Date: Mar 26, 2008

Lawrence Smith, MD, Appointed First Dean of Hofstra University School of Medicine in partnership with North Shore-LIJ Health System

Joint Agreement to Form School of Medicine Finalized

HEMPSTEAD, NY -- Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz and North Shore-LIJ Health System President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Dowling today announced that Lawrence G. Smith, MD, North Shore-LIJ’s chief medical officer, will serve as the first dean of the Hofstra University School of Medicine in partnership with North Shore-LIJ Health System. In addition to serving as dean of the new medical school, Dr. Smith will continue in his role as chief medical officer of the 15-hospital health system.  The new medical school plans to offer an MD degree program beginning in fall 2011, subject to receiving preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee for Medical Education and state approval.

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As the medical school’s first dean, Dr. Smith will work closely with academic leaders at Hofstra and North Shore-LIJ’s clinical leaders in shaping the educational framework of the school – including the development of a curriculum and the recruitment of faculty -- and moving the accreditation process forward.

“Dr. Smith is a highly respected leader in academic medicine,” said President Rabinowitz.  “His vision for the future of medical education and his ability to recruit scientists and other medical scholars will ensure that the School of Medicine will be an innovative academic institution, positioned to lead in educating the next generation of physicians and health care professionals.  His continuing role as chief medical officer of the Health System will ensure a seamless integration of classroom and clinical education for our medical students.”

“With a formal agreement approved and a dean in place, North Shore-LIJ and Hofstra can now focus our time and energy on building the framework for a school of medicine that will ultimately enhance our region’s medical research and improve its overall quality of healthcare,” said Mr. Dowling. “As both a medical leader and a top-flight academician, Dr. Smith will be an exceptional dean. We have more than 2,500 medical students, residents and fellows studying and training at North Shore-LIJ hospitals. Dr. Smith’s leadership is responsible for their continual growth and development as well as the overall management of the clinical affairs of the health system.”

Dr. Smith said creating a medical school from scratch offers a unique opportunity. “We won’t build a medical school that looks like old ones,” said Dr. Smith, noting that medical schools have tried for decades to train their students in a way that parallels changes in science and medicine. “There are enormous lessons here. No one program has emerged as a winner. But we can identify what does work and then create a unique medical school on Long Island -- and set a precedent for the future in medical training.”

The chief medical officer of the North Shore-LIJ Health System since 2006, Dr. Smith joined the health system in 2005 as its chief academic officer and senior vice president of academic affairs.  He was previously at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan, where he served as dean and chairman of medical education, director of the school’s Institute for Medical Education, professor of medicine and an attending physician.  

He earned his medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine, along with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Fordham University.  He did his residency training in Internal Medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital at the University of Rochester.  Dr. Smith’s began his career practicing general internal medicine in Huntington, NY, and then serving as residency program director in the Department of Medicine at Stony Brook University Medical Center. He is on the American Board of Internal Medicine, a Regent of the American College of Physicians, a former president of the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine and is affiliated with numerous professional and scientific societies.

Dr. Smith’s appointment follows the finalization of the agreement to jointly pursue the development of the Hofstra University School of Medicine.

 Established in partnership with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, the Hofstra University School of Medicine will be the first allopathic (MD) medical school in Nassau County – and the first on Long Island in more than 35 years.  Plans to create the new school were announced in October 2007, with the first class expected to enter in the fall of 2011.  The agreement received approval from the boards of both Hofstra University and North Shore-LIJ Health System in the past month, and is being signed today.  Hofstra University School of Medicine in partnership with North Shore-LIJ Health System plans to admit its first class in 2011, subject to receiving preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and approval from New York State.

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