WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., AUG. 6, 2007 -- Alan R. Fleischman, M.D., has been named Senior Vice President and Medical Director by the March of Dimes Foundation, it was announced today. In his new role, Dr. Fleischman will oversee the medical and clinical initiatives of the March of Dimes, one of the nation's leaders in maternal and infant health. He will assume his new responsibilities on October 1, 2007.
Dr. Fleischman currently is Senior Advisor to the New York Academy of Medicine and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Clinical Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He is also Chairman of the Federal Advisory Committee and Ethics Advisor to the National Children's Study being conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
“As a physician and expert in public health policy, especially in the area of newborn health, Dr. Fleischman shares the March of Dimes dedication to helping every baby get a healthy start in life,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes.
Born in New York City, Dr. Fleischman graduated from the City College of New York and earned his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He continued his education in pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and completed a fellowship in perinatal physiology at the National Institutes of Health and through a Royal Society of Medicine Scholarship at Oxford University in England.
He joined the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center in 1975 and served as director of the Division of Neonatology until 1994. From 1994 to 2004, he served a Senior Vice President of the New York Academy of Medicine, responsible for initiatives in urban health, education, public policy, ethics, and public health.
Dr. Fleischman has written extensively in the field of neonatal and fetal physiology with a research emphasis on nutrition. He has also written, taught, and lectured about many aspects of the developing field of bioethics. His work has resulted in over 100 scholarly publications, and he is the co-author of the 1996 book, Pediatric Ethics – From Principles to Practice. In addition, he currently serves as the co-chair of the March of Dimes National Bioethics Committee and a fellow of the Hastings Center in Garrison, New York.
Dr. Fleischman is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research, the American Pediatric Society, the Ambulatory Pediatrics Association, and the American Public Health Association.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.
Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at nacersano.org.
