Highlights

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: CUIMC’s STEM Pathway Programs Open Doors for the Next Generation

While summer is a great time to visit the beach or canoe a lazy river, at CUIMC it is also an opportunity for young people to explore science, technology, and medicine and the jobs and careers available in these fields. Numerous schools, departments, and offices across CUIMC use the summer months to offer a variety of programs to students—from middle schoolers to undergraduates—who might not have other opportunities to explore science, technology, engineering, and medicine (STEM). Learn more.

New York Medical College: Inside the Student Research Revolution

New York Medical College (NYMC) is fostering a vibrant, student-driven research culture that empowers future healthcare leaders to bridge the gap between complex science and clinical care. Through institutional support like the Center for Collaborative Research, specialized degree concentrations, and annual student-led research forums across its schools, NYMC students are diving into big data analytics, biostatistics, and hands-on laboratory science to build essential inquiry skills that elevate residency placements and directly improve patient care. Learn more.

Medical Education

Weill Cornell Medicine: White Coat Ceremony Kicks Off Medical Education for M.D. Class of 2030

When Kiran Abraham-Aggarwal started his undergraduate studies at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR), he assumed it would lead to a career in economic development or perhaps law, like many of his classmates. With an interest in advocacy and policy reform, these disciplines felt like a fit. But then, in his sophomore year, he attended his parents’ class reunion at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Included on the schedule was a tour of the anatomy lab and an opportunity to view a cadaver—a person affected by black lung disease. Abraham-Aggarwal studied the condition in one of his ILR classes and learned about coal miners in West Virginia, but seeing it up close changed his perspective. Learn more.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: New Students Receive White Coats and Begin Einstein Medical Education Journey

In her hometown of Newark, NJ, Shirley Lopez De Leon saw how poverty, limited access to healthcare, and chronic medical conditions had devastating impacts on families and a community. A child of Guatemalan immigrants, she envisioned herself in high school as a future physician who could help improve the health of people in need. Ms. Lopez De Leon was among the 139 M.D. and 12 M.D./Ph.D. students who received their personalized white coats on August 6 at Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s annual On Becoming a Physician ceremony. Learn more.

CUNY School of Medicine: Celebrating the Incoming MD Class of 2030

On July 29th, CUNY School of Medicine celebrated the incoming MD Class of 2030 with their undergraduate commencement and white coat ceremony. This class represents a merging of paths, featuring the inaugural members of our Master of Professional Studies in Healthcare Sciences (MPS-HS) Program and graduates of the Sophie Davis Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Education Program. Here are some highlights from the ceremony:

• Over a third of the class are first-generation college students
• 64% of students are the first in their family to attend medical school
• The vast majority are multilingual, representing over 30 languages

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: Starting a Big Change With the White Coat Ceremony

The White Coat Ceremony formally marks the start of students on their medical career path. On Friday, July 31, the class of 2030 of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai gathered at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan to receive their trainee coats. The incoming class is joining a field that is undergoing transformation, Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told the students. Learn more.

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine: Class of 2030 Receives White Coats

The College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) welcomed the Class of 2030, a total of more than 400 aspiring osteopathic physicians (D.O.s), at its annual White Coat ceremonies in Jonesboro, Ark., and Long Island, N.Y. Widely viewed as the official start of medical school, the annual celebrations signify the beginning of students’ medical education journey. Learn more.

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: SMD Welcomes Class of 2030 with White Coats and Cheers

The University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry’s class of 2030 donned their white coats on Aug. 14 in a deeply meaningful and highly celebratory kickoff to their medical training. The 21st Annual Dr. Robert L. and Lillian H. Brent White Coat Ceremony was held at the Eastman School of Music’s Kilbourn Hall. URMC CEO and SMD Dean David Linehan, MD, noted the capacity crowd. Learn more.

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: VP&S Welcomes 140 Future Physicians at White Coat Ceremony

In a ceremony that entwines 2,000 years of history with a modern outlook, 140 new students at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons were welcomed into the profession of medicine at the annual White Coat Ceremony on August 7. With the help of VP&S faculty, the future physicians donned the profession’s most recognizable symbol for the first time, embraced a commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care, and recited a version of the Hippocratic Oath written by the incoming class. Learn more.

