Newswise — The Division of Neurosurgery at UCLA Medical Center will present "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno with the first Rodney Respect award Oct. 20 at the division's inaugural Visionary Ball fundraiser in Beverly Hills.
Late comedian and actor Rodney Dangerfield successfully underwent rare and technologically difficult "brain bypass surgery" in April 2003 at UCLA Medical Center to improve brain blood flow impaired by a blockage in his right carotid artery.
The award, to be presented by his widow, Joan Dangerfield, recognizes comedians who embody Dangerfield's comic legacy.
"Rodney had a great relationship with the Division of Neurosurgery at UCLA and his wife, Joan, continues to offer invaluable support," said Dr. Neil Martin, professor and chief of neurosurgery at UCLA. "We are privileged to have an opportunity to recognize Rodney Dangerfield's legacy and Jay Leno's many achievements with the 2005 Rodney Respect award."
The Visionary Ball will raise money to help advance neurosurgical research, education and patient care in the future home of the new Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, which will replace UCLA's current Westwood hospital in 2007. Much of the division's latest technology, including the remote-presence robot used by doctors in UCLA's neurosurgical intensive care unit, will be on display.
The event also will recognize two Los Angeles leaders, in medicine and in business, with the division's first Visionary Awards:"¢ Dr. Donald P. Becker, W. Eugene Stern Professor of Neurosurgery at UCLA, and chief of neurosurgery from 1985 until 2001. For more than two decades he has been judged a world leader in fundamental research into the mechanisms of brain tissue and brain cellular injury and recovery from trauma, attendant ischemia and intracranial pressure."¢ Thomas J. Barrack Jr., founder, chairman and chief executive of Colony Capital LLC, a real estate investment trust. In addition to his distinguished investment career, he served as a deputy undersecretary in the Department of the Interior during the Reagan administration. The benefit is scheduled from 6:30 to 10 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Cost is $500 per ticket. For additional information about the event or to purchase tickets, members of the public should contact Grant Associates at (323) 904-4400.
UCLA Medical Center is a nonprofit, self-supporting 668-bed hospital providing patient care in all medical specialties. It is the primary teaching hospital for the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The Division of Neurosurgery carries a continuing commitment to provide excellence in leadership in the major disciplines of neurosurgery. Neurosurgery Centers of Excellence have been established in brain injury, brain tumors, epilepsy surgery, neurovascular surgery, pediatric neurosurgery, spinal and peripheral nerve surgery, and stereotactic and functional neurosurgery. Other developing programs include neuroendoscopy, hydrocephalus, interventional MR surgery and neurological critical care.
UCLA Medical Center has ranked as the best hospital in the Western United States for 16 consecutive years in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey that reviews patient outcomes data, reputation among physicians and other care-related factors. UCLA Medical Center is the only Southern California hospital to earn a spot on the magazine's "honor roll" rankings during all 16 years U.S. News has conducted the survey. The honor roll recognizes hospitals that demonstrate excellence across many specialties. UCLA Medical Center's Clinical Neuroscience Program, which includes neurosurgery, consistently ranks among the survey's top 10 nationally.
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