2023 Achievement Ceremony Program

ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10

ICAHN

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI ACHIEVEMENT

AWARDS

OPENING REMARKS

David Muller, MD, FACP

Dean for Medical Education

Marietta and Charles C. Morchand Chair

Leni and Peter W. May Department of Medical Education

Marta Filizola, Ph.D

Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Sharon & Frederick A. Klingenstein-Nathan G. Kase, MD Professor

Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Department of Neuroscience

PRESENTATION OF AWARDS

Omar Amir, MD Assistant Professor

Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine

Tara K. Cunningham, EdD, MS Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs

Leni and Peter W. May Department of Medical Education

Reena Karani, MD, MHPE

Director of the Institute for Medical Education

Leni and Peter W. May Department of Medical Education

Mary Rojas, MD Associate Professor Director of the Medical Student Research Office

Leni and Peter W. May Department of Medical Education

Elizabeth Singer, MD, MPH

Associate Professor Emergency Medicine and Medical Education

Rainier P. Soriano, MD Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs

Leni and Peter W. May Department of Medical Education

STUDENT AWARDS RECOGNITION

GOLD HUMANISM HONOR SOCIETY

Sewit Bereket

Beselot Birhanu

Julie Byrnes

Elizabeth Clifton

Tahera Murtaza Doctor

Michael Gao

Kaitlin Elizabeth Hanss

Josimar Hernandez Antonio

Terence Martin Hughes

Krsna Kothari

Riva Letchinger

DISTINCTION IN GLOBAL HEALTH

Esha Bansal

Beselot Birhanu

Cody Paige Goldberger

Terence Martin Hughes

Dustin P. Kee

Sara Nikki Kiani

Mukanga Marcia Lang

Cynthia Yixin Luo

Luke Patrick Maillie

Cecily Claire McIntyre

Olivia Nicole Moscicki

James Meyers

Olivia Nicole Moscicki

Victoria Mroz

Paloma Claire Orozco Scott

Ivy Ren

Ruhee Divyang Shah

Akarsh Sharma

Jason Storch

Mary Daotung Sun

Kevin Matthew Weiss

Devika Nadkarni

Jeffrey Oluwaseyilayo Okewunmi

Paloma Claire Orozco Scott

Parth Bhargav Patel

Gabriel Malave Santos

Emily Danielle Spiera

Ashesh Madhukar Trivedi

Dillan Villavisanis

Kevin Matthew Weiss

Stephanie Yushiuan Wu

Makda Getachew Zewde

DISTINCTION IN MEDICAL EDUCATION

Esha Bansal

Christopher Peter Bellaire

Terence Martin Hughes

Alexander V. Kalicki

Justin P. Kee

Sara Nikki Kiani

Mukanga Marcia Lang

Paloma Claire Orozco Scott

Jessica Hong-My Tran

Dillan Villavisanis

DISTINCTION IN RESEARCH – MEDICAL EDUCATION

Esha Bansal

Christopher Peter Bellaire

Natalie Frances Berger

Kevin Bu

Alexandra Donchak Capellini

Steven Chen

Chih Peng Chin

Peter Vicars Cooke

Arielle Catherine Coughlin

Stephanie Deeb

Daniel J. Fulop

Eric Allen Geng

Matthew Joseph Gluck

Brandon Samuel Gold

Joseph S. Han

Terence Martin Hughes

Alexander V. Kalicki

Samir Madhav Kamat

Derek DR Kao

Harrison Jacob Kaplan

Dustin P. Kee

Sara Nikki Kiani

Eliott Saemin Kim

Alyce Mei-Shiuan Kuo

Young Joon Kwon

Margarita Labkovich

Mukanga Marcia Lange

Jessica D. Lee

Samuel Jae Hwan Lee

Christine Charlotte Little

Caroline Liu

Madeline Marie Lui

Cynthia Yixin Luo

Luke Patrick Maillie

Samuel Zev Maron

Naomi Adalia Mayman

Cecily Claire McIntyre

Ariana C. Mills

Kate Alexandra Moody

Olivia Nicole Moscicki

Devika Nadkarni

Ryan Ashford Neff

Danielle Elizabeth Novack

Ross William O'Hagan

Kasopefoluwa Y. Oguntuyo

Samuel Oh

Jeffrey Oluwaseyilayo Okewunmi

Paloma Claire Orozco Scott

Parth Bhargav Patel

Daniel Lawrence Ahlbeck Ranti

Manasa Geeta Rao

Krishna Teja Ravivarapu

Ivy Ren

Halle M. Ronk

Shoshana Jo Rosenzweig

Gabriel Malave Santos

Charles Field Saylor

Lilli Schussler

Dhruv Sundar Shankar

Jennifer Olivia Shmukler

Emily Danielle Spiera

Mary Daotung Sun

Jessica Tan

Jessica Hong-My Tran

Aly Al-Amyn Valliani

Girish Valluru

Dillan Villavisanis

Yuanshuo Alice Wang

Mark Raphael Weingarten

Kevin Matthew Weiss

Haley Elizabeth Zarrin

Makda Getachew Zewde

Royce Zhou

DISTINCTION IN RESEARCH – GRADUATE SCHOOL

Sasha Fulton

Arielle Strasser

Royce Zhou

GLOSSARY TERMS

As you read the following student bios, you will come across the following acronyms:

EHHOP – East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership

MedDOCs – Medical Discovery of Careers Organization

MSTP – Medical Scientist Training Program

PEERS – Practice Enhancement, Engagement, Resilience, & Support Program

PORTAL – Patient-Oriented Research Training and Leadership Program

ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI MEDICAL EDUCATION STUDENT AWARDS PRESENTATION

(In alphabetical order by recipient’s last name)

DR. JOSEPH R. JAGUST ANESTHESIOLOGY AWARD EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC HEALTH (GRADUATE SCHOOL)

Emily Michelle Bachner

Prior to medical school, Emily graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science where she majored in Bioengineering with an additional concentration in Biomedical Devices. During college, she was initiated as a member of both the Tau Beta Pi and Hexagon engineering honor societies, and received an award for the best senior thesis from Penn’s Bioengineering Department.

Emily matriculated at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai directly following the completion of her undergraduate studies in 2018 through the FlexMed Early Assurance Program. While in medical school, Emily conducted research in Orthopaedics at the Hospital for Special Surgery, as well as research in both Infectious Diseases and Anesthesiology at Mount Sinai. In connection with this research, she published five articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented six abstracts at national conferences. When COVID-19 hit towards the end of Emily’s second year of medical school, she was inspired to pursue a Master of Public Health degree at Mount Sinai to learn how to best address the health disparities faced by different populations as highlighted during the pandemic. Emily later chose to obtain a deeper understanding of global health issues through her elective in anesthesiology and critical care at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, Israel, an area of sustained ethnic and political conflict. Throughout medical school, Emily also helped shape the Sinai community and assisted her peers by screening FlexMed applications, leading tours of the school, serving as an anatomy laboratory teaching assistant, and acting as the clerkship student representative for her class’ Introduction to Internship and InFocus courses.

