304228
A Discussion With Irwin Cotler: Confronting Antisemitism and Defending Human Rights
International Human Rights Lawyer Warns of Rising Antisemitism and Urges Unified Action to Protect Democratic Values
With antisemitism an acute anxiety for Jews everywhere, a recent conversation hosted by Touro University called “Fighting Apartheid, Antisemitism, and Injustice: A Conversation With Irwin Cotler” could not have felt more timely.
Dr. Alan Kadish, president of Touro University, sat down with international human rights lawyer and former Canadian Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler for a wide-ranging discussion that hinged on antisemitism but encompassed far more topics: human rights, free speech, shifting partisan sentiment on Israel and social media, among others.
Cotler is international chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and served as counsel for prisoners of conscience like Nelson Mandela and Natan Sharansky. “My father taught me that pursuing justice is equal to all the other commandments combined,” Cotler shared, adding that his mother urged him to fight injustice outside his own community. He followed their advice and became deeply engaged with two great human rights struggles of the past century: fighting for liberty in the former Soviet Union and against apartheid in South Africa.
“I see the struggle for Soviet Jewry as a model for what a critical mass of advocacy can accomplish,” said Cotler. He pointed to Natan Sharansky as emblematic, noting that Sharansky advocated not only for Jewish refuseniks but for other persecuted groups as well.
These experiences with human rights give Cotler a unique perspective on the eruption of antisemitism following October 7, 2023 — though he maintains that Jew-hatred was flourishing before Hamas’ horrific attack.
Before October 7, “There was a tripartite paradigm at the time: antisemitism from the far right, the far left and radical Islam,” Cotler said. “There was increasing normalization of anti-Jewish attitudes in politics, media and academia, and waning solidarity from traditional allies.”
The global reactions that followed that day — paltry condemnations and outright justifications — were far more stunning, he suggested.
Antisemitism — A Menace to Democracy
Gleaning from his expertise, Cotler laid out possible remedies. It is vital, he urged, to approach the issue by communicating that antisemitism is not only a threat to Jews but also a menace to democracy.
“This will take a whole-of-government and whole-of-civil society approach,” he said. “Federal, state and municipal authorities need to work in tandem to fight antisemitism. We need action across party lines; antisemitism should be an obvious common cause, yet we’re seeing it weaponized for political gain.”
During the discussion, Dr. Kadish raised an important nuance: While most Democrats in Congress still support Israel, polls show such sentiment does not extend to the Democratic electorate. He further noted that educational environments at both the K-12 and university levels function in ways that, intentionally or not, support antisemitic views. Cotler did not disagree, citing an alarming poll showing that more people in the 18-24 year-old demographic support Hamas than they do Israel.
In contrast to the troubling American landscape, Cotler asserted, the Canadian one offers examples of proactive measures.
“In Canada, we’ve recommended adopting and implementing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism — the most comprehensive and democratically adopted one out there,” said Cotler. The Canadian government has also produced a manual for antisemitism awareness training within governments, universities and elsewhere, underscoring its commitment to fighting against hatred.
Cotler addressed the importance of changing attitudes but focused on the young people not in municipal buildings or classrooms, who mostly get information from social media.
“Online incitement leads to offline hate crimes,” said Cotler. “I am an apostle of free speech, but the First Amendment does not protect all speech. We must fight hate speech at every turn.”
“I’ll never forget what then-Secretary General of the U.N. Kofi Annan said when I was minister,” said Cotler. “He said, ‘A U.N. that does not put fighting antisemitism at the forefront of its policy is a U.N. that has betrayed its past and forfeited its future.’”
Today, Cotler argued, the U.N. has drifted far from that vision, electing to its human rights council rights violators like Russia and China, criticizing Israel and arguably institutionalizing antisemitism. Yet even as he condemned the U.N.’s failings, he insisted that continued engagement is important to remind the organization of its founding ideals.
At the end of the conversation, Dr. Kadish presented Cotler with a generous citation. Cotler closed his thoughts with a Mishnaic reference.
“We’re taught ‘lo alecha ham’lacha ligmor,’” he said. “We don’t have to finish the task, but it’s incumbent on us to pursue justice without desisting.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/a-discussion-with-irwin-cotler-confronting-antisemitism-and-defending-human-rights.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/irwin.png
September 29, 2025
304082
Touro University Skyrockets 200 Points Since 2020 in New U.S. News Rankings
As Costs Climb for Students Nationwide, Touro University Also Earns Top Marks for Social Mobility and Value
This week Touro University announced its ranking in the 2026 Best Colleges list by U.S. News & World Report, skyrocketing almost 200 places higher to No. 143 in just five years and moving up nearly 30 places from 2025. This momentum is a clear sign of Touro’s rapid growth, commitment to excellence, and focus on student success and career placement. The 2026 edition of the U.S. News Best Colleges rankings evaluates more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities, using up to 17 factors to measure academic quality and graduate success.
In addition, Touro’s significant rise in social mobility rankings, climbing 71 places to No. 73, as well as best value rankings, improving 15 places to No. 104, comes at a critical moment for higher education, as students and families nationwide confront rising tuition costs and shrinking post-graduation opportunities. With affordability and career outcomes under greater scrutiny than ever, Touro’s jump in social mobility signal the University’s growing strength in helping students from all backgrounds not only access a quality education, but graduate prepared to succeed in a challenging economy.
“Over the past decade, Touro has made great strides to expand our program offerings, find new ways to support our students from classroom to career, and continue to deliver excellence,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro University. “We are pleased to see this incredible momentum reflected in this year's rankings, highlighting Touro's growth in scale, impact, and preparing students for what they need to take on a changing world."
Founded in 1970, Touro University is the largest institution under Jewish auspices in America and operates as a national system with more than 19,000 students across 35 schools in the U.S. and abroad. As an institution, Touro is committed to empowering students to achieve outstanding careers in medicine, health sciences, education, business, AI and law. In fact, the university produces nearly 4% of the nation’s new doctors each year and continues to expand with innovative programs and facilities.
U.S. News publishes the Best Colleges rankings each year to provide prospective students and their families with the comparative merits of the undergraduate programs at America’s colleges and universities. The rankings offer detailed information of the institutions and data on factors such as graduation rates, graduate indebtedness, and post-graduate earnings.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-university-skyrockets-200-points-since-2020-in-new-us-news-rankings-.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/3ts.png
September 26, 2025
303800
Touro University Welcomes Benjamin Lowenthal as New Chief Financial Officer
Veteran Higher Education Finance Executive Brings 35 Years of Leadership Experience to Touro University, Strengthening Financial Strategy and Supporting Institutional Growth
Benjamin Lowenthal was appointed Chief Financial Officer for Touro University, Dr. Alan Kadish, Touro President, announced today. A seasoned leader with 35 years of experience in the world of higher education finance, Lowenthal most recently served as Senior Vice President for Administration & Finance and Chief Fiscal Officer at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland. His previous roles include Associate Vice President of Financial Services at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and Assistant Vice President of Finance at University of Maryland Global Campus.
"I am thrilled to be joining Touro University in the role of CFO. As one who has spent my entire career in higher education finance, finding an opportunity to give back to my community in a university that is a perfect fit with my personal values is ideal. I look forward to working with Dr. Kadish and the entire Touro leadership team to elevate what is already an impressively successful institution to even greater heights, building on Touro's solid financial results."
At Towson, Lowenthal oversaw the university’s financial, technological, and physical resources, managing a $650 million operating budget and a $700 million capital construction plan. Since 2018, he has led efforts to simplify, standardize, and automate business processes, including the implementation of a new financial system and a revised budget process.
“Touro University is excited by the appointment of Benjamin Lowenthal, who is a high-caliber and highly skilled professional who is poised to empower continued growth of our dynamic institution of higher learning,” said Dr. Kadish.
Lowenthal is a Certified Public Accountant who earned his MBA in Finance from the University of Baltimore. He also studied at Ner Israel Rabbinical College as he pursued his baccalaureate and graduate degrees.
Lowenthal will officially join Touro in November, and will work closely with long-time Touro CFO Mel Ness during a two-month transition period before assuming full responsibilities as CFO in January.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-university-welcomes-benjamin-lowenthal-as-new-chief-financial-officer.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/mel-ness-and-ben-lowenthal.jpg
September 17, 2025
300102
AI Teaching Initiative Launched Across Touro University Campuses
New Faculty Innovation Grant Program Jumpstarts AI-enhanced Teaching Across Disciplines as Part of AI at Touro Initiative
Touro University has launched a Faculty Innovation Grant Program to support the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into teaching and learning across its campuses, Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish announced today. Supported by a generous gift from the Wertheimer Family Fund, the initiative is already engaging 100 faculty members from a wide range of disciplines who are developing AI-enhanced curricula for Fall 2025.
This program is part of Touro’s broader AI@Touro initiative, which aims to transform the university into a fully AI-enabled institution by training faculty, staff and students in the use of AI. By embedding AI into education, research and operations, Touro is preparing its community to lead with integrity and impact. The initiative emphasizes ethical implementation, continuous learning, and cross-disciplinary collaboration—ensuring that students, faculty, and staff are equipped to thrive in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
The Faculty Innovation Grant Program is designed to help faculty identify and implement AI tools that enhance student learning. Projects are being developed over the summer and will be piloted in classrooms this fall, with a focus on real-world applications, ethical use of AI, and student engagement.
“This initiative reflects Touro’s commitment to preparing students for a future where AI will be central to nearly every profession,” said Dr. Kadish.
“By empowering our faculty to thoughtfully integrate AI into the classroom, we’re ensuring our students are not just learning about AI—they’re having the opportunity to try it out and see how it will work in the real world,” said Dr. Patricia Salkin, Touro Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs and Provost, Graduate and Professional Divisions.
Dr. Shlomo Argamon, Associate Provost for AI, added, “This is about more than just using new tools. It’s about helping students think critically about how AI is shaping their fields and how they can use it responsibly and effectively.”
Faculty projects span a wide range of disciplines, including:
AI-powered exercises in contracts and criminal law to enhance legal reasoning
AI-generated patient simulations and health literacy tools for health science training
Lesson planning and classroom simulations using AI to prepare future educators
Simulated therapy sessions and clinical mental health training using AI
Learning to use AI to create advertising campaigns
Creating AI-powered study guides, chatbots, and assessments to support infectious disease education
Simulating patient interactions to enhance medical training
Touro will assess the outcomes of the program at the end of the academic year, with the goal of expanding successful models and sharing best practices across the university system.
For more information, contact Dr. Shlomo Argamon, Touro’s Associate Provost for AI at shlomo.argamon@touro.edu.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/ai-teaching-initiative-launched-across-touro-university-campuses.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/AIteachinginitiativeupdated-thumbnail.jpg
July 15, 2025
299869
A Forgotten Chapter of Jewish Resilience
Decades After Defying the Soviet Union, Rabbi Josef Mendelevich Shines a Light on the History of Forced Jewish Conscription in Russia in His New Book
Rabbi Yosef Mendelevich is best known as a Soviet refusenik and former political prisoner who was sentenced to 15 years in a labor camp for his involvement in a 1970 plot to hijack a plane and escape the USSR. Today, at 77, he is making headlines for a very different reason: the publication of his book, The Cantonists: Jewish Boys in the Russian Military, 1827–1856 by Touro University Press, being released in English for the first time.
A historical work of deep scholarly insight and emotional resonance, the book is the result of decades of research and draws on newly uncovered documents from Russian imperial archives. For Rabbi Mendelevich, the book is not just a personal achievement, it’s a way of reclaiming and illuminating a forgotten chapter of Jewish resilience.
Once a Prisoner, Now an Academic
In the late 1990s, Rabbi Mendelevich, already a symbol of Jewish resistance, found himself working as head of the Russian department at the Touro College Israel campus in Jerusalem. He had gotten his job despite never completing his university education in the Soviet Union, having been expelled from his university for applying to immigrate to Israel. Touro, he said, offered him a second chance.
“Professor Carmi Horowitz, the dean and rector of the Touro Graduate School of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem at the time, encouraged me to complete my studies, so I decided to pursue a master’s in Jewish history,” he said. “For my thesis, I chose to research the conscription of Jewish boys into the Russian army under Tsar Nicholas I, a topic that had recently become more accessible through newly acquired Russian archival materials.”
What began as a master’s thesis quickly grew into a massive scholarly work—approximately 300 pages in total. “People told me it’s not a master’s thesis, it’s a doctorate,” Rabbi Mendelevich said with a laugh.
A Humanistic Lens on a Brutal History
The new book explores the policy initiated by Tsar Nicholas I in 1827, which forcibly conscripted Jewish boys as young as 12 into military service for terms lasting up to 25 years, with a stated goal of assimilating Jews into Russian society.
