By Samuel Rubenfeld

The University signed a formal agreement with North Shore-Long Island Jewish (NS-LIJ) health system at a ceremony in the University Club on Wednesday, officially creating the new Medical School, and named Dr. Lawrence Smith as its founding dean.

The Medical School will open its doors in Fall 2011, but only after it receives preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee for Medical Education and state approval.

“I view this as more of a celebration than a press conference,” said University President Stuart Rabinowitz. “Frankly, I am grateful just to be here for this.”

After a six-month international search, the University chose Smith, who serves as the chief medical officer for the NS-LIJ health system. In an interview with Newsday, Rabinowitz said that as the agreement began to take shape, the dean had to come from inside the system.

“It became crystal clear that the dean of the medical school also has to, in order for this to work well, has to have some significant control over the hospital side because the clinical teachers…are giving patient care at the hospital,” Rabinowitz told Newsday.

Smith is a native Long Islander who grew up in Northport, earned his medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine and did his residency training in internal medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital, which is part of the University of Rochester. He began practicing medicine in Huntington, then began teaching “a few days a week” at the then-new Stony Brook University Medical Center in 1981 and eventually serving as its residency program director in the department of medicine from 1988 through 1994.

“This Medical School is one of the true win-win situations of our time,” Smith said.

Smith joined the 15-hospital NS-LIJ system in 2005, and became its chief medical officer in 2006, a job he still holds, and will continue to serve through his dean-ship at the Medical School.

“We have two premier Long Island organizations both dedicated to a similar mission which is to be the best at what we do,” said Michael Dowling, the president and CEO for the NS-LIJ health system.

Dr. Lawrence Smith (University Relations)