Emily is truly humbled to be receiving both the Excellence in Public Health Award and the Dr. Joseph R. Jagust Anesthesiology Award. Her achievements were made possible by the unwavering support of her loved ones, as well as the investment of numerous faculty and mentors throughout her medical training thus far. Specifically, Emily would like to thank Drs. Meredith Grossman and Lauren Linkowski for all their help and guidance throughout medical school, as well as Drs. Stephanie Factor and Lauren Zajac for the skills and lessons in Public Health that they imparted to her and the impact that she was able to make through their work together. She would also like to thank the entire anesthesiology department for embracing her, and she is especially grateful to the many physicians within the department who have provided her with their invaluable support, advice, and expertise including Drs. Adam Levine, Bryan Mahoney, Samuel DeMaria, Ira Hofer, Matthew Levin, Nicolette Schlichting, Natalie Smith, Oded Tal, Corey Vasisko, and Ryan Wang.

Emily will graduate with her MD and MPH degrees, and she is incredibly excited to be continuing her residency training in anesthesiology at Mount Sinai!

PATRICIA LEVINSON AWARD FOR THE ADVANCEMENT AND INCLUSION OF WOMEN IN MEDICINE

Esha Bansal

Esha came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied International Relations & Business in the Huntsman Program.

Before entering ISMMS as a Global Health Scholar in 2019, Esha worked with the Public Health Agency of Barcelona in Spain and served as an environmental health research fellow in Italy through the International Exchange Program for Minority Students.

While at ISMMS, Esha developed an elective course using film narratives to explore global women’s health topics, conducted epidemiology research on prenatal air pollution exposures in Mexico City, and studied cardiac health inequities in Haiti through Haiti Cardiac Alliance. She published several academic articles in peer-reviewed journals, received the 2021 Excellence in Public Health Award of the US Physician National Advisory Committee, and participated in the 2022 Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE) Medical Cohort in Germany and Poland.

Esha is grateful to her family, partner, close friends, and the several Mount Sinai faculty members at Sinai who have made her medical education a meaningful and defining experience, both personally and professionally.

Esha will graduate with her MD/MPH degree and continue residency training in Internal Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, with the goal of becoming a physician leader in the fields of global health and gender equity.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP AWARD

Christopher Peter Bellaire

Christopher is a Marine Corps veteran and graduating MD candidate at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Christopher graduated from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs in 2011. He served as an intelligence officer in the Marine Corps for four years, with deployments to Japan and the southern Philippines.

Following his service in the Marines, Christopher attended Columbia University’s postbaccalaureate pre-medical program before starting medical school at Mount Sinai. Christopher is committed to advocating for veterans’ health in his medical training and future career as a physician, and he hopes to increase awareness within the medical community about how military service can affect veterans’ physical and mental health later in life.

Christopher is married to his college sweetheart, Genevieve, and they welcomed their first child, Ryan, in March 2023. He matched at Georgetown's orthopedic surgery residency program in Washington, DC, where he will start this summer. Christopher would like to thank his family, friends, and the many faculty members and residents who supported his medical education at Mount Sinai. Christopher is especially grateful for Mount Sinai and its Institutional Partnership with the US Military, which enabled him to pursue a career in medicine after the military.

THE JUDITH AND NATHAN KASE HUMANITIES IN MEDICINE PRIZE

Natalie Frances Berger

Natalie Berger came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai through the FlexMed Program from Brown University. At Brown, she concentrated in Science, Technology & Society where she created an independent track in Literature and Medicine. She taught dance classes to people with Parkinson’s Disease and presented a poster on this work at the International Health and Humanities Consortium and was an active contributor to Brown’s art-science magazine, Catalyst. She entered the MD program in 2019.

While at Icahn, Natalie led the Mount Sinai Humanities Interest Group and organized a lecture by Dr. Arnold Weinstein, a world-renowned writer and professor titled “Why Doctors Should Read Kafka.” She served as the course coordinator to “Words to Live By,” a creative writing course for medical and graduate students. She was an editor and contributor to Mount Sinai’s literary magazine, “The Apothecary” where she published an essay and a short story. Lastly, Natalie acted, wrote, and directed for “The Story Project,” Mount Sinai’s annual student-run anonymous monologue show.

Natalie would like to thank her family, friends, and partner for supporting and encouraging her throughout all of these endeavors. She would also like to thank the faculty in the Academy for Medicine & the Humanities at Mount Sinai who helped create so many of the spaces at Sinai that champion the humanities.

Natalie will graduate with her MD degree and continue her residency training in General Surgery at NYU.

PORTAL THESIS AWARD IN CLINICAL RESEARCH

Alexandra Donchak Capellini

Alexandra came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from Johns Hopkins University, where she majored in Public Health Studies. Before attending Icahn, Alexandra worked as a Research Assistant in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She entered the MD program in 2018.

While at Icahn, Alexandra participated in East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP), the student-run free clinic, as a Clinic Manager, represented her class in Student Council, and co-led the Pediatrics Interest Group. She contributed to behavior change research with the Chronic Disease Action Center at the Arnhold Institute for Global Health as well as cancer predisposition gene research at the Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling. Alexandra earned a Master of Science in Clinical Research through the PORTAL (MD/MSCR) program. She completed a fulltime research year with Dr. James L.M. Ferrara’s lab at the Hematologic Malignancies Translational Research Center/BMT Clinical Research of the Tisch Cancer Institute. Prior to graduation, Alexandra traveled to the United Kingdom to study the ethical considerations of sports prosthetic coverage for young amputees, through a partnership between the Ethox Centre of Oxford University and the Bioethics Program at ISMMS. She has published three articles in peer-reviewed journals throughout her time at Sinai.

Alexandra would like to thank her family, friends, mentors, and advisors at Sinai who have made her medical education a motivating and rewarding experience.

Alexandra will graduate with her MD/MSCR degree and begin residency training in Medicine-Pediatrics at the University of Michigan.

JEFFREY MODELL CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY PRIZE

Steven Chen

Steven came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from Cornell University where he majored in Biological Sciences-Molecular Cell Biology and graduated magna cum laude. Before attending Icahn, Steven worked as a research assistant at Rockefeller University. He entered the MD/PhD program in 2015.

While at Icahn, Steven participated in the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP) as a Chronic Care Senior Clinician, Research Chair, and Head Teaching Senior. He also helped establish a new ancillary clinic at EHHOP in his role as the Gastrointestinal/Liver Clinic Teaching Senior. During his PhD, he was a teaching assistant for the graduate level courses Fundamentals of Immunology and Biomedical Sciences for MD/PhD, as well as the Medical School Admissions Preparation program. He completed his doctoral research in Immunology in the labs of Dr. Miriam Merad and Dr. Brian Brown.

Steven would like to thank his research mentors, laboratory members, thesis committee, and the MD/PhD leadership for their guidance throughout his time at Icahn. He would also like to thank his friends and family for their unwavering support and love.

