Members of the audience are asked to remain in their seats until the platform party has left the hall. Please silence your cell phones and electronic devices.
SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND PRACTICE
ORDER OF PROCESSION
May 18, 2026
The Mace Bearer
The Flags of the United States, the State of New York, and New York Medical College
The Degree Candidates from the School of Health Sciences and Practice
The Faculty
The Grand Marshal
The Marshals of the Hooding Ceremony
The Administration
The President of the Faculty Senate
The Presenters of the Candidates
The Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice
The Dean of the School of Medicine
The Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
The Commencement Speaker
The President
The Board of Trustees
The Chair of the Board of Trustees
The Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer
SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND PRACTICE
OFFICERS OF COMMENCEMENT
Mace Bearer
Ainsley Rossi, D.P.T., PT, OCS
Marshals of the School of Health Sciences and Practice
Kathryn Ballerini, M.S. ’03, CCC-SLP
Nisha Beharie, Dr.P.H., M.P.H.
Nicholas Sheehan, D.P.T. ’16, PT, NCS
Marshals of the Hooding Ceremony
Chia-Ching Chen, M.A., M.S., Ed.D., CHES
Vikas Grover, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Kristina Welsome, D.P.T., M.S., PT, OCS
Marshals of the Faculty
Vikas Grover, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Parmveer Kaushal, D.P.T., M.P.T., PT, CCS
Flag Bearers
United States of America
Lizbet Rodriguez
State of New York
Soe Soe Htun
New York Medical College
Perry Schattman
SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND PRACTICE
PROGRAM
Processional
Introductions by the Grand Marshal
Stefanie M. Blanco, SLP.D., M.S. ’10, CCC-SLP, TSSLD, ATP
Associate Professor of Speech-Language Pathology
The National Anthem Invocation
Rabbi Moshe D. Krupka, M.S. Executive Vice President
Touro University
Welcome
Joseph D. Mark Chair of the Board of Trustees
Student Greetings
Katelyn Lawson Class of 2026
Commencement
Address
Sonia Mehta, M.D., M.B.A. Chief Executive Officer Region II
Corporate Chief Medical Officer and Chief Academic Officer
Prime Healthcare
Remarks and Conferring of Degrees
Alan Kadish, M.D. President
Presentation of Candidates
Presentation of the Candidates for the Degrees Master of Science, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Master of Public Health and Doctor of Public Health from the School of Health Sciences and Practice
Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A. Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice
Introduction of the Candidates
Wendy C. Georgan, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Assistant Professor of Speech-Language Pathology
Janet P. Dolot, M.S., D.P.T., Dr.P.H. ’14, PT, OCS Associate Professor of Physical Therapy
Adam E. Block, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Public Health
Remarks and Charge to the Class of 2026
Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A. Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer
Recessional
SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND PRACTICE
COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
Sonia Mehta, M.D., M.B.A.
Chief Executive Officer Region II, Corporate Chief Medical Officer and Chief Academic Officer Prime Healthcare
Sonia Mehta, M.D., M.B.A., is a physician executive and board-certified internist. For Prime Healthcare, she oversees the system’s hospitals and outpatient locations across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Maine. She also serves as chief academic officer for the Region and oversees all the graduate medical education programs. With more than 25 years of experience in health care leadership, Dr. Mehta has built a distinguished career at the intersection of clinical medicine, health system management, and academic administration.
Prior to her current role, Dr. Mehta served as chief executive officer and chief medical officer of Loretto Hospital, a 177-bed independent safety-net hospital, and as chief medical officer and board member of Better Health Network, a managed care community network in Chicago, Illinois. She has also held the roles of president and chief executive officer of the Illinois/Wisconsin Medical Group, a multispecialty group of more than 200 providers within the Hospital Sisters Health System, and executive medical director of Immediate Care Centers and Chief of Ambulatory Services at Northwest Community Hospital, a 489-bed hospital in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Dr. Mehta completed her internal medicine residency at West Suburban Hospital and earned an executive M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. She continues to stay clinically active and is part of the Northwestern Medical Group. Her combined clinical and business training has informed a leadership approach focused on quality, access, and system-wide transformation.
