May 25, 2018—(BRONX, NY)— On May 24th, Albert Einstein College of Medicine conferred 159 M.D. and 21 Ph.D. degrees as it celebrated its 60th commencement at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center. In addition, 13 graduates of Einstein’s Medical Scientist Training Program received both an M.D. and Ph.D. degree.

Allen M. Spiegel, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and executive vice president and chief academic officer at Montefiore Medicine, delivered the commencement address in his final graduation ceremony as his 12-year tenure ends. Steven M. Safyer, M.D., president and CEO of Montefiore Medicine, also addressed the graduates, and introduced Einstein’s incoming dean, Gordon Tomaselli, M.D., who begins his first term on July 1.

During the commencement event, five individuals were honored with awards from Einstein’s Alumni Association:

• Dominick P. Purpura Distinguished Alumnus Award: Robert W. Finberg, M.D., ’74, the Richard M. Haidack Professor and Chair of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and UMass Memorial Health Care

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• Distinguished Alumnus/Clinical Practitioner Award: Mitchell J. Schwaber, M.D., ’91, director of the National Center for Infection Control at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Israel; attending physician, consultative medicine at Sourasky; consultant, infectious diseases, Maccabi Healthcare Services; and associate professor of medicine, Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine
• Lifetime Service Award: Arthur Kozin, M.D., ’82, senior attending physician in internal medicine, former chief of nephrology, Nyack Hospital; senior attending physician in internal medicine and medical director of inpatient dialysis, Good Samaritan Hospital; medical director, Friedwald Dialysis Center
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Julie R. Ingelfinger, M.D., ’68, professor of pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; senior consultant, pediatric nephrology at MassGeneral Hospital for Children; and deputy editor, New England Journal of Medicine
• Honorary Alumnus Award: Allen M. Spiegel, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean, Einstein

The graduation ceremony also honored several Einstein faculty members for teaching or research excellence:

• Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching: Gerald A. Paccione, Jr., M.D., professor of medicine, Einstein; educational advisor for the Global Health Center
• Samuel M. Rosen Award for Outstanding Teaching–Clinical (selected by the students): Francis Baccay, M.D., assistant professor of surgery, Einstein; general and acute-care surgeon at Montefiore Medical Center

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• Samuel M. Rosen Award for Outstanding Teaching–Basic Science (selected by the students): Amit Verma, M.B.B.S., professor of medicine and of developmental and molecular biology, Einstein; director of hematologic malignancies at the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care
• Harry Eagle Award for Outstanding Basic Science Teaching: Moshe J. Sadofsky, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pathology, Einstein
• Harry H. Gordon Award for Outstanding Clinical Teaching: Hai Jung Helen Rhim, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of pediatrics, Einstein; pediatric hospitalist at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein (CHAM)
• LaDonne H. Schulman Award for Excellence in Teaching: David Shechter, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry, Einstein
• Saul R. Korey Award in Translational Science and Medicine: Paul S. Frenette, M.D., professor of medicine and of cell biology, Einstein; director of the Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research

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