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STATE UNIVERSITY
OF NEW YORK
DOWNSTATE MEDICAL CENTER
450 CLARKSON AVENUE, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 11203
AREA CODE 212 270-1000
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
Department of Surgery
Dec. 11, 1967
Dr. Karel B. Absoion
Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
2714 West 10 Street
Amarillo, Texas
Dear Karel:
Please accept my humble apologies for the long delay before I
have answered your letter of October 10. I caught a heavy cold at the
American College meeting which I failed to overcome during the month
of October. I came down with pneumonia early in November and was in
the hospital for a while and am just back at work. I trust the long delay
has not thrown your plans and inquiry out of active consideration.
The Maimonides Hospital of Brooklyn I believe is one of the
largest kosher hospitals in the country. I believe it is about 500 beds.
It is very amply supported by the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies.
It has a close contractual tie with the Medical School so that Adrian
Kantrowitz holds a full professorship and his full-time associates
Similarly hold faculty appointments of a full-time nature. The contract-
ual relationship is such that I was Chairman of a committee, with repre-
sentation both from the staff at the hospital and from the full-time faculty
at the Medical Center,which was responsible for selecting Adrian for
this position. We have become very fast close friends. Adrian is a
rugged personality but a most challenging one and certainly one with a
wealth of marvelous ideas which he has the ingenuity and tenacity to
support with active work. His predecessor there was Alfred Hurwitz,
whom I also was dominant in bringing into our academic family. Al
succeeded in gaining support from the NIH and the trustees of the hospital
for the construction of a very beautiful research laboratory as a separate
building in the hospital complex. It is in this area that most of Adrian's
research program is situated. He has had excellent support from the NIH
and excellent collaboration from his brother, Arthur, who is a highly
intelligent and qualified engineer.
I believe I make the situation clear in that I give my fullest support
to what Adrian is endeavoring to undertake and indeed am listed as a con-
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE * SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES * UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL * COLLEGE OF NURSING * COLLEGE OF HEALTH RELATED PROFESSIONS
Dr. K. B. Absolon
- 2 -
Dec. 11, 1967
sultant on his research programs in the grant requests which he makes and
usually in the decisions as to clinical applications as well, so that Adrian
may have the comfort of knowing that he has full official backing from the
Department of Surgery when he embarks on problems such as the recently
attempted cardiac transplant.
Adrian has a sort of project or contractual grant arrangement so that
he is able to engage a team of people to work together upon the projects of
interest. to him, I suspect much of the direction comes from Adrian and Arthur,
but he has been able to engage the wholehearted enthusiastic support of his
medical colleagues as well. In short, I would suggest that it might be very
wise indeed for you to visit Maimonides and take a careful look at all aspects
of the situation. I am sure that arrangements would be made so that you could
take care of those patients of interest to you as well as pursue the investigative
work that you have in mind in the experimental laboratory. It would seem to
me that you and Adrian might make a highly effective team, and if you were to
come full time, I should of course be happy to propose you for faculty appoint-
ment as well, with the understanding that you would participate both at Maimon-
ides and at the Medical Center in student education in addition to other activities.
I hope this letter helps, late though it comes. I should be most happy
to be kept abreast of what your thoughts and plans are in this regard. With
every good wish, I remain,
Very sincerely yours,
Clarence Dennis, M.D.
Professor & Chairman
Department of Surgery
CD:fl