American Friends of The Hebrew University to Honor Dr. Sharon Hirschowitz and Mr. Mark Vidergauz with Scopus Award

American Friends of The Hebrew University to Honor Dr. Sharon Hirschowitz and Mr. Mark Vidergauz with Scopus Award

Lawrence H. Summers, Former Treasury Secretary, Former Assistant to The President for Economic Policy and Past President of Harvard University to Deliver Keynote Address at Scopus Award Gala on February 11

LOS ANGELES — Dr. Sharon Hirschowitz, professor of Pathology at UCLA’s School of Medicine, and Mr. Mark Vidergauz, CEO of The Sage Group, LLC, will be honored with The Scopus Award by American Friends of The Hebrew University (AFHU) on February 11, 2012 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Keynoting the Scopus Award Gala is Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence (Larry) Summers, who holds an Honorary Doctorate from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The Scopus Award, the highest honor conferred by AFHU, recognizes outstanding community leaders who spearhead humanitarian causes of national and international scope.  Among the distinguished past recipients are Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand, Nancy Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Elie Wiesel, President Gerald R. Ford, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Milton Friedman and Ted Turner.

Natives of South Africa, Dr. Sharon Hirschowitz and her husband, Mr. Mark Vidergauz, share a commitment to philanthropy, the State of Israel, and to Jewish communities worldwide. 

The philanthropic couple was honored as Guardians on The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Wall of Life in a ceremony in June of 2010.    

“Mark and Sharon are the very embodiment of AFHU’s mission. Their tireless support for Israel and the cause for higher education helps new generations of students gain access to a world-class education,” stated Richard Ziman, Chairman of AFHU’s Western Region. 

Martin E. Karlinsky, President of AFHU added: “Mark and Sharon offer uniquely important forms of leadership, propelling our mission in support of Israel’s finest university.”

Mr. Vidergauz is Chief Executive Officer of The Sage Group, LLC, in Los Angeles, and a member of The Sage Board of Directors. He previously held the title of managing director at ING Barings, heading the company’s West Coast investment banking activities.  Before launching his successful investment banking career, Mr. Vidergauz practiced law at O’Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles. He is a law graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand and received his LLM degree from the London School of Economics. Over the years, Mark Vidergauz has provided distinguished leadership to AFHU as a Western Region board member, and assumed the role of Western Region board president in July 2010.

A professor of Pathology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Dr. Sharon Hirschowitz is the former Director of the Cytopathology Division and the School of Cytotechnology. A graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, Johannesburg, she completed her residency in Anatomical Pathology with subspecialty training in Cytopathology at UCLA. Dr. Hirschowitz is an Associate of the Royal College of Pathologists, London U.K. and a Fellow of the College of Pathologists of South Africa, FC Path (SA) Anat. Her professional interests are clinicopathological studies in general cytopathology and fine needle aspiration, including application of ancillary techniques.

Headlining the gala is Larry Summers, who has served as Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council in the Obama Administration, President of Harvard University, Secretary of the Treasury of the United States under President Clinton, and Chief Economist of the World Bank. The recipient of many top honors for his role as a global economist, Larry Summers has been an outspoken advocate of reform in higher education. 

The Scopus Award Gala is co-chaired by Joyce Brandman, Beth and Josh Friedman, Patricia L. Glaser and Sam Mudie, Brindell Gottlieb, Dr. Cheryl and Haim Saban, Ambassador Rockwell Schnabel, Sheila and Robert Snukal, and Richard S. Ziman and May Flach. The cocktail reception begins at 6:30 pm, with dinner and awards presentation to follow at 7:30 pm. Proceeds from the event will benefit Cancer research at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute for Medical Research. For more information, contact Sheri Kaufer, Associate Executive Director, Western Region, AFHU, at 310-843-3100, or skaufer@afhu.org.

About The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, located on three campuses in Jerusalem and a fourth in Rehovot, is one of the world’s leading academic and research institutions. More than 23,000 students from over 65 countries choose Hebrew University for its seven academic Faculties in the Humanities, Sciences, Social Sciences, Agriculture and Medicine, and to take advantage of extensive opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research. Faculty and alumni of The Hebrew University have won seven Nobel Prizes in the last decade.

In 2011, Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked The Hebrew University 57th among the top academic and research institutions worldwide. Forty percent of Israel’s civilian research emerges from The Hebrew University, which has been ranked 12th worldwide in biotechnology patent filings and commercial development by the Milken Institute of Los Angeles.

About American Friends of The Hebrew University

American Friends of The Hebrew University (AFHU) is a national, not-for-profit organization based in the United States. AFHU, working in close partnership with The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, provides programs, events and conducts fundraising activities in support of The Hebrew University’s internationally recognized community of leading scholars and scientists. AFHU helps to ensure Israel’s well-being by nurturing the nation’s greatest asset: the intellectual strength of its people.