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Dr. Roland - 2010 Wholeness of Life Award
Dr. Roland to Receive 2010 Wholeness of Life Award at Ceremony on October 28
J. Thomas Roland Jr., MD, is this year's recipient of the Wholeness of Life Award from HealthCare Chaplaincy, a nonprofit organization that specializes in multifaith, spiritually centered healthcare. Every year, HealthCare Chaplaincy, in coordination with the Department of Pastoral Care, honors a select number of healthcare professionals in metropolitan New York who embody the chaplaincy's commitment to care for the whole person, encompassing spirit, body, and mind. The honorees have all earned a reputation among their colleagues for caring holistically for patients and co-workers by showing respect for the dignity of people, demonstrating a commitment to excellence and caring, and exhibiting compassion and understanding of the spiritual needs of individuals regardless of cultural and religious differences.
Dr. Roland, who is the Mendik Foundation Associate Professor of Otolaryngology, chair of the Department of Otolaryngology, and associate professor of neurosurgery, is a pioneer and expert in cochlear implants. In addition to serving as the co-director of our Cochlear Implant Center, he has also brought his expertise and services to those in need in Uganda-performing surgery and training others to perform various types of ear surgeries.
He was nominated for this award by several colleagues, including Maria Corbo, the former director of international and corporate services, John Golfinos, MD, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, and Susan Waltzman, PhD, professor of otolaryngology and co-director of the Cochlear Implant Center, with support from an international patient.
Dr. Golfinos nominated Dr. Roland for not only his skill as a physician, but his compassion, kindness, and demeanor. "Tom Roland is the rarest combination of an outstanding surgeon and a warm, caring person. His technical skills as a surgeon are unmatched except by his deep compassion for his patients. He is an outstanding physician, teacher, and father. You could search for years and still have trouble finding anyone who has anything bad to say about Tom. He treats everyone with respect from his most junior resident to his most senior patient. If he has any flaws, I have yet to find him. His work in Uganda trying to bring advanced American medical techniques to a community in need progresses without fanfare, because Tom wouldn't have it any other way. At the same time, he is making a very big difference in a country that needs it. He was born a leader, and his lack of ego is almost perplexing in a person so accomplished in so many ways."
In supporting the nomination, Dr. Waltzman shared, "I have known Tom for approximately 25 years at NYU Langone Medical Center and in all that time I have not met or known another physician who has carried out his belief in personal sacrifice for the betterment of the human medical condition... He is memorable for his compassion and respect for the human condition and emotional needs of the patient, family and caregiver... All colleagues and staff who interact with him on a daily basis are soon swept up into his commitment to excellence and are proud to be part of his team. The obvious respect and admiration shown to him by patients and colleagues is a true testament to who and what he is as a human being."
All faculty and staff are invited to the Wholeness of Life Award Ceremony on Thursday, October 28, from 4:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. in the Faculty Dining Room.