The 2014 Aleh Gala Awards Dinner

This year the Aleh Foundation will honor distinguished leaders impacting areas of medicine and mental health, education and arts at their dinner on May 21, 2014 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. The distinguished Civic Leadership Award will be presented to Congressman Robert Turner who has shown dedication to—and support for—important global causes, as well as major Jewish causes. Congressman Turner recently commended Israel for the manner in which it is defending its citizens and called on President Obama to back his statements. He joined his fellow New Yorkers in remembering those lost during the 9/11 attacks and supported us during Hurricane Sandy.

He is the owner of a successful hotel business. He served in the US Army from 1962-1965 and worked at the American Broadcasting Corporation, as well as Bristol-Myers, Columbia Broadcasting, LBS Communications and Multimedia Entertainment. He was founder of Orbis Communications as well as President and Chief Executive Officer of North American Television Operations and Pearson Public Limited Company. He was the cofounder and former president of the Association of Syndicated Television Advertisers and is a Board Member of the National Association of Television Programming Executives.

He has pledged to protect the funding for religious organizations within New York and across the US. He represented New York’s 9th Congressional district and served on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and House Committee on Homeland Security. Congressman Turner and his wife Peggy have 5 children and 13 grandchildren.

This year’s prestigious Medical Leadership Award will be presented to Dr. Vincent Calamia, the Medical Director of Eger Health Care & Rehabilitation Center which is among the largest NY nursing homes. Eger serves the continuing health care needs of senior community members by offering social adult day care and hospice care. It operates an on-site 75 bed assisted living program facility in Staten Island. The beautiful 97 year old facility stands on 22 acres of land.

Dr. Calamia is a board-certified endocrinologist, internist and geriatric medicine specialist. He is Medical Director of the Hamilton Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Brooklyn. He was Chief Executive Officer of Victory Memorial Hospital in Brooklyn, where he developed and negotiated budgets, managed hospital safety and oversaw hospital regulatory compliance. Prior to that, he was COO of Victory Memorial Hospital and Chief of Geriatrics at Staten Island University Hospital, where he created the Geriatric Division. Since 1989, he has been President and CEO of the University Physicians Group, one of the largest physician groups in New York City, employing more than 60 physicians in multiple locations.

He was president of the Richmond County Medical Society and has been a board member of the Medical Society of the State of New York’s Steering Committee on Legislation and Physician Advocacy since 2005.
In addition to many other degrees, he received a Masters of Science degree in Health Care Management from the prestigious Harvard School of Public Health.

The Aleh Foundation is pleased to bestow the coveted Physician of the Year Award to Dr. David Staffenberg, Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery and Chief of Pediatric Plastic Surgery at the NYU Langone Medical Center. Dr. Staffenberg’s expertise is in craniofacial surgery, aesthetic surgery and the aesthetic reconstruction of facial differences that are either congenital in nature or due to trauma, surgery or cancer. He specializes in the correction of cleft lip and palate, jaw surgery, surgery for missing or deformed ears, nose surgery, facelift surgery and alteration of the chin and cheeks.

His research has been presented internationally. He authored textbook chapters in plastic and craniofacial surgery that were published in the United States as well as Europe. He coedited the textbook “Plastic Techniques in Neurosurgery,” (2nd edition). He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery and the International Journal of Pediatric Otolaryngology.

Among other notable achievements, Dr. Staffenberg is known for the successful separation of conjoined twins joined at the tops of their heads. Such rare surgery had never before been attempted in New York. He received a Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Science and Technology from Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He also received an honorary degree from, and delivered the commencement address at The College of Mount Saint Vincent.

Dr. Staffenberg has worked as a visiting professor throughout the world and performed complex surgeries in Mexico, Italy and Brunei. His surgery to correct an infant with craniosynostosis in Brunei was the first operation of its kind on the island of Borneo. He continues to serve as the consultant for the Ministry of Health in Brunei, where he performs surgery and teaches. He has appeared on many TV and radio shows. The New York Daily News referred to him as “the Miracle Doc of New York.” He is one of the best plastic surgeons in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, according to New York Magazine. He is on the list of the best aesthetic surgeons noted in the Super Docs edition of The New York Times Magazine.

Dr. Staffenberg remarked that he is humbled and delighted to accept the Physician of the Year Award from the Aleh Foundation.

Aleh’s annual events always draw large crowds and attract noted speakers and entertainers. The event’s proceeds will go towards Respite Services providing year round programming after school for developmentally delayed children.

The purpose of this program is two-fold: to support and strengthen the families; and to enrich the lives of these children.

Rabbi Shlomo Braun is the Founder and Director of the Aleh Foundation, located at 5317 13th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219. For more information please visit www.alehfoundationusa.org or call (800) 317-ALEH. Stay tuned for updates!