Myths and Realities of Healthcare

September 2, 2024
John Rowe

Buffalo, NY – The Dr. George E. Schreiner ’43 Pre-Medical Center at Canisius University will welcome John Rowe ’66, MD, to campus on Tuesday, October 8 to deliver a lecture titled “Myths and Realities of Healthcare.”  The event, which is free and open to the public, takes place at 7:00 p.m. in the Chester HON ’01 and Diane Stranczek Science Hall Commons.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. 

John Rowe is the Julius B. Richmond Professor of Health Policy and Aging at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and chair of the Advisory Council at Stanford University’s Center on Longevity.  He has dedicated his career to gerontology and geriatrics with a special focus on research and efforts to help build the strength of the field in healthcare and science.  Rowe describes his scholarship as both empirical and conceptual.  

His empirical research involves extensive supervision of laboratory and clinical studies related to the physiology of human aging and the pathophysiology of common geriatric diseases and syndromes.  Rowe’s conceptual work centers around the development and application of the theory of successful aging, which is a major theme in gerontology.  Recently, he has broadened his focus to understanding the policies and programs necessary to facilitate the successful aging of societies.  He also dedicates substantial effort to improving research quality, clinical care and education in the areas of geriatrics and gerontology. 

In addition to his academic scholarship, Rowe has had a distinguished career in the private sector.  He is past chair and chief executive officer of Aetna Inc., a leading healthcare and related benefits organization.  Prior to Aetna, Rowe was president and CEO of Mount Sinai NYU Health, one of the nation’s largest academic healthcare organizations.  From 1988 – 1998, Rowe was president of Mount Sinai Hospital and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, before the two institutions merged.    

Rowe’s extensive contributions to the field of healthcare and aging are paralleled by his influential roles and memberships.  He is president of the International Association for Gerontology and Geriatrics, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.  He serves on the Rockefeller Foundation’s Board of Trustees and is chair of the Marine Biological Laboratory Board of Trustees.   

The Dr. George E. Schreiner ’43 Pre-Medical Center Distinguished Speaker Series is dedicated to bringing notable figures from the medical and scientific communities to Canisius University.  Dr. Schreiner, for whom the series and the pre-medical center is named, was a 1943 alumnus and former trustee of Canisius.  Following graduation, Schreiner went on to become an internationally renowned nephrologist.  He retired as a distinguished professor of medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center.  

For more information on John Rowe’s lecture at Canisius, contact the Office of University Communications at 716-888-2792.  

Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.