Steven will graduate with his MD/PhD degree and continue his residency training in Internal Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical Center-New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Lindsay Danielle Clark

Lindsay Clark came to ISMMS from the University of Maryland, where she earned a B.S. in Biological Science in 2018. She previously studied English and completed a five-year enlistment in the United States Army as a signals intelligence analyst, Arabic linguist, and paratrooper. Following a research fellowship in a USDA lab, Lindsay started at Sinai in 2019.

While at Sinai, Lindsay helped lead advocacy efforts as a member of the Segregated Care Student Work Group, Medical Students For Choice Leadership Group, and Mount Sinai Hospital’s Vaginal Birth After Cesarean calculator task force. She published two peer-reviewed papers describing her medical education work in segregated care and climate change. Lindsay also acted as Editor-in-Chief for the student-run creative arts journal The Apothecary. A writer herself, the poetry and fiction she produced while at ISMMS have been nominated for awards and published in university and independent presses, both in print and online. Given her early passion for primary care and the broad spectrum of her projects, she naturally decided on a career in Family Medicine.

Lindsay would like to thank her husband, her daughter, her parents, her siblings, and her friends for their humor and love and for giving meaning to the most challenging parts of this experience. She would also like to thank the many faculty members at Sinai who fostered opportunities for her and who encouraged her work across disciplines.

Lindsay will graduate with an M.D. and continue on to residency training in Family Medicine at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, CA.

STEVEN B. TAMARIN, MD, MEMORIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FAMILY MEDICINE

DR. HOWARD RAPPAPORT PEDIATRIC AWARD

Ariella Belle Cohen

Ariella came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai after graduating from Princeton University with a degree in Neuroscience and minors in Spanish and Global Health and Health Policy. As an undergraduate in the Princeton Baby Lab, she studied the neural correlates of learning during joint book reading in preschool-aged children.

Since entering the MD program in 2019, Ariella has been involved in several research projects in the Pediatrics, Global Health, and Neurology departments and also volunteered in the Pediatric Associates Clinic to screen for and address families’ social needs. She served as a peer tutor as well as a teaching assistant for several preclinical courses. Additionally, Ariella was involved in the Medical Spanish course, both as a student and course leader, and she was ultimately certified as a bilingual provider.

Ariella would like to thank her family and friends, as well as the many classmates, residents, and faculty members, including Dr. Leora Mogilner, Dr. Joel Forman, Dr. Hillary Raynes, and Dr. Praveen Raju, who have served as exceptional teachers and role models throughout her time at Mount Sinai. Ariella is also grateful to the patients and families who have been such incredible teachers and continue to inspire her to be a pediatrician.

Ariella will graduate with her MD degree and continue her residency training in Child Neurology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

PORTAL THESIS AWARD IN CLINICAL RESEARCH

Daniel J. Fulop

Dan came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai via the FlexMed Program from Harvard College, where he concentrated in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a secondary in Global Health and Health Policy. Before attending Mount Sinai, Dan conducted research on tuberculosis in New Delhi and worked at the Health Care Cost Institute in Washington, D.C. He entered the MD program in 2018.

While at Mount Sinai, Dan was accepted into the Patient-Oriented Research Training and Leadership (PORTAL) dual degree program and was a Digestive Diseases Research Foundation Fellow. He completed his Master’s thesis research on the impact of antibiotics on survival of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer which has been published in JAMA Network Open. Dan also participated in the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP), the student-run free clinic, as an Access to Care Team Case Manager, Financial Coordinator, Consultant, and Teaching Senior.

Dan would like to thank his fiancée, family, and friends for their endless love and support. He would also like to extend a special thanks to his classmates for their friendship, energy, and passion that have made these past 5 years so special. Lastly, Dan would like to thank his mentors and the PORTAL leadership for being sources of inspiration and guidance throughout his medical and research education.

Dan will graduate with his MD/MSCR degree and continue his residency training in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

DeAnalisa Jones

DeAnalisa came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from Columbia University, where she majored in Biomedical Engineering. Before matriculating into the MD/PhD Program in 2018, DeAnalisa was a Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) Scholar at Icahn.

DeAnalisa is a member of the Association of Native American Medical Students (ANAMS) National Executive Board and founded Icahn’s ANAMS chapter. While at Icahn, she has also served as a student psychotherapist at the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP), a member of the American Medical Association (AMA) Medical Student Section Committee on American Indian Affairs, and a Center for Anti-Racism in Practice (CAP) fellow. She is the recipient of a Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

DeAnalisa thanks her parents Don and Deborah Jones for teaching her the importance of service and community building, MSTP leadership for investing in her and uplifting her voice, and her MSTP cohort for being a second family.

DeAnalisa anticipates completing her MD/PhD training in 2025.

PORTAL THESIS AWARD IN CLINICAL RESEARCH

Derek DR Kao

Derek came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from Yale University, where he majored in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry. Before attending Icahn, Derek was a four-year member of the NCAA Division I Men’s Varsity Swimming Team and spent two summers in Peru working in mobile clinics to bring healthcare to remote villages. He was admitted to Icahn through the FlexMed program and entered the MD program in 2018.

While at Icahn, Derek participated in the student-run free clinic East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP) as a Chronic Care Senior Clinician and Clinic Manager Coordinator, taught and mentored high school students in Medical Discovery of Careers (MedDOCs), and helped produce The Story Project, an annual monologue performance. Derek was admitted to the Patient-Oriented Research Training and Leadership (PORTAL) program to pursue a dual MD/MSCR degree. His research focuses on clinical outcomes in head and neck cancer and his efforts have resulted in presentations and awards at national conferences and multiple first-author articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Derek would like to thank his family, friends, and the many faculty members both at Sinai and other institutions who have supported his education thus far. He would like to especially thank Dr. Keith Sigel and Dr. Janice Gabrilove for the mentorship and training that has launched his research career.

Derek will graduate with his MD/MSCR degree and continue his residency and research training in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Michigan.

MRS. DAVID A. DREILING SURGERY PRIZE IN MEMORY OF HER MOTHER, FLORENCE L. OPPENHEIMER

Harrison Jacob Kaplan

Harrison came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he majored in Computer Science and Molecular Biology.

While at Icahn, Harrison was a member of the Sinai BioDesign Student Working Group and a co-founder of Healthcare Huddle, a healthcare news and education company. He served as a leader of the Transplant Surgery Interest Group and Scrubs Addressing the Firearm Epidemic, and has continued to volunteer as a supervisor for MIT Emergency Medical Services. He has published five manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals on topics including disparities in surgical outcomes and quality improvement and is graduating with distinction in research.

Harrison would like to thank his family, friends, and many faculty members at Mount Sinai, including but not limited to Dr. Michael Leitman, Dr. Susan Lerner, Dr. Alan Benvenisty, Dr. Celia Divino, and Dr. Michael Marin, who have made his medical education thus far an enjoyable and rewarding experience and who have helped guide and support his path into the field of surgery.

Harrison will graduate with his MD degree and continue his residency training in General Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, where he will be a member of the innovation track.

