On Thursday, Jan. 27, Dr. Herbert Pardes, president and chief executive officer of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and its health care system since December 1999, will deliver the 8th annual James A. Shannon Lecture at 3 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10. His talk is titled, "Ensuring Excellence in U.S. Medical Research and Health Care."

Medical research and health care are in an unparalleled level of centrality and profile in the United States. Policy decisions in these fields are complicated by the broad array of forces in and out of health that have an effect. The intertwining of the nation's productivity, the nation's economy and international relations with programs and policies in medical research and health care have never been greater.

Dr. Herbert Pardes The nation has valued its leadership in medical research and care, but great challenges exist to the ability to sustain that leadership. The primary issues and pressures that create these challenges and a plan for policies and programs to respond will be the focus of this presentation. Pardes is nationally recognized for his broad expertise in education, research, clinical care and health policy, and for his ardent advocacy of support for academic medicine.

During the Carter and Reagan administrations (1978-1984), he served as assistant surgeon general and director of the National Institute of Mental Health. Pardes, whose training is in psychiatry, left NIMH in 1984 for Columbia University and the College of Physicians & Surgeons, where he chaired the department of psychiatry. In 1989, he became vice president for health sciences at Columbia and then dean of the faculty of medicine. He managed major changes in the education of physicians, enhanced clinical and basic science research and assumed a national role as an advocate for education, health care reimbursement reform and support of biomedical research.

In December 1999, he moved to New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where he has embraced a clinical mission to provide each patient with the highest quality care delivered in the most compassionate manner.

Pardes is on the editorial boards of numerous medical and psychiatric journals and has written more than 100 articles and chapters on diverse topics in mental health. He has been involved in many international collaborations, working with governments in India, China, Egypt, Israel and the former Soviet Union.

He also chaired the intramural research program planning committee of the NIH (1996-1997) and served on several presidential committees. He has earned numerous honors and awards.

The Shannon lecture was established by the NIH Alumni Association in 1997 to honor the former NIH director (1955 to 1968), and to promote public discussion of issues that affect the mission of NIH research.