New Comprehensive Gastrointestinal Health Center To Be Established At New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell

The New York Presbyterian Hospital announced plans to establish the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at the Hospital’s Weill Cornell Medical Center site. Opening in early 2004, the Center will be dedicated to gastrointestinal health, from detection and treatment to education, prevention, and research. The Center is named in honor of Jay Monahan, the late husband of NBC “Today” show co-anchor Katie Couric, who died of colon cancer at age 42 in 1998. Since then, Couric has actively worked to raise awareness about colon cancer and has committed—along with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF)—to help the Hospital raise a substantial portion of the approximately $9 million needed to create the Center.

“Our vision for the Center was born out of my discussions with Dr. Mark Pochapin, Jay’s gastroenterologist,” Couric said. “I discovered during Jay’s illness that the journey following a cancer diagnosis is often a traumatic and harrowing one. Searching for the latest information as well as the best treatment options can be a daunting, if not impossible, task. It is my profound hope that the Monahan Center will make it easier for families to contend with perhaps the worst experience they will ever face by providing all the necessary resources under one roof,” Couric said. “The frantic running around from place to place only adds insult to injury for patients and their families. That will be eliminated.”

Gastrointestinal cancers—including cancers of the colon (large intestine), pancreas, liver, small intestine, gall bladder, stomach, and esophagus—constitute a significant percentage of cancer cases. Colorectal cancer is one of the deadliest; it is the second-leading cancer killer of men and women in the U.S., causing an estimated 55,000 deaths each year. But it is also one of the most preventable; a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that 90 percent of lives could be saved through early detection and prevention.

“The Jay Monahan Center will be a unique model of integrated and compassionate care,” said Dr. Herbert Pardes, President and Chief Executive Officer of New York Presbyterian. “Building on our distinguished gastrointestinal disease program, the new Center will bring together the most comprehensive resources in a humanistic and interdisciplinary setting.”

“The commitment of Katie Couric and EIF will make possible a truly world-class center for gastrointestinal health,” said Dr. Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. Nearly five years ago, Couric’s husband Jay Monahan, a highly regarded attorney and television legal commentator, lost his nine-month battle with colon cancer. Since then, Couric has led an initiative to raise public awareness of colorectal cancer. Important milestones in this effort include substantial press attention such as the “Today” show broadcast of Couric’s own colonoscopy, which garnered Couric several national honors, including the prestigious Peabody Award. The resulting heightened public awareness about colorectal cancer led to an almost 20 percent increase in colonoscopy screenings.#

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