But Rabbi Mendelevich doesn’t approach the topic solely through statistics or cold historical analysis. “I consider my book a humanistic study,” he said. “It’s not just numbers. I wanted to understand the mentality of the people who made these decisions, and the people who resisted them.”
Among the most striking discoveries: While the policy was pushed by the Tsar, many of his own ministers opposed it. “They were educated men, many of them with European degrees. And yet, they followed orders they believed were inhumane,” Rabbi Mendelevich said. “The Tsar overruled them, directly issuing decrees that bypassed the ministerial process.”
Resistance and Resilience
The book also chronicles the surprising and often inspiring reactions of the Jewish communities affected by the decree. “There were great efforts to prevent the conscription,” he said. “Jews reached out to Queen Victoria of England, and she appealed to her cousin, the Russian Tsar. They went to the Rothschilds, to Moses Montefiore, trying to apply pressure.”
Within Russia itself, the forced conscripts—referred to as Cantonists—showed extraordinary spiritual strength. “Of the 60,000 Jewish boys taken, 75 percent refused baptism, despite brutal punishments,” Rabbi Mendelevich said. “That’s a victory. That shows how deep their Jewish identity was.”
He also uncovered moving stories of individual heroism: Russian peasants who helped boys escape; Jewish soldiers who smuggled money to them; even a Russian priest who told one boy, according to Rabbi Mendelevich, “You have to follow Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov.”
Finishing What He Started
The English publication of the book by Touro University Press marks a full-circle moment for Rabbi Mendelevich. What began as a research project in the halls of the Touro Israel campus will now be available to a global audience. “For the first time, English readers will have access to this original research,” he said. “It’s based on documents few others could read or interpret. I had the privilege of understanding not just the language, but the mindset of those who wrote them.”
Despite his revolutionary past, Rabbi Mendelevich says he is not trying to push a particular message. “I’m not a Russian commissar,” he said. “I don’t tell people what to think. But I want the book to raise questions. That’s what real learning is about.”
He hopes the work will challenge assumptions, inspire further inquiry, and deepen readers’ understanding of both Jewish endurance and Russian imperial policy. It’s not just a book for academics, he said. “It’s for anyone who cares about Jewish history, identity, and survival.” The Cantonists can be purchased on Amazon or academicstudiespress.com.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/a-forgotten-chapter-of-jewish-resilience.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/yosefmendelvich.jpeg
July 09, 2025
125150
Touro Law Center Celebrates 33rd Commencement Exercises
Congratulations, class of 2015!
Touro Law Center celebrated its 33rd annual Commencement exercises on the evening of Sunday, May 17 at the Tilles Center for Performing Arts in Brookville, New York, awarding 194 juris doctor degrees, 11 Master of Laws in U.S. Legal Studies degrees, and 2 Master of Laws degrees to graduates.
Rena Seplowitz, voted best professor by this year’s graduating class, described the varied interests and experiences of the class of 2015 that made them such an exceptional group, and praised their initiative in being the inaugurating class to participate in the New York State Pro Bono Scholars program.
Touro College President Dr. Alan Kadish conferred honorary degrees upon Richard D. Parsons and Hon. Peter King, U.S. Representative for New York's 2nd congressional district. Dean Patricia E. Salkin, J.D., presented eight students and faculty members with awards onstage, among those being the Paul Marks Public Service Award, presented to Professor Leif Rubinstein; the Milton Handler Scholarship Award, presented to Professor Sara Adams-Schoen; and the Excellence in Teaching Award, presented to Professor Fabio Arcila.
Daniela Giordano and Matthew Landon Zafrin were named this year’s valedictorians, of the full-time and part-time programs, respectively, while Darren Stakey and Jeffrey Gautsche were named salutatorians. Jason W. Prince, who received the 2015 Ronni D. Cohen Class Orator Award, delivered an entertaining student address that earned him a standing ovation from the class. Other students and faculty were honored at an awards ceremony and dessert reception earlier in April.
In the 2015 commencement address, Richard Parsons, former chairman of Time Warner and Citigroup and former advisor to Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, spoke about networking and interdependence as being key factors of success.
“[Before I left for the University of Hawaii] my grandmother…said: ‘Just be the person everyone else roots for.’ If I were to tell you the biggest single factor in the limited success I’ve had, it would be [that advice]: being the person other people wanted to see succeed.”
“We live in a world now that’s enormously complex, highly interconnected, totally global…and almost no one gets anything done in this world by himself or herself. The reality is, the more people you can get who are prepared to lend a shoulder for you to stand on, the more success you’re going to have in life.”
In her valedictory remarks, Ms. Giordano reminded her peers that while “law school taught us to think like lawyers, I hope we don’t forget to think like human beings. I hope we continue to fight for what we believe in, always appreciate those who stand beside us, and grow to be lawyers with honor and integrity.”
Congratulations, graduates and awardees!
Dean Emeritus Howard A. Glickstein Award for Outstanding Leadership and Overall Academic ExcellenceDavid D. Pelaez
Alumni Association Academic Achievement AwardDaniela Giordano – Full-time; Matthew Landon Zafrin – Part-time
American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education - ALI - CLE Scholarship & Leadership AwardChristopher M. Bergold; Daniel Gustav Olsen; Jamie Lee Ruiz
Daniel and Rose Subotnik Distinguished Writing Award for the Best Published or Non-Published Article by a Graduating StudentAlyssa R. Wanser
Suffolk County Bar Association Award for Academic ExcellenceDarren Stakey
Clinical Legal Education Association AwardNicole Antoinette Berkman
LL.M. Outstanding Academic Achievement AwardBeatrice Koncz
Bessie RayGeffner Memorial AwardMichele Schlereth
National Association of Women Lawyers AwardSidney E. Goldstein
The Shirley & Murray Rubinstein Clinician of the Year AwardJamie Lee Ruiz
Peter Davis Award for Excellence in the Study of Criminal JusticeJonathan Francis Murray
ABA/BNA Award for Excellence in Employment LawReginald Bien-Aime, Joseph F. Chapman, Adam Scott Eisen, Matthew F. Hromadka, Jeffrey Alexander Kaufman
ABA/BNA Award for Excellence in Health LawDana Aronow
ABA/BNA Award for Excellence in Intellectual PropertyEdward H. Grimmett, James Louis Lyons, Christopher Miner, Alyssa R. Wanser
American Bankruptcy Institute Medal of ExcellenceJamie Lee Ruiz
Cornelius W. Wickersham, Jr. Award for Excellence in the Study of Constitutional LawJoseph Angelo Lemma
Brian Lord Award for Public Interest LawNicole Antoinette Berkman
Michael Aaron Silver AwardAntwaun Elliott Gavins
New York State Bar Association Law Student Bar Association Achievement AwardMatthew Albert Gray
Elizabeth Gonzalez Book AwardJeannéa L. Baptiste
White Rose Social Justice AwardAndrew Wentworth Wilson
Martin Schwartz Award for Excellence in Civil RightsMelissa Kristina Rodriguez
Special Service to the Public & CommunityTricia S. Lindsay, Joseph Anthony Phillipo, Aidan B. Slevin
Exemplary Contributions to the Growth of the Law CenterAntwaun Elliott Gavins, Sidney E. Goldstein, Matthew Albert Gray, Michael L. Henry, David D. Pelaez, Jason W. Prince, Jamie Lee Ruiz
Exemplary Contributions to the Quality of Student LifeElias Arroyo, Nicole Antoinette Berkman, Katie Betik, Frances L. Bowdre, Christopher M. Bergold, Angela M. Calia, India Dawn Campbell, Saul Carbajal, Jr., Jestina Danielle Collins, Barry Scott Crane, Alyse M. DelleFave, Gina Marie Delustro, Christopher Dor, Melissa Ann Eisenberg, Adam Scott Eisen, Lauren Rose Gallo, Jeffrey C. Gautsche, Jerel Tristan Greenidge, Annmarie J. Hwang, Matthew J. Ingber, Cybele S. Louis, James Louis Lyons, Brandon Maharajh, Alanna Eileen McGovern, Erin McTiernan, Jonathan Francis Murray, Naché Chanell Patoir, Veronica Phillips, Catherine Elizabeth Romano, Krista E. Siederman, Darren Stakey, Jay Sterman, Ashleigh C. Televandos-Ballis, Alyssa R. Wanser, Andrew Wentworth Wilson, Matthew Landon Zafrin
Service to the Bar AwardPaige Danielle Bartholomew, Robert P. Manetta
Adjunct Professor of the YearAnne Oh
In Recognition of Devoted Service to the Ideals and Purpose of Legal EducationProfessor Rena Seplowitz
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-law-center-celebrates-33rd-commencement-exercises.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/18275890838_d12b101544_k.jpg
May 20, 2015
125175
Network Security in the 21st Century
Five Questions with Professor Behrooz Khorsandi, IT Specialist at IBM
Professor Behrooz Khorsandi, who came to the Graduate School of Technology in 2007, has dealt with network security for over two decades—including at the local-, state-, and federal-government level. Holding degrees from NYU-Polytechnic and Columbia University, he is currently Consulting IT Specialist for IBM Global Services. Catch Professor Khorsandi at his workshop lecture at the Graduate School of Technology on August 11, where he’ll discuss more about network security, viable career options, and why it’s gaining so much prominence across various industries.
Explain network security in one sentence.
Network security is the concept of protecting network resources from internal and or external intruders, while allowing regular users to be productive. That’s the view from 30,000 feet above. level. But of course, once you peel the onion, it gets deeper. Are we talking about firewall security? Patching security? Zero-day vulnerability?
Got it. So what areas of technology are hot these days?
Cloud, mobility, network security, social media, and analytics are now at the forefront of everything. With so many companies moving their operations from the traditional private data centers to the cloud, and companies having to meet the demands of their employees by catering to their BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) requests, I would put the fields of cloud security and mobile security on the top of the totem pole. They’re making the headlines right now.
You’ve worked at IBM for over two decades thus far. What’s one thing you learned from your time there?
To be successful, you must be willing to adapt, learn new technologies, and continue to explore new horizons. Most of the work that I did ten years ago is now pretty obsolete.
How has network security changed since you arrived?
Attacks have become a lot more sophisticated. Thanks to easier connectivity and prevalence of hot spots, it’s now easier to target more individuals and companies. Interestingly enough, more than half of the “bad guys” are insiders— anyone with remote or physical access to a company’s network.
If you could share just one piece of information to future IT professionals about network security, or students thinking of pursuing this field, what would it be?
You should understand that security isn’t just a thing or a product that can be bought and installed. It is a continuous process… at the heart of the business itself.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/network-security-in-the-21st-century.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/news-and-communication-assets/featured-story-assets/BehroozKhorsandiPortrait_GST.JPG
August 10, 2015
125174
Standing Out in Today’s Digitally Driven Market
Five Questions with Career Consultant Dana Leavy-Detrick
Dana Leavy-Detrick is a personal brand strategist, resume writer, and career consultant. As the founder of Brooklyn Resume Studio and Los Angeles Resume Studio, she’s helped hundreds of professionals in various industries—especially technology—develop career strategies and marketing and branding tools that recognize their professional goals, bridge employment and skill gaps, and reach higher levels of earning potential and success in their careers. Catch Ms. Leavy-Detrick at the GST career night on Wednesday, October 28, 2015, where she’ll discuss more about digital branding, networking and digital marketing platforms, and how to create content to build a strong digital presence.
When clients walk in through the door, what’s the first question you’ll ask them?
"When a hiring manager reads your resume, what do you want them to know about you?”
My clients come from lots of different places. Many of them have had multiple types of jobs or careers, and long life stories they want to tell. The goal of our work is to create a single, tight message and get it across in a concise way.
You started your career working in tech, for an IT research company. You also have extensive experience in HR and recruitment of talent. In your many years working with individuals who want to get hired at competitive positions in tech, what are some mistakes you’ve seen that hold candidates back from their dream jobs?
People sometimes don’t realize that there’s more than one audience they need to appeal to on a resume. Your resume should appeal to both the industry expert—say, the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO), Computer Security Officer (CSO), and Director of Technology—as well as the HR generalist or recruiter. The goal is to sound like a great candidate, but be wary of using too much industry jargon.
Secondly, a lot of people overlook the need to balance strong visual presentation with excellent content. A well-written resume can suffer if it isn't designed in an appealing way that's suitable for the industry. And in the same sense, a resume that is over-designed and lacks effective content won't impress hiring managers.
I can see how this is true for those going for creative fields like web/multimedia design, but what about candidates pursuing IT or Information Systems?
Striking that balance of strong presentation and excellent content is important for any field. How creative you get on a resume, and the visual elements you incorporate, is really driven by what’s appropriate for your field. Those seeking IT or Information Systems positions can can still integrate different visual elements—whether that's in the formatting, the font choice, or even the modest use of color and lines.