Awards & Grants

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: Advancing as Milestone 2 Awardee in XPRIZE Healthspan, a $101 Million Global Competition Focused on Extending Healthy Aging

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai are among the Milestone 2 Awardee teams in XPRIZE Healthspan, a $101 million global competition that challenges researchers to develop new approaches that help people live healthier, longer lives. XPRIZE Healthspan is a 7-year global competition incentivizing teams to develop and test therapeutics that restore muscle, cognition, and immune function in adults aged 50 to 90 by a minimum of 10 years, with an ambitious goal of 20 years, to extend healthy life within one year or less of treatment. Learn more.

New York Medical College: Student Awarded Prestigious AOA Research Fellowship

Aubrey Sperling Johnson, a third-year medical student at New York Medical College, has been awarded the prestigious Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship from Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA), the national medical honor society, to support her research on Alzheimer’s disease. The fellowship will support the continuation of Johnson’s research into the role of neuroinflammation in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Learn more.

Dr. David L. Battinelli Named 2026 LIBN Healthcare Influencer

David L. Battinelli, MD, the Deborah and Lawrence Smith Dean of the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and Northwell Health’s executive vice president and physician-in-chief, has been named a 2026 Long Island Influencer in Healthcare by the Long Island Business News. This honor recognizes leaders in Long Island’s robust healthcare industry based on their achievements and standing in the business community. Learn more.

Dr. Samara B. Ginzburg Named 2026 LIBN Education Influencer

Samara B. Ginzburg, MD, the Vice Dean and Dean of Education at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, has been named a 2026 Long Island Influencer in Education by the Long Island Business News (LIBN). This honor celebrates pioneers who are reshaping learning, fostering innovation, and equipping students for the future. The honorees are educators across the region who are reimagining and advancing education in various institutions—from community colleges to research universities, from medical schools to specialized programs. Learn more.

Faculty News

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Catherine C. Skae, M.D., is Named as Vice Dean for Education

Albert Einstein College of Medicine has appointed Catherine C. Skae, M.D., as vice dean for education. Dr. Skae, currently the senior associate dean for graduate medical education and professor of pediatrics, was selected after a national search and assumed her new role on September 2. Learn more.

Weill Cornell Medicine: Dr. Dan Landau Named Inaugural Chair of the Department of Systems and Computational Biomedicine at Weill Cornell Medicine

Embracing the transformational potential of new molecular profiling and artificial-intelligence-based data processing technologies on clinical and scientific innovation, Weill Cornell Medicine has created a new research department, the Department of Systems and Computational Biomedicine. Dr. Dan Landau, an internationally recognized cancer researcher and geneticist whose pioneering advances include single-cell-profiling technology innovation and an artificial intelligence-powered liquid biopsy for detecting tumor DNA in blood, has served as the department’s inaugural chair since Sept. 1. Learn more.

Appointment of Sneha Shrivastava, M.D, MSEd, MSCP to Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine

The Department of Medicine is pleased to announce the appointment of Sneha Shrivastava, M.D, MSEd, MSCP to Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. Dr. Shrivastava earned her Bachelor of Science degree from York University and her Doctor of Medicine degree from St. George’s University. Learn more.

Highly Accomplished Surgeon-Scientist, Dr. Dino Ravnic, to Assume Plastic Surgery Chief, Vice Chair for Research Roles

Dino Ravnic, DO, MPH, MSc, FACS, will join Stony Brook Medicine’s Department of Surgery in September 2026 as the new Chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Vice Chair for Research and Professor of Surgery in the Renaissance School of Medicine. Dr. Ravnic, a Queens, New York native, joins Stony Brook Medicine after 13 years at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) College of Medicine in Hershey, PA where he serves as a tenured Professor of Surgery (since 2024), Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Surgery, and the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Regenerative Medicine and Surgical Sciences (Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences). Learn more.

More News

Albany Medical College: Volunteers Make a Difference at Annual Community Block Party

More than 100 volunteers from Albany Medical Center and Albany Medical College came together to support the 23rd Annual Dr. Pamela Harper Community Block Party, bringing health education, safety resources, and family-friendly activities to residents of Albany’s Sheridan Hollow neighborhood. Learn more.

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo: Ten Community Organizations Received Portable AEDs From UB and UBMD Physicians

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) save lives, so having one nearby when someone goes into cardiac arrest is essential. But at $2,000 apiece, AEDs are often too costly for some businesses and organizations, especially in neighborhoods that are underserved. Last month, at an event at Memorial Temple Christian Ministries on Sycamore Street titled “East Side AED Mapping Brunch and Learn,” physicians from UB and UBMD Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine presented AEDs to representatives of 10 community organizations. Learn more.