American Heart Association to honour McGill Dean of Medicine

Dr. Richard I. Levin to receive the 'Heart of New York' Mission Achievement Award

On February 28, Richard I. Levin, MD, Vice-Principal for Health Affairs, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, and Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, at McGill University will receive the Heart of New York Mission Achievement Award at the American Heart Association's 15th annual Heart of New York Gala. Dr. Levin's award recognizes his 20 years of transformative leadership at the American Heart Association (AHA), where he has held senior positions both at the regional and national levels. "It's been a privilege and an honour to serve the AHA, which is one of the great voluntary organizations, dedicated to ending the epidemic of vascular disease," said Dr. Levin.

As the AHA's premier annual fundraising event in New York City, the gala is expected to draw more than 800 leaders from the medical, corporate and social sectors to pay tribute to the honourees and support life-saving education, advocacy and research initiatives. William C. Weldon, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson, will chair the gala. This year's special guest is former president Bill Clinton.

Before joining McGill in 2006, Dr. Levin was Vice-Dean for Education, Faculty and Academic Affairs at New York University (NYU) School of Medicine. He practiced and taught medicine for 30 years at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York, the oldest and most distinguished public hospital in the U.S. Dr. Levin was a full professor of medicine at NYU from 1996 to 2006. Among other positions, he served as the Director of the Training Program in Cardiovascular Disease at NYU and has been the recipient of numerous distinguished awards and honours throughout his career.