BURTON DRAYER PRIZE IN RADIOLOGY AND BIOMEDICAL IMAGING

Young Joon Kwon

Fred came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in Biomedical Imaging and Radiation Physics. Before attending Icahn, Fred worked as a research assistant at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He entered the MD/PhD program in 2016.

While at Icahn, Fred volunteered in the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP), the ISMMS student-run free clinic, as a Senior Clinician, Radiology Interest Group, Sinai BioDesign, and Machine Learning 4 Health organization committee. He published 23 articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national meetings.

Fred would like to thank his family, friends, and the countless faculty members at Sinai whohave supported his education and training.

John will graduate with his MD PhD degree and continue his residency training in Diagnostic Radiology at NYU.

BARRY STIMMEL AWARD FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION

Mukanga Marcia Lange

Marcia came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from McGill University, where she majored in Honors Anatomy and Cell Biology. Before attending Sinai, Marcia worked as a Registration Clerk at the Montfort Hospital Emergency Department and as a Medical Clerk at the Bruyere Academic Family Medicine Centre. She entered the MD program in 2018.

While at Sinai, Marcia was accepted into the Global Health Scholars Program, through which she received an MPH and conducted global mental health research in Japan. She organized an Advocacy in Medicine Conference for medical students around New York, started a nutrition and culinary medicine elective course, and participated in the curricular redesign process as a committee member. As an RBI x CAP Fellow, Marcia worked alongside other students to revamp the medical school anti-oppressive curriculum. She also volunteered with the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP), the ISMMS student-run free clinic, as an Access to Care Team Case Manager and Teaching Senior. As a Digestive Disease Research Foundation fellow with Dr. Tatyana Kushner, Marcia devoted a year to working on various clinical research studies at the intersection of hepatology and public health, including a prospective study on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in pregnancy. Her work was selected for oral and poster presentations at national and international conferences, and she published in multiple peer-reviewed journals.

Marcia would like to extend a very special thank you to her parents (Mboyo Albert and Himbie Diane - je vous aime beaucoup), family, and friends for all their love and support. She is also incredibly grateful for all of the faculty members and invaluable mentors at Sinai, in particular Dr. Rainier Soriano, Dr. Tatyana Kushner, Dr. Craig Katz, Dean Michelle Sainte, and Dr. Ann-Gel Palermo, who continue to inspire her on a daily basis.

Marcia will graduate with an MD and MPH degree as part of the dual degree program and continue her residency training in Internal Medicine at the Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston.

PORTAL THESIS AWARD IN CLINICAL RESEARCH

Kaitlyn Grace London

Kaitlyn came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from Columbia University where she served as President of the Social Justice Medicine Student Group for which she earned the Columbia Spirit and Service Awards. Prior to attending Mount Sinai, she conducted research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, utilizing CRE-lox recombination technology to study graft-versus-host disease in a murine model.

While at Sinai, Kaitlyn joined the Patient-Oriented Research Training and Leadership (PORTAL) dual MD/MS in Clinical Research program and became a student researcher at Sinai’s Ferrara Lab. For Kaitlyn’s early work at the Ferrara Lab she was named an inaugural Tisch Cancer Institute Medical Student Research Scholar. At the Ferrara Lab, she completed her master’s thesis, a “Phase II Study of Natalizumab Plus Standard Corticosteroid Treatment for High-Rish Acute Graft-Versus-Host-Disease'' that she presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting and was honored with the ASH Physician-Scientist Award. Kaitlyn also served as leader of the PORTAL Peer Mentor Committee and as student co-leader of Sinai’s Preseason Pediatrics Nexus Course.

Kaitlyn would like to thank her family, friends, PORTAL leadership and dedicated mentors, Drs. James Ferrara and John Levine, for their tremendous support and guidance over the years.

Kaitlyn aspires to pursue a career as a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and translational researcher in the field. Kaitlyn will graduate with her MD and MS in clinical research and will continue her residency training in Pediatrics at New York Presbyterian - Weill Cornell.

GEORGE JAMES EPIDEMIOLOGY AWARD

USPHS PHYSICIANS PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC HEALTH AWARD

Elizabeth Magill

Liza completed her undergraduate education at Boston College, where she graduated summa cum laude with a major in International Studies and a minor in Medical Humanities. Prior to medical school, she completed a Global Health Corps fellowship in Kalisizo, Uganda and worked at Columbia University’s Global Mental Health Program.

Liza matriculated at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2020. She is enrolled in the MD-MPH dual degree through the Global Health Scholars program. While at Icahn, Liza has participated in leadership for the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP)’s mental health clinic, developing a consult-liaison program to better integrate mental health into primary care for EHHOP patients. She has published research related to implementation of psychological interventions across low resource settings and wellbeing of medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Liza is grateful for her family, friends, and many mentors who have encouraged her interests in global health and health equity throughout medical education and advocated for her in finding opportunities to combine these interests.

Liza will graduate with her MPH degree and complete a gap year in global psychiatry at the organization Partners in Health prior to finalizing her MD degree.

DR. MORRIS B. BENDER AWARD IN CLINICAL NEUROLOGY

Naomi Adalia Mayman

Naomi came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from Northeastern University, where she majored in Behavioral Neuroscience. Prior to attending Mount Sinai, Naomi worked at several positions in drug development and translational oncology at various companies, including Pfizer and Dana Farber Cancer Institute. She entered the MD program in 2019.

While at Mount Sinai, Naomi participated in the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP) as a Chronic Care Junior, Chronic Care Senior, and Teaching Senior. She also volunteered as a mentor in the MedDOCS program, an admissions committee member, and a student council member. She published several peerreviewed articles and gave two oral presentations at the International Stroke Conference.

Naomi would like to thank her family and friends for their support throughout medical school; the Mount Sinai faculty for their commitment to teaching; the department of neurology for providing such wonderful and rewarding teaching and research opportunities; and especially Dr. Laura Stein, for her generosity in mentorship and teaching.

Naomi will graduate with her MD degree and continue her residency training in neurology at the University of Pennsylvania.

THE MILTON C. ENGEL, MD, AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN GERIATRIC MEDICINE

Cecily Claire McIntyre

Cecily graduated from Yale University where she majored in English. Before attending Icahn, Cecily worked in Washington, DC in federal healthcare consulting, and in Arizona, for a public health organization that collaborates with indigenous communities. She enrolled in the MD program in 2019.

At Icahn, Cecily was accepted into the Primary Care Scholars Program, an immersive 4-year clinical curriculum for students dedicated to pursuing a career in primary care. She was co-president of the Geriatrics Interest Group and the Palliative Care Interest Group, and was a clerkship representative for the Ambulatory Care-Geriatrics Clerkship. She participated in a summer program in aging research (MSTAR) at Johns Hopkins and published a first-author manuscript about falls during COVID-19. Cecily also conducted a research project with two classmates investigating if the co-creation of legacy projects could combat ageism in medical trainees. One of Cecily’s most impactful experiences at Icahn was caring for two chronically ill older adult patients at the student-run free clinic, EHHOP, during her MS3 and MS4 years.