What’s your philosophy on personal branding?
You should take an entrepreneurial approach to managing your career, and your brand. YOU are a unique brand, and offer value that people are willing to pay for in terms of your skills, experience, education, and knowledge.
Packaging those assets together in an appealing way and marketing it to the right people is key. And resume writing is essentially self-promotion at the bare bones. Being the person who gets noticed, and ultimately gets hired, is all about how you market and position yourself—both on paper and online. In this digitally driven age, having a good online presence is even more important.
You’ve said that many aspiring career-changers who come to you are looking to get into the tech, fashion, advertising, and nonprofit sectors. Why do you think there are so many career-changers out there?
There is less perceived stability in certain fields these days, which has prompted people to consider additional ways they can leverage their talents. Tech is one of the more popular fields because it’s continually evolving, and growing very quickly. It can offer a lot of stability and opportunity to be part of innovation. My husband is in tech—he’s a front-end programmer—and I see first-hand the value of having such an in-demand skill set.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/standing-out-in-todays-digitally-driven-market.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/danaleavydetrick.png
October 28, 2015
183260
Meet Some of Touro’s Newest Medical and Health Sciences Students
Fall semester is off to a great start, and so are these future doctors, physician assistants, physical therapists and pharmacists.
As new students are heading to classes at Touro College’s medical and health sciences schools, we spoke with a few about their career aspirations.
Hardeep Singh
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) Harlem
“I chose to pursue a career in medicine because I have seen how illness has affected people I love the most. Our school is in the heart of Harlem so the environment is diverse, and I’m grateful to be here...everybody is like family!”
Marissa Fillin
Physician Assistant (PA) program in Manhattan
“I want to be a Physician Assistant (PA) so that I can make a real difference in the lives of patients and their families.”
Gil Pereirinha
Physical Therapy (PT) program in Manhattan
“As a former soccer goalie who suffered from a career-ending injury, I want to help other people suffering from excruciating pain. Becoming a physical therapist is truly my calling.”
Leila Hessam
Touro College of Pharmacy
“Being in the lower income range, I didn’t have access to the medical help I needed and ended up spending a lot of time at the pharmacy getting over-the-counter drugs and counseling. After working at a pharmacy myself, I saw the high level of care provided to patients by a particular pharmacist and it made me want to help people with similar backgrounds to me throughout their medical journey at a much deeper level.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/meet-some-of-touros-newest-medical-and-health-sciences-students.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2019/meet_new_students_2019.jpg
September 13, 2019
185292
2019 Presidential Faculty Awards
The 2019 Faculty Honored for Excellence in Teaching, Service, and Scholarship
Five professors from across the Touro College schools were recognized for their contributions to the College in this year’s Presidential Awards for Faculty Excellence. The awards, initiated in 2017, recognize excellence in faculty members across Touro College undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools in three areas: teaching, scholarship, and service. Faculty members were nominated by members of the Touro community and were judged by a cross-disciplinary selection team from different Touro schools. Final decisions were made by Touro’s academic leadership and Touro College and University System President, Dr. Alan Kadish.
"The faculty recognized this year for excellence demonstrate the high level of quality student-centered teaching that Touro College is known for, as well as outstanding creativity in scholarship and exemplary service to the college and to the professions," said Patricia Salkin, Provost for the Graduate and Professional Divisions.
Each recipient received an engraved medal that can be worn on their academic regalia and a monetary award in recognition of their outstanding accomplishments.
This year’s awardees are:
Teaching
Yocheved Bensinger-Brody, PT, PhD, PCS -- Touro College School of Health Sciences
Angela Cavanna, DO, FAOSM -- Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine - Middletown
Research and Scholarship
Yehoshua November, MFA -- Lander College of Arts and Sciences
Service
Tipsuda Junsanto-Bahri, MD -- Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine - Harlem
Thomas G. Rozinski, MA, JD -- Lander College of Arts and Sciences, Lander College for Men, Lander College for Women--The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School
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Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/2019-presidential-faculty-awards.php
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November 06, 2019
194164
Touro Mourns the Loss of Dr. Mark Hasten, Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Noted Jewish Philanthropist, Leader in Business and Education, Dies at 92
(New York, NY)—March 2, 2020--The Touro College and University System mourns the loss of Dr. Mark Hasten, Chairman of the Board. Dr. Hasten passed away on Friday, February 28, in Indianapolis. He was 92 years old.
Dr. Mark Hasten was a visionary leader and ardent supporter of Touro. An engineer as well as an entrepreneur in myriad businesses, including banking, real estate and health care, Dr. Hasten long focused his philanthropic interests on education. Chairman during Touro’s most significant period of growth, he helped Touro launch its western divisions in California and Nevada and was a major contributor to the establishment of Touro’s Lander College for Women-The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School, in Manhattan. During his 25-year tenure as Chairman of the Board, Touro’s student body doubled in size -- from 9,000 to over 18,000 students. Touro became one of the leading and largest health care educators in the U.S., and its university system grew to 34 campuses and locations, mostly in New York but also in California, Nevada, Moscow, Israel and Berlin.
“Nafla Ateres Roshainu,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, Touro President, at a funeral held Sunday at Touro’s Lander College for Men-Beis Medrash L’Talmud. “Dr. Hasten was like a brother to Touro founder, Dr. Bernard Lander and he was my mentor and father. He spoke to our students often of the four P’s necessary for success – patience, persistence, positivity and perseverance and he exemplified all those traits. His perseverance to accomplish goals in his personal and professional life came along with a certain toughness. He led an amazing life and his brand of toughness enabled him to get important things done. He was tough when he fought the Nazis, liberated Majdanek, fought for Israel’s independence and talked his way into engineering school at Southern Methodist University when he could barely speak English. He brought that perseverance and toughness to his role at Touro and he led us through a tremendous period of growth. His toughness was always tempered with kindness, humility and a collaborative spirit.”
Fighting for Jewish Survival on all Fronts
Hasten was born in Bohorodczany, Poland, in 1927. He and his family survived WWII in Kazakhstan, where he entered the military. The young Hasten fought with the Polish Brigade of the Red Army against the Nazis on the Eastern Front during World War II and participated in the liberation of the Majdanek Concentration Camp in Poland. In a displaced persons camp, he joined the Irgun Tzvai Leumi and was aboard the Altalena, the famous ship, which was sunk by order of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. Hasten joined the Israel Defense Forces in 1948, and participated for two years in Israel’s War of Independence.
From Southern Methodist University to General Mills and First National Bank
In 1952, Dr. Hasten married Anna Ruth Robinson and they emigrated to the United States in 1953. Hasten’s education had been suspended at age 12 by WWII and he realized he needed training in order to advance professionally. He enrolled at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and in 1959, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He then spent nine years working for General Mills in Minneapolis, first in research, then as Chief Design Engineer for Corporate Engineering. While there, Hasten invented and designed the products and machines that produced the bendable straw, Cheerios, Pringles and Bugles. In 1967, Hasten was invited by his younger brother, Hart, to join his health care business in Indianapolis. Hasten insisted that the company be Sabbath observant. As the business grew, they worked closely with banks to raise capital. Eventually, they decided they would rather finance their projects themselves and they acquired a total of 36 banks under the First National Bank and Trust name. They divested their bank holdings in 2007.
The brothers worked together for 40 years and were partners in both business and community service. With no Jewish day school in Indianapolis, they decided to create one. The Hasten Hebrew Academy began with 13 children and its roster now numbers over 150. The school produced numerous illustrious graduates who are engaged in full Jewish lives.
Visionary Leadership for Touro
Always passionate about education and especially interested in higher education that offered a Jewish environment, Hasten joined the board of Touro College in 1977 and became chairman in 1995. He and Touro founder, Dr. Bernard Lander, were extremely close, sharing a vision for building from the ground up.
“My father had that wonderful blend of being a visionary and a person with the courage to pursue those goals,” said Rabbi Michael Hasten, noted educator. “He really envisioned how Touro could be an all-encompassing dominant force in many fields of education and he realized that vision in his lifetime, while also creating a great opportunity for a young Jewish man or woman to gain their academic training necessary to pursue their careers of choice.”
“Dr. Hasten’s business acumen and expertise helped realize my father’s educational vision,” said Harav Doniel Lander, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim and Chancellor of Touro College. “I don’t believe Touro could have developed into what it did without Dr. Hasten’s hands-on operational leadership and guidance as Chairman of the Board. He was a leader who supported the institution through thick and thin, who had vision, drive and tremendous ability,” said Lander. “He was a leader in business, government and education and always remained approachable, humble, warm and engaging.”
According to Rabbi Moshe Krupka, Executive Vice President, Touro College and University System, “Mark Hasten is a hero for the Jewish people, the State of Israel and higher education. He is the hero of people of good faith who wish to achieve on behalf of others,” said Rabbi Moshe Krupka. “Touro exists to prepare our students to set and achieve goals, and then keep striving in their lives to be successful in their career and personal lives. Dr. Hasten saw what he created at Touro as incredible vengeance against Hitler and the anti-Semites he encountered early on in his life. He led Touro with tenacity and a force of personality that was unmatched.”
At yesterday’s funeral, Krupka recalled how often he had to get Dr. Hasten’s signature on official documents. Every time he made this request, Hasten put a big “Beis Heh” on the documents. He said, “Without Hashem’s name, these documents mean nothing, we will not be able to accomplish anything.”
Harav Yonason Sacks, Rosh Yeshiva of Touro’s Lander College for Men-Beis Medrash L’Talmud spoke of the three pillars the world rests on –Torah, Avodah and Gemilus Chasadim. He said that the Mishkan and Bais Hamikdash are microcosms of the world and these three pillars are absolutely essential for building them. He explained that any Jewish institution must also exemplify Torah, Avodah and Gemilus Chasadim. “Our Yeshiva and Touro exemplify the world’s three pillars and the only way we and others can accomplish this is by positioning ourselves on the shoulders of giants. For us, Dr. Hasten was that giant who held up those three pillars for our institution. He had an unwavering commitment to Torah and Avodah and a natural disposition for chesed.”
A Heart in Every One of His Organs
Rabbi Michael Hasten recounted the words of the family’s rabbi in Minneapolis who said, “your father had a heart in every one of his organs, He gave money to Jewish causes when he had money and when he didn’t have money.” Hasten said, “My father had incredible gratitude to Hashem for saving his life early on. After he was saved, my father was literally everywhere in Jewish history over the course of his life. The only thing he missed was Mashiach. Just a short while ago, he said to me ‘if we could just bring Mashiach now, I’d be the engineer to build the vessels of the 3rd Beis Hamikdash …’”
Rabbi Hasten recounted how much his father loved Dr. Lander and everyone at Touro and also loved doing chesed. He urged those at the funeral to do a simple chesed for another in the merit of Dr. Mark Hasten, “pay it forward ... hold the door open for an elderly person, or invite someone into your home. Do something he would have done in his zechus.”
Dr. Mark Hasten truly lived a remarkable life and he always expressed gratitude for the opportunities he was granted. Looking back at his life a few years ago, Hasten said, “I saw Gehinnom and lived Gan Eden … I’ve worked my entire life to create success for Yiddishkeit and for those around me and as a lifelong inventor and creator, I believe success is the mother of invention.”
Hasten is survived by his wife, Mrs. Anna Ruth Hasten; his daughters Judy Kaye and Monica Rosenfeld; sons Edward Hasten and Rabbi Michael Hasten; and his brother Hart Hasten.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-mourns-the-loss-of-dr-mark-hasten-chairman-of-the-board-of-trustees.php
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March 02, 2020
297915
On the Shooting Outside the Capital Jewish Museum in DC
A Statement From Dr. Alan Kadish and the Leadership of Touro University’s Schools of Medicine
We were deeply pained by the murder of two innocent people outside of the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. We were, in addition, shocked to learn that the alleged perpetrator has worked for the American Osteopathic Information Association (AOIA) for the last eleven months.
We appreciate the joint statement of the AOIA and American Osteopathic Association (AOA). We concur with their sentiment: this was a horrific crime. With six medical school campuses at Touro University, five of which are schools of osteopathic medicine, we are compelled to add our individual and institutional voices to the condemnation of this crime.
The AOA and AOIA statement reads, in part
"The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) joins with the American Osteopathic Information Association (AOIA) to express our profound sorrow in response to the tragic shooting deaths of two Israeli embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, on Wednesday evening. We were shocked and saddened to learn that an AOIA employee has been arrested as a suspect in this horrific crime… We extend our deepest sympathy to the victims’ loved ones, wishing them peace, comfort and strength during this unimaginably difficult time."
