Alumni Profiles

We are very proud of what are alumni accomplish.  Below we have highlighted just a few of our remarkable alums.  Come back regularly to see new stories about our accomplished alumni!

Fighting Children's Cancer
Stacy Cooper, MD '08

As assistant professor of oncology and clinical director of the Pediatric Oncology Inpatient Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Stacy Cooper,MD '08, helps families navigate their worst nightmare, treatment for a child with leukemia or lymphoma. Read more>>

 

Psychiatry and the Law
Michael Norko, MD '83

In 1999, Connecticut became the first state to enact a law allowing police to seize firearms from people deemed violent or suicidal.  Since then, 22 other states have enacted some version of a risk-based gun removal law, often referred to as red-flag laws.  Forensic psychiatrist MIchael Norko, MD '83 believes those laws have saved lives, at least from suicide. Read more>>

 

Fighting Childhood Cancer
Michael A. Weiner, MD '72

When pediatric oncologist Michael Weiner, MD '72, graduated from medical school, nearly 90 percent of children diagnosed with cancer succumbed to their illness and died.  Today, some 50 years later, the cure rate is close to 80 percent. Read more>>

 

Manging Military Medical Readiness
Matthew Liepke, MD '00

Matthew Liepke, MD '00 arrived at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, in March 2020 to spend eight months as Division Surgeon of the U.S. Army 42nd Infantry Division during its deployment in the Middle East. Read more>>

 

The Doctor Who Prescribes Books
Jaclyn Sisskind, MD '09

George Jacobs dog Thor

Upstate Golisano pediatrician Jaclyn Sisskind, MD '09, doles out prescriptions at every office visit, using her special pad that's always in her pocket.  But she's not dispensing pills to chew or liquids to swallow. Instead of the pharmacy, she sends patients to the library. Read more>>

 

Pioneering Spine Surgeon
George B. Jacobs, MD '58

George Jacobs dog Thor

When George B. Jacobs, MD '58 began his career as a neurosurgeon in the 1960's, the field was very small.  "Today, there are probably 3,500 members of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons but the AANS did not exist at the time." Read more>>


Setting New Standards of Care
Timothy Kane, MD '92

Achalasia is a rare disorder that makes it difficult for food and liquid to pass through the esophagus, thought to happen when nerves in the esophagus stop working properly.  In children and teens, the condition is a one-in-a-million diagnosis, and sometimes first misdiagnosed as an eating disorder. Read more>>

 

The Perils of Too Much Screen Time
Clifford Sussman, MD '03

If you're worried about your kids spending too much time playing video games, you might not be wrong.  In 2018, the World Health Organization officially recognized video game addiction as a behavioral addiction among its International Classification of Diseases.  That came as no surprise to Clifford Sussman, MD '03, a child and adolescent psychiatrist who recognized the problem early on... Read more>>

 

A Lifetime of Achievement
Richard Cantor, MD '76, HS '79

For many physicians, retirement is a time to set medicine on the shelf to focus on leisure pursuits.  For Richard Cantor, MD '76, HS'79, retirement from clinical  medicine provides more time for the advancement of pediatric emergency medicine on a state and national scale. Read more>>


The Second Act
James Wilson, MD '89

For 25 years, James Wilson, MD '89, was the sole pediatric neurosurgeon practicing in the state of Maine.  "The average neurosurgeon does 150 to 200 cases a year, and I averaged more than 425 cases," he says.  Those patients were... Read more>>

Refugee Care
John Lofrese, MD '18

Having newly completed his internal medicine residency, John Lofrese, MD '18, was looking forward to beginning work as an attending at Camp Pendleton in Southern California.  He had barely settled in when he received notice he was being deployed... Read more>>

The Aftermath of Disaster
Patricia Williams, MD '78

On December 10, 2021, a devastating tornado hit Mayfield, Kentucky, killing 130 people and flattening much of the town, including the Mayfield Consumer Products Candle Factory, where nine workers died. Read more>>

Demystifying the EKG
Anthony Kashou, MD '18

Growing up as the son of an interventional cardiologist in Binghamton, NY, Anthony Kashou, MD '18, dreamed of following his father's career path.  But as a third-year medical student, Dr. Kashou found learning to read EKG's a challenge during his internal medicine rotation. Read more>>

An Alternative Path
Alison Mitzner, MD '97

After five years as a pediatrician in private practice in New York City, Alison Mitzner, MD '97, was second-guessing her career choice.  She loved kids.  And she loved the science of medicine.  But she found the day-to-day of her clinical practice simultaneously too stressful and too repetitive. Read more>>

Laser Treatment Pioneer
Gerald Goldberg, MD '78

During his 37-year career, dermatologist Gerald Goldberg, MD '78, has pioneered the use of laser, treating complicated conditions ranging from vascular birthmarks in children to extreme rhinophyma. Read more>>

Tackling Health Disparities
Wendy Wilcox, MD '94

Wilcox

When it comes to breast cancer in New York City, there are still disparities in care for communities of color.  Wendy Wilcox, MD '94, a clinical system lead for women's health and chair of obgyn for NYC Health+ Hospitals/Kings County, has practiced obgyn and women's health with a focus on achieving health equity and eliminating disparities across populations throughout her career. Read more>>