Highlights

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: Mount Sinai Researchers Develop Promising AI-Driven Surgical Education Model to Improve Quality of Resident Training

Mount Sinai researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of teaching surgical trainees a difficult procedure using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and an extended-reality headset without the presence of an instructor. All of the 17 trainees in the study achieved surgical success.

The novel study, published in Journal of Medical Extended Reality, drew highly favorable reviews from student participants who tested the deep learning model. The results carry significant implications for future training of residents and surgeons, as well as for the even broader field of autonomous learning within medicine. Learn more

New York Medical College: Center for Disaster Medicine Marks Twenty Years of Revolutionizing Emergency Preparedness

The moments before catastrophe strikes mark a fragile threshold between survival and tragedy. For decades, disaster readiness in the United States has stumbled at that threshold, unprepared to meet the moment. It was this glaring reality that spurred the creation of the Center for Disaster Medicine at New York Medical College in 2005. For the past twenty years the Center has been on the front lines of training, research, and response initiatives in disaster preparedness, emergency medicine, and public health resilience. Learn more

Medical Education

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: Burnout, Mental Health, Self-Compassion — Lessons from Medicine for All of Us

Burnout and mental health challenges affect people in every walk of life. The constant pressure to do more can take a serious toll, especially for high-achievers who tie success to their self-worth.

For many, recognizing the signs of burnout and talking openly about mental health is still a new yet important step. The high-stakes culture of medicine and similar fields often demands resilience at the expense of mental health, with little room for vulnerability. Learn more

CUNY School of Medicine: First BS/MD Commencement and White Coat Ceremony as an Independent School

On July 31, 2025 CUNY School of Medicine undergraduates received their accelerated Bachelors of Science, and were ceremoniously welcomed as the future Healers, Leaders, and Scholars of the MD Class of 2029.  Our first BS MD Commencement and White Coat Ceremony as the 26th independent school within CUNY, distinguished guests included CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Denise Maybank, Mary Wooley of Research! America, as well as esteamed alumni.  Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degrees were granted to philanthropist Alan S. Davis, and to Dr. Joan Y. Reede, our keynote speaker and community health role model.

Of CUNY School of Medicine’s 63 newly minted student doctors; 94% are first-generation Americans, 40% are first generation college students in their families, 81% are first in their family to attend medical school, with more than half of the class speaking at least 17 languages.  In line with our mission driven values, these students will train to deliver healthcare in under-served communities throughout New York.

Student & Alumni News

Albany Medical College: Medical Students Partake in Day of Service and Learning

New medical students could be found throughout the community gardening, cleaning, and painting as part of Albany Medical College’s annual Day of Service. The event following orientation is a tradition that introduces students to the foundational concepts of social determinants of health, and the importance of community-based advocacy. Learn more

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine: A Warm Welcome on a Service-Learning Trip to Ghana

When reflecting on our time in Ghana, the impression left was not solely based on the patients or procedures. We recall feeling invited. At every turn, we were welcomed not only into clinics but into a culture grounded in sincerity, trust, and communal learning. That invitation didn’t just facilitate growth—it transformed. One of the most unexpected gifts of this rotation was how learning was shared. In Ghana, it wasn’t competitive. It was collaborative. Learn more

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell: Aspiring Healthcare Leaders Graduate from the Zucker School of Medicine’s Medical Scholars Pipeline Program

Nearly 40 students from select New York City and Long Island high schools are now one step closer to fulfilling their dreams of a career in healthcare. The rising juniors, seniors, and college first-year students spent part of their summer at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell‘s Medical Scholars Pipeline Program (MSPP), sharpening their skills and preparing to become highly competitive college applicants. The MSPP’s goal is to support healthcare equity by exposing young scholars to careers in the medical field and fostering a healthcare workforce that reflects the diversity of the population. Learn more

New York Medical College: Celebrating the Historic Affiliation of New York Medical College and Metropolitan Hospital

The year 2025 marks two milestone anniversaries: the 165th anniversary of New York Medical College and the 150th anniversary of NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. These two institutions have been affiliated since the founding of Metropolitan in 1875, making the affiliation between NYMC and Metropolitan the longest affiliation between a medical school and a municipal public hospital in American medicine. Learn more

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: Medical Student Involved in MSSNY and AMA Roles

Amanda Altman, MPH, a fourth-year medical student at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has been elected to a role in the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY). Learn more

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: MDs of the Future Take Center Stage

A record 141 incoming students donned their physician-in-training white coats for the first time at the Renaissance School of Medicine’s (RSOM) 2025 White Coat Ceremony on August 8 at Stony Brook University’s Staller Center. The event marked the first of many steps these students will take on their way to becoming medical doctors while matriculating at the RSOM. Learn more

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell: A New Chapter — Zucker School of Medicine Opens the Doors to its 15th Class of Students

On Monday, July 29, 2025, the Donald and Barbra Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell kicked off Orientation Week, welcoming its fifteenth class of medical students. Orientation Week is a significant milestone for the diverse and exciting group of future doctors that make up the Class of 2029, providing them with an opportunity to become familiar with the school’s offices, resources and facilities, and to meet faculty, administrators, and make new and lasting friendships. Learn more

Awards, Grants & Recognition

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: Mustafa Aydogan — Unlocking the Secrets of Our Cells’ Timekeepers

Mustafa Aydogan may be the only scientist at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons whose decision to become a researcher was profoundly influenced by the Ottoman Empire.

Aydogan was born and raised in Turkiye, where since the Empire’s heyday, circa 1500, scholars have been held in high regard. Learn more

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Two Einstein Faculty Receive Major Hematology Awards

Ulrich Steidl, M.D., Ph.D., and Teresa Bowman, Ph.D., have been recognized for their research and mentorship by the International Society of Experimental Hematology (ISEH). The ISEH, established by scientists in 1950 and incorporated in the United States in 1972, promotes scientific programs, publications, and research focused on hematologic and immunologic disorders. The ISEH 2025 Society Awards will be presented at the ISEH 54th annual meeting this September in Japan. Learn more

Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health: Quarraisha Abdool Karim Awarded 2025 Virchow Prize

The Virchow Foundation has awarded the Virchow Prize 2025 to Columbia Mailman School Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim and global child health expert Zulfiqar A. Bhutta. The prize recognizes their pioneering, lifelong leadership in advancing maternal, newborn, and child health equity through community-centered, evidence-based research, particularly in support of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Learn more

Faculty News

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine: The Practice of Care

When he joined the New York State (NYS) Board for Medicine in 2016, Amit M. Shelat (D.O. ’02) recognized it as an opportunity to combine his two passions: medicine and the well-being of his community. Shelat brought a practical conviction that quality healthcare should be accessible to all. Learn more

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: Dr. Raymond Bergan Appointed Next Director of Stony Brook Cancer Center

Stony Brook Cancer Center has named Raymond C. Bergan, MD, as its next Director, effective August 1. Dr. Bergan comes to Stony Brook Medicine from the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he currently serves as the Bill Bures and Jerry Pabst Chair in Cancer Research and Professor. He also held the role as Deputy Director of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. Learn More

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: A Top Mount Sinai Neuroscience PhD Student Writes a Winning Essay as She Proposes Mentorship Initiatives Encouraging a Love for Science and Medicine in Rural America

When Anna Bright, a Neuroscience PhD student at Mount Sinai’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, was growing up in rural Tennessee, it was not easy to imagine a career in science. Who would be her role model?

“My story is not unique,” says Ms. Bright. “Countless rural students face similar struggles, navigating their education with limited exposure to careers beyond their immediate surroundings. Learn More