As America’s largest institution of higher education under Jewish auspices, Touro’s mission is to uphold the Jewish heritage and to educate and serve. One of the ways we do so is by training physicians to respect and revere life. We will respond to this terrible act by redoubling our efforts to teach all our medical students the eternal values of doing good while, as articulated in the Hippocratic aphorisms, to “First, do no harm.” There is no room for bias or hatred in medicine. We also urge our colleagues to denounce antisemitism and bias in all of its forms.
These have been painful and sad days for us. We mourn this tragedy and condemn violence, along with all people of goodwill. May we all contribute to the healing of humanity that is so desperately needed.
Dr. Alan H. Kadish President, Touro University and New York Medical College
Dr. Wolfgang Gilliar Dean, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-Nevada
Dr. Edward C. Halperin Chancellor, New York Medical College
Dr. Tami Hendriksz Dean, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-California
Dr. Neil W. Schluger Dean, School of Medicine New York Medical College
Dr. Kenneth J. Steier Executive Dean, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine New York – Montana
Dr. Stephanie Zeszutek Interim Associate Dean, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine - Montana
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/on-the-shooting-outside-the-capital-jewish-museum-in-dc.php
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May 23, 2025
125133
Graduate School of Technology Hosts Executive Forum
IT Industry Professionals Share Career Advice With Students
It was a packed house, but this year’s career night discussion went beyond the confines of the assembly hall to include the online sphere as well. The organizers of this year’s Graduate School of Technology Executive Forum event asked guests and attendees to tweet their questions while the panel of five Information Technology (IT) professionals spoke about their careers and revealed advice on how to get their feet in the door of the technology industry today.
The November 25th panel included Abe Cytryn (@abe19), chief technology officer and manager of @mobilemagzter; Shay David, co-founder and chief revenue officer @Kaltura; Hal Friedlander, chief information officer for the New York City Department of Education; Evelyn Fuhrer, managing director @PromontoryFinancial Group; and Phil Teplitzky, Chief Technology Officer of HPSquared, LLC. After the 90-minute discussion, students networked directly with the panelists for over an hour.
And now for some takeaway tweets, with some advice for your job search…
On the right attitude to have once you’re hired:
On being prepared before entering the workforce:
On interviewing for a potential job:
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/graduate-school-of-technology-hosts-executive-forum-.php
December 16, 2014
125126
Welcome to the Touro Law Class of 2017
The Class of 2014 offers tips and a welcome to the new Touro Law 1Ls
Though law school is challenging, the Class of 2014 offer words of advice to the incoming class, sharing what worked for them, and reassuring the Class of 2017 that they'll get all the support they need at Touro Law.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/welcome-to-the-touro-law-class-of-2017.php
August 19, 2014
125111
Stay Passionate!
The faculty and staff of the Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center wish the Class of 2013 well.
As the Class of 2013 graduate from the Touro Law Center, faculty and staff offer words of advice and encouragement, and let the graduates know they will be missed.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/stay-passionate.php
May 27, 2014
125132
Touro College Commemorates 76th Anniversary of Kristallnacht
Community Captivated by Survivor Ruth Zimbler’s Eyewitness Account
To commemorate the 76th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Touro College and University System invited the community to an “Evening of Reflection and Remembrance.”
Kristallnacht, or “Night of Shattering Glass,” refers to the events of November 10, 1938 in Germany and Austria, in which hundreds of Jews were murdered, and thousands of Jewish-owned stores, homes, and synagogues were ransacked and destroyed.
The keynote speaker was 86-year-old Ruth Zimbler, a Kindertransport survivor from Vienna, who shared her memories of that terrifying night.
“You could almost cut the fear with a knife,” she said.
Ten years old at the time, Zimbler recalled how the family’s apartment was looted and “a big, fat swastika” had been painted on the front door. She described standing outside, watching her synagogue go up in flames, the broken shards of the synagogue’s “gorgeous, gorgeous windows” littering the ground around her.
“Even to this day, I can still feel the crunch of that glass on my feet.”
The audience was comprised of a packed crowd of Touro College students, administration, faculty, and members of the local community. Speakers included Rabbi Moshe Krupka, executive vice-president of Touro College; Professor Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust; Professor Karen Sutton, director of the Honors program at Lander College for Women—The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School (LCW); Andrew Gross, political advisor to the Deputy Consul General of Israel in New York; and Esti Stollman, a student at LCW. The event was sponsored by Professor Anne Bayefsky; Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike, dean of LCW; Dr. Steven Huberman, dean of the Graduate School of Social Work; and Dr. Donne Kampel, associate dean of faculties and founder of the Women’s Leadership Council at Touro College.
Zimbler said she was privileged to share her experience and urged others to do the same.
“You have to be the torchbearers,” she said. “You have to be the ones to tell my story, from here on in.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-college-commemorates-76th-anniversary-of-kristallnacht.php
November 17, 2014
125097
Giving a Voice
“Justice is making sure that everyone gets a fair shake and no one gets left behind.”
It takes conviction and a belief in what the law represents to be a public criminal defender in big cities like New York. A passion for justice and fairness was instilled in Touro College Jacob D. Fuschberg Law Center Class of 2013 graduate Ga’Kia E. Gray early on in life. Her father was a professional baseball player in the days before superstar agents and big unions, and his career suffered from subpar representation. Gray still wishes she could have been there to protect her dad’s rights, and has redirected that sense of purpose to individuals ensnared in the justice system or accused of misconduct.
"He would have had a voice for himself," says Gray of her ballplayer dad. “He would have had someone to speak for him.”
Now that she’s earned her degree, Gray hopes to level the playing field, which should undoubtedly make her father proud.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/giving-a-voice.php
January 02, 2014
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The Advocate
“I can relate to when you don't know who to turn to.”
Sometimes, it helps to understand where a person comes from in order to help them persevere. Graduate School of Social Work Class of ’12 grad Cheryl Bogdan’s father was a factory worker, and money was scarce in their rent-stabilized Queens residence. The warmth and togetherness of a loving home and connected community was essential to her nurturing. Those values as Cheryl remembers, “Got me interested in housing issues and advocacy work.” After becoming the first person in her family to graduate high school, she was determined to “give back to the communities that gave so much to me.”
Through fellowships and fieldwork at Touro, she soon got her chance - assisting geriatrics battling Alzheimer’s as well as helping rehabilitate ex-convicts. In the years ahead, she plans to direct her energies toward broader advocacy for those in need. The universal message in her experiences and those of her clients is that it’s only possible to affect the world outside you by maintaining inner resolve. “Social work is about change, in a person or a community,” she reflects. “You can effect change in a community. You have to believe that’s possible.”
This is Cheryl Bogdan’s story.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/the-advocate.php
August 01, 2013
295175
Meeting Today's Healthcare Needs
How Touro is Training Tomorrow's Providers
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, America is facing a shortage of healthcare workers that’s likely to get worse in the coming years. In fact, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) estimates that, by 2036, America will have just 78 percent of the primary care physicians that it will need. This is particularly concerning, as the U.S. population continues to age and will require more healthcare services than ever before.
At Touro University, we’re working to solve this potential crisis by rapidly training the healthcare professionals of the future. At Touro University School of Health Sciences in New York and at the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in California, Nevada and New York, we’ve developed successful medical programs for physician assistants (PAs) and osteopathic physicians that are now being replicated in underserved communities across the country to meet this increasing need.
Organic Growth That's Built on a Solid Foundation
Dr. Joe Tommasino is the vice president of PA program development and operations chairman of PA programs (Northeast) at the School of Health Sciences, which offered one of the four original PA programs in the country. “At Touro, we laid the foundation,” he shares. “Now, we have eight programs across the country, and we train and graduate the most PAs of any program.”
To accomplish this, the Touro team built a solid, reproducible infrastructure that was based on its original, traditional PA programs. This system has allowed the school to grow organically to eight programs, with two unique programs in the pipeline, and to create the necessary consistency that leads to excellence.
Creating Consistency That Leads to Excellence
At its three locations in Middletown and Harlem, New York, and Great Falls, Montana, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine takes a slightly different approach. Associate Preclinical Dean Dr. Stephen Jones explains: “Our preclinical curriculum is identical across all three campuses. We have a consistent experience, and when we open a new campus, we don’t have to start from scratch.”
Each campus also offers a “Cultural Competence in Healthcare” course designed by community leaders to reflect local culture and customs. Plus, students complete their clinical rotations locally, so they learn to meet the needs of the populations they serve.
The success of these programs hinges on a number of factors—from putting in place clinical hubs for PA training that provide a consistent experience to maintaining a full staff of faculty at each of the College of Osteopathic Medicine campuses, so students have the individual support they need. As Dr. Jones enthuses, “Touro University employs great teachers. Students who come here know that the faculty is excellent and really care for their students.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/meeting-todays-healthcare-needs.php
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April 18, 2025
295168
Cutting-Edge Treatment for Lung Cancer
Researchers from Touro University and Lovelace Biomedical are Developing an Innovative Treatment for Lung Cancer
When it comes to cancer, none is more deadly than lung cancer—which kills roughly 125,000 Americans and 1.8 million worldwide each year. In fact, lung cancer accounts for 20 percent of annual cancer deaths in the U.S., taking more lives than breast, prostate and colon cancer combined. However, there may be new hope for patients with this deadly disease, thanks to an innovative treatment in development at the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, which is part of Touro University and New York Medical College.
Dr. Steven Belinsky is a renowned researcher who has spent his career improving early detection of lung cancer and is the recipient of the Alton Ochsner Award Relating Smoking and Health in recognition of his research on tobacco. Now the vice president for research and director of the Lung Cancer Program at Lovelace, working with aerosol expert Dr. Phil Kuehl, he has developed a patented dry powder that’s showing promise for shrinking lung cancers tumors.
The initial development and testing of the dry powder, which is inhaled, was funded by the NIH with a $4.6 million grant. During that process, the team achieved a 70 to 90 percent reduction in tumor growth in animals, which was particularly encouraging because the animals had multiple lung tumors.
The powder is a reformulation of 5-azacytidine (Vidaza), which successfully treats blood cancer, but is unstable and must be given by injection or IV over the course of eight days. “That means the patient has to come into the hospital for eight days in a row—which is cumbersome,” Dr. Belinsky explains. “Dry power drugs are already used to mitigate symptoms of COPD and asthma. This drug’s stability, direct delivery to the lungs and convenience for use at home all could lead to more effective treatment of lung cancer.”
Giving Cancer Patients New Hope for Longer Lives
Another benefit of the 5-azacytidine dry powder is that it not only treats the tumors in the lungs but it enters the circulation, where it can potentially affect disease that’s spread outside the lungs. This is crucial because, as Dr. Belinsky notes, “About 65 percent of lung cancer is diagnosed after it’s left the lungs—which is metastasis.” While it’s still very early and human trials are needed, Dr. Belinsky says he’s excited about “the potential impact it could have through extending survival for lung cancer patients.”
The next step in the process is to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the FDA, and pending approval, Dr. Belinsky hopes to start a Phase 1A trial geared toward safety in the summer of 2025. That trial will be conducted in partnership with the National Cancer Institute, and if the drug is shown to be well-tolerated and elicits a response in the subsequent Phase 1B, it could eventually move on to Phase 3 trials with support from a pharmaceutical company, which will finalize development and commercialization.
There is also tremendous potential for the variety of cancers it could be used to treat and for how it can be combined with other drugs. “This drug reverses methylation, a process that silences the function of hundreds of genes responsible for normal cell function in all different types of tumors, so there is potential for use in the treatment of other cancer such as colon and breast cancer,” Dr. Belinsky posits. It’s an exciting new frontier in cancer treatment—and one where Touro is proud to be leading the way.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/cutting-edge-treatment-for-lung-cancer.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/LovelaceBiomedicalDrBelinskywithanotherresearcher.jpg
April 08, 2025
295141
Revolutionizing Healthcare
Touro's Research Expansion Drives Medical Breakthroughs
From groundbreaking treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease to advancements in diagnosing and managing traumatic brain injuries, Touro’s expanded research partnerships are redefining the future of medicine.
These transformative collaborations—with the prestigious Weissman Hood Institute and Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute—are fueling life-saving innovations while providing Touro students with invaluable, hands-on experience alongside world-renowned researchers in cutting-edge facilities.
Weissman Hood: A New Era in Medical Innovation
In September 2024, the McLaughlin Research Institute in Great Falls, Montana, was renamed the Weissman Hood Institute at Touro, marking both 70 years of pioneering research and a new alliance with Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) in Montana. Through this strategic partnership, Touro combines its commitment to tackling urgent medical challenges with Weissman Hood’s world-class research in neurodegenerative diseases as well as stem cell biology, cancer treatment and personalized medicine.
