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John and Anne Mendelsohn Honored at Leadership Houston Gala
John and Anne Mendelsohn (Photo courtesy of Alexander's Fine Portrait Design)
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Dr. John and Anne Mendelsohn were recognized March 10 with the "Distinguished Leadership Award" from Leadership Houston at the organization's annual "Hats Off to Leaders" Gala. Honorary co-chairs for the event were Cindy and Jack Blanton Sr.
Dr. John Mendelsohn assumed the presidency of M. D. Anderson in 1996, becoming only the third full-time president the institution has had since its inception in 1941. Since coming to M. D. Anderson, he has recruited a visionary management team and implemented new priorities for integrated programs in patient care, research, education, and cancer prevention. Under his direction, M. D. Anderson was named the best cancer hospital in the nation by U.S. News and World Report in the magazine's "America's Best Hospitals" 2000 survey.
For almost three decades, Dr. Mendelsohn has been at the forefront in understanding how growth factors regulate the proliferation of cancer cells by activating receptors on the surface of the cells that control key cell signaling pathways. Laboratory and clinical studies conducted by Dr. Mendelsohn and his colleagues have advanced the concept of anti-receptor blockade therapy as a new form of cancer treatment.
Dr. Mendelsohn also is active in the Houston community as an advisory board member of the Houston Grand Opera, executive committee member of the Greater Houston Partnership and member of the Houston Forum board of governors. In addition, he is a member of the board of directors of Enron Corp.
Anne Mendelsohn is an active member of the Houston and The University of Texas
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center communities. Since coming to Houston, she has contributed considerable time to furthering the goals of many noteworthy organizations. She serves on the boards of a number of organizations and institutions including the Alley Theatre, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Friends of Hermann Park, and Teach for America/Houston.
For M. D. Anderson, Mrs. Mendelsohn has served as co-chair of a number of galas and programs designed to increase cancer awareness, and has helped create a positive environment for biotech startups among
M. D. Anderson faculty and transfer technology staff and the Houston Technology Center, where she is a member of the center's Development Board and Biotech Planning Committee.
One of the evening's highlights was a silent auction, where attendees had the opportunity to bid on spending time with some of Houston's most prominent leaders, including Dr. Denton A. Cooley, president and surgeon in chief, Texas Heart Institute and Marc C. Mattson, CEO, Texas Heart Institute. Additional mentors came from a variety of other business segments including: media, information technology, real estate, finance, travel and tourism, science, and the performing arts.
Leadership Houston is a community leadership development program dedicated to identifying and developing diverse leaders representative of the Houston community. The organization was founded in 1981 by the Greater Houston Partnership.
©2006 Texas Medical Center
E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/03_15_01/page_05.html
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