Agreement Outlines Increased Level of Commitment to Clinical Care, Research and Education

New York City, NY (July 30, 2009) -- Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University today announced a new ten-year agreement to continue their existing partnership and strengthen their ties in clinical care, medical research and teaching.  The two nationally known medical institutions have been affiliated since 1963 and are committed to expanding their well established and highly successful relationship.

"This agreement, while clearly recognizing the ongoing independence of both organizations, provides a long-term framework that will streamline collaborations in clinical, research and teaching programs," said Allen M. Spiegel, MD, The Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. 

"The agreement is forward looking and fortifies each of our missions and core programs," said Steven M. Safyer, MD, president and CEO of Montefiore.  "It enhances our ability to recruit the best and brightest faculty and clinical staff in the nation; to spearhead new clinical trials in areas such as heart disease, cancer, pediatrics, transplant, and neurosciences; to create a model teaching environment for the 21st century; and to advance the health of the communities we serve."

The new long-term agreement demonstrates a renewed level of commitment that will align key strategic directions and raise the stature of both organizations by:

• Centering the administration of most new clinical and translational research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health at Einstein;
• Assuring the role of Montefiore as the primary clinical training site for Einstein programs;
• Increasing the representation of each institution on the other party's governing board;
• Providing a framework for identifying and cultivating joint opportunities for philanthropic development; and
• Identifying approaches to co-brand select clinical programs.

Montefiore Medical Center encompasses 125 years of outstanding patient care, innovative medical "firsts," pioneering clinical research, dedicated community service and ground-breaking social activism. A full-service, integrated delivery system caring for patients in the New York metropolitan region and beyond, Montefiore is a 1,491-bed medical center that includes: four hospitals  -- the Henry and Lucy Moses Division, the Jack D. Weiler Division, the North Division and The Children's Hospital at Montefiore; a large home healthcare agency; the largest school health program in the US; a 25-site medical group practice integrated throughout the Bronx and Westchester; and, a care management organization providing services to 179,000 health plan members.

In 2008, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore was ranked as one of "America's Best Children's Hospitals" in US News & World Report's prestigious annual listing and also received honors in the magazine's 2009 edition.  The Leapfrog Group lists Montefiore among the top one percent of all U.S. hospitals based on its strategic investments in sophisticated and integrated healthcare technology.

Montefiore is committed to meeting the healthcare needs of the future through medical education and manages one of the largest residency programs in the country. Montefiore is The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for Albert Einstein College of Medicine and has an affiliation with New York Medical College for residency programs at the North Division.

Distinguished centers of excellence at Montefiore include cardiology and cardiac surgery, cancer care, tissue and organ transplantation, children's health, women's health, surgery and the surgical subspecialties.  Montefiore is a national leader in the research and treatment of diabetes, headaches, obesity, cough and sleep disorders, geriatrics and geriatric psychiatry, neurology and neurosurgery, adolescent and family medicine, HIV/AIDS and social and environmental medicine, among many other specialties.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. It is home to 2,775 faculty members, 625 M.D. students, 225 Ph.D. students, 125 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 380 postdoctoral research fellows. In 2008, Einstein received more than $130 million in support from the NIH. This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in diabetes, cancer, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Through its extensive affiliation network involving five hospital centers in the Bronx, Manhattan and Long Island - which includes Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for Einstein - the College of Medicine runs one of the largest post-graduate medical training programs in the United States, offering approximately 150 residency programs to more than 2,500 physicians in training. For more information, please visit www.aecom.yu.edu.

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