New 'Weill Cornell Medicine' name announced

After two decades of growth that has transformed Weill Cornell Medical College into a global health care leader, the institution announced today a new name – Weill Cornell Medicine – that captures the full scope of its mission.

The new brand unites Weill Cornell Medicine’s three essential principles – to care, discover and teach – and underscores how patient well-being motivates all its ambitions. A world-renowned academic medical institution, Weill Cornell Medicine is devoted to enhancing human health by providing exemplary patient care, making groundbreaking biomedical discoveries, and educating exceptional doctors and scientists.

“Weill Cornell Medicine has a distinguished legacy of putting patients first, providing them with the finest care and offering the best possible outcomes to ensure that they live healthier lives,” said Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine. “Our name now fully encapsulates the strength and totality of our mission – keeping the patient at the center of everything we do.”

The Weill Cornell Medicine brand is the culmination of a strategic expansion that has touched every program area, positioning Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences and the Weill Cornell Physician Organization to thrive in today’s evolving health care landscape and lead in shaping medicine for the future. In July, the Association of American Medical Colleges named Weill Cornell Medicine the fastest-growing medical school in the country based on its increase in operating revenue over the past five years.

“For 150 years, Cornell University has fostered a culture of discovery, ambition and creativity – three essential values that underscore the bold and visionary Weill Cornell Medicine name,” said Cornell President Elizabeth Garrett. “The esteemed physicians and scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine will continue to be trailblazers, their work giving rise to new innovations that will truly make a difference across the globe.”

Said Jessica M. Bibliowicz ’81, chairman of the Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Overseers: “Weill Cornell Medicine’s long-standing tradition of providing world-class clinical care is now elevated by an unprecedented collaboration with patient-centered research and education. Our new brand is the realization of our transformation into a global health care powerhouse and perfectly expresses our enduring commitment to improving our patients’ health.”

Much of Weill Cornell Medicine’s long-term strategic growth has centered on connecting New Yorkers to its network of physicians. In 2007, Weill Cornell Medicine opened the Weill Greenberg Center, the institution’s flagship ambulatory care center, which houses primary and specialty care and imaging. The building is the anchor for Weill Cornell Medicine’s clinical expansion as it and its faculty practice continue to increase their services in communities throughout metropolitan New York.

Since 2013, Weill Cornell Medicine has added more than 40 medical practices in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, and expanded services offered by Weill Cornell Imaging at NewYork-Presbyterian. Weill Cornell Medicine also added more than 150 physicians to its ranks at NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital and a growing number from NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens. This expansion has led to 1.6 million patient visits, a growth of 11 percent from fiscal 2014 and a more than 40 percent increase in the past five years. In total, patient care will generate more than $1.14 billion in revenue for the institution this year, accounting for more than 60 percent of the 2015 operating budget.

Entwined with Weill Cornell Medicine’s successes over the years is the prowess of its faculty. Since 2012, the institution has recruited more than 50 scientists and physician-scientists, including a Nobel laureate and members of many prestigious international scientific societies, who are spurring new research discoveries using precision medicine and other cutting-edge biomedical approaches and applying them to patient care. The Belfer Research Building, which opened in 2014, serves as the hub for these translational efforts, headquartering more than a half dozen newly established interdisciplinary centers and institutes that strive to discover tomorrow’s treatments and therapies. This work has led to a 20 percent growth in sponsored research support for Weill Cornell Medicine.

Since its inception in 1898, Weill Cornell Medical College has earned a reputation as a leader in medical education, delivering top-tier training to nurture the next generation of physicians and scientists. The medical college, as well as the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, will continue that tradition as part of Weill Cornell Medicine.

In fall 2014 Weill Cornell Medical College unveiled a new curriculum that exposes students to patient care from their first day of school through a longitudinal program called LEAP. This program, during which teams of students follow a panel of patients with chronic illnesses for all four years of their medical education, illuminates health care delivery as well as the physical, social and psychological effects of disease to impart the value of treating patients holistically.

The Weill Cornell Medicine name also exemplifies the belief that collaboration is the most effective way to improve patient outcomes. Weill Cornell Medicine’s collaboration with clinical partner NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, as well as The Rockefeller University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, has established a scientific corridor on the Upper East Side. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty collaborate closely with colleagues at Cornell in Ithaca and at Cornell Tech in New York City. Together, their work will serve as a catalyst to shape New York into a biomedical technology hub.

Weill Cornell Medicine’s connections extend far beyond New York. It has established a medical school in Doha, Qatar, forged affiliations with Houston Methodist in Texas and Bugando Medical Centre and the Weill Bugando University College of Health Sciences in Mwanza, Tanzania, and established clinical and research programs on every continent except Antarctica.

Alyssa Sunkin-Strube is an editor at Weill Cornell Medical College.

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