Greater Boston PSR (GBPSR) and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) are pleased to host our fourth annual event to address the twin existential threats of nuclear war and climate change. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the special event will be streamed live on-line, beginning at 7:00pm, on Saturday, September 25th, 2021.
This year’s event will honor the work of GBPSR and IPPNW co-founder Dr. Bernard Lown (see more below), who, together with Dr. Evgeny Chazov of the Soviet Union, accepted the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize on IPPNW’s behalf. This event will feature live music from world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and chamber musicians from the Longwood Symphony Orchestra. Yo-Yo Ma personally knew and greatly admired and respected the work of Dr. Lown. We are honored that he will offer his music to deepen the resonance of our message. Attendance to this virtual event is FREE, but sponsorships on behalf of both our organizations, no matter the amount, will be appreciated and put to good use.
Since there will be no reception, we regret we cannot offer our customary food or drink, but we encourage you to sit back in your home, perhaps with a cocktail in hand, and enjoy the online presentations and performance
If you are able, please consider supporting a sponsorship for this inspiring musical and educational event. As a sponsor, you will not only support IPPNW’s and GBPSR’s critical work to prevent the threats of nuclear war and climate change, but will be prominently featured in event publicity and to a large, unlimited on-line audience, including healthcare and business leaders. Last year’s live-streamed event included approximately 1,000 attendees.
All donations in support of the event are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law and will be shared equally between IPPNW and GBPSR. If you prefer to mail a check, please make it payable to IPPNW, 339 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02180. IPPNW is 501(c)3 tax exempt organization; EIN 042-702-110. To support a sponsorship online, please click the link below.
2021 Honorary Committee
Susan Alexander and Sidney Alexander, MD
Ronald A. Arky, MD
Joseph D. Brain, ScD
Edward Campion, MD
Richard A. Cash, MD
MA Senator Joanne M. Comerford
Goodarz Danaei, MD, ScD
Cole Harrison
MA Representative Patrick J. Kearney
Governor Michael and Kitty Dukakis
Lachlan Forrow, MD
Dean Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH
Joseph Gerson
Ira Helfand, MD
Jonathan King, PhD
Robert Jay Lifton, MD
U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey
C. Robert Horsburgh, Jr., MD and Brita E. Lundberg, MD
Savina J. Martin, MS
James Muller, MD
Sheila Nutt, EdD and Mekonnen Meshesha, PhD
MA Senator Patrick M. O’Connor
Dr. John O. and Marilyn A. Pastore
Prasannan Parthasarathi and Juliet Schor
US Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley
Jon E. Rohde, MD
MA Representative Lindsay Sabadosa
Elaine Scarry, PhD
Kevin Sidel
Mark Sidel
Doris Sommer, PhD
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren
Dean Michelle A. Williams, SM, ScD
2021 Sponsorships
Symphony — $10,000
Ira Helfand, MD and Deborah Smith, MD
Concerto — $5,000
Anonymous
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Drs. Carl and Susan Racine
Sonata — $2,500
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Brigham and Women’s Hospital Dept of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Lachlan Forrow, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital Dept of Medicine
Prelude — $1,000
James A. Babson / Massachusetts Peace Action
Cambridge Health Alliance Dept of Medicine
David Drake, DO (President, PSR National)
Eastern Bank
First Republic Bank
Andrew Kanter, MD, MPH
MassGeneral Hospital for Children
Arthur Milholland, MD and Luann Mostello, MD
Dr. Cornelia van der Ziel and Dr. Kenneth Kleene
The Village Bank
The Wales Family
Mr. Lynn Chang and Dr. Lisa Wong
ADDITIONAL SPONSORSHIPS
Minuet – $500 and under
Anna and Jonathan Baker
Richard Clapp and Paula Georges
Barbara and Steven Grossman
Clark Freifeld and Andee Krasner
Drs. Robert Horsburgh, Jr. and Brita E. Lundberg
Anne Lown and Warren Green
Joseph McCabe
Jack Paradise, MD
Nyna Polumbaum
