Alumni Spotlight

The Office of Alumni Relations is proud to feature outstanding members of our Einstein alumni community. With a network spanning the world conducting innovative and important work in clinical medicine and scientific research, Einstein alumni carry with them the excellence and humanism that define Einstein’s ethos.

Physician, Professor, Kidney Donor
Mitchell J. Schwaber, MD '91

In March 2024, Mitchell J. Schwaber, M.D. ’91, donated one of his kidneys to a fellow Israeli, whom he did not know. Selfless service to others is a Schwaber family tradition that goes way back. Continuing the family tradition of mending the world, Dr. Schwaber serves as director of the National Center for Infection Control of the Israel Ministry of Health and was a first responder with the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. He is a regular blood donor, is listed in the National Marrow Donor Program registry, and has now literally offered more of himself than ever before.

First Ascents: Catalysts for a Lifetime of Exploring the Natural World

Samuel Silverstein, MD '63 has enjoyed a lifetime of exploration, from Antarctica’s mountains to innate immunity.

Mountaineering– “a thinking person’s sport”–has profoundly shaped Dr. Silverstein’s thinking. “Medicine appeals to my sense of humanity, but research appeals to my sense of adventure. And in my life, adventure has always won out.” Dr. Silverstein’s achievements in science, education, and public policy have been as widely recognized as those of his in mountaineering and geographic exploration.

The Art of Dermatology
Ellen Marmur, M.D. ’99

Ellen Marmur, M.D. ’99, took a unique path to founding Marmur Medical, her dermatology practice established in 2012.

In her youth, Ellen was an award-winning artist. She majored in philosophy at Vassar College and even considered becoming a rabbi. In her 20s, she was a wilderness survival guide and led canoe trips in Canada. It was during one of these trips that she discovered her passion for medicine: When a camper injured an ankle, she realized, “You can take medicine with you everywhere and help anyone.” This experience led her to take pre-med classes at the University of California, Berkeley, before arriving at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1995.

The Joseph and Elaine Hilsenrath Endowed Scholarship Fund

Joseph Hilsenrath, M.D. '59, wears a serious expression in the photo of Albert Einstein College of Medicine's first graduating class. One can only wonder what he was feeling—perhaps relief at making it through on a financial shoestring. Perhaps determination to face the challenges of the cardiology career ahead and establishing a household with his new wife. Or maybe he was remembering all he had been through to arrive on the lawn of the Forchheimer Medical Sciences Building that day.

Scott Braunstein, M.D. ’90: Making Rare Seizure Disorders His Business

It’s not a long drive from Morris Park Avenue to Wall Street, but few Einstein graduates go that route. Scott N. Braunstein, M.D. ’90, is a notable exception.

A Gift That Has Kept On Giving

A scholarship created by alumni Gita and Jay Lisker builds on a long-ago investment

After World War II, Gita Lisker’s parents came to the United States as post-holocaust refugees with nothing; however, they were both committed to their own education and went on to earn PhDs – her father in economics, her mother in physics.

Alumni Awards 2024

Read about the 2024 Alumni and Honorary Alum Awardees who have made significant contributions to the advancement of medicine, biomedical science, and medical education.

View 2024 Alumni Awardees

An Rx for America’s Healthcare Emergency

Dan Frogel, MD ’03, makes good on his passion to take medicine out of the hospital and into the community, supporting Einstein students along the way.

An Einstein Family Shares the Love

Lois Jovanovic, M.D. ’73, smiles in almost every photo ever taken of her. She had much to smile about: Her trailblazing research helped thousands of women with diabetes to become mothers. She was also the mother of two Albert Einstein College of Medicine graduates.

A Gift to Support the Future of Einstein’s Physician-Scientists

Drs. George and Catherine Wu endow the directorship of Einstein’s M.D.-Ph.D. program.

Humanist in Medicine and Life

Einstein Graduate and Einstein Parent, Shelly L. Ludwig, M.D. '74, supports student education in medicine, investing in our future health and community cohesion

Rewriting the Script

Pioneering medical geneticist, Pauline Brenholz, MD ’73, has taken fate into her own hands.

Championing the Underdog – and Now, Einstein’s Students: Suzanne Fried, MD ’64 Establishes Scholarship Fund with Blended Gift

Suzanne (Sue) Fried, MD ’64 was just 12 when her father died, but seven decades later, her eyes still well up when she talks about him.

Message from Jay Feingold, MD '85 PhD '86

"We always need to remember where we came from...So as alumni of Einstein, look back on the quality of the education you got and think about the people who dedicated their time and money to making sure that Einstein is the outstanding place it is."

Outgoing President of the Alumni Association Board of Governors Jay Feingold, MD PhD welcomes the graduating class of 2022 and reflects on his term as President during the pandemic.

Love at Einstein: Amanda Weiss, MD 2012 and David B. Erlichman, MD 2011

Amanda Weiss, MD '12 and David B. Erlichman, MD '11 met during their first year of medical school. David immediately noticed Amanda’s Roots Ltd. backpack and recognized her as a fellow Canadian. They had many mutual friends and eventually Amanda’s roommate encouraged them to go out. At the end of that year, they got engaged and then were married their first summer at Einstein.

Assumpta Madu, MD ’93

Assumpta Madu, MD, MBA, PharmD is Medical Director and owner of Bartow Ophthalmology Pllc, located in the Bronx. Dr. Madu is also affiliated with Morris Heights Health Center.

Timothy K. Amukele, MD, PhD ‘06

Dr. Timothy Amukele is an Associate professor in the Department of Pathology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His expertise is in clinical laboratories in developing countries. He pioneered several innovations including, the use of medical drones in hard-to-reach places and the List of Essential Diagnostics, which has been adopted by the WHO.

Hasan Bazari, M.D. ’83

Hasan Bazari, M.D. ’83, led the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)—one of the most prominent programs in the country—from 1994 to 2014. In 2015, Dr. Bazari received Einstein’s Distinguished Alumnus / Clinical Practitioner Award for his success as both a clinician and an educator.

Rachel Katz, M.D. ’95

Many years before Rachel Katz, M.D. ’95, arrived at Einstein, she had a strong connection to the school. Dr. Katz’s mother, Monique, is a Vassar graduate and Einstein 1963 alumna, and her father, Mordecai, served on the Yeshiva University Board of Trustees. Both were—and remain—generous philanthropic supporters.

Emanuel Phillips, M.D. ’59

Emanuel Phillips, M.D. ’59, is a member of Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s first graduating class. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army as a medical officer and then returned to Einstein to teach internal medicine and care for families in the Bronx and surrounding communities for more than three decades. But his eminently successful medical career nearly didn’t happen.

Alumni

Physician, Professor, Kidney DonorMitchell J. Schwaber, MD '91