CUNY School of Medicine: How Medical Schools are Improving Access for Underrepresented Minorities

In  “How Medical Schools are Improving Access for Underrepresented Minorities,” U.S. News & World Report interviewed Carmen Renee Green, MD, Dean of the CUNY School of Medicine, on the school’s success in increasing access to medical education for Black and Latinx students, and by extension, diversifying the field of medicine. Learn more.

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: New Mental Health Training Empowers Pediatric Residents to Better Serve Young Patients

As part of an ongoing effort to improve children’s mental health outcomes, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center teamed up with The REACH Institute to deliver an innovative, evidence-based mental health training program for its pediatric residents and faculty. The program equips the next generation of pediatricians with the skills and knowledge to address and manage common mental health concerns among child and adolescent patients. Learn more.

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University: Entrepreneurship Club Launches Design Thinking Workshop

In April, the Medical Entrepreneurship Club at Downstate held its first innovation workshop, spearheaded by medical student Shreya Jain and the club’s E-Board—the workshop aimed to familiarize students with utilizing cutting-edge medical technologies to tackle healthcare challenges. Shreya, a fourth-year student and analyst at Quintuple Aim Solutions, is also a co-founder of SPARK Self-Esteem, a non-profit organization conducting personal development workshops for students from kindergarten to college in New York City schools. Learn more.

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo Medical Students Have Developed a Course to Train Their Peers in Trauma-Informed Care

University at Buffalo medical students working with community anti-violence groups in Buffalo have developed an elective course on “Trauma surgery and trauma-informed care.” The purpose is to train medical students, particularly those interested in surgery, in trauma-informed care in Buffalo’s Level 1 Adult Trauma Center at the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC). Learn more.

Class of 2024

Albert Einstein College of Medicine Celebrates 66th Commencement

Albert Einstein College of Medicine honored the Class of 2024 on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at its graduation ceremony at David Geffen Hall in Lincoln Center. At the event, Einstein conferred 187 M.D. degrees and 23 Ph.D. degrees. In addition, 13 graduates of Einstein’s Medical Scientist Training Program received both an M.D. and a Ph.D. degree. Learn more.

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Celebrates the Class of 2024

The Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Class of 2024 celebrated graduation with friends and families on May 15. The ceremony honored 142 students who received MD degrees from VP&S and 86 students who received PhD degrees in biomedical sciences from Columbia’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Learn more.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: At Commencement, Mount Sinai Celebrates Distinguished Service of Kenneth L. Davis, MD, CEO for 20 Years

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai commemorated its 55th Commencement at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center on Friday, May 10. The ceremony honored the class of 2024 while paying a very special tribute to Kenneth L. Davis, MD, who served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Mount Sinai Health System for 20 years. Dr. Davis left the CEO role at the beginning of 2024 to become Executive Vice Chairman of the Mount Sinai Health System Boards of Trustees. Learn more.

New York Medical College Honors the Class of 2024 at 165th Commencement Ceremonies

The New York Medical College (NYMC) community buzzed with excitement and anticipation on May 21 as the nearly 200 members of the Class of 2024 marked their achievements in medicine during NYMC’s 165th Commencement exercises. Steven L. Kanter, M.D., executive director of the Alliance of Academic Health Centers International and special advisor to the president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges and executive director of Alliance of Academic Health Centers International, delivered the Commencement address. Learn more.

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine: Celebrating NYITCOM’s Newest Physicians

“I will always be mindful of the honor and great privilege bestowed upon me as a physician.” Those were the words that more than 400 graduates from the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (NYITCOM) Class of 2024 affirmed while pledging the osteopathic oath at this year’s Hooding Ceremonies in Old Westbury, N.Y., and Jonesboro, Ark. Learn more.

NYU Grossman: Class of 2024 Graduates from NYU Grossman School of Medicine & NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine

NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine both celebrated their newest graduates recently, with 109 becoming physicians during a Carnegie Hall ceremony in Manhattan on May 15, and 24 new doctors graduating at the Tilles Center in Brookville on May 20. Learn more.

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: “Resilient” RSOM Class of 2024 Graduate

The Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM) at Stony Brook University celebrated 50 years with its 2024 convocation, a ceremony on May 14 in which 125 graduates received their Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. This year’s graduates bring the total to more than 5,000 individuals who have earned MD degrees from the school since the first graduating class of 18 people in 1974. Learn more.

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University’s Commencement 2024: A Day of Achievement and Celebration

SUNY Downstate graduates excel in leadership roles that transcend classroom and clinical preparation, making significant impacts in diverse fields. One notable alumna has served as Director of Human and Health Services Region Two, where she championed health equity in reproductive care, mental health, and opioid misuse treatment. Learn more.

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Graduates 244 New Doctors

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) awarded Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degrees to 244 new doctors last week at separate events for the TouroCOM Middletown and TouroCOM Harlem campuses. Touro University President Dr. Alan Kadish congratulated the class and noted the many challenges they faced during their four years of medical school. Learn more.

Weill Cornell Medicine Class of 2024 Celebrated at Carnegie Hall Commencement

For Dr. Chris Chang, pursuing a career in medicine meant the opportunity to help people, particularly those in underserved communities. Originally from Korea, he moved to the United States when he was five years old, and health care inequity was something he witnessed firsthand. Learn more.

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell’s Class of 2024 Triumphs Over Pandemic Challenges: 101 New Physicians and Scientists Awarded Degrees

Dr. David J. Skorton, President and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges, delivered the keynote address at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell’s tenth commencement ceremony on May 13, 2024. During the event, the medical school conferred degrees on 101 new physicians and scientists. Dr. Skorton received an honorary degree from Hofstra University. Learn more.