(R-L): Dr. Irving Weissman and Dr. Leroy Hood
The renaming honors two remarkable Montana natives: Dr. Irving Weissman, the Institute’s first intern in 1956, who became a visionary leader in stem cell biology and cancer research; and Dr. Leroy Hood, a pivotal figure in the Human Genome Project. Dr. Weissman’s pioneering work in hematopoietic stem cell biology has revolutionized our understanding of cellular development, blood disorders and cancer treatment. Dr. Hood is a renowned expert in systems biology, and his transformative contributions to personalized medicine through his work with the Human Genome Project have reshaped the way we approach complex diseases.
Dr. Hood expressed his enthusiasm for the new Touro alliance. “This relationship unites the strength of the basic science of Weissman Hood Institute with the possibility of translating these basic observations into clinical actionable possibilities that could transform patients’ lives in a variety of different areas, including Alzheimer’s disease,” he said.
Together, these two visionaries have transformed the fields of biology and medicine, and their legacy—now championed through Touro’s collaboration with Weissman Hood—promises to drive continued innovation and clinical breakthroughs.
“This affiliation has significantly enhanced our research capabilities, expanding our capacity to make a tangible impact on the health and lives of Americans,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, president of Touro University and New York Medical College. “Touro is committed to pushing the boundaries of medical research in ways that will truly benefit society, driving forward advances that matter.”
The Weissman Hood institute is headed by renowned researcher Dr. Renee Reijo Pera, who also serves as the Dean of Research at TouroCOM Montana.
“Dr. Renee Reijo Pera is a national expert in many areas of research. Her leadership will help integrate scientific research into the Montana community and teach the next generation of medical students, research principles and innovation,” said Dr. Kadish.
Touro Wins Grants That Drive More Research
A significant milestone was reached in early 2023, when Weissman Hood, in collaboration with Touro, was awarded a $14 million NIH grant to support the creation of the Center for Integrated Biomedical and Rural Health Research. This new initiative will address healthcare challenges faced by rural communities while advancing global research in neurodegenerative diseases.
“This is a crucial step in our mission to improve the health of our communities while offering students unique opportunities to participate in this impactful work,” said Dr. Solomon Amar, Touro’s chief research officer and provost for biomedical research. “By partnering with research leaders, we provide our students with exposure to cutting-edge developments in many areas of medical science.”
Additionally, Touro University Nevada’s College of Osteopathic Medicine recently received a $500,000 grant from the Engelstad Foundation to advance its cancer research, specifically in developing a drug to prevent metastasis. Led by a Touro Nevada research team, the project is approaching a breakthrough with the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment and make a significant global impact.
Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute: Impacting Society
Part of Touro University and New York Medical College since 2022, Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is one of the oldest not-for-profit biomedical research centers in the U.S., specializing in respiratory disease, neuroscience, toxicology and drug development. It also plays a critical role in protecting the nation from chemical, biological and nuclear threats.
Through this affiliation, Touro leverages Lovelace’s infrastructure and expertise, particularly in clinical trials, while faculty from Touro’s New York Medical College serve as advisors for Lovelace’s trials and contribute to its infectious disease research efforts.
Lovelace’s capabilities extend beyond traditional research. The Institute pioneered the use of advanced MRI techniques to detect subtle, often overlooked concussions, potentially steering athletes away from further career risks. This technology may also extend to prison populations, where it aids in identifying brain changes that could predict recidivism, offering key insights into rehabilitation and public safety.
“Our partnerships open doors for research that improves lives,” said Dr. Amar. “We’re equipping the next generation of healthcare professionals to solve tomorrow’s challenges.”
Changing the Face of Healthcare
Touro’s collaboration with Lovelace also includes a groundbreaking project to develop an aerosol COVID-19 vaccine. This novel approach, which replaces traditional injections with a nebulizer-based system, could transform the way vaccines are delivered. Touro and Lovelace are actively pursuing funding to continue this research.
Touro’s expansion into New Mexico is strengthening its leadership in public health research and academic excellence, particularly in underserved areas. Through its partnership with Lovelace, Touro will open a clinical branch of the Touro College of Dental Medicine in Albuquerque this spring, offering crucial dental care to the community while providing hands-on training for 200 students.
“By partnering with world-class institutions, we’re not just expanding our research capabilities,” Dr. Kadish said. “We’re building an ecosystem where students can actively learn, contribute and lead in areas that are driving the next breakthroughs in medicine.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/revolutionizing-healthcare.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/WeissmanHoodInstituteatTourobuildingandstudentinlab.jpg
April 04, 2025
295245
Science Olympiad at Touro University Attracts Local Jewish High Schools
SAR Triumphs Once Again at High School STEM Skills Competition
For 12 of the last 15 years, students at Jewish day schools in New York and New Jersey have had the date of The Jewish Education Project Science Olympiad competition, hosted by Touro University’s Lander College, circled on their calendars. It’s easy to see why. After all, what better way is there to match wits with other day school students from across the tristate area, while also hanging out with old friends and meeting new ones?
This year was no exception, as students from 11 New York and New Jersey yeshiva high schools gathered at Lander College this past Sunday to compete in 12 events related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) research. Students from each school participated in at least one event, which tested various aspects of biology, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, earth science, physics, engineering and technology.
“These events were extremely difficult, and they are definitely outside of the range of what you normally learn in class,” said Dr. Ann Shinnar, professor emerita of the Lander College Chemistry Department, who has served as a liaison between Lander College and the event organizers since 2011.
Since 2005, the Science Olympiad for day school students has been organized by Dr. Linda Padwa, of the Institute for STEM Education at Stony Brook University. She saw a need for the Sunday competition when her shomer Shabbat grandchildren were unable to participate in the annual New York state Olympiad because it took place on Saturdays.
Threepeat After Me
For the third straight year, Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy (SAR) High School finished first, followed by The Frisch School in Paramus, Yeshiva University High School for Girls in Queens, and SKA High School for Girls in Hewlett, respectively.
“Our students get to experience the fun of science, they get to learn and they get to enjoy being on a team, part of a whole group where we support each other and care about each other,” said SAR teacher and Olympiad coach Qiao Feng. “And we get the fun of seeing our students’ happy faces when they achieve something. And when they win!”
A Bug’s Life
One event not for the squeamish was Entomology, in which participants were asked to identify insects by order and family, and to answer questions about insects. Frisch’s coaches assigned juniors Serena Wachsman and Lily Acton to compete in the event, even though neither knew much about the subject at the outset.
“We’d be in school searching pictures of bugs and their anatomy and lifecycles, and our friends would see us and say ‘What are you doing?!’” said Lily. “But it was fun and we learned about a lot of things we wouldn’t have known otherwise.”
Serena agreed, adding that while she’s unsure whether there will be any practical applications to what they studied, “The next time I see an ant, I'll be able to identify the three parts of the body, which is pretty interesting.”
Students Finding Direction
With the advent of Waze and Google Maps and other directional apps and software, students’ experience with maps and other topographic tools is more limited than previous generations. The Road Scholar challenge strives to force them to utilize those dormant skills by requiring teams to respond to questions based on one or more state highway maps, USGS topographic maps or satellite/aerial images.
“I had to do a lot to prepare because it’s something I don't really know what to do with a map because I have my phone,” said Elijah Ritter, a junior at SAR who placed second in the event. “So it was cool to learn how to use maps and also fun because it was something I could talk to my parents about.”
Still Playing the Hits
Even though certain events are rotated in and out of the competition each year, several favorites remained, such as Tower, in which participants constructed a tower out of wood and glue. To test the stability, a bucket was attached to the bottom of the tower and then slowly filled with sand until the bridge inevitably broke. Students earned points according to how much weight their tower could hold, and the fewer materials used, the higher the potential score. Frisch sophomore Jacob Langer came in first with a tower that was able to secure 18 kilograms of sand.
Another is Write-It/Do-It, where a team of two students work in separate rooms. One student views a 3-D display and writes instructions on how to assemble it, and then the teammate reads the description and builds the display in a separate room, all within 50 minutes.
“I used to compete in Forestry, but I switched to Write-it/Do-It,” said Sammy Adler, a junior at DRS Yeshiva High School, “because I’m better being hands-on than remembering stuff.”
Voice of Experience
As part of the closing ceremony, Dr. Shinnar invited Aryeh Krischer, who is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in applied physics at Columbia University and who competed in the Science Olympiad when he was a high school student at Torah Academy of Bergen County (TABC), to address the students. Krischer assisted with the Electric Vehicle challenge, for which teams had to design, build and test a vehicle that used electrical energy as its sole means of propulsion to travel as quickly as possible and stop close to a target point. He told the students that few things will impact their lives like a good teacher.
“Throughout my education, I've been blessed to be surrounded by some fantastic teachers,” he said. “When you find some of your own, stick with them, because when you find amazing teachers who will guide you and be there for you, you will learn far more from these people than you will learn in any classroom.”
Touro
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March 26, 2025
294979
The Concluding Volume of The Shochet Just Released
The Second Book in the Fascinating Memoir from Touro University Press Chronicles Shtetl Life as Never Described Before
Touro University Press has now published the concluding volume of The Shochet: A Memoir of Jewish Life in Ukraine and Crimea, which has been widely acclaimed for its unprecedented honesty and vivid descriptions of virtually every aspect of Jewish daily life in the shtetl. This captivating volume, authored by Pinkhes-Dov Goldenshteyn (1848-1930), and meticulously presented and translated by Michoel Rotenfeld, associate director of libraries for Touro University, has been enthusiastically received as a major contribution to scholarship on Jewish life in Eastern Europe.
Goldenshteyn, a traditional Jew who was orphaned as a young boy and became a shochet (kosher slaughterer) as a young man, is a master storyteller. Folksy, funny, streetwise and self-confident, he is a keen observer of his surroundings. His accounts are vivid and readable, sometimes stunning in their intensity. The memoir is brimming with information. Goldenshteyn’s adventures shed light on communal life, persecution, family relationships, religious practices and beliefs, social classes, local politics, interactions between Jews and other religious communities, epidemics, poverty, competition for resources, migration, war, technology, modernity and secularization. In chronicling his own life, Goldenshteyn inadvertently tells a bigger story—the story of how a small, oppressed people, among other minority groups, struggled for survival in the massive Russian Empire and in the Land of Israel.
Volume Two begins in 1873, when Goldenshteyn obtains his first position as a shochet in Slobodze, and it follows him to the Crimea, where he endures some 35 years of challenges. Though the Crimea was part of Russia, it was overwhelmingly populated by Tatar-speaking Muslims as well as Karaites and Krymchaks. In 1913, Goldenshteyn fulfills his dream of immigrating to the Land of Israel, hoping to find tranquility in his old age. Instead, he is met with the turbulence of the First World War, as battles rage between the retreating Ottoman Turks and the advancing British forces. Along with thousands of other Jews, he is used by the Ottoman Turks as a human shield against the advancing British forces. Having started writing a Torah scroll before the outbreak of war, Goldenshteyn continues writing in exile, while starving, in disease-ridden conditions, and with cannonballs and bullets flying overhead. With great self-sacrifice and acumen, he overcomes tremendous adversity time after time by following his belief that justice will prevail if one acts with integrity.
“The Shochet is an engaging memoir of hardship and hope. The simplicity and authenticity of its author make it an extraordinary work; it sheds light on the dark and oppressed lives of the simple Jews in Eastern Europe, so often overlooked in historical studies. Pinkhes-Dov Goldenshteyn's life was punctuated by many misfortunes, but his faith and determination are deeply compelling,” said Dr. Michael A. Shmidman, editor of Touro University Press.
Clearly, much time and effort were dedicated to making this work accessible to the public. Until now, only a small circle of Yiddish-speaking scholars had access to this extremely significant primary source. The translator, Michoel Rotenfeld, spent decades on the research and translation, traveling to Ukraine, Crimea and Israel to explore archives and interview the last remaining individuals who knew Goldenshteyn. The results are self-evident:—the footnotes are concise and illuminating, providing the reader with a thorough understanding of what Jewish life was like in his era.
“This is a remarkable book, brimming with much information about East European traditional Jewish life in the second half of the 19th century… Special commendation goes to Michoel Rotenfeld for providing an excellent translation, comprehensive introduction and detailed notes for this volume which, for him, is clearly a labor of love. This book contains a treasure trove of information for the scholar and will provide hours of reading pleasure for the layman,” said Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, university professor of Jewish history and Jewish thought at Yeshiva University.
Order The Shochet: Volume Two on Academic Studies Press or touro.edu/touropress.
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March 20, 2025
206565
Touro Welcomes New Faculty to Its Ranks
16 New Faculty Members Join Touro, Broadening University’s Range and Depth
Touro College prides itself on its commitment to quality and access to affordable education, and a great faculty is key in delivering that. Recently, we’ve welcomed more than a dozen new faculty members who bring exciting backgrounds and student-centered approaches to teaching and learning. “Touro has always been an institution dedicated to the academic and professional success of our students; and an exemplary faculty is key to achieving this goal,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, President of the Touro College & University System. “I am confident that the recent new additions to the Touro faculty will contribute to the continued excellence to which we are committed.”
