Highlights

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University: Fighting for Life in a System Built for Caution

A recent deep personal conversation at Downstate was sparked by loss, driven by science, and rooted in the urgent need to rethink how we regulate hope. The discussion centered on For Love and Life: No Ordinary Campaign. This documentary follows Brian Wallach’s journey after his ALS diagnosis at age 37. Alongside Sandra, his wife, Brian turned heartbreak into advocacy, launching a national movement to challenge a healthcare system that too often places processes above people. The film shares its story and demands change while raising a critical question: When time is short, who decides what risks are worth taking? Learn More

Albert Einstein College of Medicine Student Develops Mobile App for People with Eczema

Fourth-year medical student Bijoy Shah recently led a team that launched a mobile app for people with atopic dermatitis—commonly known as eczema—to track, learn about, and manage the condition. Mr. Shah, who has a background in computer science, spent a research year focused on digital health to develop the programming and content for EczemaXcel. The app enables users to log daily symptoms such as itching or pain, set goals and monitor progress in managing eczema, learn about self-care, and access mental health tips and tools. Learn More

Medical Education

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons: Jay Vyas is Nurturing Physician-Scientists

Physician-scientist Jay Vyas was initially surprised when he was approached about becoming director of the medical residency program at Mass General nearly a decade ago. The position is usually held by full-time clinicians, and Vyas spent most of his time working in his immunology lab to find new approaches for patients with hard-to-treat infections. But Vyas also wanted to infuse more science into the residency program—as did his chair of medicine at the time, Katrina Armstrong, who proposed the role to him. Learn More

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: Remembrance Conference Continues Work to Reduce Gun Violence Tragedies

It was about trauma and pain and remembrance, the stories behind the grim statistics and honoring the lives of victims cut tragically short. Those factors and more are what made “Remembrance Conference 2025: Medical students and faculty taking action on the epidemic of firearm  violence through public health” so powerful.  Learn More

Commencement

CUNY School of Medicine Celebrates Its MD Class of 2025 Commencement

Now officially the 26^th school within The City University of New York, CUNY School of Medicine has celebrated its first Commencement and milestones as an independent institution.  Highlights from our graduating MD Class of 2025 included a 100% match rate, and a keynote address from Neil S. Calman, MD, FAAFP, a nationally recognized leader in the effort to eliminate healthcare disparities and improve community health.  Learn More

Awards, Grants & Recognition

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons Physician-Scientists Named Gerstner Scholars

The Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Scholars Program named its 17th group of exceptional early-career physician-scientists at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Established in 2008 by a gift from Louis V. Gerstner Jr., this groundbreaking faculty development program supports select clinician investigators in their pursuit of novel translational research with the potential to improve human health. Each Gerstner Scholar receives up to three years of funding. Learn More

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: Bisson Honored for Advancing Inclusivity, Health Equity

This spring, Leslie J. Bisson, MD, the June A. and Eugene R. Mindell, MD, Professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedics, received multiple accolades recognizing his commitment to health equity and advancing women in orthopaedics. Learn More

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: Wyatte Hall Named to Forbes’ Accessibility 100

Wyatte Hall, PhD, an expert in language deprivation as a social public health epidemic in deaf communities, and assistant professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), was named to Forbes’ inaugural Accessibility 100 list. Announced today, the list recognizes the “100 top innovators and impact-makers in the field of accessibility.” Learn More

Weill Cornell Medicine: 2025 Excellence in Medical Education Awards

Weill Cornell Medicine faculty and staff were honored with Excellence in Medical Education Awards at a ceremony June 26 held on campus. The awards, which are given at the end of each academic year, celebrate the honorees’ extraordinary contributions to the education mission and for making the Weill Cornell Medical College experience exceptional for its students. Learn More

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Celebrates 2025 Academy of Medical Educators Class of Inductees

On June 18, the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell inducted its new class of medical educators into the prestigious Academy of Medical Educators (AME) during the school’s Annual Faculty Meeting, which brings together all faculty from across Northwell Health to the Zucker School of Medicine. Established in 2015, with its first cohort selected in 2016, the Zucker School of Medicine’s AME chapter is part of a national consortium of over 120 medical schools nationwide. Learn More

New York Medical College Alpha Omega Alpha Chapter Receives Grant to Combat Food Insecurity

