Academic Honors & Events

Physics Fellow — Dr. Syun-Ru Yeh was recently elected a fellow of the American Physical Society. Dr. Yeh's election recognizes her fundamental contributions to the understanding of protein structure, function and folding and the technological advances that have opened new windows of opportunity for the study of rapid biological reactions. Dr. Yeh is professor of physiology & biophysics.

TB Insights — Dr. Jacqueline Achkar was co-editor of a multiauthor supplement to the Journal of Infectious Diseases, "Tuberculosis Diagnostics: Challenges, Logistics and New Developments." Dr. Achkar is assistant professor of medicine.

Critical Leadership — Dr. Vlad Kvetan led the "Symposium on Critical Care Controversies" in conjunction with the Greater New YorkHospital Association,the UnitedHospital Fund’s Critical Care Leadership Network andMontefiore Medical Center. Dr. Kvetan is professor of medicine and of anesthesiology, and associate professor of surgery.

Global Perspective — Dr. Ruth Macklin presented “Ethics in Global Health: Crosscutting Themes” at the Global Health Conference, co-sponsored by the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, the Global Health Education Consortium and the Canadian Society for International Health, in Montreal. Dr. Macklin is professor of epidemiology & population health and the Dr. Shoshanah Trachtenberg Frackman Faculty Scholar in Biomedical Ethics.

Medical Sleuth — Dr. Sarita Shah was among the alumni of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine touted as “Disease Detectives” in the medical school’s alumni newsletter, in recognition of their training at the U.S. Center for Disease Control’s prestigious Epidemic Intelligence Service. Dr. Shah, who studies extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, or XDR-TB, is associate professor of medicine at Einstein.

Expertise Sought — During January, Dr. Michael Risley was invited by Delft University of Technology, in the Netherlands, to offer his insights concerning the development of a new bachelor program in nanobiology at the university. Dr. Risley, a medical educator at Einstein and a course leader for histology, offered three days of workshops and consultation on the development of an integrated curriculum, course design, and teaching and learning strategies for the new program, which aims to train future scientists with a focus on the physics underlying biomedical phenomena. Dr. Risley is associate professor of anatomy and structural biology.

Prestigious Honor — Dr. Bruce Schwartz, professor and vice chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Einstein and deputy chair at  Montefiore Medical Center, will lead the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Section for Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Services. During his one-year term, Dr. Schwartz and a 16-person governing council will address matters of AHA policy, advocacy, and member resources in order to improve the quality and efficiency of psychiatric and substance abuse services.

Elective Service — Dr. Susan Band Horwitz was elected to serve as one of the members of the AACR Nominating Committee for the 2012 to 2014 term. Founded in 1907, the AACR (American Association for Cancer Research), is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. Its membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. Dr. Horwitz is distinguished university professor and co-chair of molecular pharmacology at Einstein, as well as associate director for therapeutics for the Albert Einstein Cancer Center and the Rose C. Falkenstein Professor of Cancer Research. She also is an AACR past president and currently serves as a member on the Council of Scientific Advisors.

Recognizing Excellence — In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the College of Medicine, Dr. Harris Goldstein has been promoted to associate dean for scientific resources. Previously serving as assistant dean, Dr. Goldstein has worked tirelessly to improve Einstein’s core and shared facilities in order to provide Einstein investigators with access to the most advanced technologies in a cost-effective manner. In addition to overseeing scientific resources in the dean’s office, Dr. Goldstein serves as director of the Einstein-Montefiore Center for AIDS Research and is professor of pediatrics and of microbiology & immunology.

In Memoriam — The Einstein community recently lost two beloved surgeons and faculty members: Dr. Stanley Levenson and Dr. Ralph Ger. Dr. Levenson, who was  distinguished university professor emeritus of surgery, was world-renowned for his advancements in burn treatment. He was revered by students and colleagues, alike, and was 96 at the time of his death. Dr. Ger served as a member of the Einstein faculty for more than 40 years, retiring in 2010. Internationally recognized as a pioneer in myocutaneous flap and laparoscopic hernia surgery, he was better known by generations of Einstein students for his anatomy course, where his erudition and dry sense of humor made it one of the most memorable courses in the curriculum. He was 91.