The new faculty members join the institution from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines, ranging from expertise in cybersecurity to periodontology and counseling. Some are new to Touro, while others have taught previously at Touro but not in a full-time capacity. Each brings something unique and strengthens our roster of great teachers.
In describing the new faculty, Touro College Provost Patricia Salkin noted the wide-ranging backgrounds of many of the faculty additions.
“Touro has always prided itself on the uniqueness of our student body as well as the fact that many of our students have varied backgrounds and journeys to higher education,” said Provost Salkin. “Our faculty is a representation of that.”
Below are abridged bios of the new faculty members.
<img src="/media/schools-and-colleges/dental/images/faculty/Daniela-Gurpegui-Abud.jpg
Daniela Gurpegui Abud, DDS
Dr. Abud is an assistant professor of dental medicine and an assistant clinical practice leader at Touro College of Dental Medicine (TCDM), attended dental school in Spain and did her postgraduate studies in Columbia University in New York. She speaks French, Italian and Spanish, abilities that will be useful in serving the patient population at TCDM.
<img src="/media/schools-and-colleges/tourocop/images/faculty-headshots/jenna-bloemer.jpg
Jenna Bloemer, PharmD, PhD
Dr. Bloemer is a new assistant professor at the Touro College of Pharmacy. She received her Pharm.D. from Auburn University and then pursued her PhD in neuropharmacology at Auburn.
<img src="/media/schools-and-colleges/graduate-school-of-education/images/faculty/de-jesus.jpg
Olga DeJesus, EdD
Dr. DeJesus is the chair of Touro’s Graduate School of Education’s TESOL/Bilingual programs. Dr. DeJesus received her Ed.D in Educational Leadership from Liberty University, and received her M.S. in School Building Leadership from Mercy College as well as her M.S. in Elementary Education.
<img src="/media/redesign/assets/images/faculty-experts/Tiffany-Graham.jpg
Tiffany C. Graham, JD
Professor Grahamis an associate professor of law at Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center. She is a graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges and the University of Virginia School of Law. Professor Graham previously served as an associate dean of academic affairs at the University of South Dakota School of Law.
<img src="/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/polisci/dayna_judge_headshot.jpg
Dayna Judge, MA
Judge is a new faculty member in the political science department of Lander College for Men (LCM) and Lander College for Women (LCW). She expects to complete her PhD at Princeton University this year.
<img src="/media/redesign/assets/images/faculty-experts/Dominika-Juraszek.jpg
Dominika Juraszek, MFA
Previously an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Technology (GST), Juraszek serves as Chair of Digital Media Arts at GST and Touro’s undergraduate schools. Juraszek earned her degree from Rhode Island School of Design and taught at NYU and Cal Arts.
<img src="/media/schools-and-colleges/tourocom/images/bio-headshots/Judithe-LaBarge.jpg
Judithe LaBarge, DC
Professor LaBarge joined the faculty of Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Middletown as an assistant professor in the school’s anatomy department. She joins the school with a wealth of personal experience, having been in clinical practice for 20 years in South Florida and serving as clinical director in two separate practices.
<img src="/media/schools-and-colleges/nyscas/images/faculty/Riratou-Lamarre.jpg
Riratou Lamarre, MA
Professor Lamarre joined the full-time faculty of the psychology department of NYSCAS. Professor Lamarre is currently completing her Ph.D. from Touro University Worldwide. Her dissertation focuses on the job satisfaction of sub-Saharan African immigrants in the United States.
<img src="/media/redesign/assets/images/faculty-experts/John-Linarelli.jpg
John Linarelli, PhD, JD, LLM
Dr. Linarelli joins Touro Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center after teaching commercial law at Durham University Law School, and serving as dean of Swansea University School of Law, both prestigious law schools in the United Kingdom. His most recent book, The Misery of International Law: Confrontations with Injustice in the Global Economy, won the European Society of International Law Book Prize in 2018. Dr. Lineralli has been a visiting professor at Georgetown University Law Center and Northeastern University School of Law.
<img src="/media/schools-and-colleges/tourocop/images/faculty-headshots/michael-liu.jpg
Michael Liu, BCCCP, BCNSP, BCPS
Dr. Liu arrived at Touro College of Pharmacy (TCOP) after a stint in a variety of clinical roles in Yale New Haven Health. Dr. Lui serves as associate dean of clinical and professional affairs, and an assistant professor of pharmacy practice at TCOP. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Liu has already helped augment the services of the pharmacy practice division including Covid-19 surveillance and influenza vaccination.
<img src="/media/redesign/assets/images/faculty-experts/Cynara-Hermes-McQuillan.jpg
Cynara Hermes McQuillan, JD
Professor McQuillan returns to the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center as an assistant professor of law. She previously served as Assistant Director of Bar Programs and Academic Development at Touro Law before she joined the faculty at New York Law School.
<img src="/media/schools-and-colleges/tcil/images/faculty/Khatuna-Mshvidobadze.jpg
Khatuna Mshvidobadze, PhD
Dr. Mshvidobadze is principal at Cyberlight Global Associates, a cyber security firm located in VA. Previously a professor in Utica College, Dr. Mshvidobadze joins Touro College Illinois’ Cybersecurity program. Dr. Mshvidobadze has been Deputy Director of the Information Center on NATO and Adviser to the Office of the Minister of Defense of Georgia. Her presentations on the Russian cyber threats have been delivered in FBI Headquarters and field offices as well as in the offices of the US Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice.
<img src="/media/schools-and-colleges/tcil/images/faculty/Glen-Roberts.jpg
Glen Roberts, MA
Roberts spent almost two decades as a police officer in upstate New York, before transitioning into the field of cyber security. Roberts is teaching three courses in Touro College Illinois’ Healthcare Cybersecurity Certificate program. Prior to joining Touro, Roberts taught at Utica College, which is designated by NSA and DHS as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense Education.
<img src="/media/schools-and-colleges/lander-college-for-arts-and-sciences/images/faculty/headshots/rosenblatt.jpg
Aviv Rosenblatt, PhD
Dr. Rosenblatt is an assistant professor of language and literature at Lander College of Arts and Sciences. He received his Ph.D. in classics from Princeton University with a dissertation entitled “Platonic Matters: On the Relation Between the Sensible and Intelligible Worlds in Plato, Aristotle and Plotinus.”
<img src="/media/schools-and-colleges/nyscas/images/faculty/Marylynn-Snyder.jpg
Marylynn Snyder, PhD
Dr. Snyder focused her research on eukaryotic DNA replication and then did her post-doctoral work studying the role of a signaling pathway in breast cancer metastasis. She brings her knowledge and talent to Touro College New York School of Career and Applied Studies (NYSCAS) as an assistant professor in the school’s biology department.
<img src="/media/schools-and-colleges/shs/images/faculty/mhc/Tanupreet-Suri.jpg
Tanupreet Suri, PhD, LMHC (NY), LPCC (NM)
Dr. Suri is an assistant professor in Touro College School of Health Science’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. She received her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of New Mexico and her M.S. in Mental Health Counseling from Long Island University.
Touro
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December 04, 2020
204749
It was the worst of times…
Rosh Hashana Message From Touro President, Dr. Alan Kadish
It has been a challenging year on many fronts, from the COVID-19 pandemic and a weakened world economy to climate change and social unrest. Schools and colleges in particular have been confronted with how to continue education while protecting their student, staff and faculty populations. Many of the nation’s schools are facing financial challenges—despite intense work to return to a semblance of normalcy, their efforts have been marred by COVID outbreaks requiring them to curtail activities or close.
The continued fight for racial and social justice in the U.S.—a fight that the Jewish community has always supported—is important, but that fight has been complicated by the actions of some that further increase public danger. We need a consistent message from all leadership across the political spectrum that racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance of any sort won’t be tolerated, and responsible action to make sure that message is received.
All in all, it is easy to suggest that the constellation of challenges that we face are greater than any time in the last several decades and fall victim to pessimism. But as one of my teachers once wisely told me, pessimism is not a Jewish trait. We believe that human beings were created for a higher purpose and that our “job” is to fulfill our mission. Touro’s mission—to build a better future for all of our students in the service of knowledge and compassion—has allowed us to come together through challenges in the past, and will continue to do so in the future. The individual and collective actions of our students, faculty and staff to help others during the pandemic have not only been inspiring, but also they herald a future bright with compassion and cooperation.
In adversity there is an opportunity for growth. Tough times also test one’s determination and Touro has courageously continued to meet the challenge. In March, we saw a nearly seamless transition to remote education with substantive training and technological upgrades. Despite COVID, we continued to develop new programs and add campus locations, including the growth of our Jewish studies program and scholarship. We are also encouraged by, among other things, the ongoing success our Bio incubator, and the continued financial stability of the entire Touro College and University System.
As a nation, we also know that we are far better equipped to deal with the challenges of pandemics like COVID than we have been in the past. Despite politicization of the situation by some, and the missteps that come when facing any new challenge, research into treatment and a vaccine is proceeding at breakneck speed, and the prospect of relief is hopefully on the horizon.
There’s genuine hope that our intensified focus on human dignity will continue to erode remaining prejudices, and that we will unite together, not as a collection of races who cooperate but rather as a singular human race. The Abraham Accords signed this week, which I was proud to attend, are but one example of how old antagonisms can be reimagined into joint and collegial action.
The Jewish New Year is a time of reevaluation: We consider where we have been and where we would like to go. Each of us has a role to play in moving our society and our important institution forward. Let us commit to redoubling our efforts to do all that we can in the coming year to improve ourselves, our families, our institution, and the world around us.
תכלה השנה וקללותיה תחל שנה וברכותיLet the year end and its curses, let the year begin and its blessings (Talmud Megillah, 31b).
Indeed, may the worst of times give birth to the best of times, for all of us, and for all humanity.
With warm wishes for a sweet and healthy New Year,
Alan KadishPresident
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September 17, 2020
180695
“Embrace Failure as a Learning Opportunity”
Regeneron CEO Leonard Schleifer Delivers Words of Wisdom to Graduates
1092 students from Touro College’s Division of Graduate Studies received their diplomas on June 13 during a moving ceremony held at David Geffen Hall in Lincoln Center.
Participating schools included Touro’s Graduate School of Business; Graduate School of Education; School of Health Sciences’ Behavioral Science programs; Graduate School of Social Work; Graduate School of Technology and Graduate School of Jewish Studies.
As students waited for the procession, they reminisced about their experiences.
“I feel like I found my family,” said Heidi Atstahi, a newly-minted social worker.
Yulia Gulakova was a member of the inaugural class of the School of Health Sciences’ Advanced Certificate in Behavior Analysis.
“The program was hard, but very helpful," said Gulakova, who emigrated from the Ukraine. "I got a lot of experience and I know I'm on the right path."
Touro College President Alan Kadish, M.D., welcomed the students and their families and spoke of the students’ newfound responsibilities to the larger world.
“We face the challenge of divisiveness, a self-inflicted wound,” said Dr. Kadish. “It is a challenge we must come together to overcome. Work hard in the fields we have trained you to; improving the health of others, educating others, taking care of the less fortunate, advancing technology, advancing knowledge in the humanities. Remember we need to work together, to come together, on those principles which unite us rather than divide us.”
Students heard from keynote speaker Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D, founder and CEO of biotech giant Regeneron. Dr. Schleifer led the audience on a humorous and inspiring travelogue of his life beginning with his childhood in Queens to his studies at Cornell University under Nobel Laureate Alfred Gilman to his eventual decision to start Regeneron with a fellow scientist. He spoke about the company’s early years: after a promising debut, the company had a high-profile series of drug failures.
“Wall Street was merciless,” said Dr. Schleifer. “Our stock dropped… We were running out of money. Our corporate obituary was written in the Wall Street Journal… Failure is valuable, but it isn’t fun. We decided not to give up. We would embrace failure as a learning opportunity. “
Afterwards, the company launched its first successful drug, Eylea, an effective treatment for the blindness caused by macular degeneration. More than twenty-million doses of the drug have been distributed and the company has patented seven successful drugs since then, ranging from drugs used to fight skin cancer to those that combat high cholesterol. The company currently has a market value of $35 billion.
“All these years, we were failures to the outside world, but in our hearts, we felt we were actually making critical progress,” said Dr. Schleifer. “We steadfastly were building the tools that would lead to our eventual success. Perhaps the hardest thing for us and for you is to stay true to yourselves. Do not let critics push us off our paths.”
