James M. Orsini, M.D., director of Medical Oncology at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, New Jersey, will receive a National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Special Achievement Award in Medicine at the NIAF Ambassador’s East Coast Gala on May 19, 2009 in New York City. Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr. of New Jersey will present the NIAF award to Dr. Orsini.
Held at the New York Marriott Marquis, the gala begins with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. followed by an awards program, live auction and dinner.
Clara Maass Medical Center is an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System.
Honorees joining Dr. Orsini include Andrew J. Dolce, chairman of Dolce Hotels and Resorts; Natale S. Ricciardi, president of Pfizer Global Manufacturing (PGM) and senior vice president of Pfizer Inc.; and Paul A. Sorvino, actor, director, singer, sculptor and best-selling author.
Popular Italian singer and songwriter Giada Valenti will perform both the Italian and U.S. national anthems. Rocco B. Commisso, chairman and CEO of Mediacom Communications Corporation, will serve as the gala’s chairman; Commisso received an NIAF Lifetime Achievement Award at the Foundation’s gala in 2006 and is a member of the NIAF Board of Directors. The gala is hosted by Italy’s Ambassador to the United States H.E. Giovanni Castellaneta and Mrs. Castellaneta.
Dr. Orsini is a member of the board of trustees and former president of the medical staff at the Clara Maass Medical Center. He has worked under world-renowned breast surgeon Dr. Umberto Veronese and medical oncologist Dr. Giovanni Bonadonna at Italy’s Milan Cancer Center. Dr. Orsini guided the publication of one of the first medical reports on the treatment of node-negative breast cancer with systemic chemotherapy.
His commitment to oncology led to the opening of the first dedicated oncology unit at the Clara Maass Medical Center in New Jersey. He was appointed to the Commission for Cancer Research by Governor James Florio and to the Physician’s Practice Review Panel of the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners by acting Governor Richard Codey. He also served as president of the Oncology Society of New Jersey and chairman and president of the Essex County Chapter of the American Cancer Society.
Dr. Orsini completed his medical residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and his oncology fellowships at the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and the Mount Sinai Medical Center, Department of Neoplastic Diseases at the Milan Cancer Center.
Gala tickets begin at $400 per person. Attire: Business.
For sponsorship and ticket information, contact Carolyn Laurenzano at 202-939-3114 or carolyn@niaf.org
The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the heritage and culture of Americans of Italian descent.