The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell is proud to announce its 2024-2025 recipients of the “Distinguished Teacher of the Year” award, recognized campus-wide across Hofstra University. This year, students at the Zucker School of Medicine have chosen Joel N.H. Stern, PhD, MBA, professor of Science Education, Molecular Medicine, Neurology and Urology and Cary Buckner, MD, MBA, assistant professor of Neurology, as Teachers of the Year for the 2024-2025 academic term.
Each spring, graduating classes from all schools on Hofstra’s campus choose a faculty member to receive the university’s Distinguished Teacher of the Year award. The Zucker School of Medicine earmarks two recognitions for educators to highlight academic contributions from both the classroom and clinical settings. Dr. Stern is honored for the First 100 Weeks, chosen by second-year medical students preparing to enter clinical training. Students on the cusp of graduation selected Dr. Buckner for the Second 100 Weeks recognition. Both Dr. Stern and Dr. Buckner will be honored at the 29th Annual Hofstra Gala on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at Hofstra University, along with their fellow Teachers of the Year.
About our Teachers of the Year:
Joel N.H. Stern, PhD, MBA, is a professor of Science Education, Molecular Medicine, Neurology and Urology at the Zucker School of Medicine. He also serves as a co-course director of Interacting with the Environment. Dr. Stern received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and his PhD in Biological Sciences from Harvard University, where he developed an interest in studying autoimmune and infectious diseases of the brain and ways to treat them. After completing his PhD, Dr. Stern became a Harvard Dean’s Scholar and an instructor at Harvard Medical and Dental Schools, before pursuing a fellowship in Neurology at Yale School of Medicine, where he initiated a program aimed at understanding the role of B cells and autoantibodies in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). He joined the Zucker School of Medicine faculty in 2013 and now teaches a multitude of courses during the first two years of medical education.
“It’s an incredible honor to be selected for the Teacher of the Year for the First 100 Weeks—I’m truly humbled to share that this is my third time receiving this award,” said Dr. Stern, who was last honored as Teacher of the Year in 2022. “Each recognition means a lot because it comes from the students. I take sincere pride in educating and empowering our future physician-scientists.”
Best known for his dynamic approach to course material and lively approach to helping students learn, Dr. Stern finds joy in helping students master complex concepts and interacting with students in the classroom. “My favorite part of teaching is presenting in a large group session and interacting with the energy, insight, and curiosity that students bring,” he explained. “There’s something rewarding about watching our students master complicated concepts and apply their learning throughout various settings even beyond the classroom.”
Outside of his daily teaching responsibilities, Dr. Stern is known to participate in and support a multitude of various activities at the medical school including NextGen Healers, St. Baldrick’s Day, Baldwin Shadow Day and more. A steadfast advocate of students, always pushing them to succeed, Dr. Stern has also participated in many outreach activities and academic opportunities crafted to highlight the importance of clinical sciences and medical research. Recently, he presented at the Global Consensus on potential biomarkers of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) and also gave an invited talk at the American Urological Association on human leukocyte antigens associated with the IC/BPS. Currently, Dr. Stern has started an integrated longitudinal research program across all four years of the medical school curriculum, building a framework that supports sustained student engagement and higher-level scholarship.
Dr. Stern is perhaps best known for leading the Zucker School of Medicine’s Office of Medical Student Research (OMSR). The OMSR was developed to aid students in carrying out successful research of varying forms and engage them in meaningful approaches to research in collaboration with scientists and doctors from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory research cohorts to help them gain experience in fields of interests, which could influence their choice of specialty. Dr. Stern is one of the many mentors who help students conduct research in medical school. At the Zucker School of Medicine, nearly 100% of students engage in research during the first two years of medical school. The OMSR has also been an integral part in assisting the Zucker School of Medicine in attaining the prestigious Tier 1 ranking in Research by U.S. News & World Report, being recognized as a national leader in medical research. The Zucker School of Medicine is one of only 16 medical schools nationwide, and one of just two schools in New York State, to receive this prestigious designation.
When asked for his final thoughts, Dr. Stern reaffirmed that being recognized by students at the Zucker School of Medicine makes this recognition even more special. “Receiving this award for the third time is not just a personal honor—it’s a testament to the incredible students I’ve had the privilege to work with. Their enthusiasm, determination, and kindness make this truly special. I’m excited for what’s ahead.”
Cary Buckner, MD, MBA, is an assistant professor of Neurology at the Zucker School of Medicine and a practicing neurohospitalist for Phelps Hospital and Northern Westchester Hospital, Northwell Health. He graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine before completing his residency at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in Neurology and later pursuing a fellowship in neuromuscular diseases and electromyography. He holds three board certifications in neurology, clinical neurophysiology and electrodiagnostic medicine from the American Board of Psychiatry/Neurology-Neurology, American Board of Psychiatry/Neurology-Neurophysiology and the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine. As an assistant professor, he works with medical students at the Zucker School of Medicine in clinical settings, most often during the third and fourth years.