Throughout her career, Dr. Mehta has served on numerous health care boards and advisory committees at the local and state levels. She was selected as one of 20 members to serve on Governor Rauner’s Health and Human Services transition team in Illinois and has chaired multiple state-level committees focused on Medicaid transformation. In addition, she led the Westside Heroin Task Force, a multidisciplinary initiative aimed at reducing drug-related deaths and violence in inner-city Chicago.
Dr. Mehta has received national recognition for her leadership and impact in health care, consistently ranking among the “Top 100 Physician Leaders,” “Women Physician Leaders to Know,” and “Chief Medical Officers to Know.” She has also been honored as one of the “10 Women Physician Leaders” by Becker’s Hospital Review.
SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES
AND PRACTICE
CANDIDATES FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF SCIENCE IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY
Elizabeth Camille Adamita
Natalie Maryann Anderson
Nicole Beaumont
Shannon Marie Dinizo
Mackenzie Kelly Dowd
Veronica Duran
Julia E. Feehan
Sara Patricia Silva Ferreira
Brenna Mary Harold
Emma Helfrich
Maab Kalefa
Catherine Kaszowska
Mitchell Maloney
Jailene Martinez Garcia
Robin Masterson
Rachel McManus
Kaitlyn Alyssa Costa Mercorelli
Mariam Mohamed
Elena Mugno
Jessica L. Ng
Olivia Marie O’Connor
Leilani X. Orozco
Jessica Osorio-Rodriguez
Tanyesha Pink
Aaron Rivera
Olivia Nicole Romagnoli
Nicole Sanchez
Leah Eden Shucht
Maria H. Spagna
Merrick Jeremy Staff
Anne Marie Tucci
Danielle Therese Co Ty
Katherine Urena
Robbi Leigh Zamora
SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND PRACTICE
CANDIDATES FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY
Esmeralda Manuela Abreu
❖ Sarana Adhikari
Jonathan Iliya Agyeno
Daniel Alan Allegretto
Savannah Rae Anderson
André Imad Aoun
▼ Michelle Archambault
❖ Luis Alberto Avila
Nicholas Battaglia
Ilyssa Nicole Brass
▼ Bettina Brutus
❖ Tess Burgett
Elizabeth Cao
Anthony John Cherry
Sarah Grace Cho
❖ Grady Thomas Clausing
Alexandra Kaylee Cleary
❖ David Cordero
Wilbert Lee Davis Jr.
❖ Lorelyn Dominguez
Alyssa Kelly Dong
James Flasser
Justin A. Goldman
Jadhia A. Harper
Tanya Hounkpevi
Mohammed Hussein
❖ Aranzazu Jaquelin Illescas Diaz
❖ Joseph Iskander
Kristin Nicole Johnson
Sarah Isabella Rose Jones
David Seong Hoon Kim
Devin Elizabeth King
Katelyn Genevieve Lawson
Kelly Lopes Leal
❖ Katy Jeongmin Lee
Sabrina Leoce
❖ Stanley R. Lliguichuzhca
Jillian Lohse
❖ Sheryl Louis
Christopher Massari
Kimberly Medina-Ocasio
Deeba Mehran
Malik Sean Melhado
Aleks Moise
❖ Chrisomalis Morel
Kayla Moynihan
Kelly O’Donnell
Jessica Celine Padilla
Anthony James Paggiotta
Olivia Anne Pantori
Aakash A. Patel
Manuel R. Peralta
Lucas John Perez
Asad Rabadi
Carlos Martin Santiago Jr.
Nicolette Stocks
Paola Suarez
John Swearengin
▼ Anthony Trung Tran
❖ Aseel Washah
Adam Charles Wuest
Ross Phillip Zanghi Jr.
