Highlights

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell: Students Learn on the Job as EMTs at Mass Casualty Incident Day

Inside, people were moaning, yelling for help and some were not moving. The challenges on Sept. 19 were many for the first-year medical students from the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, who were tasked with putting their emergency medical technician training to use during an active shooter situation. It was one of five simulated disaster scenarios at Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Day held annually at the Nassau County Fire Service Academy (NCFSA) in Bethpage, N.Y. Learn More

New York Medical College: Dana Mordue, Ph.D., Leads Future Scientists in the Fight Against Tick-Borne Diseases

Each summer, the research lab of Dana G. Mordue, Ph.D., associate professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology, transforms into more than just a lab—it becomes a classroom. Dr. Mordue opens her doors to high school, college, and medical students eager to gain meaningful, hands-on research experience. Learn More

White Coat Ceremonies

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University: The First Coat, The First Step: Welcoming the College of Medicine Class of 2029

On September 19, more than 200 new students in the College of Medicine’s Class of 2029 donned their first white coats during Downstate’s 31st Annual White Coat Ceremony. Standing with them in the moment was a reminder that the White Coat is more than fabric; it is a promise to serve with humility, compassion, and excellence. Created in 1993 by Dr. Arnold P. Gold, the White Coat Ceremony was designed to ensure that humanism is intrinsic to medical training. Learn More

Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai: A Journey of Firsts at the White Coat Ceremony

For the class of 2029 of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the White Coat Ceremony marked the start of their medical careers. It was also an opportunity for Mount Sinai staff and faculty to pass on their wisdom about what it means to be on that path. “As students, it represents the privilege you have earned to study medicine,” said Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Interim Dean of the Icahn School, speaking to the crowd at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, September 16. Learn More

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell: Cloaked in a White Coat Future Doctors Commit to Promoting Empathy

Family, friends, and faculty filled the grand ballroom at the Long Island Marriott, their anticipation palpable, as 106 first-year medical students from the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell marked their transformation on Oct. 3 from medical students to health care professionals at the 15th annual White Coat Ceremony. Unlike most medical schools who offer white coats to students at the beginning of their medical journey, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell requires its students to complete emergency medical training (EMT) and achieve certification. Learn More

Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai: Of Integrity, Persistence, Leadership, and Responsibility, Mount Sinai Graduate Students Start Their Science Training

Alec C. Kimmelman, MD, PhD, stepped to the podium as the keynote speaker at Mount Sinai’s Lab Coat Ceremony, the celebratory start of academic research and training for the newest PhD and MD-PhD students. He recalled how he had felt a few decades earlier when he was a Mount Sinai student. “I remember sitting in the same place,” he said, “and I was wondering what the future would hold.” Learn More

Medical Education

NYU Grossman School of Medicine: Framework from Educators at NYU Langone Health Addresses Diagnostic Errors Through Enhanced Medical Training

Diagnostic errors affect millions of patients each year, leading to delayed treatment and poor outcomes. Today, the New England Journal of Medicine published a review article written by medical educators from three institutions including NYU Grossman School of Medicine offering medical educators a framework to train medical students and physicians in delivering diagnostic excellence for all patients. Learn More

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons: CUIMC Makes Science Come Alive for Curious Kids

Over a thousand elementary school kids learned about stem cells, brains, bacteria, and more at Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s second annual Curious Minds Science Zone, an outdoor science extravaganza for local third- through sixth-graders. During the afternoon of Sept. 18, Haven Plaza was filled with children trying out a variety of hands-on science activities under the guidance of more than 50 faculty, staff, and student volunteers. Learn More

Touro College Of Osteopathic Medicine: Harlem Summer Research Program for Local High Schoolers

Instead of socializing with friends or focusing on personal hobbies this past summer, four New York City high school students experimented with fruit flies and aloe plants; researched genetic coding of herbal medicines; and did zip code mapping of bodegas – all part of a new STEM research program at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (“TouroCOM”) in Harlem, “MedAchieve III.” Learn More

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: UR Medicine Introduces Next-Generation da Vinci Surgical System

Strong Memorial Hospital has become one of the first hospitals in Upstate New York to adopt the newest generation of the da Vinci surgical system. The state-of-the-art technology represents a significant advance in robotic-assisted surgery, bringing enhanced precision and control that can improve patient outcomes. Learn More