Dr. Buckner has previously received other awards as an educator throughout this professional career, including the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Phelps Hospitalist Staff in 2020 and 2021, being voted the Teaching Attending of the Year each academic year by neurology residents at Long Island Jewish Medical Center from 2021-2024, being voted Teaching Attending of the Month by internal medicine residents in December 2011 and May 2017 at New York Presbyterian – Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and being inducted in the Alpha Omega Alpha honor Medical Society as a faculty inductee in March 2023 at the Zucker School of Medicine. Dr. Buckner has also been recognized by New York Magazine’s list of Best Doctors in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017. Despite these extensive accomplishments, this is Dr. Buckner’s first time being recognized as a Teacher of the Year by students at the Zucker School of Medicine.
“Being selected as Teacher of the Year for the Second 100 Weeks is an extraordinary honor for me. Words cannot express my gratitude, and I am so thankful to all of the students who I’ve had the opportunity to work with, teach and guide through the excitement and challenge of learning, developing the skills and knowledge to be able to do the work we do—to touch the lives of so many people in such a profound way, during their most challenging moments of their lives.”
Teaching is something that has always sparked Dr. Buckner’s interest and is a calling that he first started answering in medical school, when he first started teaching in 1992. “I love teaching because it’s truly so much fun and I learn so much. I look up to the individuals who taught me how to really be a doctor, a neurologist, and a compassionate clinician, and provide the highest quality, most compassionate, coordinated care for all patients equally.”
Despite his love of clinical practice, Dr. Buckner finds that working as an educator not only helps him be a better doctor but also allows him to pay it forward for the next generation of healthcare professionals. “The best part of working with students is seeing how excited they are to learn and how they strive to always do and be their best. I also love watching their faces and studying their emotional reactions to all situations—when we can help patients and when we are not able to help them medically but can still help them through our compassion, just listening to them,” explained Dr. Buckner. “The students also challenge me and ask questions that I don’t know the answer to, or that I never even thought about and then we go on to learn together, challenging each other to become better doctors. Overall, it’s rewarding to see how they have a deep commitment to helping others with compassion and empathy and to be the best doctor they can be for their patients. I do my best to pass on how to compassionately practice the art of medicine to the next generation of medical professionals and it’s an honor to be just a small part of that journey.”
Despite a busy schedule, Dr. Buckner has no intention of slowing down. In fact, he aims to do more and more each day to become a better doctor and person. “The most exciting thing I can do is to continue to do what I am doing and strive to do it a little better each day. With that being said, I will continue to teach, continue to learn, continue to take care of patients and their families and especially, continue to do my best to reduce human suffering and not just treat disease,” vowed Dr. Buckner. “It’s important to me that we work together to overcome the challenges we are facing in this modern world. For instance, technology is helpful but often results in us being removed from the bedside, we face time pressures with less time to spend eye-to-eye with our patients and families, and we struggle to overcome the historical hierarchical aspects of medicine. Therefore, it’s important that I do my best to create psychological safety for all members of the healthcare team and respect the oath I took as a physician to care for all the lives I encounter on a daily basis.”
When asked about highlights from the academic year, Dr. Buckner discussed the importance of this time of year, when students are on the cusp of graduation. “This time of year is special because it’s often when I remember that I have been able to make a difference through the feedback that I receive from the residents and students with whom I have crossed paths over the years. It’s always touching to hear about the difference you’ve made in shaping the lives of these future physicians and being recognized as a Teacher of the Year is no exception.”
When asked about his final thoughts and reflecting on Teacher of the Year, Dr. Buckner emphasized his pride in the students and how lucky he feels to be able to work with them as a career. “I try to remember how fortunate I am to be a physician and an educator because I love what I do. When reflecting on this, I sometimes feel like a professional athlete, in the sense that they say something like ‘I’m so lucky that I get to do something that I love to do. Can you believe it? I get paid to do this!’ It may seem corny, but it’s true! I have the honor of doing something that is so much fun for me and that I love so much.”
Congratulations to Drs. Stern and Buckner on this esteemed accomplishment! For more information about the 29th Annual Hofstra Gala, click here.
Originally published on Zucker School of Medicine’s website: https://mednews.hofstra.edu/2025/04/30/teachers-of-the-year-2024-2025/#:~:text=This%20year%2C%20students%20at%20the,the%202024%2D2025%20academic%20term.