❖ Julia Zedlovich
CANDIDATE FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF SCIENCE
BIOSTATISTICS
■ Surya Thirunavukarasu
SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES
AND PRACTICE
CANDIDATES FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES
▼ Khumo Phake EPIDEMIOLOGY
■ Wing Lok Choy
Anushka J. Dhabuwala
Srushti Miteshbhai Joshi
Shaily Darshan Parikh
▼ Prachi Patel
■ Rushikumar Patel
Erin Petersen
▼ Rebecca Rodriguez
Yash Ketan Thaker
GENERAL PUBLIC HEALTH
❖ Toluwanimi Olufunmilola Akinyemi
■ E Perry Allman
■ Aida Aminpour
Daniela Bar-Levav
Nadia Maria Briones
❖ Roshana Brown
■ Shreya Dave
▼ Sai Deepthi Doddala
Alexander B. Dorrough
Tahira Duncan
❖ Lars Peter Eckenberg
▼ Zahra J. Edwards
● Shelcie L. Fabre
Molly-Lynn Denyko Farquharson
McKenzie Jordan Gelvin
● Priyanka Gera
Jessica Giandomenico
❖ Elisheva L. Hoffman
● Mark W. Johnson II
❖ Arpit Pankaj Joshi
Avrohom Yehuda Karp
● Bryan Scott Larin
Bradley Levin
■ Marvin Louis-Paul
Cyrus Kanga Luczkow
■ Darshilkumar Maheta
● Sumaita Mahmood
Nadia N. Malik
▼ Lahari Mallepoodi
● Trevor McHugh
❖ Melanie Mercedes
❖ Ashleigh Marissa Murdock
▼ Amanda Brooks Muth
Jessica Ester Naftaliev
❖ Abigail Obeng-Ayirebi
▼ Karen Ojiugo Onyegbule
■ Shaquana D. Orr
▼ Gayatri Palkar
Dareum Park
● Carolyn Alice Robb
● Karina Elisabeth Roye
▼ Jordan Duraid Sahawneh
❖ Sheba Sam
▼ Abid Shah
❖ Amit Shah
■ Ridhdhiben Ajitkumar Shah
❖ Julianne Sabrina Aromin Sison
■ Brady Stidham
▼ Venkata Sai Srikanta Tirumalasetty
Christopher Wegrzyn
Michelle Jordana Weingarten
❖ Christina E. Wilson
● Patricia Xu
HEALTH BEHAVIOR AND COMMUNITY HEALTH
Anwar Alhariri
■ Naomi Sarai Nieves
HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT
■ Vincent F. Cisternino
▼ Brianna Huntley
■ Shatha Mohammed Rabiah
Amir Steinberg
SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND PRACTICE
CANDIDATES FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT
Kola Adegoke
“Evaluating U.S. Health Policy Levers Using Difference-in-Differences: Hospital Acquisitions, Global Budgets, and Income Policies”
Advisor: Adam E. Block, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Public Health
❖ Basim Ahmed Alkhlfan
“A Scoping Review of Peer-Reviewed Evidence on Vaccine Hesitancy in Saudi Arabia (2015–2025)”
Advisor: Kenneth A. Knapp, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Health
Patricia Fay
“Is There an Association Between Physical Therapy Utilization for Persons with Stroke Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and Readmissions? A Population Based Study”
Advisor: Elizabeth D. Drugge, Ph.D., M.P.H. ’12
Associate Professor of Public Health
▼ Ed Hassan
“Dioxin Exposure, Adverse Health Effects, and Prolonged Hospitalization for Endocrine Disorders on Patients in New York State”
Advisor: Adam E. Block, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Public Health
Satvir Kaur
“Is There an Association Between Patient Safety Indicators in Teaching vs. Nonteaching Hospitals in the United States?”
Advisor: Adam E. Block, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Public Health
❖ Temitope Josephine Kayode
“Unemployment as a Determinant of Subjective Cognitive Decline: Evidence from BRFSS 2020-2024”
Advisor: Kenneth A. Knapp, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Health
▼ Mary Lorraine C. Kovoor
“Improved Perceived Health Status Among Persons Practicing Yoga for Pain Management”
Advisor: Adam E. Block, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Public Health
Zaynab Hassan Mossolem
“Cervical Cancer Prevention Among Young Adult Women in the United States: Are Minority Women at Greater Risk Due to Social Determinants of Health?”