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University: Downstate/UAlbany Debut AI Mental Health Tools at Global Summit

On September 19, Downstate joined prestigious partners at the SUNY Global Center in Manhattan for the inaugural Annual Summit of the Global Center for AI in Mental Health (GCAIMH), titled “Resilient Innovation in Mental Health Through AI and Global Partnerships.” The event brought together SUNY colleagues, international collaborators, and leaders from IBM, Google, Amazon, the United Nations, and McKinsey to showcase how artificial intelligence is transforming mental health care and moving solutions from research labs into practice. Learn More

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons: CUIMC Rallies on Capitol Hill for Research Funding

On Sept. 18, members of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center community joined hundreds of physicians, scientists, and patients to meet legislators on Capitol Hill and advocate for medical research at the annual Rally for Medical Research. This year’s Rally brought together over four hundred participants from more than forty states, the largest Rally since the event began in 2013 in response to threatened cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget. Learn More

Student & Alumni News

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: The Power of Connection, A Scholar’s Journey to Residency

From the age of six, Diamond Guy envisioned a career in medicine, inspired by the compassionate care she received as a child. Now a first-year dermatology resident at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, she attributes her journey to the powerful connections and unwavering support she found through various University of Rochester Medical Center programs and mentors. Learn More

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: Psychiatry Resident Receives Prestigious Honor from NIH

Gary Iacobucci wasn’t one of those people who always knew they’d go to medical school. As an undergraduate at the University at Buffalo, his main interest was research. But as he headed into a biochemistry doctoral program at UB, he became more interested in the clinical aspects of what he was studying. After getting his PhD from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, he earned his MD in 2023. Learn More

Weill Cornell Medicine: Doctoral Student Selected for HHMI Fellows Program

Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences doctoral student Ana Campos Codo has been selected for the 2025 cohort of the Gilliam Fellows Program by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Codo, a student in the Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis Ph.D. program, is one of 30 graduate students representing 23 different institutions across the United States who were chosen this year. Learn More

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biological Sciences at University at Buffalo: UB Medical Student Selected for AAMC National Award

David Cazares Dorantes, a second-year medical student in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, has been selected as one of five recipients of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) 2025 ACE Award for Advocacy, Collaboration and Education. The award recognizes academic medicine champions who are honored for leading and collaborating with the nation’s medical schools and academic health systems to improve the health of patients, families and communities nationwide. Learn More

Awards, Grants & Recognition

New York Medical College: Dr. Mill Etienne Wins Prestigious AAMC Award for Humanism in Medicine

Mill Etienne, M.D. ’02, M.P.H., vice chancellor, associate dean for student affairs, and associate professor of neurology and of medicine, is the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award from the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC). Dr. Etienne will receive the award, which is bestowed annually on just one medical school faculty physician nationwide, from the AAMC during a special virtual event on October 22. Learn More

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: RSOM’s MD/PhD Program Receives New Five-Year Grant from the NIH

The Medical Science Training Program (MSTP) in the Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM) at Stony Brook University has received a five-year $5.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue training future physician scientists. The funding runs through June 30, 2030.The MSTP was developed by the NIH decades ago to encourage students with a passion for scientific discovery that leads to improved clinical care to be able to pursue this career path without being deterred by the high level of debt that most students acquire during their education. Learn More

Faculty News

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Amit Verma, M.D., Appointed Chair of Oncology at Montefiore Einstein

Amit Verma, M.D., an expert in blood cancer research, has been appointed chair of the department of oncology at Montefiore Einstein. Dr. Verma, who was selected after an extensive national search, has served as interim chair of the department since 2024. Learn More

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: Dr. Yasmine Yousef Joins Stony Brook Surgery’s Division of Pediatric Surgery

Dr. Yasmine Yousef, MD, CM, PhD, FRCSC, joined the Division of Pediatric Surgery in Stony Brook Medicine’s Department of Surgery on October 6th, 2025. Dr. Yousef comes to Stony Brook Medicine from Hollywood, Florida, where she was an Attending Pediatric Surgeon/Fetal Surgeon at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. Learn More