May 25, 2023—(BRONX, NY)—In honor of the Class of 2023, Albert Einstein College of Medicine held its 65th commencement on Wednesday, May 24 at David Geffen Hall in Lincoln Center. At the graduation ceremony, Einstein conferred 180 M.D. degrees and 17 Ph.D. degrees. Four students in Einstein’s Medical Scientist Training Program received both an M.D. and Ph.D. degree.

A highlight of the ceremony was Ruth L. Gottesman, Ed.D., chair of Einstein’s Board of Trustees and professor emerita of pediatrics, receiving a doctorate of humane letters. The honorary degree was presented by Philip O. Ozuah, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Montefiore Medicine, and Gordon F. Tomaselli, M.D. ’82, the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and executive vice president and chief academic officer at Montefiore Medicine, in recognition of her tremendous dedication to and support of Einstein over many years.

Robert Marion, M.D. ’79, distinguished university professor emeritus of pediatrics and of obstetrics & gynecology and women’s health at Einstein and a clinical geneticist at Montefiore, delivering the keynote address—which included the graduates performing “Pomp and Circumstance” with kazoos.

At the event, the Einstein Alumni Association honored several alumni with awards:

• Dominick P. Purpura Distinguished Alumna Award: Elizabeth M. McNally, M.D., Ph.D. ’90, director of the Center for Genetic Medicine, the Elizabeth J. Ward Professor of Genetic Medicine, and professor of medicine and of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University; and a cardiologist at Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute
• Distinguished Ph.D. Alumnus Award: John J. Foxe, M.S. ’96, Ph.D. ’99, adjunct professor at Einstein; professor of neuroscience and psychiatry at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, the Kilian J. and Caroline F. Schmitt Chair in Neuroscience and chair of the department of neuroscience; director of the Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience; director of the University of Rochester Institute for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research; director of the University of Rochester Center for Advanced Brain Imaging and Neurophysiology
• Distinguished Alumna/Clinical Practitioner Award: Theresa M. Maresca, M.D. ’84, clinical professor of family medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle
• Lifetime Achievement Award: David Siegel, M.D. ’73, M.P.H., professor emeritus and former vice chair of medicine at the University of California (UC) Davis School of Medicine; formerly chief of medicine at the VA Northern California Health Care System; professor of medicine and of epidemiology and biostatistics at UC San Francisco (UCSF)
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Yvette H. Calderon, M.D. ’90, professor of emergency medicine and the dean and vice president for equity in clinical care at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Health System; chair of the David B. Kriser Department of Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel
• Lifetime Service Award: Marjorie Werner Stein, M.D. ’85, professor of clinical radiology at Einstein and an attending radiologist at Montefiore.
• Einstein Honorary Alumna Award: Nilda I. Soto, MS. Ed., former assistant dean of diversity enhancement at Einstein
• Rising Star/Clinical Practitioner Award: Jennifer K. Eng-Kulawy, M.D. ’10, commander in the United States Navy and the pediatric consultant to the navy’s surgeon general; assistant professor of pediatrics at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; head of the directorate of education, training, and research at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital
• Rising Star/Scientific Investigator Award: Evanthia T. Roussos Torres, M.D., Ph.D. ’12, assistant professor of medicine (oncology) at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine; adjunct assistant professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins University

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

• Samuel M. Rosen Award for Outstanding Teaching (Clinical): Noé D. Romo, M.D. ’08, M.Sc., assistant professor of pediatrics at Einstein and medical director of the pediatrics inpatient service at NYC Health + Hospitals / Jacobi
• Samuel M. Rosen Award for Outstanding Teaching (Pre-Clerkship): Angela Cheng-Lai, Pharm.D., associate professor of medicine in the division of cardiology
• Harry Eagle Award for Outstanding Pre-clerkship Teaching: Adi Pinkas, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology
• Harry H. Gordon Award for Outstanding Clinical Teaching: Staci E. Pollack, M.D., M.S., professor of obstetrics & gynecology and women’s health in the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility and the department’s director of undergraduate medical education, and a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist at Montefiore
• Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching: Jay B. Dobkin, M.D. ’79, associate professor of medicine in the division of pulmonology
• LaDonne H. Schulman Award for Excellence in Teaching: Robert A. Coleman, Ph.D., associate professor of cell biology
• Saul R. Korey Award in Translational Science and Medicine: Kartik Chandran, Ph.D., professor of microbiology & immunology, the Gertrude and David Feinson Chair in Medicine, and the Harold and Muriel Block Faculty Scholar in Virology

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