$10 Million Gift Announced at KiDS of NYU Langone’s 25th Annual Springfling Gala

Last night at The Plaza Hotel NYU Langone Medical Center held its 25th annual KiDS of NYU Langone Springfling Gala. This year’s event was emceed by Master of Ceremonies, Hoda Kotb, co-host of NBC News’ “TODAY” show, and honored Catherine S. Manno, MD, and her husband Bruno V. Manno, Jr., MD.

 Dr. Catherine Manno addressed a crowd of more than 375 attendees, thanking KiDS of NYU Langone for their critical role in putting pediatric services front and center. As Chair of Pediatrics, she shared her perspective on the institution’s tremendous progress in recent years—and announced that the Medical Center has just received an anonymous $10 million gift to create the new Robert I. Grossman, MD, and Elisabeth J. Cohen, MD, Pediatric Diabetes Center at NYU Langone.

“It is a thrill for both of us,” said Dr. Manno. “This program is instrumental in having pushed the agenda for children’s healthcare forward. Without them we would not be able to open a new children’s hospital.”

The new center furthers the institution’s commitment to expanding its already world-renowned, multidisciplinary department in primary and specialized pediatric care.

Since 2008, Dr. Catherine Manno, the Pat and John Rosenwald Professor and chair of NYU Langone’s Department of Pediatrics, has been a galvanizing leader, advancing clinical programs and services, residency training, and faculty development within the Department of Pediatrics. Of note, NYU Langone has the only cardiac critical care unit devoted to newborns, infants, and children in New York, a recently opened family-focused KiDS Emergency Department, and a pediatric and neonatal transport program that has grown in volume by 55 percent over the past two years.

 Dr. Bruno Manno is a partner in Philadelphia Heart and Vascular Group – Temple Health, a 20 physician single specialty cardiology group serving Philadelphia, Bucks, and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania. He trained in cardiology at the Cardiovascular Institute at Hahnemann University and is an expert in non-invasive imaging techniques for evaluation of cardiac abnormalities including echocardiography, computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 10: (L-R): Robert I. Grossman, MD, Susie Block Casdin, Ken Langone, and Kelly Mack attend KiDS of NYU Langone: 25th Anniversary Springfling on May 10, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for NYU Langone Medical Center)

 The Springfling Gala raised over $1.5 million to enhance clinical and supportive care for children at NYU Langone, foster research into childhood illnesses, and promote an atmosphere that is sensitive to the unique needs of children and families. Of note, over the past 25 years, KiDS of NYU Langone has funded more than 250 Children’s Services programs and projects across NYU Langone.

 “Katie is an extraordinary physician, an exceptional communicator, and an inspiring leader. She guides the Department of Pediatrics with wisdom and poise,” said Robert I. Grossman, MD, dean and CEO at NYU Langone. “But Katie will also tell you that there is a central reason she has been able to accomplish so much. That reason: Bruno, who shares her commitment to children and families, who we also honor tonight.”

 In addition to Ken Langone, who served as the Gala Chair, and Alice Tisch, KiDS of NYU Langone Chair, guests in attendance included, Ellen Block, Alex Brodsky, Elisabeth J. Cohen, MD, Susan Block Casdin and Alex Casdin, Josh and Melanie Clark, Sharon Wee and Tracy Fu, Trudy Elbaum Gottesman and Robert Gottesman, Elaine and Ken Langone, who served as the Gala Chair, Kelly and Stephen Mack, Shyamli and Robert Milam, Carla Solomon, MD, and Antonio Magliocco Jr., Abigail Scheuer, Jill and Ronald Sedley, Randi and Boaz Sidikaro, Patty Newburger and Brad Wechsler, and Susi and Peter Wunsch.

 Founded in 1991, KiDS of NYU Langone is an organization of parents, physicians, and friends dedicated to enhancing children’s services at NYU Langone Medical Center through philanthropy, community service, and advocacy. For more than two decades, KiDS has enhanced clinical and supportive care for children, funded research into childhood illnesses, and promoted an atmosphere sensitive to the needs of pediatric patients and families. Among its recent accomplishments, KiDS opened the child and family-focused KiDS Emergency Department within the Ronald O. Perelman Center for Emergency Services at NYU Langone, established the Sala Institute of Child and Family Centered Care, and the foundation is laid for the future Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital, scheduled to open in 2017.

NYU Langone Medical Center, a world-class, patient-centered, integrated academic medical center, is one of the nation’s premier centers for excellence in clinical care, biomedical research, and medical education. Located in the heart of Manhattan, NYU Langone is composed of five hospitals—Tisch Hospital, its flagship acute care facility; Rusk Rehabilitation; the Hospital for Joint Diseases, the Medical Center’s dedicated inpatient orthopaedic hospital; NYU Lutheran Medical Center, a full-service, 450-bed teaching hospital located in Brooklyn, and Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital, a comprehensive pediatric hospital supporting a full array of children’s health services across the Medical Center. Also part of NYU Langone is NYU School of Medicine, which since 1841 has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history, and the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute–designated cancer center. The Medical Center’s trifold mission to serve, teach, and discover is achieved 365 days a year through the seamless integration of a culture devoted to excellence in patient care, education, and research. For more information, go to www.NYULangone.org, and interact with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Google+.