Cecily would like to thank her family, her classmates, and her friends, for their endless support during medical school. She would also very much like to thank her faculty mentors, including many in the Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, who have provided her with guidance and encouragement, and inspired her as tireless advocates for their patients.

Cecily will graduate with her MD degree and continue her residency training in Internal Medicine at Yale Primary Care in New Haven, CT.

THE BARRY COLLER AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN CLINICAL MEDICINE

Claire Elizabeth Frances Morley

Claire came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from Northwestern University where she majored in Neuroscience and Opera Performance. Prior to Icahn, Claire sang opera at the Castleton Festival outside D.C. She completed a ThinkSwiss fellowship in Switzerland studying imaging genomics of schizophrenia and worked as a neuroimmunology researcher at USCF investigating mitochondrial dysfunction in veterans with PTSD. While applying to medical school, Claire worked in phase IV clinical trial pharmaceutical regulation in London at the MHRA (British equivalent of the FDA).

While at Icahn, Claire has devoted much of her time to curricular development of the school and clinical care at East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP). As Chair of the Orientation Committee and a member of the Racism and Bias Initiative Guiding Coalition, she worked to overhaul the structure of the medical school orientation. This work won her the Student Award in Curricular Development in 2020. Claire has held various roles at EHHOP including as a Chronic Care Senior and Physician Recruitment Chair on the Steering Committee. In summer 2019, Claire completed community health research in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic and remains devoted to serving our local Latino communities as a certified bilingual interpreter. As an ASM TA, she has contributed to curricular development and has taught the MS2 class various approaches to clinical medicine.

Claire would like her family who have always encouraged her dream of becoming the first doctor in her family, her friends who have lent her a laugh or a hug in times of stress, and the many faculty members at Sinai including Dean Muller, Dr. Michael Herscher, Dr. Caroline Cromwell, Dr. Yasmin Meah, and Dr. Leona Hess who have all demonstrated how to be both an incredibly competent and increasingly compassionate clinician.

Claire will graduate with her MD degree and is ecstatic to stay in the Sinai family as an incoming internal medicine resident this summer!

IRWIN GELERNT, MD, AWARD FOR SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

JAMES FELT AWARD FOR THE PROMOTION OF SOCIAL AND RACIAL JUSTICE

THE LEONARD TOW HUMANISM IN MEDICINE STUDENT AWARD

Paloma Claire

Orozco Scott

Paloma came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from Brown University where they majored in Ethnic Studies and went on to complete a Master of Arts in American Studies. In college, Paloma worked as a coordinator for the Health Leads Program, providing social services to the parents of pediatric patients at the Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Paloma entered the MD program in 2019.

Since coming to Icahn, Paloma has made significant contributions to community service and anti-racist institutional change. Dean Ann-Gel S Palermo introduced Paloma to the East Harlem Community Health Committee (EHCHC) where they worked on a project raising awareness about the 2020 Census. Paloma also served as the Community Engagement Chair and Co-Chief Teaching Senior for East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP), the student-run free clinic. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Paloma lead a EHHOP campaign to distribute 28 AC units to EHHOP patients at high-risk of heat-related illness, the #1 cause of climate-related death in NYC.

Institutionally, Paloma served as a student council (StuCo) representative for all four years. Serving as StuCo Secretary, they advocated for increased institutional support for students engaged in anti-racist programmatic development and founded anti-racist summer readings groups. Their work set the stage for the launch of the Racism and Bias Initiative (RBI) x Center for Anti-Racism in Practice (CAP) Fellowship. As a RBI x CAP Fellow, Paloma conducted an ‘equity audit’ of the school’s 15 most highly utilized policies. Paloma also carried out their mission to create a more equitable and just healthcare system in their work advocating for the elimination of a ‘race-correction’ for African American race in the formula for kidney function.

Paloma would like to thank their friends, teachers, family and the patients who have shaped them into the person they are today.

Paloma will graduate with their MD degree and continue their residency in Internal Medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) in a primary care track at the San Francisco General Hospital.

DR. HAROLD LAMPORT BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH PRIZE

PORTAL THESIS AWARD IN CLINICAL RESEARCH

Daniel Lawrence Ahlbeck Ranti

Daniel Ranti came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from Northwestern University where he majored in biomedical engineering. Prior to matriculating at Mount Sinai, Daniel worked in Cambridge, MA, as a healthcare consultant and data analyst for three years.

At Mount Sinai, Daniel joined the Patient Oriented Research Training and Leadership program (PORTAL), where he joined Dr. Amir Horowitz and Dr. John Sfakianos to research causes of treatment resistance in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer to immunotherapy. His research was funded by the PORTAL program and the New York Academy of Medicine, and was primarily focused on imaging techniques to provide spatial insights into tumor resistance. Daniel has published over 20 peer reviewed articles, and has had the opportunity to present his work to regional, national, and international audiences.

Daniel would like to thank his mentors, Dr. Sfakianos and Dr. Horowitz, his family, his partner, Sophie, and his dog Maggie.

Daniel will graduate with an MD / MSCR degree, and will continue his education at Columbia University.

DR. ALAN F. GUTTMACHER OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY PRIZE

Manasa Geeta Rao

Geeta came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from Yale University, where she double-majored in Neuroscience and the History of Science, Medicine and Public Health. She was admitted to the FlexMed program at Sinai in 2017 and entered the MD program in 2019.

While at Icahn, Geeta participated in the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP) Gynecology clinic as a teaching senior, volunteered as an emergency room advocate with the Mount Sinai Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention (SAVI) program, was co-president of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) chapter at Icahn, and was involved on the curricular team as an OBGYN clerkship representative. She participated in several research projects with the Maternal Fetal Medicine department and has published three first-author articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Geeta would like to thank her family, partner, friends and classmates for their continuing love and encouragement. She would specifically like to thank her mentor Dr. Joanne Stone, who has been a source of endless support and inspiration since her first year at Icahn. Geeta would also like to thank the many faculty members within the OBGYN department, including Dr. Katherine Chen and Dr. Chelsea DeBolt, for their countless hours of advice and guidance.

Geeta will graduate with her MD degree and continue her residency training in OBGYN at NYP-Hospital Columbia University.

DR. M. RALPH KAUFMAN PSYCHIATRY PRIZE

PORTAL THESIS AWARD IN

CLINICAL

RESEARCH

Mary Daotung Sun

Mary came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in Computational Biology, Finance, and Health Care Management and Policy. Before attending Icahn, Mary worked as a product manager for Microsoft and was also a performing artist. She entered the MD/MSCR program in 2018.

While at Icahn, Mary co-founded the Diversity Innovation Hub, a unique communitydriven incubator that tackles social determinants of health-driven disparities, and was a founding member of the national Times Up Healthcare movement and the Gender Equity Accelerator Council at Mount Sinai. She also concurrently earned a master's degree in software engineering from Harvard University and a master's degree in clinical research from Mount Sinai, completed a research fellowship at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, co-edited a bestselling textbook, and published over forty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Outside the classroom, she volunteered for the Mental Health Clinic of the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership Program, led behavioral health and education design projects at several health technology companies, and was elected into the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

As a first-generation graduate, Mary would like to thank her incredible family, friends, and faculty mentors at Sinai who have made her journey through medicine possible.

