Northwell Celebrates Newly Endowed Chairs and Professors

Northwell Health announced recipients of nine endowments, including an inaugural chair and several professorships, in specialty areas including pediatrics, surgery, nursing, cancer research, urology, bioelectronic medicine and health artificial intelligence.

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The new appointments were honored at the eighth annual Celebration of Excellence, held recently at The New York Historical in New York City, bringing together philanthropists, physician-scientists and clinical leaders who are shaping the future of healthcare through excellence in academic medicine.

Generous benefactors gave more than $15 million this year to create five new positions. Endowed gifts provide the financial stability that allows Northwell to make strategic investments to propel new research, accelerate medical breakthroughs and enhance patient care in a rapidly changing healthcare environment.

“The partnership between our clinicians, researchers and donors is what drives innovation across Northwell and helps us advance care for the communities we serve,” said John D’Angelo, MD, president and chief executive officer of Northwell. “Endowed support gives our teams the opportunity to pursue new discoveries, attract exceptional talent and improve the health and well-being of people for generations to come.”

Endowed chairs and professorships carry significant prestige in scientific, academic and medical fields and are awarded to clinicians, researchers, educators and scientists who are considered among the best in their areas of expertise.

The inaugural recipients of a newly endowed chair and four professorships are:

• Tobias Janowitz, MD, PhD — Appointed the Robert and Janet Perro Professor in Cancer Research. Dr. Janowitz is director of the Institute of Cancer Research at Northwell’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and director of translational research at the Northwell Cancer Institute. He will continue to lead his established research program at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Cancer Center while leading the CSHL/Northwell strategic affiliation. A widely recognized expert in cancer research, Dr. Janowitz studies the mechanisms that drive cancer progression.

• Brian S. Kim, MD, MTR — Named the Robin and Jack Ross Chair in Bioelectronic Medicine and Neuroimmunology. Dr. Kim is vice president and chief biotechnology officer at Northwell Health and head of intellectual asset management at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. A leading dermatologist and physician-scientist, Dr. Kim has authored more than 190 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals and has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 2011.

• Ardeshir Rustom Rastinehad, DO — Appointed to the Bloomberg Professorship in Urology at Lenox Hill Hospital, endowed by Michael R. Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Dr. Rastinehad is system director of prostate cancer at Northwell Health and vice chair of Northwell Urology at Lenox Hill Hospital. He has helped pioneer image-guided therapeutics, integrating advanced imaging, cancer diagnosis and minimally invasive treatments to target disease more precisely while preserving quality of life.

• Christine Sethna, MD, EdM — Appointed the Charles L. Schleien, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, endowed by the Cohen Children’s Advisory Board, Cohen Children’s Circle and the Children’s Medical Fund. Dr. Sethna is vice chair for research and division director of pediatric nephrology in the Department of Pediatrics at Cohen Children’s Medical Center. Her research focuses on hypertension and cardiovascular outcomes in children, including, most recently, those with nephrotic syndrome (a type of kidney disorder). She is also principal investigator on two National Institutes of Health-funded studies.

• Theodoros P. Zanos, PhD — Named the Scott and Debby Rechler Professor of Health Artificial Intelligence. Dr. Zanos is a pioneering leader in health artificial intelligence (AI) and is head of the Division of Health AI at Northwell Health and a professor at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Dr. Zanos’ career has been defined by innovation at the intersection of AI, bioelectronic medicine, neuroscience and healthcare.

Newly installed recipients of existing endowments include:

• Sanjay Saint, MD, MPH — Appointed the David J. Greene Professor of Medicine, endowed by Helen and Alan I. Greene. An internationally recognized authority on patient safety and mentorship, Dr. Saint is senior vice president of the Department of Internal Medicine at Northwell and chairs the Department of Medicine across Long Island Jewish Medical Center, North Shore University Hospital and the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

• Annemarie Stroustrup, MD, MPH — Named the Philip Lanzkowsky, MD Professor of Pediatrics, endowed by the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation. A neonatologist, physician-scientist and distinguished leader in pediatric medicine, Dr. Stroustrup is senior vice president of pediatrics across Northwell and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Cohen Children’s Medical Center and the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

• Matthew J. Weiss, MD, MBA — Appointed the John D. Mountain, MD, Professor of Surgery. Dr. Weiss is senior vice president and chair of the Department of Surgery at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Long Island Jewish Medical Center and North Shore University Hospital. He will assume the role of executive director of surgery across Northwell in 2027. Since joining Northwell, Dr. Weiss has helped the health system expand care through new technology, cutting-edge therapeutics and novel surgical approaches.

• Launette Woolforde, EdD, DNP — Named the Margaret Crotty and Rory Riggs Clinical Chair in Nursing. Dr. Woolforde is executive vice president and chief nurse executive at Northwell Health and vice dean at the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For more than three decades, she has advanced nursing practice, education and research, and has played a central role in growing Northwell’s Magnet-recognized hospitals from three to 15, spearheading the systemwide interprofessional orientation program and building the systemwide nurse residency program, which is accredited with distinction by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Recipients also typically hold academic positions at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, teaching and mentoring future healthcare practitioners.

“Our donors’ valuable investment helps inspire a new generation of healthcare professionals to think differently about how they can change the world for the better,” said David L. Battinelli, MD, Northwell’s executive vice president and physician-in-chief and the Deborah and Lawrence Smith Dean of the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. “We are so proud of the collaboration that allows the Zucker School of Medicine to continue setting a high standard for academic excellence and clinical advancement.”

Endowed gifts have fueled Northwell’s growth as a leading academic health system, helping to retain and attract world-class talent and elevate the scope and standards of research and education. Philanthropy currently supports 60 endowed positions.

“We are so grateful for our benefactors, whose steadfast support has a direct impact on shaping the future of healthcare,’ said Amelia J. Alverson, executive vice president and chief development officer of Northwell. “Their belief in Northwell’s mission is accelerating research from bench to bedside and ensuring equal access to high-quality care for everyone in our communities.”

To learn more about endowment support, visit give.northwell.edu/endowment.

About Northwell Health

Northwell is the largest not-for-profit health system in the Northeast, serving residents of New York and Connecticut with 28 hospitals, more than 1,000 outpatient facilities, 22,000 nurses and over 20,000 physicians. Northwell cares for more than three million people annually in the New York metro area, including Long Island, the Hudson Valley, western Connecticut and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Northwell is New York State’s largest private employer with over 108,000 employees – including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners and Nuvance Health Medical Practices – who are working to change health care for the better. Northwell, named a TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025, is making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Northwell is training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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