Highlights

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: A Dance Class Like No Other – Medical School Students Teach Ballet to Kids With Autism

If you peered through the window of Studio 5 at Ballet Academy East on the Upper East Side, and watched these ballet dancers moving under the watchful eyes of their young instructors, the class might seem like countless other classes in New York City. But this class is different. The kids all have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). And the instructors are three medical students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, located just a few blocks from the studio. Learn more.

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell: MD/PhD Program Awarded Roughly $1.8 Million From NIH

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognized Hofstra University’s Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell as a medical school well-equipped and committed to training future leaders in health care by awarding it the highly competitive Medical Scientist Training Program Grant on June 5 — roughly $1.8 million, to be dispersed over a 5-year period. Learn more.

Healthcare Advocacy

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: CUIMC Visits New York’s U.S. Senators and Representatives in DC

On July 14, Sandra Ryeom, associate professor of surgery and associate dean for postdoctoral affairs, joined deans and associate deans from medical schools across New York State for the annual Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) Washington, DC advocacy day. Ryeom and her colleagues met with members of the New York congressional delegation, from both sides of the aisle, to lobby on behalf of strong funding for the National Institutes of Health and to express opposition to the proposed Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance, which would change the way federal grants are awarded, administered and overseen. Learn more.

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine: Future Physicians Provide Care in the Dominican Republic

For one week in June, a group of College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) faculty and students traveled to the Dominican Republic, where they visited and provided medical services to rural, resource-limited communities. These service-learning trips, offered annually by the Center for Global Health, provide students with the opportunity to learn about foreign healthcare systems, assist with treating patients in medically underserved areas, and develop cross-cultural skills to care for future patients at home and abroad. Learn more.

Medical Education

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Einstein Opens IGNITE Community Teaching Lab to Expand Access to Science Education in the Bronx

Albert Einstein College of Medicine has opened the IGNITE (Inspiring Growth in Next Generation Investigation, Training and Education) community teaching lab—the first of its kind in the Bronx. The state-of-the-art research lab provides high school and college students in Einstein’s pathway programs and across the Bronx with opportunities to experience science through hands-on learning and discovery. Learn more.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: From the Classroom to the Real World – Mount Sinai Welcomes New Residents

At 14 sites across the five boroughs of New York City, the Mount Sinai Health System welcomed 950 new residents in late June to its hospital campuses, in addition to Valley Hospital, Elmhurst Hospital, Queens Hospital Center, and the Bronx VA. “Our incoming class of residents is an extraordinary and talented group of young doctors,” says Michael Leitman, MD, Dean for Graduate Medical Education (GME) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a practicing surgeon. Learn more.

NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine: Aspiring Physicians Celebrate Getting Their White Coats

Surrounded by family and friends, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine’s entering class of 2029 received their official white coats on July 24 during an emotional ceremony marking the beginning of their careers in medicine. Learn more.

New York Medical College: Opening Doors to Medical Education Earlier and Wider

New York Medical College is deepening its commitment to educational opportunity and access by continuing to expand its comprehensive suite of pipeline programs. Spanning from elementary school outreach through graduate-level studies, these targeted initiatives, which include hands-on youth summits, mentorship networks, and specialized tracks like the AMSNY Linkage Program, provide vital academic and financial support to empower the next generation of healthcare leaders. Learn more.

Albany Medical College: White Coat Ceremony Welcomes Medical Student Class of 2030

Albany Medical College celebrated its White Coat Ceremony with 145 incoming medical students, their friends, and families at The Palace Theatre in Albany. In addition to donning their symbolic white coats for the first time, students also recited the Declaration of Geneva, a modern-day physician’s oath. Learn more.

Student News

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine: The Medical Student, His Therapy Dog, and an App to Stop Overdoses

If one spends enough time around Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, they’ve probably met Abraham “Abe” Libman—and his Siberian Husky, Tye. A certified therapy dog and campus celebrity who accompanies Libman to community events, wellness activities and volunteer programs, the sight of Abe and Tye walking TouroCOM’ s halls is a familiar one of a medical student whose efforts are broad — encompassing public health research, nonprofit leadership and advocacy, scholarship and community service. Learn more.

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell: AMA Foundation Recognizes Zucker School of Medicine Student Ethan Brown with a Scholarship 

Ethan Brown, a fourth-year medical student at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, received the 2026 Medical Society of the State of New York/Dr. Duane and Joyce Cady Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship from the American Medical Association Foundation. The scholarship is based on academic achievement and financial need, providing $10,000 in tuition assistance to extraordinary medical students. The selection committee was impressed by Brown’s scholastic, personal, and professional accomplishments. Learn more.