Student News

Albert Einstein College of Medicine Graduates Choosing Psychiatry Aim to Improve Equity in Mental Health

Psychiatry is growing in popularity as a medical career: From 2015 through 2021, the specialty saw the second-highest rate of growth (26%) in first-year residents and fellows, according to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Fueling the increase is a heightened awareness of the importance of addressing mental health problems, with one in five adults in America reporting a mental illness in 2019. Learn more.

NYU Grossman School of Medicine: From the Battlefield to the Operating Room: Navy SEAL Graduates from NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Navy SEAL Mason Blacker still vividly recalls the life-changing event that inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. “One of my teammates got shot in the head in Iraq, and there was a neurosurgeon with us that did a decompressive craniectomy that saved his life. I was hooked after that,” Blacker said. Learn more.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: Voices From the Class of 2024 at Icahn Mount Sinai’s Commencement

Cloudy skies could not dampen the excitement of the class of 2024 of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who had gathered at the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center for their Commencement on Friday, May 10. It was, after all, a milestone of their medical school journey—one that began right as the COVID-19 pandemic took off in New York City. Learn more.

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: In Belize, UB Medical Students Taught Rural Farmers How to Stop the Bleed

This spring, 100 farmers and villagers throughout Belize underwent training in lifesaving Stop the Bleed techniques. The training was provided by a team led by medical students in the Global Surgery Student Alliance at the University at Buffalo, who made the trip during their spring break. Learn more.

Weill Cornell Medicine: 2024 Convocation Recognizes Exceptional Graduate Students

Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences highlighted students in the Class of 2024 for their academic achievements during its convocation ceremony on May 15. The ceremony honored students who are graduating with their master’s degrees, as well as those who earned special awards and prizes for their accomplishments in research, scholarship and service. Learn more.

Awards and Grants

Norton College of Medicine at Upstate Medical University: Two Upstate Students Honored for Their Research are Among SUNY GREAT Award Winners

Two Upstate Medical University students are among the 27 SUNY students selected for the 2024 SUNY Graduate Research Empowering and Accelerating Talent (GREAT) award. Each winner receives $5,000 in flexible funding for research expenses, professional development, and stipend supplements. Upstate students receiving the GREAT awards are Nicholas Brennan, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Victoria Zoccoli-Rodriguez, Microbiology and Immunology. Learn more.

New York Medical College Student Recognized with Prestigious U.S. Public Health Award

Medha Reddy, M.D., a member of the New York Medical College School of Medicine (SOM) Class of 2024, has been chosen as the national recipient of the prestigious 2024 Excellence in Public Health Award from the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS). The award was presented to Reddy by Lieutenant Commander Dara Lee, M.D., M.P.H., a medical officer in the Commission Corps of the USPHS, during the 2024 SOM Awards Ceremony on May 20. Learn more.

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine Students Gain Advocacy-focused Opportunities With Support From Esteemed Medical Foundation

The College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) has secured a two-year $20,000 award from the Medical, Educational and Scientific Foundation (MESF), a subsidiary 501C3 of the Medical Society of the State of New York, to provide medical students with valuable public policy-focused learning experiences. Learn more.

Albany Medical College: Dr. Ann Rutter Appointed Senior Associate Dean of Academic Administration

Ann E. Rutter, MD ’08, has been named senior associate dean of academic administration. She will assume the role July 1, succeeding Ellen Cosgrove, MD, who will retire after five years as vice dean for academic administration. Dr. Rutter has served as academic vice chair for the Department of Family and Community Medicine since 2019 and as the Family Medicine clerkship director since 2012. Learn more.

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: Sarah Peyre Named to New Education Leadership Position at the School of Medicine and Dentistry

Sarah Peyre, EdD, a highly respected medical education scholar, has been appointed to a new leadership position to oversee graduate and medical education at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD). Peyre, who has served as dean of the Warner Graduate School of Education and Development since 2020, will step down from that role on June 30 to take on the newly created dual role of SMD vice dean for education and associate vice president of clinical education on July 1. Learn more.

CUNY School of Medicine: Does Mindfulness Training Lead to Better Mental Health?

In a New York Times letter titled Does Mindfulness Training Lead to Better Mental Health? Victor Schwartz, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Wellness and Student Life at the CUNY School of Medicine, cautions that “too much focus on feelings without further information about how to handle difficult feelings, and lots of information about symptoms of mental illness without context, might not be helpful to many, and may harm some children.” Learn more.

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: All Stony Brook Medicine Hospitals Named National Leaders in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality

Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH), Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital (SBSH) and Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital (SBELIH) have been named “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leaders” for 2024 in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). All hospitals received the top score of 100 on a survey encompassing non-discrimination and staff training, patient services and support, employee benefits and policies, and patient and community engagement. Learn more.

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell: A Night of Appreciation: Honoring Scholarship Donors and Reflections on Caring

Friends and supporters, healthcare professionals, and members of the medical education community gathered for the seventh annual Scholarship Donor Reception and Narrateur Launch on May 15, 2024, at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. The event provided students, scholarship recipients, administrators, faculty, medical educators, and the greater Hofstra/Northwell Health community a chance to personally thank the school’s benefactors for their generous support, which has opened doors for many students. Learn more.

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: Physician-Scientists Do International Research—for the World and Rochester

In a Zambian hospital far from the country’s famous view of Victoria Falls plunging into the Zambezi River, URMC neurologist Gretchen L. Birbeck, MD, MPH, works on something equally lofty—global health. Birbeck’s research on how to prevent post-malaria epilepsy may benefit Zambians and populations around the globe, including patients living 7,000 miles away in Rochester. Learn more.