During his speech, Dr. Schleifer also touched on the larger aspects of corporate ethics, including an op-ed he wrote in The New York Times about public companies pledging equity to help develop America’s infrastructure, Regeneron’s employee share buy-in program, and one of the company’s most recent charitable donations: a $100 million sponsorship of the popular high school national science competition formerly run by Intel.
“I hope you realize that you have to take risks to realize your potential,” concluded Dr. Shleifer. “You will likely fail along the way. But if you persevere, your rewards will be great.”
Touro College Provost Patricia Salkin, Esq., and Nadja Graff, Ph.D., Touro College’s Vice President of the Division of Graduate Studies, also delivered words of encouragement to the new graduates.
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams,” said Provost Salkin. “Dream big. We are counting on you to make the world a better place.”
“Accept the challenges ahead and know you have the skills to match them,” advised Dr. Graff. “Use all you have learned to help others. Stay lifelong learners and trust yourselves.”
After introductions by their respective deans, a graduate from each school delivered brief remarks. The speakers were Yocheved Friedman, of the Graduate School of Jewish Studies; Pamela Sarita of the School of Health Sciences; Johanan Eunice Livioco of the Graduate School of Technology; Dawn Irizarry of the Graduate School of Social Work; Julie Satt of the Graduate School of Education; and Crystal Rivera of the Graduate School of Business.
The variety of Touro’s student body was on display in the biographies and speeches of the student speakers. Friedman is an Orthodox Jewish mother of six who just finished a novel; Livioco is a violinist and singer who traveled from the Philippines to attend the Graduate School of Technology; Irizarry, of Staten Island, spoke of growing up in an abusive home and leaving an abusive marriage to pursue her college and social work degrees later in life; Satt spoke of how her autistic brother inspired her to work in special education; and Crystal Rivera earned her master’s degree in human resources while working full-time and taking care of her three children.
Friedman, whose thesis focused on the work of the great 20th century Jewish theologian Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, spoke of the symbolism of the many-colored coat given to the Biblical patriarch Joseph. “It was a message of accepting unity,” said Friedman. Speaking to her fellow students, from all educational backgrounds and walks of life, she finished: “We will be grateful for the coat of many colors we have acquired here.”
Touro
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July 02, 2019
222151
Touro’s New PsyD Program to Prepare Students For 21st Century Mental Health Practice
Unique Focus on Health and Healthcare will Offer Training for Careers in Medical and Behavioral Health Settings
The challenges of the past year have brought mental health issues to the forefront. From social media to social change to the impact of COVID-19, Americans are increasingly requiring more from mental health professionals.
Touro College and University System is launching a PsyD program that responds directly to these and other changes in mental healthcare. The new five-year program combines academic, research and clinical experiences to prepare graduates to become licensed clinical psychologists in the State of New York. It is based on the premise that psychologists working in both mental and physical healthcare settings need a strong foundation of clinical and research skills.
“Students will have a chance to work directly with different populations across the life span. They will learn about healthcare disparities and how to bring this understanding into clinical practice. Ultimately, our graduates will have a significant influence on the health of their communities,” said Program Director Frank Gardner, Ph.D., ABPP.
Touro’s PsyD program is unique in its emphasis on health and healthcare. Students will be trained to address mental health issues in both medical and behavioral health settings. The curriculum includes courses in healthcare and aging, the healthcare system, neuropsychological assessment and clinical health psychology/behavioral medicine, in addition to courses in assessment, treatment, consultation, and ethics. Touro PsyD degree graduates will be prepared to work as general psychologists, but also have the specialty training to work within a larger medical environment and on the frontlines of a healthcare system that is increasingly interdisciplinary and integrated. They will be ready for careers in academic settings, medical centers, community mental health settings and private practices.
The five-year program begins with a series of courses that provide a foundation for later clinical training. Second and third years are a balance of fieldwork and coursework. The fourth year includes both coursework and dissertation research, while the fifth year is spent in a full-time clinical internship. Graduates will be licensed by the State of New York.
Touro’s faculty have professional expertise in various areas like sports psychology and integrative community healthcare. They bring their practical knowledge and experience into their classroom teaching. Faculty members also conduct research in areas that include treatment of anger and violence, technology’s impact on health awareness and health disparities, and how to improve support services for families.
Touro’s PsyD program accepts fifteen students each year. For more information visit shs.touro.edu/psyd.
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October 22, 2021
Doctor of Psychology
130312
Congratulations Newest Alumni of Touro University California!
TUC Graduates the Class of 2018 from the College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Pharmacy, College of Education and Health Sciences, and COM Master of Science in Medical Health Sciences.
Families watched loved ones take to the stage in caps and gowns at Zellerbach Theater in Berkeley, CA, May 22nd and 23rd for the 18th commencement of Touro University California (TUC). This year saw the conferral of 551 degrees to 470 students, all fully prepared to embrace promising futures as medical care providers, educators, and practitioners of public health.
Three ceremonies were held over two days, representing the College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM), the College of Education and Health Sciences, and the College of Pharmacy. And in a commencement of their own, the COM Master’s of Science in Medical Health Science class of 2018 celebrated at home on Mare Island in TUC’s Lander Auditorium.
Attendees listened to remarks from Ms. Constance Kadish, wife of Touro College and University System president, Dr. Alan Kadish, and other distinguished guests. Guest speakers at the ceremonies included Robert Hendren, DO, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at UCSF, and Liz Helms, President and CEO of the California Chronic Care Coalition. Dr. Michael Stacey, Director of Medical Services at Solano County Medical Services, commissioned those entering the armed services.
“It is my sincerest wish for each and every one of our graduates that you do well, and you will, and as you do well, that you also do good,” stressed Shelley Berkley, CEO and Senior Provost of the Touro Western Division, to the new graduates.
Provost and Chief Academic Officer Sarah Sweitzer presided over her first commencement at TUC. Dr. Sweitzer asked that as the graduates leave the university they remember how TUC’s mission will carry forward into their lives, entrusting that, “every graduate will use this experience to live a life of great impact while continually upholding these values: respect for the inherent value and dignity of each individual, acceptance and compassion and service to society.”
The inaugural Doctor of Nursing Practice cohort also became the first at the university to achieve the highest level of education in advanced nursing practice. The Doctor of Nursing Practice combines advanced practice nursing skills and knowledge of evidence-based research and practice to enable working nurses to become both leaders in their field efficient and effective practitioners.
Student speakers included Brendan Leach for the College of Osteopathic Medicine; Erin Payton for the Graduate School of Education; Kara Lugtu of the Public Health Program; Sagar Rana of the Joint Physician Assistant/Public Health Program; Andrew Lloyd-Flynn of the School of Nursing; and Golnoush Golshan of the College of Pharmacy.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/congratulations-newest-alumni-of-touro-university-california.php
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June 01, 2018
235083
Touro University Celebrates Graduate Division Commencement
Over 1,340 Graduates Gather at Coney Island Amphitheater to Honor Class of 2022 from Six Graduate Division Schools
With the sun shining brightly on the beach and boardwalk nearby, Touro University welcomed over 1,340 master’s degree recipients from its Division of Graduate Studies to the Amphitheater at Coney Island on June 14, for the division’s first live commencement since 2019.
Touro administration, including Touro University President Dr. Alan Kadish, warmly greeted graduates of the six schools that comprise the division, along with their families and friends.
“You will look back on this time…as a time of great challenge but also a time where you’ve learned the skills of coming together as a community, and of perseverance. Those skills, in addition to the technical knowledge you obtained at Touro, will allow you to be extraordinarily successful both personally and professionally,” said Dr. Kadish. “Now more than ever the world needs you and I know you’re up to the task."
Students Speak
Student speakers from the graduate schools comprising the division - business, education, Jewish studies, social work, technology, and health sciences – each shared personal reflections:
Mollie Kahn, M.S. in Human Resources Management, who graduated with a 4.0, shared that Touro’s evening classes helped her obtain her degree and secure a promotion at her full-time day job at Kuhne+Nagel, a global supply and logistics company.
“One of the reasons cited for my promotion was I took the initiative to pursue my master’s degree. They knew that the quality education I received at Touro would pay off for them as well,” said Kahn.
Susanne Trachtenberg, M.S. in Jewish Childhood Education and Special Education, finished with a 3.95 GPA. She teaches at The Shefa School, a Jewish community-based school in Manhattan for students with language-based learning disabilities. Now completing her fourth year at Shefa, Trachtenberg said she became a teacher because school was hard for her growing up.
“I often dreamt of a good teacher who would teach me in the best way for me, while also making me feel confident and happy in school. I strive to be that teacher,” she said. At Touro, she learned new curricular models and classroom management techniques, but more important, she was reminded of the student experience, “It has made me a better, more empathetic teacher, who knows I must continue to learn from my mistakes and triumphs,” she said.
Shmuel Yudelzon, M.A. in Jewish Studies, who grew up in the small Jewish community of Bulgaria, shared his thoughts on the importance of studying history. “It is before our eyes daily,” he said, using as an example an ongoing dispute over historical narratives between his native Bulgaria and neighboring North Macedonia that he said is shaping both international relations and internal national politics. “History matters. History is identity. We all seek it. It allows us to transcend the present. Our future is tied to it.”
Shira Shapiro, Master of Social Work, was selected by classmates to speak because of social work qualities she exhibited during the pandemic: creating an environment at school of support and connectedness. She has accepted a full-time position at Sephardic Bikur Holim Counseling Center in Brooklyn, where she interned as a counselor to families and children during school.
In her remarks, Shapiro emphasized the value of connection. “It’s true when they say social work is a work of the heart,” she said. “The unconditional act of giving of your own heart to nurture and connect with the hearts and souls of others – what can be more beautiful than that?”
Yana Senchylo, M.A., Web and Multimedia Design, excelled in her studies while struggling to help family and friends in her native Ukraine. Senchylo immigrated to the United States seven years ago to realize her dream of attending college and graduate school here. In remarks that drew a standing ovation from many in the amphitheater, she expressed gratitude to Touro.
“The faculty and administration really care about the students and that makes all the difference for us,” she said. “My country is on fire. The cities are being turned into apocalyptic wastelands. The sounds of sirens and missile strikes are everywhere…Take a moment to appreciate where you are and what you can do with your lives. For me, I dedicate this special moment to Ukraine, to my family and friends, for peace to reign once again in my beautiful homeland.”
Katherine Zammit, M.S., Applied Behavior Analysis, also completed her studies with a 3.9 GPA. She and her mother, Laurie Zammit, were among the first graduates to complete the new degree program in ABA -- a data-based science that creates socially significant change for those with autism spectrum disorder. Katherine, whose brother was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, works at a private school on Long Island for children and teens with autism. “I saw what the services of this field did for him, and I wanted to help other families like my own,” she said.
At the podium, Katherine shared that her mom was her biggest supporter, and went back to school after raising three children and earning her MBA. “She was determined to further educate herself, better provide for my family and support the families who have been through the same process we have. She told me that if you want something you go for it, and we both wanted this degree strongly. We were inspired by the changes we’ve seen others in this field produce and the changes we could make.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-university-celebrates-graduate-division-commencement.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2022/DGSCommencement2022Speakersforcms.jpg
June 16, 2022
249661
Breaking Barriers
Dr. Mill Etienne Works to Reform Medicine from the Inside
The career of New York Medical College’s (NYMC) Dr. Mill Etienne is a story of breaking racial barriers. “Sometimes I'm mistaken for the kitchen staff, the patient transport; I've been mistaken for really every position imaginable aside from a physician,” explained Dr. Etienne, MD, MPH, FAAN, FAES, who serves as New York Medical College’s Vice Chancellor, an associate professor of neurology, and as Associate Dean of Student Affairs. “Oftentimes during my schooling, I was the only African-American.”
Dr. Etienne, an alumnus of New York Medical College and a practicing neurologist with subspecialty training in epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology, said his own history influences how he approaches his students and practice. “I want the students, faculty, and patients in our system, to have the feeling that they belong.”
This sense of belonging, Dr. Etienne said, is built into the DNA New York Medical College, and its parent institution, Touro University.
“New York Medical College, soon after it was founded, began training female doctors,” explained Dr. Etienne. “This was at a time when the consensus in the country was that women shouldn't be educated. But New York Medical College was making women into doctors. New York Medical College did the same thing with African Americans. NYMC was willing to take men and women who were just coming out of slavery and train them to become physicians. And when many parts of the country denied Jewish people admission, saying you will not be admitted because you are Jewish, New York Medical College admitted them. It didn't matter what you were or who you were: New York Medical College fought against any discrimination.”
From Humble Beginnings to the Upper Echelons of the Medical Establishment
Dr. Etienne was born in Port-Au Prince, Haiti, one of the world’s poorest regions.
