Community Corner
Summit Medical Group to Highlight New Foundation at Fundraising Gala
Event is scheduled for Friday night at the Hilton Short Hills.
Summit Medical Group has been a part of New Jersey's health community for 85 years and is now launching a foundation to extend their efforts throughout the region.
The Summit Medical Group Shaping the Future of Medicine: Then & Now Gala is set to take place at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Hilton Short Hills and will feature prominent members of the medical research community as the group brings the new Summit Medical Group Foundation into the spotlight.
The keynote speaker of the event will be Robert J. Hariri, chairman and founder of Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, who is considered a leader in biomedicine and aerospace. He's championed efforts in non-fetal stem cell research to cure a variety of life-threatening diseases.
“I am honored to have Dr. Hariri as our keynote speaker,” said SMGF Founder and Chairman, Jeffrey Le Benger, a Short Hills resident. ”Our kick-off Gala will be an evening of great food, great company and great fun. I encourage others to support SMGF’s valuable work by attending our Gala as well as donating directly to the organization.”
In addition to the speakers, Summit Medical Group will honor four medical professionals with its Vision and Legacy Award.
Honorees include: R. Gregory Sachs, Governor of the American College of Cardiology New Jersey Chapter; William Toth, Former Medical Director and Former Chief in the Department of Medicine of Summit Medical Group and the American Medical Association Physician Recognition Award recipient; Charles "CJ" Wittmann, SMG’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and former professor of surgery at a number of prestigious universities such as Harvard and Columbia; and, posthumously, Richard Brenner, Chairman of the Board for Summit Medical Group from 1972 until 1974 who visited patients at Harlem Hospital, where he was Assistant Visiting Surgeon in the Department of Pediatric Surgery, on his days off.
Food, cocktails, live entertainment by electric violinist, Lorenzo Lorac will also be a part of the event. The Gala is currently sold out.
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