You’ve decided to become a doctor, so what’s the next step in your journey? The process of gaining admission to medical school is a lengthy one. In the Nassau County Medical Society’s fall issue of The Pulse Point, Lisa Ellenbogen, MSEd, Director of Admissions at the Zucker School of Medicine, shares her insights and provides tips to help prospective med students navigate the admission process and garner a coveted spot in the school of their choice. Learn more.

 

Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) have created the Ernest E. Just Biomedical Research Scholars @ Columbia, a groundbreaking program that will provide college and graduate students at historically Black colleges, universities, and medical schools (HBCUs) with research opportunities and access to mentors at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) and the HICCC. Learn more.

 

In a typical academic year at Weill Cornell Medical College, the annual White Coat Ceremony symbolically marks the launch of the incoming class’s journey into medicine. First-year students gather during their first week on campus for the tradition, which includes presentation of a short white coat and stethoscope to each of them by a member of the faculty. But for the Class of 2024, their first year of medical school was anything but typical. Learn more.

 

The College of Medicine (COM) held its 26th Annual White Coat Ceremony, a rite of passage that emphasizes the importance of honorable, honest, curious, and compassionate care as students begin their academic journeys. Jeffrey Putman, Ed.D., VP for Academic and Student Affairs, provided opening remarks at the live event to welcome more than 200 doctors-in training. Learn more.

 

Third-year medical student Geoffrey Bocobo has had a very productive year thus far in 2021. The native of Villanova, Pennsylvania, has been honored with three awards: the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Foundation’s Steve Lieber Innovator Scholarship, an Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship and a Blackstone LaunchPad Fellowship. Learn more.

 

Three Einstein medical students were part of a team that placed second among 52 university and college groups representing 15 countries in the 2021 Emory Morningside Global Health Case Competition. The annual event challenges teams of college and graduate students to develop hypothetical solutions that address a real-world global health issue. Learn more.

 

An Upstate Medical University student has been awarded a prestigious scholarship that will pay for two years of medical school in exchange for her commitment to working as a doctor in a medically underserved community. Eunice Choe, a third-year student in the College of Medicine, learned recently that she has been awarded a National Health Service Corps (NHSC) scholarship. NHSC connects primary health care clinicians to people who have limited access to healthcare. Learn more.

 

The School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD) welcomed students, honored excellence, and marked the official start of a new academic year with Opening Convocation held on Sept. 20. “Convocation is a time when we come together to celebrate the many accomplishments of our School of Medicine and Dentistry faculty and learners,” said Mark Taubman, M.D., Ph.D., CEO of URMC, and Dean of SMD. “The individuals we recognize today are a testament to the superb teaching and mentoring, top-notch research, outstanding academic performances, and excellence in patient care and community service that occurs in our School day in and day out.” Learn more.

 

Abbey Santanello, OMS IV at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, and her faculty advisor Professor Mikhail Volokitin, recently won a 2021 Student Research Fellowship Grant from the Touro College and University System to study the causes of common dysfunctions among runners and how to prevent injuries and relapses. Learn more.

 

After earning his medical degree from Albany Medical College, Sapan Shah may come to be known as the Dancing Doctor. A third-year medical student interested in pursuing a career in health policy, Shah takes great joy in sharing his love of a traditional Indian folk dance that features explosive, coordinated movements and colorful loose-fitting costumes. Learn more.

 

Like many medical students, Michael Reilly, Dr.P.H. ’10, M.P.H., entered his undergraduate studies intent on becoming a physician. However, unlike many medical students, Dr. Reilly is set to graduate medical school from New Medical College nearly two decades after completing his undergraduate studies. Learn more.

 

A group of fourth-year students experienced a true test of their clinical skills in the Adirondack Park recently. John Stone, Kenny Grant, Alec Kurtz and Christine Learned were just 15 minutes from the summit of Algonquin Mountain – the second highest peak in New York – when they heard other hikers mention that someone ahead was injured. Learn more.

 

On September 24, the College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) announced its latest honorees for the medical school’s Positive STRIDES recognition program. The program, launched in fall 2020, aims to recognize outstanding members of the NYITCOM community whose acts of kindness have made a difference in the lives of others. Learn more.

 

Congratulations to Dr. Erica Friedman, Deputy Dean for Medical Education at the CUNY School of Medicine and the 2021 recipient of the National Hispanic Health Foundation’s (NHHF) Hispanic Health Leadership Award. The Hispanic Health Leadership Award is presented to outstanding individuals who have served in significant leadership roles and have helped improve the health of Hispanics and other underserved populations. Learn more.

 

Lawrence G. Smith, MD, MACP, founding dean of the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, and Executive Vice President and Physician-in-Chief at Northwell Health, was recently named among the most powerful in healthcare by Long Island Business News (LIBN). The 2021 Power Healthcare list includes healthcare professionals who were instrumental in providing guidance, hope and healing to Long Islanders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more.

 

Ann-Gel S. Palermo, DrPH, MPH—recognized throughout the Mount Sinai Health System and nationally as an innovative champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion—has been named by Modern Healthcare as one of 2021’s Top Diversity Leaders. Dr. Palermo is the Senior Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer in Education and Research for the Mount Sinai Health System. Learn more.

 

Patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than the general population. Their heightened risk is due to a variety of causes: pre-existing health conditions, such as respiratory problems or obesity; increased likelihood of living in group homes, taking shared transportation, and being exposed to people outside their households; and struggles with safety precautions like mask-wearing or social distancing. Learn more.

 

Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis announced that Harold “Hal” Paz, M.D., M.S., currently Executive Vice President and chancellor for health affairs at The Ohio State University and Chief Executive Officer of the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, has been named Executive Vice President for Health Sciences at Stony Brook University, effective October 4, 2021. Learn more.

 

Sandra Ryeom, PhD, has been appointed associate dean for postdoctoral affairs and new master’s degree programs at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S), effective Oct. 1. The appointment was announced by Anil K. Rustgi, MD, Interim Executive Vice President and Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine at Columbia. Ryeom will also work with Columbia University’s Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and its executive director, Ericka Peterson, PhD. Learn more.

 

Upstate Medical University and the Medical Faculty of Ludwig Maximilians-University (LUM) in Munich, Germany, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which extends through 2026, to foster international contact and a student exchange. The goals of the MOU are to promote global education and health and to further develop academic and cultural exchange for students, researchers, and staff of the two institutions. Learn more.

 

The Office for Diversity and Inclusion, along with hospital leaders from across the Mount Sinai Health System, recently hosted a virtual ceremony to celebrate and honor the four young professionals who completed the Health System’s Administrative Fellowship Program in 2021. The innovative two-year program is designed to recruit, train, and promote underrepresented graduates of master’s degree programs into leadership roles within the Health System. Learn more.

 

Despite being in the midst of a worldwide pandemic during our 2021 graduate school application cycle, the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry received 1,063 applications for Ph.D. programs – the highest on record. In addition, there were 346 applications for master’s programs and 44 for advanced certificate programs. COVID-19 not only forced virtual interviews, but made it nearly impossible for prospective students to set foot on campus before applying. In spite of that, new students like Bachelard Dieujuste, who’s part of the Genetics, Development & Stem Cells Ph.D. program, saw that as an opportunity to expand their options. Learn more.