says, “Tonight, we recognize two outstanding honorees for their role in authoring the future of musculoskeletal medicine. It is a pleasure to be here to celebrate our shared accomplishments.”

Beyond his work at New York Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation and Health East Medical Alliance, Dr. Kyriakides has spearheaded ventures in academia, serving as chief executive officer of a publicly traded biotechnology company. During his tenure as CEO, Dr. Kyriakides successfully collaborated with the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute to develop a patient-specific immunotherapeutic vaccine for the treatment of B-cell lymphoma. He currently serves as managing director for two other biotechnology companies involved in drug discovery: Anaplasi Pharmaceuticals and Trixogenesis. In addition to his private practice service, Dr. Kyriakides is a faculty member at NYU Langone. In 1993, he completed his residency at Rusk Rehabilitation.

“Dr. Kyriakides is helping Rusk become the country’s leading engine for physical medicine and rehabilitation education, reaching all rehabilitation disciplines nationwide through a powerful learning management system,” says Steven R. Flanagan, MD, the Howard A. Rusk Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. “It gives me the greatest pleasure to award you this well-deserved honor.”

In addition to his roles within NYU Langone’s Departments of Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine, Dr. Whiteson serves as vice chair of clinical operations at Rusk Rehabilitation and director of the Joan and Joel Smilow Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention Center. As an investigator, he has spearheaded research into the rehabilitation of patients with advanced lung disease and congenital heart disease; examined patient outcomes following left ventricular assist device implantation and transcatheter aortic valve replacement; and studied methods for promoting heart-healthy lifestyles in outpatients and for preventing the rehospitalization of individuals with congestive heart failure.

“Dr. Whiteson aims to address a pressing need for services that help cardiopulmonary rehabilitation patients establish long-term wellness habits,” says Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD, Walter A.L. Thompson Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. “Simple interventions like this can generate extraordinary benefits for our patients. We can help make those changes lasting ones, and prevent future medical episodes.”

Those who attended the Ball included: Joe Adams; Julia and Rouven Bergmann, PhD; Jodi and Tom Cangemi; Gary Cohn; Judith and Stewart Colton; Joanna Darling; Glen de Vries; Mindy Nam Dehnert; Carol Feinberg; Sarah and David Fiszel; Alyse Levin and Mark Jacobson; Stephanie Blau Kramer and Ronald Kramer; Thomas A. Lee; Ilse Melamid; Clelia Parisi; Joshua Resnick; Tarek A. Sherif; Beryl Snyder and Steven Trost; and Ranjan Tandon.

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 Sir Deryck and Lady Va 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; 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

Kate Malenczak
Phone: 646-754-7367
kate.malenczak@nyulangone.org