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Dr. Donald Landry, chairman of medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, was honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal in recognition of his contributions to expanding human knowledge and improving patient treatment.

President George W. Bush presented Dr. Landry with the medal at a ceremony in the Oval Office on Dec. 10. The Medal citation released by the White House notes Dr. Landry's "diverse and pioneering research and his efforts to improve the well-being of his fellow man."

The Presidential Citizens Medal was established in 1969 to recognize U.S. citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for the nation. It is one of the highest honors the president can confer upon a civilian, second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

A physician and organic chemist, Dr. Landry has harnessed his expertise to speed the translation of knowledge from bench to bedside. His research accomplishments include the identification of a new hormone deficiency syndrome: vasopressin deficiency in vasodilatory shock. In pioneering the use of vasopressin to treat septic shock and vasodilatory shock after cardiopulmonary bypass, he changed clinical practice for these critical conditions. He also started the sub-subspecialty of ICU nephrology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia and introduced continuous renal replacement therapy to treat renal failure in patients with shock. His work on cocaine addiction led to his discovery of an artificial enzyme containing anti-cocaine antibodies that destroy cocaine molecules in the blood. His report on the enzyme, published in Science, was chosen by the American Chemical Society as one of the top 25 most important chemistry papers in the world for 1993.

Columbia University Medical Center

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The Medical Center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is now among the most selective medical schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest in the United States. For more information, please visit www.cumc.columbia.edu.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital — based in New York City — is the nation's largest not-for-profit, non-sectarian hospital, with 2,242 beds. It provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Allen Pavilion and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division. One of the largest and most comprehensive health care institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service. It ranks sixth in U.S.News & World Report's guide to "America's Best Hospitals," ranks first on New York magazine's "Best Hospitals" survey, has the greatest number of physicians listed in New York magazine's "Best Doctors" issue, and is included among Solucient's top 15 major teaching hospitals. The Hospital is ranked with among the lowest mortality rates for heart attack and heart failure in the country, according to a 2007 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report card. The Hospital has academic affiliations with two of the nation's leading medical colleges: Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.