Lawrence S. Chin, MD is the Interim Dean of the College of Medicine and the Robert B. and Molly G. King Endowed Professor of Neurosurgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He is a native of Michigan and received his BS and MD degrees from the University of Michigan followed by a neurosurgery residency at USC/LA County Hospital and member of the AMSNY Board of Trustees. Learn more.

Medical schools evaluating the merits of eliminating tuition, as opposed to pursuing debt-free initiatives, should approach the debate in the same way physicians and scientists engage in medicine: with empirical data, according to new commentary by leaders at Weill Cornell Medicine. The paper, published online Dec. 31 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, lauds overall efforts to address the soaring costs of medical education, which has hindered racial and socioeconomic diversity within the medical workforce.  Learn more.

The Diversity Innovation Hub(DIH), a groundbreaking initiative of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, was launched with a symposium on entrepreneurship on Monday, October 14, at Davis Auditorium. The aim of DIH is “to connect the dots between innovation work and diversity and inclusion,” said Gary C. Butts, MD, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Mount Sinai Health System, and Dean for Diversity Programs, Policy and Community Affairs, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.  Learn more.

Upstate Medical University has recently partnered with three new schools for its Accelerated Scholars Program, which guarantees a student’s admission to the College of Medicine. New to the program are SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse University and Spelman College, a historical black college in Atlanta. The three new schools-two of which are in very close proximity to Upstate-join 11 schools already in the program.  Learn more.

Finding fun in every day was the topic of an afternoon workshop led by World Laughter Tour, Inc. Certified Laughter Leader, Elyse A. Miller, a licensed Creative Arts Therapist who also serves as the Director of Internship, Practicum and Assessment in the Department of Counseling and Mental Health Professions and adjunct professor in the Creative Arts Therapy program at Hofstra University. Learn more.

The link between spiritual and physical or mental health is as old as medicine itself. Not only can spirituality be an element in the way patients face chronic illness, it can affect well-being across the life span. To help enhance medical students’ awareness and understanding of different types of spirituality, the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, in partnership with the Network of Religious Communities, sponsored a two-day seminar on spirituality in health care. Learn more.

The Upstate Medical University’s College of Medicine MD program has been granted full re-accreditation for an eight-year term by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME is officially recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit medical schools in the United States and Canada. It has joint oversight by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Medical Association (AMA), but is an independent organization. An eight-year term is the maximum term that can be granted for program re-accreditation.  Learn more.

The Department of Psychiatry of the University of Rochester Medical Center has been named as one of three Rural Centers of Excellence on Substance Use Disorder in the country and awarded a $6.7 million federal grant to identify and adapt evidence-based practices that effectively impact synthetic opioid morbidity and mortality in rural Appalachian communities.  Learn more.

The Special Treatment and Research (STAR) Program at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University has received a three-year, $450,000 grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to train and certify medical, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant students in the administration of Medication Assisted Treatment for opioid addiction once they enter practice. Learn more.

For Michal Melamed, M.D., mentoring means guiding people to do things they may not have thought they could do and helping them succeed at their highest level. During its annual Kidney Week meeting, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) recognized Dr. Melamed, associate professor of medicine and of epidemiology & population health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and a nephrologist at Montefiore Health System, for her mentoring achievements and presented her with its Distinguished Mentor Award.  Learn more.

Dr. Yoon Kang, an esteemed medical educator, has been appointed senior associate dean for education at Weill Cornell Medicine, effective Dec. 9. Dr. Kang will lead Weill Cornell Medicine’s Office of Medical Education, driving new advances in the curriculum of the top-10 ranked institution to ensure that outstanding cadres of diverse, aspiring physicians receive the finest training.  Learn more.

Anna Penn, MD, PhD, a leading clinical neonatologist and developmental neuroscientist from Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., has been named chief of the Division of Neonatology in the Department of Pediatrics at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and associate professor of pediatrics. Dr. Penn also will serve as chief of neonatology at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital.  Learn more.

A long-standing champion of biomedical ethics in health care, New York Medical College has been awarded the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Chair in Bioethics. Sponsored by UNESCO, this Chair is part of an international network of universities and research centers committed to improving ethics education in medical schools. Learn more. 

David A. DiLoreto, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., was named chair of the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Department of Ophthalmology and director of the Flaum Eye Institute, pending approval by the Office of the Provost. He succeeds Chair Steven Feldon, M.D., M.B.A., who will transition to associate vice president and director of the Office of Biomedical Research Development.  Learn more.

Wendy Chung, MD, PhD, the Kennedy Family Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia, has been named chief of the Division of Clinical Genetics in the Department of Pediatrics, effective Jan. 1, 2020. She succeeds Kwame Anyane-Yeboa, MD, who will continue in his role as professor of pediatrics in clinical genetics. Over the past 20 years, Chung’s work in the clinic and laboratory has transformed the approach to patients with rare diseases and led to the discovery of more than 40 novel genetically-defined diseases.  Learn more.

One hundred eighty medical and graduate students, and others, formed 19 teams to participate in the fourth annual Mount Sinai Health Hackathon in October. The 48-hour competition, held over the weekend leading up to the SinaInnovations Conference, challenged the participants to create novel health care solutions that would expand the limits of human performance.  Learn more.

As if training to become a doctor isn’t challenging enough, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell first-year student Ben Zhang decided to add competing on “Jeopardy!” to his busy schedule. In fact, he captured second place and $4,798 on the popular television quiz show, which aired Thanksgiving eve, Wed., Nov. 27, 2019, on the ABC network.  Learn more.

Sullivan 180 announced recently a partnership with the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine and Greater Hudson Valley Health System to expand health care availability in Sullivan County by providing financial assistance to Touro medical students and new physicians in GHVHS’s residency program.  Learn more

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) launched partnerships with Providence College and St. John’s University (SJU) to provide future osteopathic physicians with new opportunities to pursue their medical education. On December 18, representatives from all three institutions gathered at NYIT de Seversky Mansion for a signing ceremony that formalized the agreements.  Learn more.

Dr. Neha Sharma, Chief Hospitalist at Ascension Seton Williamson hospital in Austin, Texas who also works as a medical journalist and commentator while raising a family. This interview with TouroCom alum Neha Sharma provides some details into her life as a hospitalist and a journalist.  Learn more.