The evening of October 26 was a special one for NYMC as guests gathered for the annual Founder’s Dinner at Marina Del Ray in the Bronx. More than 385 academic, healthcare, business, and community leaders came together to celebrate NYMC’s proud history and promising future and to honor distinguished faculty and alumni leaders for their impactful and transformative achievements. Among the honorees were James J. O'Brien, Ph.D., M.A., back right, vice dean emeritus, School of Health Sciences and Practice and professor emeritus of public health; and Ben C. Watson, Ph.D., back left, vice dean emeritus, School of Health Sciences and Practice and professor emeritus of speech-language pathology. Read the full article and view the photo gallery and videos.

Students from NYMC’s D.P.T. Class of 2024 coordinated a successful Race for Rehab on campus, on October 2. The 5K race welcomed in-person participants after two years of virtual running and raised more than $6,200 for Achilles International, a not-for-profit organization that provides a community of support to athletes with disabilities. D.P.T. students sold official race tee shirts, organized fundraisers at local restaurants and collected online donations to pass the impressive $6,000 mark. After crossing the finish line, participants enjoyed a reception and an award ceremony for the top finishers in different categories. View the photos from the race.

October 24 commemorates United Nations Day and NYMC SHSP was on hand to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter. Serving as liaisons to Sustainable Development Goal 3 Hub (Good Health and Wellbeing) for the United Nations Academic Impact, Padmini Murthy, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., M.Phil., CHES, professor of public health and global health director, and Amy Ansehl, D.N.P., R.N., M.S.N., FNP-BC, associate dean for School of Health Sciences and Practice student experience and director of applied practice experience, as well as associate professor of public health, were invited, along with an NYMC student, Maryam Albarakati, to participate in the special event at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Read the full article and view the video.

Members of the D.P.T. Class of 2024 presented their community service projects on November 17. They shared their successes and lessons learned carrying out their projects in health and wellness, the Race for Rehab and global outreach. “It was a privilege to be able to witness the D.P.T. students from the Class of 2024 deliver their community service project presentations,” said Janet P. Dolot, P.T., D.P.T., Dr.P.H.’14, OCS, interim chair of the Department of Physical Therapy and assistant professor of clinical physical therapy. “This is a wonderful tradition showcasing the tremendous impact that the D.P.T. program has on our communities. The lessons gained from these experiences are invaluable and I’m glad the D.P.T. Class of 2025 was in attendance to get a better understanding of how to boost our community service efforts for next year.” Read the full article on the D.P.T. community service presentations.

On October 22, members of the NYMC community joined more than 40 stakeholders who collaborated to launch the inaugural Health and Wellness Fest at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, New York. Recognizing the significant disconnect between suburban residents and community resources pertaining to health and wellbeing, a task force, the Health and Wellness Committee, spearheaded by Councilman Andres L. Castillo Quintana, far right, and chaired by Bruno S. Villazhinay Matute, M.P.H. ’22, second from right, a Dr.P.H. student in the SHSP and senior administrator in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, led the charge. Amy Ansehl, D.N.P., R.N., M.S.N., FNP-BC, second from left, associate dean for the School of Health Sciences and Practice student experience and director of applied practice experience, as well as associate professor of public health, who directs the structured public health practice experience for students to take a population-based approach to a problem and apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom, was also on hand. Read the full article on the Health and Wellness Fest.

SHSP Student Healthcare Executives (StuHe) embarked on the 2022-2023 academic year with a meet-and-greet session as the group looks ahead to a year of supporting and connecting with public health students and their interests. Allison Asher, far left, vice president of StuHe, and Jaskunwar Singh, far right, director of communications and social media for the club, gave a closer look to what StuHe has planned for the year.

Students and faculty from the SHSP and SOM helped educate the Westchester County community at the City of White Plains Neighborhood Health Fair and See, Test and Treat Program on October 1. Students volunteered to help provide free screenings for speech and hearing and share their knowledge on environmental health. Read the full article on the fair.

Jonathan V. Pascale, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Pharmacology, was recently recognized for his work on the underlying mechanism of metabolic syndrome and its associated complications, and the possible creation of therapeutics for those conditions. He was named the inaugural recipient of the Melvin H. Amler Prize for Innovation. Abstract submissions for the award were reviewed by a review committee led by Salomon Amar, D.D.S., Ph.D., second from right, vice president for research and professor of pharmacology and of pathology, microbiology and immunology at NYMC, senior vice president for research affairs, TU. Read the full article on Pascale.

NYMC faculty authors had another banner year with 1,100 publications including 892 journal publications, 130 abstracts, nine books and 69 book chapters published in 2021. The astounding number of publications were honored at the 29th Annual Faculty Author Celebration hosted by the Phillip Capozzi, M.D., Library. Read the full article, view the photos and view the video.

Co-sponsored by the SHSP’s Center for Disaster Medicine, NYMC and TU hosted the 22nd COVID-19 Symposium on October 27. The webinar included a panel discussion on the new bivalent COVID-19 booster shots as well as presentations on the use of wastewater analysis to assess the presence of COVID-19 and polio in a population; reform and restructuring of the Centers for Disease Control; and the reappearance of polio in New York. Watch the 22nd COVID-19 symposium video.

NYMC's Office of the Registrar now offers electronic transcripts(eTranscripts) and certified electronic credentials, known as a CeDiplomas which make it easy for students and graduates to request and distribute their diplomas, transcripts and certifications. Eileen Romero, M.B.A., registrar, helped implement CeDiplomas and eTranscripts at NYMC. Ms. Romero shared the benefits of these new offerings.

Belgaum, India, may seem like a long way from Valhalla, New York, but it was a journey Anushka Anil Parakh, B.D.S., was willing to take to expand her skills as a dental clinician and to incorporate humanitarian work into her practice. Read the full article on Dr. Parakh.

Janet P. Dolot, P.T., D.P.T., Dr.P.H.’14, OCS, interim chair of the Department of Physical Therapy and assistant professor of clinical physical therapy, recently welcomed four new faculty members to her team: Parmveer Kaushal, P.T., D.P.T., CCS; Scott Rivera, P.T., D.P.T.; Victor Santamaria, P.T., M.Sc., Ph.D.; and Nicholas Sheehan, P.T., D.P.T. ’16; all assistant professors of physical therapy. Read the full article on the new faculty.

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Call for Alumni Milestones

We would love to share your most recent news and accomplishments in our next issue of Chironian. If you have any accomplishments or developments, published a book, or have any family news to share we would love to hear from you.  Please share your updates with us to be included in our class notes.