Mary will graduate with her MD and MSCR degrees and continue her residency training in Psychiatry as part of the Child Track at the Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

PORTAL THESIS AWARD IN CLINICAL RESEARCH

Jessica Hong-My Tran

Jessica came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from Tulane University, where she received a full-tuition scholarship through the Posse Foundation. She majored in Public Health and minored in Cell & Molecular Biology. Before attending Mount Sinai, Jessica was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to Vietnam, where she piloted the Medical English curriculum for the University of Danang School of Medicine and Pharmacy. She entered the MD program in 2018.

At Icahn, Jessica was accepted into the Patient-Oriented Research Training and Leadership (PORTAL) program, a scholarship-funded MD/MSCR dual degree program. She was awarded the PORTAL Thesis Award in Clinical Research for her master’s thesis on comparative outcomes between surgical and transcatheter replacement for failed bioprosthetic aortic valves. Outside of research, Jessica served as the Chief Teaching Senior in the ophthalmology branch of the student-run East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP) clinic. She developed pediatric ophthalmology curriculum, which was integrated in the third-year Pediatric Clerkship and was Course Director for the inaugural Introduction to Medical and Surgical Ophthalmology Nexus Course.

Jessica would like to thank her family, friends, mentors, PORTAL leadership, the Department of Population Health Science and Policy, and the Department of Ophthalmology for their unwavering support and guidance.

Jessica will graduate with her MD/MSCR degree and will continue her residency training in ophthalmology at the University of California – Los Angeles Stein Eye Institute.

THE JUDITH AND NATHAN KASE HUMANITIES IN MEDICINE PRIZE

Dillan Villavisanis

Dillan came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from Johns Hopkins University, where he double majored in Anthropology and Medicine, Science, & the Humanities. Before attending Icahn, Dillan spent a year at the University of Oxford studying Biochemistry and a semester in Sydney studying Anthropology. He entered the MD program in 2018 through FlexMed.

While at Icahn, he co-founded the REACH-In Initiative, co-founded the Surgical Subspecialty Acting Internship, co-led the High Value Care Committee, and worked as a fellow to Artis Ventures. Dillan serves on the board of several non-profit organizations, including as Co-Chair of the Young Leadership Board for Smile Train, as Co-Chair of the Curriculum Committee for the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, and on the Advisory Board of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. He pursued a research fellowship in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and has published over 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts, written over 100 abstracts, and generated over $100,000 in research grant funding.

Dillan would like to thank his parents Robert and Debra, his plastic surgery mentors Dr. Peter Taub, Dr. Jesse Taylor, Dr. Joseph Serletti, Dr. Scott Bartlett, Dr. Jordan Swanson, and Dr. Elan Horesh, and his faculty advisors Dr. Gary Butts, Dr. Monica Dweck, and Dr. Helen Fernandez.

Dillan will graduate with his MD and continue his residency training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Penn.

OWBR MEDICAL STUDENT WELL-BEING LEADERSHIP AWARD

Rachel Coe Waldman

Rachel Waldman attended Williams College where she majored in Anthropology and Chemistry. Prior to attending medical school, Rachel worked as a high school math and urban studies teacher for two years at a boarding school. She entered the MD program in 2019.

While at the Icahn School of Medicine, Rachel participated in the Practice Enhancement, Engagement, Resilience, and Support Program (PEERS), becoming a group facilitator and member of the leadership team in 2020 and then taking on program co-leadership responsibilities in 2021. Additionally, she led the middle school enrichment program MedStart during her second year, participated in HRSJ, was part of the Story Project all four years of medical school, and never stopped pursing her love of jazz and contemporary dance.

Rachel would like to thank her family, roommates, and friends who have made the past four years an incredible adventure. She would also like to thank the Sinai faculty for their supportive mentorship and thoughtful teaching. Thank you as well to the students of PEERS and other student-led-groups working to build a strong community at Sinai and beyond.

Rachel will graduate with her MD degree and begin residency training in General Surgery at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.

HAROLD ELSTER MEMORIAL PRIZE FOR CLINICAL ACUMEN

Kevin Matthew Weiss

Kevin came to ISMMS from the University of Michigan, where he majored in Biology and International Studies. After earning his Master of Public Health degree in Global Epidemiology from Emory University, he worked as an infectious disease epidemiologist with a focus on HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. He entered the MD program in 2019 as part of the Primary Care Scholars Program.

During his time at ISMMS, Kevin was deeply involved with the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP) as an Access to Care Team Case Manager, Chronic Care Junior and Senior Clinician, Clinic Co-Chair, and Chief Teaching Senior. He volunteered as a teaching assistant for multiple pre-clinical courses, worked as an editor for the ISMMS Journal of Science and Medicine, and was a member of the Harm Reduction Coalition and Segregated Care Working Group. He conducted and published research on the COVID-19 response in student-run free clinics and the dynamics and epidemiology of anal and cervical HPV in people living with HIV and will graduate with distinction in research. He was elected by his peers into the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

Kevin would like to express his gratitude for the support and love from Shannon, his parents and family, and dear friends who have made this pursuit possible. He would like to thank Dr. Yasmin Meah, Dr. Peter Gliatto, Dr. Michael Herscher, Dr. Michael Kaplan, Dr. Meredith Grossman, Dr. Allison Gault, and countless other mentors for being models of the ideal physician and compassionate person to which he aspires. Above all, he is humbled and motivated by the patients and families who have reinforced his desire to be a physician and given this journey meaning.

Kevin will graduate with his MD degree and continue his residency training in Internal Medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

DR. DAVID K. MCDONOGH AWARD FOR DIVERSITY IN MEDICAL EDUCATION

Makda Getachew Zewde

Makda came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from Ithaca College, where she majored in Biology with a minor in Writing. Before attending Icahn, Makda worked as a research specialist at the University of Chicago, studying the immune microenvironment of cancer, and earned her master’s degree in Biostatistics from Northwestern University, where she concentrated in Population Health Analytics. She entered the MD program in 2019.

While at Icahn, Makda served on the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) board as a Minority Association of Premedical Students (MAPS) Liaison, the Student Council steering committee as a URiSM representative, where she also co-founded and served on the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism (DEIA) subcommittee, and as a Students for Equal Opportunity in Medicine (SEOM) Families mentor. She also volunteered in the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP), the studentrun free clinic, as a senior clinician and teaching senior, and in the Medical Discovery of Careers (MedDOCs) program, an after-school program for high school students, as a mentor. She has been involved in several translational and clinical research projects, with a focus on cancer, and has published her research in multiple peer-reviewed journals.