Advisor: Adam E. Block, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Public Health
▼ Bonnie Mabella Reyna
“The Intersection of Foreign Birth Status, Language and Ethnicity on Intention to Breastfeed (ITBF)”
Advisor: Adam E. Block, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Public Health
▼ Nicole Tenner
“Examining the Association Between Fast-Food Availability and Mental Health Outcomes in United States Communities: A Comparative Analysis”
Advisor: Adam E. Block, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Public Health
Kwabena Twum-Nuamah
“Toward the Achievement of Universal Health Coverage: Analysis of the 2022 Wave of Demographic and Health Survey Data on Health Insurance Coverage in Ghana”
Advisor: Kenneth A. Knapp, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Health
❖ Crystal Adaure Ukaegbu
“The Impact of Insurance Status and Prenatal Care Utilization on NICU Admission Rates and Newborn Health Outcomes Among Mothers with PCOS”
Advisor: Adam E. Block, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Public Health
● M.D./M.P. H.
▼ August 2025 Graduate
■ December 2025 Graduate
❖ Anticipated August 2026 Graduate
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
ORDER OF PROCESSION
May 18, 2026
The Mace Bearer
The Flags of the United States, the State of New York, and New York Medical College
The Degree Candidates from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
The Degree Candidates from the School of Medicine
The Faculty
The Grand Marshal
The Marshals of the Hooding Ceremony
The Administration
The Military Representative
The President of the Faculty Senate
The Presenters of the Candidates
The Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
The Dean of the School of Medicine
The Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice
The Commencement Speaker
The President
The Board of Trustees
The Chair of the Board of Trustees
The Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
OFFICERS OF COMMENCEMENT
Mace Bearer
Aviva Berkowitz, M.D.
Marshals of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Elizabeth A. Berry, Ph.D. ’23
Austin M. Guo, Ph.D.
Marshal of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Hooding Ceremony
Carl I. Thompson, Ph.D.
Marshals of the School of Medicine
Susan DeRoberts
Dominga Hidalgo
Rochelle G. Saks
Anthony Sozzo, M.A., M.S.Ed.
Marshals of the School of Medicine Hooding Ceremony
Ruth Alejandro, M.D. ’03
Maria F. Capparelli, M.D. ’06, M.S.
Roger Chirurgi, M.D.
David M. Garber, M.D.
Joseph L. Giamelli, M.D. ’02
Ilyssa Henle, M.D. ’09
Rachelle Lodescar, M.D. ’13
Rebecca McAteer Martin, M.D. ’08
Joanna C. Pessolano, M.D. ’81
Susan Rachlin, M.D.
Blossom Samuels, M.D.
Fatima Traore, M.D.
Daniel Zelazny, M.D.
Marshals of the Faculty
Zvi Lefkovitz, M.D.
Christopher S. Leonard, Ph.D.
Chioma M. Okeoma, Ph.D.
Flag Bearers
United States of America
Lydia Jackson
School of Medicine
State of New York
Harry Yu
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
New York Medical College
Comfort Ekom Williams
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Processional
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Introductions by the Grand Marshal
Patric K. Stanton, Ph.D.
Professor of Cell and Molecular Physiology and of Neurology
The National Anthem
Invocation
Rabbi Moshe D. Krupka, M.S.
Executive Vice President
Touro University
Welcome
Joseph D. Mark Chair of the Board of Trustees
Student Greetings
Antonia Schonwald Class of 2026
Lillian Huang Class of 2026
Commencement Address
Sabine Hildebrandt, M.D., FAAA
Associate Scientific Researcher and Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Boston Children’s Hospital
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Lecturer of Global Health and Social Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Remarks and Conferring of Degrees
Alan Kadish, M.D.
President
PROGRAM
Presentation of Candidates
Presentation of the Candidates for the Degrees Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Marina K. Holz, Ph.D., M.P.H. ’23, Dr.P.H. ’24
Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Vice Chancellor for Graduate and Professional Studies
Introduction of the Candidates
Tetyana Cheairs, M.D., M.S.P.H.
Associate Dean for Ph.D. Programs
Presentation of the Candidates for the Degree Doctor of Medicine from the School of Medicine
Neil W. Schluger, M.D.
Dean of the School of Medicine
Introduction of the Candidates
Jane M. Ponterio, M.D. ’81
Dean of Students, School of Medicine
Pamela I. Ludmer, M.D., M.S., MMEL
Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education
Administration of the Hippocratic Oath
Dr. Schluger
Administration of the Military Oath of Office
Mill Etienne, M.D. ’02, M.P.H.
Vice Chancellor
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Remarks and Charge to the Class of 2026
Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A.
Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer
Recessional
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
Sabine Hildebrandt, M.D., FAAA
Associate Scientific Researcher and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Lecturer of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School
An anatomy educator, Sabine Hildebrandt, M.D., FAA, conducts research and teaches at Harvard Medical School and Harvard College, focusing on anatomy and the history and ethics of the field, work that has received numerous national and international honors. Through her scholarship, Dr. Hildebrandt has advanced critical conversations on ethical responsibility in anatomical science and medical education.
Dr. Hildebrandt earned her medical degree from Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany, where she completed her research fellowship in immunology and residency in internal medicine, followed by a research fellowship in experimental rheumatology at the University of Connecticut Medical School.
After a career in experimental rheumatology, she developed an interest in anatomical education, dedicating her research to the history and ethics of anatomy. Among her many publications, The Anatomy of Murder: Ethical Transgressions and Anatomical Science during the Third Reich, is the first systematic study of anatomy in Nazi Germany. Her work has examined the continuities and legacies of anatomical science during the Nazi era. She has served as a consultant to historical commissions investigating these legacies at the University of Innsbruck, Austria; the University of Göttingen, Germany; the University Strasbourg, France; and the University of Hamburg, Germany.
She serves as co-chair of The Lancet Commission on Medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust: Historical Evidence, Implications for Today, Teaching for Tomorrow, and co-authored the commission’s 2023 report examining the historical record and its implications for contemporary medical education and practice. She is also a member of the Human Remains in the Harvard Museum Collections Research Review Committee and the Harvard Medical School Anatomical Gift Program Operation Committee.
Dr. Hildebrandt is actively involved in international committees that develop recommendations on the ethical use of knowledge derived from coercive medical research and the responsible stewardship of human remains in education and historical collections. She serves as an associate editor of Anatomical Sciences Education in the areas of history and ethics, is a Fellow of the American Association for Anatomy, and a member of the Federative Committee for Ethics and Medical Humanities, International Federation of Associations of Anatomists.
CANDIDATES FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF SCIENCE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
▼ James Mutino CELL BIOLOGY
Neha Ali
CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCES
■ Tanveer Rahman Khan Ayesharza
■ Rwan Esmail
Nikita Inderjit
■ Julia Theresa Iorio
■ Mariam D Moussoni Kamissoko
■ Jessica Perng
Gabriella Deldrice Puliga
▼ Monica Christine Revere
Lijing Wu
MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
■ Fariba Ardalani
■ Prajwal Boregowda
Vishnupriya Gowreddy
▼ Julia B. Smith
Rohan Verghese Paul
PATHOLOGY
■ David Andrew Collet PHYSIOLOGY
Kyle Liang
John Patrick Archie O’Brien
Joshua Hee-In Yang
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES (INTERDISCIPLINARY)
Nelly Ahmed Abdel Fadil
Chinelo Ukamaka Amaefule
Nathan Daniel Barnett
Victoria Coloma
Vy Kieu Cong
Sonia Singh Dalal
▼ Christmead E. Dorcely
Taylor Karleese Dyson
▼ Charles Anthony Ghossein
▼ Sasha Zheng Gonzalez
Tiffany Marie Gonzalez
Aoife Catherine Judge
Kiran Kottapalli
Victoria Major
Miranda McGaskey
▼ Shenelle Minto
Ryan Mirafzali
▼ Armando Gil Morales
Sharanya S. Nair
Allison Ng
Angela Oduro Kwarteng
Matthew John Pagano
Kalie Pagonis
Hayat Peregrino-Brimah
Jayda Nicole Primus
Michael Yeechyi Sun
▼ Steven J. Youssef
▼ Aisha Zamzam
GRADUATE
SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
CANDIDATES FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
■ Alek Sergio Torres
“Going Nuclear: Exploring mTOR’s Transcriptional Role in Regulating Estrogen Receptor Positive Breast Cancer”
Advisor: Marina K. Holz, Ph.D., M.P.H. ’23, Dr.P.H. ’24
Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Vice Chancellor for Graduate and Professional Studies
Professor of Cell and Molecular Physiology
CELL BIOLOGY
Morgan Gabriel Anderson-Crannage
“The Impact of TGFβ Conditioning and SOCS3
Expression on Cytokine Signal Transduction and Inflammatory Gene Expression in Fibroblasts”
Advisors: Yanling Liao, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Mitchell S. Cairo, M.D.