Sarabande – $250 and under
Sidney Alexander, MD — Judith Chasin — Mirret El-Hagrassy — Henry Kahn, MD — Barry Levy, MD and Nancy Levy — Lynn Linakis — Aki Morizono — Philip Moss —Peter Moyer — Hildy Meyers — Kathleen and James Muller, MD — Alan Pinshaw, MD — Rachel J Sagan — Elaine Scarry — Rhoda Schneider — Mark and Kevin Sidel and family — Susan and James Snider — Geoffrey Stein
Chaconne – $100 and under
Joan and Peter Baker — David Bor — George Cani —Gordon Chase — Michael Christ — Mardge Cohen and Gordon Schiff —Dave & Inge Damm-Luhr — Arthur Glasgow — Robert Gould — Karen V. Hansen — Cole Harrison — Robert Lifton — Peter Meyers — Judith Norsigian — Jane Petro — Tilman Ruff — John Quatrale — Ellen Seely (In Honor of Dr. Lown) — Francine Sohn — Susan Wood
Passacaglia – $50 and under
Suzette Abbott and David Klafter — Joel Amromin — Anonymous — Mary-Wynne Ashford — Katharine Baker — Kacey Bongarzone and Colin Barry — Mary Brady — Larry Cohen —Marcy and Brian Concannon — Susan Entin — Ellen Ferranti, MD — Ann Frisch — Janet Gottler — Wayne Grody — Christopher Spicer Hankle — Scott Helmers — Ari Horton — Dominic Hodgkin and Diane Gold — Sarah Khan — Armin Kröning — John LaForge — Joan Lancourt — Carolyn Shadid Lewis — Claudia Leight — Stephanie Linakis — Susan Mirsky — Mitchell Rabkin — Esther Rowland — Thomas Schnyder — Juliet Schor — Cathy Slesinger — Lionel Silberman — Gordon Szerlip — Diane Turco — Alan Wertheimer
Dr. Bernard Lown
Born in Lithuania, Dr. Bernard Lown came to the United States at the age of 13 when his family left their native country before the Nazi invasion. After learning English in high school in Maine, he went on to study at the University of Maine and later earned his medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dr. Lown was one of the world’s leading cardiologists. He was Professor Emeritus of Cardiology at the Harvard School of Public Health and Senior Physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. A pioneer in the research of sudden cardiac death, Dr. Lown invented the defibrillator and the cardioverter and introduced the use of Lidocaine in cardiac care.
He was a founder and first President of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) in Boston in 1961. PSR was among the first organizations to alert the public to the catastrophic medical and public health consequences of nuclear war with its 1962 study of a hypothetical nuclear bombing of Boston published in the New England Journal of Medicine. He was also a founder of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) in 1980 and, together with Dr. Evgeny Chazov of the Soviet Union, accepted the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of IPPNW for its efforts to educate the medical community, government officials, and the general public about the dangers of nuclear warfare.
Yo-Yo Ma
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s life and career are testament to his enduring belief in culture’s power to generate trust and understanding. Whether performing new or familiar works from the cello repertoire, collaborating with communities and institutions to explore culture’s role in society, or engaging unexpected musical forms, Yo-Yo strives to foster connections that stimulate the imagination and reinforce our humanity.
Yo-Yo Ma was born in 1955 to Chinese parents living in Paris, where he began studying the cello with his father at age four. When he was seven, he moved with his family to New York City, where he continued his cello studies at the Juilliard School. After his conservatory training, he sought out a liberal arts education, graduating from Harvard in 1976.
Yo-Yo has recorded more than 100 albums, is the winner of 18 Grammy Awards, and has performed for nine American presidents, most recently on the occasion of President Biden’s inauguration. He has received numerous awards, including the National Medal of the Arts, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Kennedy Center Honors. He has been a UN Messenger of Peace since 2006, and was recognized as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020.
Yo-Yo’s latest album is “Songs of Comfort and Hope,” created and recorded with pianist Kathryn Stott in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
