Providing medical school education free of debt not only relieves a significant financial burden, it may also help increase the diversity of the medical workforce, according to Weill Cornell Medicine leadership who studied the institution’s own experience. After Weill Cornell Medicine launched a groundbreaking program in 2019 to eliminate debt of all medical students with demonstrated financial need, the percentage of applicants from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and those who qualify for financial assistance increased significantly, according to a JAMA Health Forum commentary published Dec. 7. Learn more.

 

As COVID-19 vaccination efforts ramp up in New York and around the country, Einstein students have already logged 700 hours as volunteer vaccinators and vaccine coordinators in the Bronx. In the few weeks since the effort launched on Jan. 7, Einstein medical students have given hundreds of doses of the Pfizer or Moderna shot to people at Weiler Hospital and Montefiore’s Comprehensive Family Care Center (CFCC) on Eastchester Road. Learn more.

 

An Anti-Racism and Health Care Equity initiative designed to address and mitigate the effects of systemic racism and inequality in health care has been launched by the Department of Surgery in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. Cornel West, PhD, Harvard University professor, bestselling author, political activist and public intellectual, will speak via Zoom at “Beyond the Knife,” the initiative’s first public event, from 4-5 p.m. on Feb. 18. Learn more.

 

On Thursday, January 14, Utibe R. Essien, M.D., M.P.H., presented his talk, “The Urgency of Now: Sustaining Antiracism in Academic Medicine,” at the Einstein-Montefiore department of medicine’s Grand Rounds. Dr. Essien, who graduated from Einstein in 2013, discussed the history of racism in medicine and its ongoing and significant impact on clinical care, research, and medical education. In this video clip, Dr. Essien shares his five-step approach for how academic health systems can become antiracist, namely implementing practices and policies that support equality and equity. Learn more.

 

Consolidated Edison is partnering with Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) Harlem in support of MedAchieve, the school’s popular afterschool STEM program that mentors underrepresented minority youth who want to become doctors or other health science professionals.Con Ed is supporting the award-winning program with a $5,000 grant, provided in December. Learn more.

 

February is Black History Month, and Columbia University Irving Medical Center is celebrating their Black physicians, dentists, nurses, and researchers who are helping to improve the health of the nation. Read more about the lives and careers of several current CUIMC faculty members below. To learn more about some of the pioneering Black students and faculty members at Columbia University Irving Medical Center—including Charles Drew, Kenneth Forde, and Patricia Bath—read “Columbia’s Black Pioneers in Medicine.” Learn more.

 

Medical schools across the country have adjusted their curriculums in the wake of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to include more remote learning, virtual reality, and simulations. For example, instructors at NYU Grossman School of Medicine three-dimensionally scanned plastinated bodies in order to make anatomy courses available in a remote setting. Learn more.

 

Three local high school seniors and graduates of the Medical Scholars Pipeline Program (MSPP) at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell are closer to realizing their dream careers in science and healthcare. The students were each presented with college scholarships from Northwell Health during the 51st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Celebration, held virtually this year. High school seniors Sarah Ebanks and Lia Perry, both from Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows, NY, and Gelder Gonzalez, from Brentwood High School in Brentwood, NY, excelled in the MSPP, becoming role models for other students in the program. Learn more.

 

Seven future physicians from NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Class of 2021 have matched into U.S. military residencies. Upon graduating from medical school, physicians must complete a residency training program and obtain a medical license to practice medicine in the United States and become board certified in a specialty. Medical residencies last three to five years for primary care physicians, with other specialties requiring additional years. While the “civilian” match will take place on March 19, 2021, medical students who have committed to military service for their residency are matched early in the year. Learn more.

 

For nearly two decades, the Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic (LFMC) has provided free medical and preventive care to uninsured and underinsured residents of Buffalo. Founded and managed by students from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, the non-profit clinic continues to expand its services while adjusting to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, both in its operations and its fundraising activities. Learn more.

 

Alicia Wiczulis, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and assistant dean for Student Affairs at Albany Medical College, has been recognized by the Association of Professors of Gynecology (APGO) with the prestigious William N.P. Herbert, M.D., Promising Educator Award. The award is based on participation in APGO meetings and activities, publications and other medical educational presentations, contributions to medical education and potential as a future leader in women’s health care education. Learn more.

 

In January 2021, the CUNY School of Medicine (CSOM) along with seven other medical schools and teaching hospitals received a $25,000 grant from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to design a new methodology, or enhance existing methodology, to evaluate the impact of existing integrative arts and humanities programs or curricula across the developmental spectrum. Congratulations to our own, Dr. Lynn Hernandez and her research team, Dr. Erica Friedman and Dr. Samantha Barrick. Click here to learn more about the AAMC grant and the CSOM research proposal. Learn more.

 

WRHU Radio Hofstra University recently received the Academy of Radio Arts and Sciences of America’s 2021 World Radio Day Award. The Academy recognized WRHU for its community service programming during the COVID-19 crisis, citing, among other programs, the Zucker School of Medicine’s Well Said podcast for bringing important health information about COVID-19 to its listeners. This is the first time a student-run radio station has received this prestigious award. Learn more.

 

Humayun Islam, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed chair of the newly combined Departments of Pathology and of Microbiology and Immunology at New York Medical College (NYMC). Most recently serving as interim chair of the Department of Pathology at NYMC since 2019, Dr. Islam will bring valuable interdisciplinary experience and research expertise to the newly merged department. “The integration of the Departments of Pathology and Microbiology and Immunology will provide new opportunities to leverage the combined educational, clinical and research expertise in these outstanding departments. Learn more.

 

Columbia University announces the appointment of Wafaa El-Sadr, University Professor and Dr. Mathilde Krim-amfAR Chair of Global Health, to serve as the next Director of Columbia World Projects. Wafaa is a gifted epidemiologist and public health leader whose expertise and values align exactly with the University’s vision for CWP, an initiative focused on bringing our academic resources to bear on the great challenges facing humanity. We could not be more pleased that she has agreed to take on this new role in addition to her responsibilities at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health. Her term will begin on March 1, 2021. Learn more.

 

The White House announced that NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) alumnus Kevin O’Connor (D.O. ’92) was commissioned by President Joe Biden to serve as his White House physician. The role is not unfamiliar to O’Connor, who has been Biden’s primary care physician since 2009 and previously served under two other White House administrations. He first came on board in 2006 during the Bush-Cheney administration and expected to finish his three-year military assignment within a few months after President Barack Obama was sworn in, but then-Vice President Biden asked O’Connor to stay on. Learn more.

 

The Mount Sinai Health System announced that it will expand its partnership with Contessa to launch Palliative Care at Home. “Palliative Care at Home, which launched this past Spring to help care for seriously ill COVID-19 patients in their homes, will now be available to all of our seriously ill patients and their families,” said R. Sean Morrison, MD, the Ellen and Howard C. Katz Professor and Chair of the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Mount Sinai, and the one who initially conceptualized the program. Learn more.

 

The results of the 2020 American Board of Dermatology Certifying Examination are in and Downstate has done it again! It is with great pride that I report our graduating Resident Physicians in the Department of Dermatology have again made history, scoring in the 90th percentile for the sixth consecutive year, which is well above the national median. Learn more.