News and Events

The New York Medical College (NYMC) community commemorated Yom Hashaoh, Holocaust Remembrance Day, on April 17. Guest speaker Howard Israel gave a presentation on the role of Nazi medicine in the holocaust.

NYMC and Touro leadership:
Marie T. Ascher, M.S., M.P.H., the Lillian Hetrick Huber Endowed Director of the Health Sciences Library
Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., chancellor and chief executive officer
Matthew Pravetz, O.F.M., Ph.D. ’88, professor of cell biology and anatomy, program director and assistant dean for basic sciences
Anne Bayefsky, director, Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust
Rabbi Moshe D. Krupka, executive vice president, Touro College and University System

Among many virtues, telehealth has helped the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) grapple with patient population challenges and a relative shortage of healthcare professionals to maintain more consistent levels of care throughout its service region, says Christian Becker, MD, PhD, associate medical director, Westchester Medical Center Health Network.

NYMC faculty: Christian D. Becker, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine

"There are chemicals in [e-cigarettes] that not only scar the lung, but cause cancer. There's lead inside the air that you breath in when you vape. And I need your help to spread the word. Get out there and spread the word that just because it looks clear that it doesn't mean that it's safe," said Dr. Allen Dozer.

NYMC faculty: Allen J. Dozor, M.D., professor of pediatrics and clinical public health, chief of pediatric pulmonology, allergy and sleep medicine and director, Children's Environmental Health Center of the Hudson Valley

Community health centers like Open Door are instrumental in providing health care to New Yorkers throughout the Lower Hudson Valley,” said Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY17/Rockland-Westchester).

NYMC affiliate news: Open Door Family Medical Centers

County Executive Mike Hein announces the reappointment of Ulster County Commissioner of Health and Mental Health Dr. Carol M. Smith, who has served with distinction as Commissioner since 2012.

NYMC faculty: Carol M. Smith, M.D., M.P.H., distinguished visiting professor of health behavior and community health

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano announced the members he appointed to serve on his newly created Health Advisory Board. The board’s goal will be to create and recommend effective policies, programs, and projects in the city regarding the health and well-being of its residents.

NYMC faculty:
Ammir R. Rabadi, M.D., instructor of family and community medicine
Iyad Annabi, M.D., clinical assistant professor of family and community medicine
Sonia A. Velez, M.D., J.D., assistant professor of family and community medicine

NYMC faculty:
Ben C. Watson, Ph.D., vice dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice
Tricia J. Hiller-Dinoff, M.S., instructor of pediatrics
James R. McWilliam, M.D., clinical assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery
Boriana Parvez, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics

"This study only had 68 people enrolled, which is a limitation, so there really needs to be larger-scale studies before being able to confidently recommend ketamine as a first-line choice," said Dr. Matthew Lorber, a psychiatrist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

NYMC faculty: Matthew Lorber, M.D., M.P.A., clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences

"Where does the money go if I don't use it? If you don’t use it, you lose it. This is why you might see signs outside of places like your eye doctor encouraging you to use up your FSA before the end of the year," Adam Block, Ph.D., an assistant professor of public health at New York Medical College.

NYMC faculty: Adam E. Block, Ph.D., assistant professor of health policy and management

“Our trauma program continues to grow academically, clinically and across the region with the expertise of adult and pediatric trauma surgeons who work with a multi-disciplinary team to provide the highest quality lifesaving care to Hudson Valley patients when they need it most,” said Dr. Rifat Latifi, director of surgery and chief of general surgery at WMCHealth.

NYMC affiliate news: Westchester Medical Center and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital
NYMC faculty: Rifat Latifi, M.D., professor of surgery

Westchester Medical Center and Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital recently received reverification of the hospitals’ Level I trauma statuses – the highest level awarded by the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons – for both its adult and pediatric trauma centers. “We are proud to receive this prestigious reverification of our Regional Level I trauma designation from the American College of Surgeons for Westchester Medical Center and Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital,” said Rifat Latifi, MD, Director of Surgery and Chief of General Surgery at WMCHealth.

NYMC affiliate news: Westchester Medical Center and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital
NYMC faculty: Rifat Latifi, M.D., professor of surgery

April 17 is Yom Hashoah, the international day of remembrance for the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. New York Medical College's Holocaust Remembrance Day will feature a lecture on "The Origins of Pernkopf's Anatomy Atlas & the Role of Nazi Medicine in the Holocaust" delivered by Keynote Speaker Howard A. Israel, D.D.S.

NYMC Event open to the public

We then talked with Dr. Patricia Gerbarg, an assistant clinical professor in psychiatry at New York Medical College and the author of The Healing Power of the Breath. Dr. Gerbarg explained that the visual’s purpose is to help slow a person’s breathing, which therefore decreases a person’s anxiousness and/or panic. She noted that it’s the breathing that calms the anxiety rather than the actual visual.

NYMC faculty: Patricia Gerbarg, M.D., clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences

TouroCDM faculty and staff: Edward Farkas, D.D.S., vice dean for administrative affairs, TouroCDM, Rachel M. Silva, M.A., director of marketing, TouroCDM

Like many doctors, I too have advised patients and readers to exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. Now, Dr. Maureen Brogan, associate professor of medicine at New York Medical College, reports that intense, repetitive, motion exercise can cause rhabdomyolysis. And in rare cases it can kill.

NYMC faculty: Maureen E. Brogan, M.D., associate professor of medicine

The Westchester Institute for Human Development (WIHD) recently announced that Jenean Castillo, PhD, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator at Westchester Institute for Human Development University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and Assistant Director of WIHD’s Child Welfare Program, has been awarded the New York Medical College Diversity and Inclusion Award.

NYMC faculty: Jenean Castillo, M.A., Ph.D., assistant professor, Center on Disability and Health
NYMC faculty: Susan W. Fox, Ph.D., associate professor of public health and director of the Center on Disability and Health

Now isn't the time to estimate your weight! If you're unsure of the actual number, request a scale at the hospital so you can give the anesthesiologist an accurate number. "Initial dosing is often based on weight," says Nitin Sekhri, MD, medical director of pain management at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York.

NYMC faculty: Nitin Sekhri, M.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology

The Earl of Derby once remarked that “Those who don’t take time for wellness, will eventually have to make time for sickness.” Like many doctors, I too have advised patients and readers to exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. Now, Dr. Maureen Brogan, associate professor of medicine at New York Medical College, reports that intense, repetitive, motion exercise can cause rhabdomyolysis. And in rare cases it can kill.

NYMC faculty: Maureen E. Brogan, M.D., associate professor of medicine

“WMCHealth is committed to saving the lives of people in the Hudson Valley and beyond facing life-threatening conditions that can only be treated with an organ transplant,” said Thomas Diflo, MD, Chief of Intra-Abdominal Organ Transplantation at Westchester Medical Center.

NYMC Faculty: Thomas Diflo, M.D., professor of surgery