May 24, 2019—(BRONX, NY)—Albert Einstein College of Medicine conferred 156 M.D. and 31 Ph.D. degrees as it celebrated its 61st commencement yesterday at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center. In addition, 16 graduates of Einstein’s Medical Scientist Training Program received both an M.D. and Ph.D. degree. This year’s ceremony was the first in which graduates received diplomas with the Einstein seal, after the College of Medicine was awarded independent degree-granting authority earlier this year.
Dr. Gupta advises graduating Einstein students to “do the impossible,” citing the successful 27-hour surgical separation of the conjoined McDonald twins at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in 2016.
Commencement speaker Sanjay Gupta, M.D., chief medical correspondent for CNN and a practicing neurosurgeon, was introduced by Steven M. Safyer, M.D., president and CEO of Montefiore Medicine. Einstein conferred an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters on Dr. Gupta.
Gordon F. Tomaselli, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and executive vice president and chief academic officer at Montefiore Medicine, addressed the graduates, and Dr. Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University, addressed the graduates and their families.
During the commencement event, six individuals were honored with awards from Einstein’s Alumni Association:
- Dominick P. Purpura Distinguished Alumnus Award: Gerald B. Appel, M.D., ’72, professor of medicine and director, Glomerular Kidney Disease Center, Columbia Medical Center of the New York-Presbyterian Hospital
- Distinguished Ph.D. Alumna Award: Kathryn E. Stein, Ph.D., ’76, principal, Kathryn Stein Consulting, LLC, and former director, division of monoclonal antibodies, FDA.
- Distinguished Alumnus/Clinical Practitioner Award: David M. Hirsh, M.D., ’63, professor of orthopaedic surgery, Einstein and director emeritus, Center for Joint Replacement Surgery, Montefiore
- Lifetime Service Award: Elizabeth Stoner, M.D.,’77, M.S., executive partner at MPM Capital, former president, Einstein Alumni Board
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Harriette Rosen Mogul, M.D.,’65, M.P.H., associate professor and director of research, division of endocrinology, New York Medical College
- Honorary Alumnus Award: Harry Shamoon, M.D., professor of medicine and senior associate dean for clinical and translational research at Einstein, and director, Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Einstein and Montefiore
![Ph.D. Graduates]()
Ph.D. Graduates
The graduation ceremony also honored several Einstein faculty members for teaching or research excellence:
- Samuel M. Rosen Award for Outstanding Teaching (Clinical): Howard L. Forman, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Einstein, forensic psychiatrist at Montefiore
- Samuel M. Rosen Award for Outstanding Teaching (Pre-Clerkship): Mark A. Erlich, M.D., adjunct instructor of anatomy & structural biology at Einstein
- Harry Eagle Award for Outstanding Pre-Clerkship Teaching: Sherry A. Downie, Ph.D., professor of anatomy & structural biology at Einstein
- Harry H. Gordon Award for Outstanding Clinical Teaching: Erika Banks, M.D., professor of obstetrics & gynecology and of women’s health at Einstein, and vice chair, education, and residency program director at Montefiore
- Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching: Paul R. Marantz, M.D., M.P.H., professor of epidemiology & population health and of medicine, and associate dean for clinical research education at Einstein
- LaDonne H. Schulman Award for Excellence in Teaching: Pablo E. Castillo, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neuroscience and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and the Harold and Muriel Block Chair in Neuroscience at Einstein
- Saul R. Korey Award in Translational Science and Medicine: Chaim Putterman, M.D.,professor of medicine and of microbiology & immunology at Einstein, and chief of the division of rheumatology at Einstein and Montefiore.