Vice Chair and Professor of Pediatrics, Cell and Molecular Physiology, Medicine, and of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology
▼ Christina Louis Faltas
“RSK1 Regulation of Insulin Signaling and Glucose Metabolism in Breast Cancer”
Advisor: Marina K. Holz, Ph.D., M.P.H. ’23, Dr.P.H. ’24
Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Vice Chancellor for Graduate and Professional Studies
Professor of Cell and Molecular Physiology
✱ Antonia Schonwald
“The Effect of the Sigma-1 Receptor on GluN2B in Infantile Epileptic Spasm Syndrome”
Advisor: Libor Velíšek, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Cell and Molecular Physiology
▼ Yu Bing Shen
“Effects and Mechanisms of Low-intensity Focused Ultrasound on Blood Flow in the Cerebral Cortex”
Advisor: Jonathan Fisher, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Cell and Molecular Physiology
▼ August 2025 Graduate
■ December 2025 Graduate
✱ M.D.–Ph.D.
❖ Anticipated August 2026 Graduate
MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
Anthony J. Centone III
“Development of a CRISPRi Platform and GenomeWide Mutagenesis for Elucidation of Stress Resistance Mechanisms in Francisella Tularensis”
Advisor: Chandra Shekhar Bakshi, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology
▼ Adiya Sarah Katseff
“Anti-T3SS Humoral and Cellular Immunity in Vaccine- Mediated Control of P. aeruginosa Infection”
Advisor: Paul M. Arnaboldi, M.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology
▼ Kaci D. Kopec
“Differentiation Driver Gene HOXD4 as a Potential Prognostic Marker and Therapeutic Target in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer”
Advisor: Raj K. Tiwari, M.S., Ph.D.
Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology
❖ Danielle Leigh Quaranto
“Long Non-Coding RNA LINC01614 Overexpression Defines a Ferroptosis-Associated Molecular Signature in Papillary Thyroid Cancer”
Advisor: Jan Geliebter, Ph.D.
Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology
PHARMACOLOGY
❖ Brenden Zachary James Marshall
“Epigenetic Regulation of Vascular Biology: Sex Differences and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Smooth Muscle Cell Plasticity”
Advisor: Sachin A. Gupte, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Pharmacology
PHYSIOLOGY
▼ Nancy Elena Gomez
“Altered States: Studies of Monoamine
Neuromodulation and the Differential Behavioral Actions of Prefrontal to Dorsal Raphe Projections in Normal and Narcoleptic Mice”
Advisor: Christopher S. Leonard, Ph.D. Professor of Cell and Molecular Physiology
CANDIDATES FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MEDICINE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Mark David Abdurakhmanov
Steven Nissim Abijmil
Kristyn Marie Abood Vicente
Muhammad Usman Ahmed
Aneesah Syeda Akbar
Nadia Assieh Ambarsom
Sarah Steora Ampalloor
Chinecheta Ani
Christopher Naser Annabi
Jeremy Rom Appelbaum
Amogh Jyothi Arun
Jonathan Odafe Ashe
■ Sania Azhar
Ipsha Banerjee
David Elliot Baruch
Hannah Jane Beck
Caleb Jefferson Beers
Zachary Thomas Berman
Jonathan Noam Biel
Adil Rafiq Bilal
Jesse Tyler Buchman
John Michael Cerjak
Isabelle Julia Chau
Alexandra Marie Monteiro Chaves
Julia Lian Chen
■ Steven Lavy Cherny
Efaz Chowdhury
Michelle Cohen
Scott Cohen
Ryan Patrick Cosgro
Vitor Santos De Oliveira
Yaakov Noach Deitsch
Shoshana Malka Devor
Ivan Matthew Dominguez
Madison Sara Drogy
James Ori Dweck
Lars Peter Eckenberg