Makda would like to thank her parents and sister for their unwavering love and support, which she has felt every day of this journey, even from thousands of miles away; her friends and extended family, near and far, who keep her grounded in love and who always remind her to have some fun; and her countless faculty mentors at Sinai who have supported and believed in her, and who inspire her to be the best version of herself. Makda will graduate with her MD degree and continue her residency training in General Surgery at UCSF.

MOUNT SINAI ALUMNI STUDENT LEADERSHIP AWARD

Hashem Zikry, MD

Hashem Emad Zikry, MD, ISMMS '18, is a resident in Emergency Medicine, Chief Resident for the 2022-23 academic year, and prior Director of the Third Year Medical Student Emergency Medicine Elective at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Dr. Zikry’s burgeoning research interest is in economically quantifying and thinking about acute care health system readiness and disaster preparedness.

In February 2020, as a first-year resident physician, he began a six-week rotation at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens. He wound up on the front lines just as the worst of the coronavirus pandemic overwhelmed the hospital, which is situated in a diverse, workingclass immigrant community that was devastated by the virus even as medical experts still knew so little about it.

Dr. Zikry’s unflinching dedication to providing the best patient care imaginable under such fraught and frightening circumstances was chronicled in a lengthy New Yorker story published that April. “I often think about what mistakes I may have made, what I could do better,” the article quotes Dr. Zikry as saying during one particularly harrowing moment. “But the one mistake I know I never make is the mistake of not caring.”

As Chief Resident at Icahn Mount Sinai, he directs the academic conference for residents and faculty by managing curriculum, overseeing content for weekly meetings, delivering lectures, and helping to develop the Grand Rounds Speaker committee.

In 2022, as a member of the New York American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), Dr. Zikry was the only physician on a committee advocating for high-quality emergency care and informed public health policy in the state of New York. In 2020-21, he was a resident member of the ACEP Quality and Patient Safety Committee and a member of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Administration and Clinical Operations Committee and the SAEM Consultation Services Committee.

As a medical student, Dr. Zikry implemented an athletic program to complement outpatient transition at Odyssey House, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program in New York City. He also was accepted to the Mount Sinai/Deloitte Fellowship in health care policy consulting in Washington, DC, where he participated in mapping sessions with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, to develop a metric for general surgeon and orthopedic surgeon deployment.

Dr. Zikry is a recipient of the Harvard Macy Award for clinician educators.

He earned his MD from Icahn Mount Sinai, where he was a Humanities and Medicine Program Scholar and he will be a scholar in the National Clinician Scholars Program at UCLA.

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

STUDENT AWARDS PRESENTATION

(In alphabetical order by recipient’s last name)

THE ARTHUR CEDERBAUM MENTORING

BY A GRADUATE STUDENT AWARD

Christopher Guevara

Chris came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from St. Francis College and a Master’s degree in Neuroscience & Education from Columbia University’s Teachers College. Before attending Mount Sinai, Chris was a research assistant at CUNY Hunter College in the lab of Dr. Allyson Friedman, where he studied how estrogenic modulation of dopamine neurons mediates stress susceptibility. He then entered Mount Sinai’s Neuroscience PhD Program in 2018.

At Sinai, Chris joined the labs of Dr. George Huntley and Dr. Deanna Benson where he has studied how a Parkinson’s linked mutation impacts the developing brain, and differentially mediates stress-related behaviors. Over his PhD, Chris has authored 9 peer-reviewed journals, received 3 travel awards, an NIH research distinction award, and been a recipient of private and federal funding for his research. As a 1st generation Ecuadorian American and product of so many mentors himself, Chris has always been eager to mentor the next generation of scientists. In his roles as a teaching assistant, lecturer, “Neuro Big Sibling” to 1st year PhD students, SURP4US committee member, and CEYE mentor, he has collectively been able to work with students ranging from elementary school all the way to graduate school.

Chris would like to thank his countless mentors throughout his journey that have made his achievements possible. As each of their individual investments has made such a tremendous impact in his growth as a scientist and as a mentor. Which has served as fuel of inspiration to foster and bridge opportunities for the next generation of scientists. He would also like to extend the biggest thank you to all his mentees that nominated him for this award and recognition.

Chris will graduate with his PhD and continue his career in supporting scientific research and healthcare innovation as a Business Development Associate at Mass General Brigham.

THE MIKI RIFKIN GRADUATE SCHOOL SERVICE AWARD

Margaret Hung

Maggie came to the Icahn School of School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she majored in Molecular and Cellular Biology. She entered the Biomedical Sciences PhD program in 2017, joining Dr. Robert Krauss’ lab to study the roles of adhesion in regulating muscle stem cell fate.

While at Sinai, Maggie earned a spot on an NIH T32 Interdisciplinary Training Grant for Systems and Developmental Biology and Birth Defects, won multiple academic and extracurricular awards, and published three peer-reviewed papers. Away from the bench, Maggie volunteered for PhD recruitment and orientation events, served on the Black Family Stem Cell Institute retreat organizing committee, was a member of various student leadership committees, and was a teaching assistant for five years. Her proudest acts of service to the Sinai community began with her organization of a peer mentorship program within the MS in Biomedical Sciences program, which took hold and was adopted by the PhD in Biomedical Sciences program through her involvement with the Trainee Health and Wellness Committee (THAW). In late 2017, Maggie was elected as the PhD student co-chair of THAW and worked through the end of 2020 to initiate several large initiatives to build community within the trainee body, destigmatize conversations surrounding mental health in academia, and advocate for the accessibility of mental health resources for trainees within the Mount Sinai Health System.

Maggie would like to thank all of her mentors at Sinai that have supported her in all endeavors along the way and have truly made this PhD a spectacular learning experience, both at and away from the bench. She would also like extend a special thank you to her friends and family who have been endlessly encouraging cheerleaders through all the twists and turns that come with the PhD.

Maggie will graduate with her PhD in Biomedical Sciences and will continue her academic training as a postdoc before pursuing a career in biotechnology.

THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN IN SCIENCE AWARD

Amanda Leithead

Prior to arriving at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Amanda earned her BS and MS in Experimental Psychology from Saint Joseph's University. She entered the Neuroscience PhD program in 2018 and joined the laboratory of Dr. Hala HaronyNicolas, where she studied brain circuits involved in social behavior and published three first-author papers.

While at Icahn, Amanda served as a co-president for Girls Empowered in Medicine and Science (GEMS) and volunteered for Women in Science (WiS), Mentoring in Neuroscience Discovery at Sinai (MiNDS), and the Practice Enhancement, Engagement, Resilience, and Support Program (PEERS) graduate student wellness program.

Amanda would like to thank her family, friends, mentors, and co-workers who have provided her with unwavering support throughout her PhD training and made her time at Sinai memorable.

Amanda will graduate with her PhD in Neuroscience and pursue a career in healthcare consulting.

Roosheel Sandeep Patel

Roosheel came to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from Texas A&M University,

where he completed his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry. Before attending Icahn, he worked as a research technician in the Texas Medical Center studying horizontal gene transfer mechanisms. He entered the Biomedical Sciences PhD program at the Icahn School of Medicine in August 2019, where he joined the labs of Dr. Brad Rosenberg and Dr. Dusan Bogunovic to study viral infections and immunology.

