Lower Macungie Township Couple Donates Chair in Cardiology to LVHHN

This 12th endowed chair will be held by cardiologist Michael A. Rossi, M.D.

Lehigh Valley, Pa. (May 7, 2008) - Walter May's career as an engineer and executive at Mack Trucks spanned more than 43 years and included the development of more than 30 patents that improved technology for the trucking industry. He also met and married his wife, Hazel, there, an enduring union that has lasted 35 years.

Perhaps the greatest recent source of pride and satisfaction for the Mays is the contribution they have made to healthcare at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network (LVHHN), funding advancements in heart care that will last far beyond their own lifetimes.

The couple, who live in Lower Macungie Township, generously donated an endowment gift to LVHHN to establish The Walter M. May and A. Hazel May Endowed Chair for Excellence in Cardiology. The chair holder is Michael A. Rossi, M.D., LVHHN's chief of the division of cardiology and medical director of its Regional Heart Center since 2002. It is the hospital's 12th endowed chair (see attached list), helping to attract and retain the best physicians through commitment to education and research.

The Walter M. May and A. Hazel May Endowed Chair for Excellence in Cardiology was unveiled at a ceremony at Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest on April 24, 2008.

"We believe in supporting our community hospital," says Hazel May, who solicited door-to-door more than 30 years ago to help raise money for the construction of what is now Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest. "Walter and I wanted to accelerate the growth of new technologies along with the greater good that will come out of this chair's creation. That continuous pursuit of knowledge and excellence brings us great comfort."

A resident of Center Valley, Dr. Rossi is the medical director of Lehigh Valley Heart Specialists, a multi-specialty cardiology group that he helped form in 2006, which is closely affiliated with LVHHN.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Dr. Rossi earned his medical degree from Brown University School of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine residency at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he was chief resident, and completed fellowships in cardiology at Graduate Hospital and in advanced cardiac imaging at Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia.

Dr. Rossi is an elected member of the executive council for the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Cardiology and serves as chairman of the board of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Heart Association.

"It is a privilege to know Walter and Hazel May, and a great honor to be named the holder of the endowed chair in cardiology," says Dr. Rossi. "This fund will help our division provide physician education and conduct clinical research with a high degree of academic prestige and credibility. It will ultimately raise the quality of heart care available in our community to an even higher level and further enhance LVHHN's reputation as a premier academic community hospital."

A premier academic community hospital, Lehigh Valley Health Network includes three hospital facilities - two in Allentown and one in Bethlehem, Pa. - and Lehigh Valley Health Services, providing home health, hospice, pharmaceutical and health management services. In 2007, US News & World Report named Lehigh Valley Hospital one of America's Best Hospitals for the twelfth straight year. LVHN's advanced regional resources include a Level I Trauma Center with added pediatric qualifications; a regional referral Burn Center for critical care burn patients; national certification as a Primary Stroke Center; the largest cancer program in the region and fourth largest in Pennsylvania; the Regional Heart Center - the second largest heart program in Pennsylvania based on volume; and an Advanced ICU with tele-intensivists to provide an extra level of care for critical care patients.

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