Cleo Isabella Egli
Elisheva Eisenberg
Adrianus Johannes Ekelmans
●
Shelcie L. Fabre
Brian Fan
Cailan Lindsay Feingold
Eliana Gittel Felder
Lazaro Alberto Fernandez
Sophia Fioramonti-Gorchow
Malkiel Reuben Frager
Rivka Friedman
Daniel Jacob Furhang
Petar Gajic
Emmanuel Aslan Gallegos
Anakasia Isabella Garcia
❖ Othanya Genesis Garcia
Nicholas William Gavras
● Priyanka Gera
George Awny Ghaly
■ Federico Matias Girardi
Derick William Goff
Chase M. Goldberg
Anjali Goyal
■ Yu Guan
Somar Hadid
Madeleine Anne Hall
David Raffael Haner
Harry Haran
Katherine Harrison
Brianna Nicole Hayes
Kevin Edward Hernandez
Christopher Michael Hoff
Audrey Huang
Lillian Huang
Ellen Nicole Huhulea
Ankita Jain
Denisse Janvier
Alexandra Lee Jellinger
Steffy Sara Jeswin
● Mark W. Johnson II
Arihant Raju Kalidindi
Temima Tzivia Kanarfogel
Shigeru William Kaneki
Luiza Azevedo Karrer
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
CANDIDATES FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MEDICINE
Mathuchena Bhavani Karthikeyan
Kourtney Lauren Kelly
■ Julia Noelle Khan
Shray Khanna
Samy Khessib
Daniel Kimmel
Timothy Klufas
Victor Koltenyuk
Anoosh Lucia Kouyoumdjian
Noam Elazar Laks
● Bryan Scott Larin
Steve Sangho Lee
George Leiter
Jasmine Paige Levine
Austin Guo Li
Michael Bofu Li
Wilson Liang
■ Paul Lim Jr.
Isaac Lubin
Jason Macanian
Donald Christopher MacElroy
Yasmeen Mahayni
● Sumaita Mahmood
Kyra Quynn Manayan-Leonard
Mitra Veronica Mani
Juliet Owusuaa Manu
■ Christopher George Markantonis
Isadora McGowan
● Trevor McHugh
Rochelle Mendonca
Matthew Lewis Merckling
Adriana Mesa
Jakub Micko
Saya Vanessa Mieth
Benjamin Ryan Miller
Alexander Monteith
Jessica Sara McQuaid Moore
Helen Ng
Anne Hong Nguyen
Klaudia Nowak-Capobianco
Olivia Nicole Nussbaum
Sophie Elizabeth Ohrn
Cosku Ozcelik
Se Hyuk Park
Steve Sungik Park
Alexandria Catherine Patti
Dennis James Paul
Romy Morgan Pein
Andrew Rafael Penunuri
Marissa Mae Petchpradub
■ Wendy Piedra
Anne McMahon Pinchoff
Bracha Leah Pollack
Matthew James Pryor
Kelly Briana Pun
Wenqi Qiu
Sophia Quach
Alexander James Queiroz
Eitan Rabinovich
Niloofar Rasouli
Alexa Patricia Rendon
Francesca Ricciardi
● Carolyn Alice Robb
Victoria Robbins
Victoria Robshaw
Victoria Sabrina Rodriguez
Bram William Benenson Roth
● Karina Elisabeth Roye
Talia Miriam Saal
Jared Philip Sachs
Ariel Zvi Sacknovitz
Prashanth Sampath-Kumar
Kenisha C. Santiago
Dante Joseph Scarnati
Nathan Schanzer
Noah Adam Schechter
David A. Schipper
Lindsey Madeline Schneider
✱ Antonia Schonwald
Michelle Anne Sciarrino
Lauren Seidman
CANDIDATES FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MEDICINE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Moshe Serwatien
John M. Sfakis
Princy Shah
Nicholas Nakayama Shapiro
Juliet Elena Shatkin
Zoya Siddiqui
Kanwardeep Singh
Michael S. Sonbol
Gregory Conrad Spaulding
Ariel Eve Stonberg
Molly Kuhn Stoner
Rebecca Strafella
Spencer Leydon Sugden
Alexandra Suponitsky
Carolina A. Taico Oliva
Kavya Lakshmi Tangella
Ricardo Antonio Tochimani
Daniel Mmesochi Ufearo
MegAnne Margaret Vasey
Melanie Vassallo
Zachary Perin Vazquez
Matthew Veale
■ Axl Uri Vinograd
Bryson Scott Walker
◆ Patricia Ann Weinstein
Doria Leah Weiss
Jessica Morgan Weiss
Moshe Weiss
Harris Ziggy Whiteson
Tobias C. Whitford
Rebecca Wiener
James Norman Williams
Stephen Andrew Windisch
Robert Volker Wolf
Jonathan Wong
● Patricia Xu
Gagana Yaskhi
Emily Kaizhen Zhang
Tom Zhang
Lior Zweig
M.D./M.P. H.
