Academic Honors & Events

A Distinctive Reunion—Elaine Schulte, M.D., M.P.H., B.C.C., received the Distinguished Alumna Award from Albany Medical College at her 35^th medical school reunion on April 21, 2023. The honor recognizes her work specializing in adoption medicine. Dr. Schulte leads the first adoption program established at an academic hospital in the tristate area. It provides comprehensive pre- and post-adoption consultations and evaluations and offers ongoing care of adopted children. In conjunction with the presentation of the award, she presented the annual Distinguished Alumna Lecture, entitled “Coaching: Rediscovering Meaning in Medicine.” Dr. Schulte is professor of pediatrics and medical director of the Adoption Program at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore.

Shaping the Future of Medical Genetics—Susan Klugman, M.D., is the new president of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the national professional organization for clinical and laboratory genetics professionals. As president she will have key roles in best practices in genetics and in genetics education for healthcare professionals and patients. Previously, Dr. Klugman has served as ACMG vice president for clinical genetics, ACMG representative to the American Medical Association’s House of Delegates, and reproductive genetics editor for Genetics in Medicine, the ACMG's flagship journal. Passionate about education and mentorship, she has served on the ACMG Education and CME Committee and recently completed a six-year term on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Residency Review Committee for Medical Genetics. Dr. Klugman is director of the division of reproductive and medical genetics at Einstein and Montefiore, professor of obstetrics & gynecology and women's health and of pediatrics, and program director for the clinical medical genetics residency that spans the two departments.

Powerful Presentation—Dr. Lauren Roth, presented her impactful work, “How LGBTQ+ Health Education Can Improve the Care of LGBTQ+ Youth,” as a plenary speaker at the Eastern Society for Pediatric Research in March 2023. Dr. Roth is the course director for Einstein's four-year longitudinal M.D. course on service learning. She also is assistant professor of pediatrics at Einstein and an attending at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore.

Rising Within ASH Leadership—Keisuke Ito M.D., Ph.D., was elected to serve as vice chair of the Scientific Committee on Hematopoiesis for the American Society of Hematology (ASH), after which he will succeed to the role of chair. There are multiple scientific committees that contribute to ASH’s overall mission, aimed at aiding the battle against blood diseases. These committees oversee organizing of the ASH annual science meeting, defining research priorities and policies, and choosing the subsequent years’ members and award candidates. The vice chair and chair are responsible for communicating about and advocating for their committee's ideas to the program committee. Dr. Ito is associate professor of cell biology and medicine and the director of scientific resources of the Einstein’s Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research. His research seeks to expand our understanding of the regulatory pathways that control the equilibrium of healthy and malignant hematopoietic stem cells.

Honoring Excellence—Honoring Excellence — Marjan Islam, M.D., received the Young Investigator Research Award from the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST). The award recognizes outstanding original scientific research and presentation of his abstract: “Thoracic Ultrasound in COVID-19: Use of Lung and Diaphragm Ultrasound in Evaluating Dyspnea in Survivors of Critical Illness from COVID-19 Pneumonia in a Post-ICU Clinic.” Dr. Islam is assistant professor of medicine.

A Mentor of Merit—Liise-anne Pirofski, M.D., has received the Walter E. Stamm Mentor Award from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) in recognition of her outstanding mentorship. The award is named for the late Walter E. Stamm, a former president of the IDSA, and is given to a society member whose exemplary efforts have aided mentees in achieving their career goals. Throughout her career, Dr. Pirofski has nurtured a multitude of doctoral students, postdoctoral trainees, and faculty members, especially women and minorities. Last year, IDSA also honored Dr. Pirofski as a 2021 Woman of ID, further highlighting her passion and commitment to mentoring, since the title is given to “accomplished leaders, mentors, and pioneers in [the infectious diseases field] whose research and guidance make advancements in ID possible.” Dr. Pirofski is a professor of medicine and of microbiology & immunology, as well as the Selma and Dr. Jacques Mitrani Professor in Biomedical Research at Einstein, and she is chief of infectious diseases at Montefiore.

Golden Honor—The Society of Abdominal Radiology (SAR) has honored Dr. Judy Yee with its Gold Medal, the organization’s highest honor, based on contribution to abdominal radiology, medicine, and patient health, as well as service within the society and commitment to the SAR mission and values. A past president of SAR and chair of its corporate support committee, Dr. Yee has been a tireless advocate for radiology in colorectal cancer screening, leading the society’s multi-vendor CTC colonography course for nearly two decades. She also is a diversity advocate and an outstanding mentor, especially for women leaders in imaging. Dr. Yee will receive her SAR award in March 2023. She is professor and university chair of radiology at Einstein and Montefiore.

Exploring Ethics in Pedatrics—What are the issues in research on young patients? On September 13 and 14, Dr. Michael Cabana joined the nation’s top pediatric practitioners and thinkers as they discussed this and others question during a virtual event, titled “Ethical Considerations in Research for Pediatric Populations,”sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences. Dr. Cabana is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Pediatric Research, which makes policy recommendations to the board of directors on aspects of child health research such as identifying major research questions, promoting funding for pediatric research, and monitoring the status and practice of including children in federally sponsored research studies. He is professor and the Michael I. Cohen, M.D. University Chair of Pediatrics at Einstein and Montefiore, as well as physician-in-chief of the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore.

Laudable Recognition—Dr. Allan Wolkoff has been selected to receive the Leadership Award from the American Liver Foundation (ALF) at its National Legacy Gala, in October. The honor recognizes his “decades of organizational leadership and scientific research on behalf of those affected by liver disease” and his loyal commitment to ALF’s mission. Renowned worldwide for providing new windows into the physiology and pathophysiology of hepatocytes as they relate to liver disease, Dr. Wolkoff’s work has had continuous support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and he has served on various advisory committees. Previously, the ALF honored him with its 2012 Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award. A member of Einstein’s class of 1972, Dr. Wolkoff is professor and chief of the department of medicine’s division of hepatology and director of the Marion Bessin Liver Research Center. He also is professor of developmental & molecular biology, associate chair for research in medicine, and the Herman Lopata Chair in Liver Disease Research.

ExCiting News—Hyunah Yoon, M.D., has received the 2022 Infectious Diseases Society of New York (IDSNY) Junior Faculty Research Award. The IDSNY cited her COVID-19 research on convalescent plasma paper, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association: Internal Medicine in December 2021, as a basis for the award, which she shares with co-author and collaborator, Mila Ortigoza, M.D., Ph.D., an infectious disease specialist at NYU Langone Health. Dr. Yoon will be joined by Dr. Ortigoza in presenting their research at the IDSNY annual symposium on May 10, 2022. She is assistant professor of medicine.