The New York Medical College Iota Chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) has been awarded a three-year AOA Medical Student Service Leadership Project Grant to support the development of a program to combat food insecurity. Food insecurity Leadership and Advocacy in Medical Education (FLAME) will provide structured opportunities for students to engage with and learn about food insecurity in their community, allowing them to develop leadership skills in advocating for community health. The Iota Chapter is one of only two recipients of leadership project grants from AOA this year. Learn More

Faculty News

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: Rabih Chaer Is New Chief of Vascular and Endovascular Division

The Stony Brook Medicine Department of Surgery has welcomed Rabih Chaer, MD, as the new chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and associate professor of surgery. He joins Stony Brook Medicine after serving as chief, Division of Vascular Surgery and co-director, UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “I am honored to join the Department of Surgery and the Division of Vascular Surgery at Stony Brook,” said Dr. Chaer. “I look forward to contributing to the educational, academic and clinical mission of the institution through a multidisciplinary collaboration across different specialties.”  Learn More

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: Tanya Mayadas Appointed Chair of Microbiology & Immunology and Inaugural Director of New Institute

Tanya N. Mayadas, PhD, has been selected as the next Chair of the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Director of the new Institute for Immunological Sciences.The appointment, which is effective August 1, 2025, represents a homecoming for Mayadas. She received her BA in Biology (1983) and PhD in Biochemistry (1989) from the University of Rochester, followed by a joint postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Tufts University. Learn More

New York Medical College Academy of Medical Educators Wraps Up Successful First Year

The first cohort of The Academy of Medical Educators at New York Medical College wrapped up a highly successful year in May with presentations of the year-long projects they had undertaken to enhance their clinical practice and pedagogy. Despite the many demands on their time, the 13 busy clinicians and basic scientists spent the year engaged in numerous collaborative sessions to produce projects ranging from enhancing compassion through storytelling and narrative medicine in education to the impact of visual aids on learning retention and engagement to placing “free hand” thoracic pedicle screws. Learn More

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: Surgery’s Tara Huston Celebrates ELAM Graduation

Stony Brook Surgery’s Tara L. Huston, MD, has completed her Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM®) Fellowship. The ELAM program is the only long-term leadership program in North America that focuses on preparing women for executive roles in various areas of healthcare. Learn More

CUNY School of Medicine Dean Recognized as a Trailblazer

Dr. Elizabeth Wilson-Anstey, Senior Associate Dean for Opportunity, Engagement & Financial Aid at CUNY School of Medicine, has been named by City & State New York as a Trailblazer in Higher Education, recognized for her expertise in higher education and building medical education pathways for students starting in middle school. From creating iconic, signature summer programs to research training experiences and didactic curricula, Dr. Wilson-Anstey has devoted her four-decade career to the higher education of public health issues and healthcare gaps.  Learn More

Norton College of Medicine at Upstate Medical University Dean Dashes for a Cause, Donates $765 in Groceries to Upstate’s Paley’s Pantry

It took just four minutes for Norton College of Medicine Dean Lawrence Chin, MD, to rack up $765.37 worth of groceries—every item destined for Paley’s Pantry, Upstate Medical University’s dedicated food pantry for students facing food insecurity. Chin earned the shopping spree during a live auction at the recent Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) gala. Learn More

More News

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University: Psychiatry Meets the Global Stage

The 2025 American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting opened with two extraordinary conversations that set the tone for a transformative gathering. Venus Williams, tennis legend and advocate for wellness, joined Ramaswamy Viswanathan, M.D., DrMedSc, Immediate Past President of the American Psychiatric Association and Interim Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Downstate, for a dynamic 40-minute fireside chat before an in-person and live-streamed audience of more than 5,000. Learn More

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine: Ferrara Center for Patient Safety and Clinical Simulation Medicine Receives Full Accreditation

The Ferrara Center for Patient Safety and Clinical Simulation at the College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) has received full accreditation in human simulation from the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE). The center was one of several institutions that applied for this prestigious recognition, which was offered for the first time this year. Learn More

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell:  High School and College Students Dive into Healthcare at Summer Pipeline Program

Thirty-nine promising high school juniors, seniors, and rising college freshmen from select New York City and Long Island schools are pursuing their dreams for careers in healthcare as part of the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell’s Medical Scholars Pipeline Program (MSPP). The four-week summer program began on June 30. Learn More