Spencer Foreman, MD, became a legend in his own time on Sunday, Sept. 17, when Montefiore Medical Center, the massive Bronx hospital he leads, renamed a newly renovated building after him.

“This is not a retirement party, I want to make that perfectly clear,” Montefiore Chairman Jay B. Langer said about the ribbon-cutting ceremony and unveiling of the Spencer Foreman, M.D. Pavilion at the hospital’s Gun Hill Road entrance.

The honor is unprecedented because Foreman will continue on as president, a position he has held at Montefiore since 1986. Because of Foreman’s leadership, Montefiore now ranks in the top 1 percent of U.S. hospitals, based on its investments in medical innovation and cutting-edge technology, officials said.

Foreman’s contributions at Montefiore extend beyond the hospital’s walls. This year, Montefiore is a finalist for the Foster G. McGaw prize, which is awarded to the hospital that distinguishes itself in its efforts to improve the health and well-being of everyone in its community.

“The hallmark of Spike Foreman’s career as a physician and executive has been his innate understanding of a hospital’s deeper role in its community,” said Dick Davidson, president of the American Hospital Association, referring to Foreman by his nickname. “The organizations he has led not only have excelled at their mission of medical care; they have been leaders at changing and bettering the lives of the people in the communities around them.”

Among other distinctions, Foreman is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine. He is also a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Before coming to Montefiore 20 years ago, Foreman was president of Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. His legacy, however, will always remain in the Bronx.

“In so many ways, Montefiore is a model health system for much of urban America,” Foreman said at the ceremony.