M.D.–Ph.D.
December 2025 Graduate
Armed Forces Inductee
Anticipated August 2026 Graduate
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
HIPPOCRATIC OATH
I do solemnly swear, by whatever I hold most sacred, that I will be loyal to the profession of medicine and just and generous to its members.
That I will lead my life and practice my art in uprightness and honor.
That into whatsoever home I shall enter it shall be for the good of the sick and the well to the utmost of my power and that I will hold myself aloof from wrong and from corruption and from tempting others to vice.
That I will exercise my art solely for the cure of my patients and the prevention of disease and will give no drugs and perform no operation for a criminal purpose and far less suggest such a thing.
That whatsoever I shall see or hear of the lives of men and women which is not fitting to be spoke, I will keep inviolably secret.
These things I do promise and in proportion as I am faithful to this oath, may happiness and good repute be ever mine, the opposite if I shall be forsworn.
COMMENCEMENT TRADITIONS
THE MACE
The use of the mace in formal collegial processions dates from thousands of years ago. In medieval times, the mace was used as a weapon of war or was borne by a royal bodyguard to precede the king in processions. By the 1500s, maces lost their warlike appearance and, decorated with jewels and precious metals, were used more for ceremonial functions.
The ceremonial mace, usually about four feet in length, survives today as a symbol of authority. Notable instances of its use are found in the sessions of the British House of Commons, where it is placed on the treasury table, and in the sessions of the United States House of Representatives, where it is placed to the right of the Speaker.
In 1985, to commemorate the 125th anniversary of New York Medical College, Honorable and Mrs. Emil Mosbacher commissioned Tiffany & Co. to create a new mace for the College. The mace was made from walnut wood that was removed from the building, located at the corner of Third Avenue and 20th Street in Manhattan, in which the College was originally housed in 1860. The mace is 42 inches long and contains silver engravings of the College seal on two sides. On the other two sides are William Cullen Bryant, the founder of the College (originally known as the Homeopathic Medical College of the State of New York in the City of New York), and Samuel Hahnemann, the father of homeopathic medicine.
ACADEMIC ATTIRE
Academic attire has its origins in the medieval universities of Europe, particularly Oxford and Cambridge, where students and faculty donned clerical gowns because of the two universities’ close connection with the church. Worn every day, the gowns not only identified academic disciplines but also provided warmth in poorly heated buildings. While the early code of academic attire dates back to the days of Henry VIII, it wasn’t until the late 19th century when specific colors were assigned to each discipline.
At American colleges and universities today, formal academic attire consists of three elements: the cap, the gown, and the hood. The velvet academic tam distinguishes those holding a doctoral degree while others wear a black mortarboard. The tassel should be either black or the color of the academic discipline. A black tassel indicates a master’s degree and gold signifies the doctorate.
The bachelor’s gown, designed to be worn closed, may be recognized by its pointed sleeves. The master’s gown has somewhat longer, oblong-shaped sleeves, which are worn open at the wrist. The robe for the doctorate has bell-shaped sleeves, designed with fasteners so they may be worn open or closed. The gowns for the bachelor’s and master’s degrees are not trimmed, whereas the gown for the doctorate degree is trimmed down the front with black velvet and on the sleeves with three velvet bars. These velvet trimmings may correspond with the color of the graduate’s academic discipline.
The hood is the most colorful feature of academic attire. The colors in the satin lining are those approved and authorized by the college or university where the degree was earned (New York Medical College colors are maroon and gold). The length of the hood and width of its velvet border indicate the level of degree held, while the color of the border indicates their degree earned.
The official colors of the fields of learning that may be represented in our health sciences academic procession are listed below. For the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree, dark blue is used regardless of the field of specialization.