Within three years, Roosheel excelled as a research scientist, publishing over 27 peerreviewed articles, five of which he was the first author. His research focused on atypical immune response to viral infections, specifically investigating the role of innate immune cells in antiviral defense. Roosheel's discoveries could inform the development of lifesaving antiviral therapies.

Beyond his publications, Roosheel made significant contributions to the scientific community more broadly. He established cell protocols and bioinformatic pipelines that have become standard practices for researchers worldwide. Outside of the lab, he served as the PhD student representative on the Graduate Student Steering Committee, where he made decisions to better student life and well-being at Sinai. Roosheel's mentorship of fellow PhD students and his participation on the admissions committee demonstrated his commitment to cultivating the next generation of scientists.

Roosheel is immensely grateful for the support and guidance he received from his family, friends, and the faculty members at Sinai. Their encouragement and mentorship enabled him to pursue his passion for science and achieve his career goals.

As Roosheel graduates with his PhD degree, he begins his new role as a senior scientist at Tempus Labs, where he will leverage real-world clinical and molecular data to drive the development of innovative new therapies for cancer patients.

CLOSING REMARKS

David Muller, MD, FACP

Dean for Medical Education

Marietta and Charles C. Morchand Chair

Leni and Peter W. May Department of Medical Education

Marta Filizola, Ph.D

Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Sharon & Frederick A. Klingenstein-Nathan G. Kase, MD Professor

Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Department of Neuroscience

2023 CANDIDATES FOR DEGREES

DOCTOR OF MEDICINE

**DOCTOR OF MEDICINE/MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM

* DOCTOR OF MEDICINE/MASTER OF CLINICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM

^ DOCTOR OF MEDICINE /DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES AND NUEROSCIENCE

Unwana Mfon Abasi

Eric Gabriel Alerte

Varun Arvind^

Nicholas Athayde-Rizzaro

Emily Michelle Bachner**

Elena Lynn Baldwin

Esha Bansal**

Hanna Jantzen Barnes

Lucia B Bederson

Christopher Peter Bellaire

Sewit Bereket

Natalie Frances Berger

Beselot Birhanu

Kevin Bu^

Alexandra Donchak Capellini*

Steven Chen^

Julia Cheng

Benjamin H Chi

Samuel Robert Chiacchia

Kenny Chin

Mimi Chung

Lindsay Danielle Clark

Ariella Belle Cohen

Ella Cohen

Peter Vicars Cooke

Arielle Catherine Coughlin

Joshua Dan

George Danias

Jared Scott Dashevsky

Priya Dave

Stephanie Deeb

John Everett Denton

Tahera Murtaza Doctor

Alexandra McClure Dunn**

Daniel J. Fulop*

Michael Gao

Eric Allen Geng

Matthew Joseph Gluck

Brandon Samuel Gold

Cody Paige Goldberger

Jacques Pierre George Guyot

Joseph S. Han

Kaitlin Elizabeth Hanss**

Taylor Marie Harrell

Josimar Hernandez Antonio

Jeff Jinglu Huang

Terence Martin Hughes

Isla E. Hutchinson Maddox

Tyler Brandon Italiano

Chioma Anne Iwelumo

James Wheeler Johnson

Alexander V. Kalicki

Samir Madhav Kamat

Derek DR Kao*

Harrison Jacob Kaplan

Sophia Zehara Karwoska Kligler

Dustin P Kee

Sara Nikki Kiani**

Eliott Saemin Kim

Emma Danielle Klein

David Francis Carl Kohler

Niathi Reddy Kona

Alyce Mei-Shiuan Kuo

Fred Kwon^

Margarita Labkovich

Mukanga Marcia Lange**

Dayle Lapolla

Jessica D. Lee

Samuel Jae Hwan Lee

Tin Htet Kyaw Leong

Sherman Leung

Matthew R. Liebers

Christine Charlotte Little

Caroline Liu

Kaitlyn Grace London*

Madeline Marie Lui

Cynthia Yixin Luo

Luke Patrick Maillie

Samuel Zev Maron

Naomi Adalia Mayman

Cecily Claire McIntyre

Meredith Foster Mihalopoulos

Ariana C. Mills

Kate Alexandra Moody

Claire Elizabeth Frances Morley

Olivia Nicole Moscicki

Juan Esteban Muñoz Eusse

Devika Nadkarni

Ryan Ashford Neff^

Omar Edward Njie

Danielle Elizabeth Novack

Ross William O'Hagan

Kasopefoluwa Y. Oguntuyo^

Samuel Oh

Jeffrey Oluwaseyilayo Okewunmi

Paloma Claire Orozco Scott

Parth Bhargav Patel

Kevin Matthew Paul

Jonah Poster

Sonya Prasad

Ezequiel Alexandro Ramos

Daniel Lawrence Ahlbeck Ranti*

Manasa Geeta Rao**

Paige Rattner

Krishna Teja Ravivarapu

Ivy Ren

Ricardo Andres Rodriguez Colon

Halle M. Ronk

Shoshana Jo Rosenzweig

Gabriel Malave Santos

Charles Field Saylor

Ira Nathan Schlosberg

Lilli Schussler

Ruhee Divyang Shah

Dhruv Sundar Shankar

Akarsh Sharma

Himanshu Kumar Sharma

Jennifer Olivia Shmukler

Emily Danielle Spiera**

Mary Daotung Sun*

Jessica Tan^

Michelle Tong

Claudia Raquel Torres

Jessica Hong-My Tran*

Ashesh Madhukar Trivedi

Aly Al-Amyn Valliani

Girish Valluru*

Dillan Villavisanis

Rachel Coe Waldman

Alice Wang^

Mark Raphael Weingarten

Kevin Matthew Weiss

Stephanie Yushiuan Wu

Haley Elizabeth Zarrin

Makda Getachew Zewde

Allen Zheng^

Royce Zhou^

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES AND NEUROSCIENCE

Muhammad Furqan Afzal

Joshua A. Acklin

Amni Al-Kachak

Aaron S. Bender

Joseph Borrello

Arthur Wing Chow

Arpit Dave

Jessica Karina De Freitas

Zhe Dong

Randy Jordan Ellis

Abora Ettela

Sasha Fulton

Arthur Godino

John A. Grout

Christopher Guevara

Margaret Hung

Keino Kenny Hutchinson

Md Kabir

Thomas Kehrer

Vanessa Lehmann

Amanda Beth Leithead

Justine C. Noel

Madeline O'Brien

Roosheel Sandeep Patel

Jessica Pintado Silva

Iya Prytkova

Lily Sarrafha

Collin D. Teague

Nanyi Zhao

Tongtong Zhu

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN CLINICAL RESEARCH

Andrew Delgado

To all the graduates,

On behalf of the Leni and Peter W. May Department of Medical Education and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

Congratulations on all your accomplishments and on completing this momentous milestone.

To view the ceremony, please visit mountsinaiachievement.com or scan the QR code below.