Awards & Grants

NYU Grossman School of Medicine: Stephenson Global Scholar Grants Award $6.7 Million to Accelerate Pancreatic Cancer Breakthroughs

The Stephenson Global Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute (SGPCRI) announced the recipients of the 2026 Stephenson Global Scholar Grants. In partnership with City of Hope, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, SGPCRI is awarding $6.7 million to support eight ambitious projects aimed at changing the trajectory of pancreatic cancer.

Shohei Koide, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular pharmacology and director of Cancer Biologics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center, is one of the 2026 Stephenson Global Scholar Recipients. His work will advance antibodies targeting the protein LCN2 to help immune cells infiltrate and attack pancreatic tumors. Learn more.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Marina Konopleva, M.D., Ph.D., Receives American Society of Hematology’s Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize

Marina Konopleva, M.D., Ph.D., director of the leukemia program and co-director of the Translational Blood Cancer Institute at Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been selected to receive the 2026 Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize in clinical science from the American Society of Hematology (ASH), one of the field’s highest honors. Named for former ASH president Ernest Beutler, M.D., the award recognizes landmark scientific discoveries that have advanced the understanding and treatment of blood diseases. Learn more.

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: Clinical and Translational Science Institute Celebrates $29 Million Award and 20 Years of Impact

The University of Rochester Medicine Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) received grants totaling more than $29 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support translational science and research that improves human health outcomes. For more than 20 years, CTSI has supported health research at URochester Medicine, bringing in over $157 million in federal funding to help research teams develop more treatments for all people, faster. Learn more.

New York Medical College: Receiving $2.7 Million HECap Award

New York Medical College (NYMC) has been awarded $2.7 million through New York State’s Higher Education Capital (HECap) Matching Grant Program, making it one of just 32 private, not-for-profit colleges and universities selected to receive funding. The competitive grant program supports critical capital improvements that strengthen academic, research, and workforce development initiatives across the state. Learn more.

Faculty News

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: From Engineering Vacuum Cleaners to Rewriting Genomes

One of Akanksha Thawani’s first research projects in college was to reengineer a Dyson vacuum cleaner to be just a little bit quieter. It was a cool project, she says, that had her working through fundamental principles of fluid mechanics and then using her hands to modify the vacuum cleaner. But after the project ended, Thawani, who majored in chemical engineering, felt like she wanted to tackle more transformative challenges in her career. Learn more.

Dr. Timothy R. Donahue Named Chair of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and Surgeon-in-Chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center

Dr. Timothy R. Donahue, a distinguished surgeon-scientist specializing in pancreatic cancer, has been appointed chair of the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and surgeon-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, effective Sept. 1. Building on the academic medical center’s long history of surgical excellence, Dr. Donahue will focus on developing multidisciplinary programs that align patient care, research and education while fostering collaboration and discovery across the two institutions. Learn more.

Pioneering Physician-Scientist Dr. Julianne Imperato-McGinley Reflects on Her Career Successes

As a new endocrinology fellow at what is now Weill Cornell Medicine in the early 1970s, Dr. Julianne Imperato-McGinley hit a wall. Her first assignment was to write a grant proposal, something she had never done. Over many months, she agonized over every word, tossing many revisions in the trash. Finally, Dr. Imperato-McGinley told her chief she simply couldn’t do it and that he’d picked the wrong person for the job. But he had discovered her almost-daily versions of the document in the wastebasket, fishing them out. “How about sending your version 23?” he asked with a wry smile. She did—and the rest, as they say, is history. Learn more.

Appointment of Prashant Malhotra, M.D., to Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine

The Department of Medicine is pleased to announce the appointment of Prashant Malhotra, M.D., to Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Renaissance School of Medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Learn more.

Stony Brook Surgery Chairman, Dr. Apostolos Tassiopoulos, Honored as the Department’s First Distinguished Service Professor

The State University of New York (SUNY) has named the Department of Surgery’s Chair, Apostolos Tassiopoulos, MD, FACS, a Distinguished Service Professor. This is SUNY’s highest faculty distinction and Dr. Tassiopoulos is the first to be honored with this title in the history of Stony Brook Medicine’s Department of Surgery. The Distinguished Service Professor award acknowledges faculty whose service to their institution, community, state and nation far exceeds ordinary expectations. Dr. Tassiopoulos’ work as a surgeon, educator in the Renaissance School of Medicine and researcher has had a far-reaching impact on the community he serves. Learn more.