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The Shapiro Family
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The Shapiro Family
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is at the vanguard of medical education and patient care, and long-time benefactors Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro deserve a large share of the credit.
For more than 20 years, they have been building a legacy of excellence at BIDMC, establishing the Carl J. Shapiro Clinical Center and the Carl J. Shapiro Institute for Education and Research. Their latest contribution, of $5 million, announced at BIDMC’s March 2007 Palm Beach event, will provide continuing support of the education of students, fellows, and residents at the medical center. This gift adds to the $7 million they gave in 2006 to fund renovations to the award-winning Shapiro Clinical Center, making it easier for patients and visitors to get around the medical center’s busiest outpatient building. Of this, $1 million was designated for the expansion of the newly renamed Carl J. Shapiro Simulation and Skills Center (SASC), one of the most advanced and comprehensive medical training facilities in the country.
This state-of-the-art center exemplifies the Shapiros’ dedication to ensuring that generations of patients have access to the most highly trained physicians, nurses, and clinicians. SASC provides Harvard Medical School students and residents with access to a mock operating room, emergency room, intensive care unit, and surgery floor. Advanced sensors and computer equipment allow faculty members to provide detailed feedback on student performance. In addition, the center features sophisticated audiovisual equipment, interactive mannequins, and virtual patients enabling current physicians and other clinicians to hone new skills and techniques.
“Today the expectation for our doctors is practice, practice, practice,” says SASC Co-Director and Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery Daniel B. Jones, M.D. “Students and professionals can only benefit from practicing scenarios in simulation.”
The new center puts BIDMC at the forefront of health-care instruction. “We strive to be the national leader in providing the best medical education,” says Richard Schwartzstein, M.D., vice president of education at BIDMC.
SASC is formally accredited as a Level 1 facility by the American College of Surgeons, making it the first such facility in New England and just one of seven inaugural certified centers in the United States. “The SASC is a prime example of how our leadership position in education improves the capabilities of our physicians to deliver high-quality, compassionate, safe care for our patients, and enables BIDM C to create new knowledge regarding the best methods for training doctors of tomorrow,” says Schwartzstein.
The Shapiros are recognized in the Boston community for their philanthropy, but they are particularly celebrated among members of the BIDMC community: they have given more than $25 million to BIDMC over the years.
“Carl and Ruth Shapiro are two of BIDMC’s dearest long time supporters,” says Paul Levy, president and CEO of the medical center. “We are honored and delighted by their continued generosity.”
"The Shapiros are equally happy to help advance the medical center’s mission. “Beth Israel Deaconess has taken care of four generations of our family, and these gifts are one way we can give back so much to the hospital that has done so much,” says Carl Shapiro. “We are pleased to be a part of the medical center’s continued commitment to excellence in science, medicine, and service to the community.”
Their recent gifts are further evidence of their deep concern for others and their desire to make a positive impact on the quality of health care in the community.
Says Lois Silverman, chair of the Board of Directors at BIDMC, “Their giving shows their belief in the mission of this institution, in the finest education, the most up-to-date research, and the best delivery of clinical care. It’s an ongoing generosity that continues to make a difference in the Boston community, and for that, we at BIDMC are very grateful.”
