InTouch 8/31: NYMC Achieves Top ACCME Accreditation; CrisisManager app; GSBMS STAR Student Research Forum; Karen Sanders, M.D. '77, Visits; Good Food Farmers Network; High Schoolers Visit NYMC

Week of August 31, 2015

NEWS

NYMC Achieves Top ACCME Accreditation

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) recently awarded the School of Medicine the coveted status of "Accreditation with Commendation" and extended its accreditation for an additional two years through November 2020 for a total cycle of six years. This is the highest possible rating that a sponsoring institution can achieve as a provider of continuing medical education (CME). According to ACCME policy, the commendation status is "reserved for programs which are truly exceptional." Only a minority of CME providers obtain commendation and this is the first time that NYMC has gained this distinction. ACCME cited NYMC as, "a learning organization and a change agent for the physicians served," which demonstrates "an engagement with the environment in support of physician learning and change that is a part of a system for quality improvement." Read more...

CrisisManager Makes Campus Debut

In late July, NYMC introduced a pilot phase of the smartphone app, CrisisManager, to the School of Medicine Class of 2019. This week the app was launched to all classes in the School of Medicine and will be available shortly for all NYMC students, faculty and staff in order to provide them easy access to campus safety, security, and emergency response information. This initiative was developed as a result of the Independent Student Analysis as part of the LCME accreditation process and efforts of the Educational Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP) team. Read more...

GSBMS Hosts Fourth Annual STAR Student Research Forum

Twenty-five high school and college students were proud to show off their summer research accomplishments at the Fourth Annual Summer Trainees in Academic Research (STAR) Student Research Forum on August 13. After completing the summer-long program under the mentorship of NYMC faculty members, they presented their research orally and in poster format. Although the forum was not competitive, it was an opportunity for participants to practice their scientific communication skills to prepare for future science competitions and gain insight from the constructive feedback of judges. The forum concluded with a keynote address by Libor Velisek, M.D., Ph.D., professor of cell biology and anatomy, who presented "Epilepsy Through The Ages." View the STAR Research Forum photo gallery here.

Karen Sanders, M.D. '77, deputy chief academic affiliations officer of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Visits NYMC

Seated from left: Jennifer Riekert, M.B.A., vice president of communications; Dr. Sanders; and Dr. Michael Reilly, Dr.P.H., M.P.H., SHSP Center for Disaster Medicine. Standing from left: Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., dean
of the School of Health Sciences and Practice and vice president for government affairs; COL (Ret) Geoffrey Slack, director of veterans affairs; Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., chancellor and CEO; and Richard McCarrick, M.D., vice dean, graduate medical education and affiliations.

Karen Sanders, M.D. '77, seated center, deputy chief academic affiliations officer of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, visited her alma mater on August 26 to meet with President Alan Kadish, M.D., Chancellor and CEO Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice and vice president for government affairs, Touro Executive Vice President David Raab, and other College leadership. A career VA official with more than 30 years of service, Dr. Sanders recalled her basic science classes on the "new" Valhalla campus and clinical assignments at Flower Fifth Hospital. The day's discussions centered on the VA's expanding academic mission in medicine and more than 40 other health professions, and on new areas of potential collaboration with NYMC's and Touro's clinical and inter-professional programs.

NYMC Joins the Good Food Farmers Network

Members of the NYMC community are invited to join the Good Food Farmers Network and sign up for weekly fresh produce delivered right to campus. Organic vegetables and fruit, grass-fed meats, pastured poultry and eggs and other specialty items are available. After 35 people sign up, farmers will begin their weekly deliveries to the front of the Medical Education Center on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. You may sign up week to week and are not locked into a contract or extended timeframe. The Good Food Farmers Network is a farmer-owned, collaborative effort among regional farms working to support sustainable agriculture and beginning farmers. Their fresh food is grown and harvested with great care, and produced without pesticides, without synthetic fertilizers, without genetically-modified organisms, and with the highest degree of animal welfare and environmental stewardship. For more information and to sign up, please visit www.goodfoodfarmers.com .

High Schoolers Visit NYMC for Insider's View of Medicine

From mid-to-late July, more than 450 high school students from across the nation visited the NYMC campus as part of their week-long participation in the Envision National Youth Leadership Forum in Medicine. Envision is an experiential education organization dedicated to enabling students of all ages to explore their interests and gain critical learning experiences beyond the classroom in the areas of medicine, business, law, engineering and national security among others. Read more...

APPOINTMENTS

Donald A. Risucci, Ph.D., has been appointed assistant dean for assessment and evaluation for the School of Medicine. Dr. Risucci, who holds the faculty title of professor of surgery, will continue to play a role in the educational program of the Department of Surgery and has been an invaluable member of several educational committees. In his new role as assistant dean, Dr. Risucci will be responsible for the planning and implementation of ongoing evaluation and data mining methodologies. These approaches will be employed to develop an expanded base of quantitative and qualitative information used to support the analysis of all strategic, accreditation and educational objectives related to the School of Medicine curriculum. He will also be responsible for curriculum mapping and course and clerkship evaluations.

Adam Hammerman

has been named vice president for financial operations, overseeing all aspects of NYMC's finance, accounting, financial reporting and taxes. In this role, Mr. Hammerman will be responsible for the fiscal performance of NYMC and will supervise the Controller's and Budget Offices. He joins NYMC from the Touro College and University System (TCUS) where he was director of budget, planning and analysis. Prior to Touro, Mr. Hammerman held finance and operations positions at the 92nd Street Y, Museum of the City of New York, and The Town School. He earned his B.A. in accounting and information systems from Queens College of the City University of New York. Mr. Hammerman will assume his new role on September 9 and will report to Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., chancellor and chief executive officer, with a dotted line reporting relationship to Melvin Ness, C.P.A., senior vice president and chief financial officer at TCUS.