“A lot of my interests in helping those in need is because I came from that same background,” said Dr. Etienne. “I do remember what it’s like to have less access to foods and to not see physicians on a regular basis. I remember all those elements of my childhood and what I find most fulfilling about my career is the fact that I'm able to take care of patients, give them high-quality care regardless of their ability to pay, and at the same time be able to teach students how to give that high-level care.”
When his family relocated to the US, he quickly discovered the importance of representation and positive role models for his peers.
“During my junior high school years, I started hosting a local television show, which was aimed at showing positive role models to children in the community,” he said. “I wanted children to know, particularly Black and Hispanic children, that they can become doctors and lawyers.”
Dr. Etienne’s early interest in science, combined with a strong sense of community, led him to medicine. “I chose medicine because of the fact that I'd be able to use sciences to help people,” he said. “I've always been somebody who does a lot of community service and tries to find ways to help others, and medicine seemed like a really great fit for me to be able to do that.”
A psychology course in high school had an impact on determining what area of medicine he would focus on. “I fell in love with learning and understanding how the brain works,” said Dr. Etienne. The interest continued as he attended Yale University where he studied behavioral neuroscience. After graduating from Yale, Dr. Etienne enrolled in New York Medical College.
“Neurology had a natural attraction for me since I would be able to continue with that passion for understanding the brain,” he said. His neurology rotation in his third year confirmed it. “It made me realize that neurology is exactly what I want to be doing,” recalled Dr. Etienne. “I wanted to be taking care of patients having seizures, migraines, dementia, myasthenia gravis, and a plethora of other disorders. Oftentimes they were seen by other doctors who couldn’t help them, and so, they were appreciative of the neurologists when they got to the neurology clinic.”
After graduating from New York Medical College, Dr. Etienne attended Columbia University where he did his neurology residency and subspecialty training in epilepsy and clinic neurophysiology. However, simply becoming a neurologist wasn’t enough for the civic-minded Dr. Etienne. “I wanted to have a bigger impact on the world. Helping one patient at a time is helpful for that one patient, but I want to help the entire system.”
A Larger Impact
While volunteering at a Harlem hospital, Dr. Etienne saw firsthand the cost of health disparities in the lives of his patients.
“A lot of patients had no other option than using the ER as their primary care clinic,” said Dr. Etienne. “There would be all these notes on patients about how they were ‘non-compliant’ when it came to medication regimen, but really, they couldn’t adhere to their medication regiment because of socio-economic challenges.”
The importance of social determinants of health—factors like location, access, and income—that affect care were also made clearer to Dr. Etienne during his residency.
“Patients were coming in with strokes that could have been prevented,” he explained. “The reason that these people were having strokes was because of so many factors in their communities: lack of access to adequate medical care, lack of access to medications, what we now call food swamps—lots of fast food restaurants and other things that are detrimental to the community. At the same time, they were food deserts, where you're not getting access to fresh produce and other fresh foods, which help with your health.”
These structural determinants of health also convinced Dr. Etienne to earn a master’s in public health. “I wanted to get a much broader understanding of what are the other important things that determine a patient's health outcome.”
A Life of Service
Dr. Etienne’s fourth year of medical school coincided with 9/11. Inspired by the patriotism in the wake of the tragedy, he joined the Navy and was commissioned while still a resident. In the Navy, Dr. Etienne made a startling discovery.
“I found that there was no comprehensive epilepsy center in the US military,” he said. “There was going to be a large increase in post-traumatic epilepsy in the US military, given that traumatic brain injury was a signature wound of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.”
Dr. Etienne served as the founding director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center in what is now the Walter Reed National Military Hospital. His service and association with the navy continued long afterward. In 2010, after Haiti was hit with a devastating earthquake, Dr. Etienne was one of the physicians on board a navy ship sent down to aid the country.
“I was born in Haiti, and now I was serving the US in uniform, but also helping my birth country at the same time,” said Dr. Etienne. “It was really a remarkable feeling to be there. And I remember the patients on the ship looking at me and it made them feel that we're going to take good care of them, that the US sent a native of Haiti down to help provide that care.”
Dr. Etienne helped set up an interpreter department to ensure that patients received proper care and worked to provide the island with neurologists.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, he was again called up and served as the Chair of the Health Task Force for vaccine distribution in the Hudson Valley.
“We looked at the zip code data and found out who wasn’t getting vaccinated,” said Dr. Etienne “Then we sought to understand why they were not getting vaccinated: did they need more information? Did they need a special kind of meeting to go through the risks and benefits of the vaccine? Did they need a better understanding of COVID? Are there fears that they have based on historical abuses, or historical events that have happened in the US on marginalized populations? Giving those people that education, getting them comfortable with the vaccine, getting them vaccinated to really ultimately decrease their overall mortality, to me was extremely important, which is why I ended up serving as the chair of that task force.”
As replete as his career is with accomplishments and large moments, Dr. Etienne said that the smaller moments resonate equally with him. He recalled treating a young woman in the ICU who was experiencing non-stop seizure activity. “She wasn’t my patient and I would only see her in the ICU when she was admitted,” said Dr. Etienne. After a few visits, the family transferred her to his care. “Over the course of the next year, I got her seizures under control,” he said. “She became seizure-free and she brought me a nice card which said, ‘You're my guardian angel.’”
“She had wanted to be a nurse, but couldn’t go to nursing school because she was having too many seizures,” continued Dr. Etienne. “She couldn’t drive; she couldn’t do so many things. And since we were able to make the seizures go away, we gave her an opportunity to live her life in the way she wants to live it. It was extremely touching. It made me feel that I was able to give someone their life back.”
A Return to His Alma Mater
Years after he graduated, Dr. Etienne moved back to his hometown, near New York Medical College. He received a call from a faculty member in his alma mater to join the board. Soon his role expanded to his current position in the school.
“I would say my interest in education starts from when I was a child growing up where I greatly appreciated my teachers,” explained Dr. Etienne. “They were teaching me, they were taking the time out of their day. The way I looked at them, they were imparting knowledge to me and pushing me to reach whatever goals I had at the time. Originally, I wanted to be a teacher. Eventually, I figured out that you could be a teacher and be a doctor at the same time.”
Aside from teaching courses in neurology, Dr. Etienne also teaches an elective on medicine in war and practicing multicultural medicine. In the latter course, he focuses on social determinants of medicine.
“As the pandemic started in 2020, numerous former students started sending me emails,” said Dr. Etienne. “They thanked me for the multicultural medicine course; they wrote: ‘We're seeing it firsthand, and we're the only ones in our residency program, who even understand why certain patients are dying disproportionately to other patients. ‘”
In addition to all his work, Dr. Etienne tries to leave his students with a simple message that echoes Touro’s mantra.
“We are all human beings at the end of the day and we have to take care of each other,” he said. “I think that's the way I kind of view the world, is that that's one of the most important things you could do is take care of other people and help them. I view Touro's legacy as creating high-quality health professionals who are going to be, and who have been, contributing immensely to the community.”
“Touro’s made it to 50 years and there are another 50 years on the horizon. We’re starting the next 50 years right now. We want to see more health professionals getting that excellent training, and we want to see our communities getting that better, higher level of care. And by graduating more students, we're getting those people out there into those communities to give patients the help that they need.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/breaking-barriers.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/fifty-anniversary/images/news-and-events/MillEtienne1.jpg
February 14, 2023
274023
Why Everything You Think You Know about Social Work is Wrong
Understanding the Impact and Opportunities in Social Work
Dive into the heart of social work, a dynamic field that offers opportunities for growth, creativity, and profound impact on society. With advanced degrees and rigorous training, social workers are equipped to tackle complex social issues, advocating for and effecting change at individual and community levels. Explore how a career in social work can be a powerful platform for making a difference, challenging stereotypes, and fostering transformation both professionally and personally.
There’s something about the field of social work that sends the myth-making machine into overdrive. But the reality is a career in social work is creative and rewarding with the potential to grow professionally while helping others. “What a mistake it is for young people — and not so young people — to discount social work as a first or second career,” says Steven Huberman, Dean of Touro University Graduate School of Social Work. “Nearly all the students I’ve seen leave school with a social work degree are dramatically changed both professionally and as human beings, ready to get things done, improve the daily lives of others and themselves.”
Now, let’s stick a pin in five of the most ferocious misconceptions of social work.
All social workers are employed in the public welfare system.Only about one percent of National Association of Social Workers (NASW) members work in the public sector. Professional social workers practice in many settings: family service agencies, mental health centers, schools, hospitals, corporations, courts, police departments, prisons, public and private agencies, and private practice. More than 200 professional social workers currently hold elected office, including U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
Social Work is just a job that anyone can do.Social workers have spent years in college — most have advanced degrees — and in clinical internships before they even begin their professional work. Not only have they received rigorous training, but they are the kind of professionals who are passionate about public policies that will make an impact on those they serve.
Social workers can’t change their specialty or advance within the profession.This myth ranks as one of the worst. A mere sampling of what lane (or several lanes, at once) to which social workers can apply their expertise and interests: With the elderly, children, families, marriage counseling, drug abuse treatment, schools and universities, adoption agencies, hospitals and hospice centers, dental facilities, legal offices, corporations, and on and on.
For complex mental health issues, you really need to see a psychologist or psychiatrist.Certainly, if medication is needed, the professional to see is a psychiatrist. Otherwise, know this: Social workers are the largest group of private practitioners providing psychotherapy and other mental health services. In fact, social workers are often the only mental health care professionals in many rural parts of America. Social work is designated one of four core mental health professions under federal legislation that established the National Institute of Mental Health.
Social workers spend their days taking kids away from their parents.Social workers do everything in their power to keep children with their parents, unless there are high levels of risk, such as sexual or physical abuse, severe neglect, and other dangerous situations.
Get more information on how you can become a social worker and enjoy a rewarding career.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/why-everything-you-think-you-know-about-social-work-is-wrong.php
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August 12, 2019
200471
Touro Graduate Division Commencement 2020
Over 1,000 Diplomas Awarded to Students at Six Touro Graduate Schools
Graduates from six Touro graduate schools participated in a virtual commencement ceremony yesterday, where they were invited to close their eyes and imagine themselves at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall. The majestic hall, home to the New York Philharmonic, is where their academic degrees are normally conferred - surrounded by family, friends, faculty and administration.
Still, the event held fast to many of Touro’s traditions: the National Anthem opened the ceremonies, Touro College and University System (TCUS) Vice President Rabbi Moshe Krupka provided an inspiring invocation, and congratulatory remarks and advice were generously offered by President Dr. Alan Kadish and other senior administrators, deans and faculty.
“This is a day of dreams come true,” said Dr. Nadja Graff, vice president of the Division of Graduate Studies in opening remarks to the Class of 2020. “Today more than ever, our city, our state and our nation need dedicated, well-prepared, courageous and caring leaders. As you join the ranks of practitioners and policymakers, accept the challenges ahead and be confident in the knowledge that you have the skills, dedication and determination to make a positive impact on our global society.”
After reflections from six class speakers, over 1,000 graduates from the Touro College graduate schools of business, education, Jewish studies, social work, technology and health sciences were congratulated by Patricia Salkin, provost of the Graduate and Professional Divisions, who then awarded their degrees along with instructions to turn the tassels on their caps from right to left. The ceremonies concluded with the familiar Pomp and Circumstance, as each graduate was recognized for their achievement.
Commitment to Serve Humanity
TCUS President Dr. Alan Kadish expressed delight at celebrating the graduates’ accomplishments, which he said reflected the culmination of their hard work and commitment to fulfilling their dreams. He is confident, he said, they will continue on that path, and is hopeful Touro has prepared them both to succeed and to model compassion, concern and respect. “I am confident we have instilled in you a commitment to serve humanity,” the president said.
Associate Dean of Faculties, Dr. Donne Kampel introduced the deans from each school, who in turn introduced their student speakers:
Anyolina Mata, valedictorian and student speaker for the Graduate School of Business, urged her classmates to "be better professionals, business leaders, entrepreneurs, educators and motivators to the next generation of leaders.” At school she gave a presentation on leading by example and role modeling for youth. Admired for her resilience, dedication and ambition, Mata worked as an engineer and launched two businesses before coming to Touro to earn her MBA, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. “Little do we know the impact we can make on young people’s lives just by sharing our experiences and providing resources to support their career ambitions,” she said.
Lenora McArthur, M.S.in Childhood Education and Special Education (Grades 1-6) at the Graduate School of Education shared her childhood passion for teaching. She recalled playing school with other children in her neighborhood and always role-playing the teacher. “Teaching is not easy, but anything valuable takes hard work,” said McArthur. “We have had the chance to see the important roles educators play in emergency situations. We need to stay supportive of the students, families and communities we serve, the way our families and friends have supported all of us through this amazing journey.”
“We Will Be Tested, and Overcome”
Elisheva Friedman, Graduate School of Jewish Studies valedictorian and student speaker, began at Touro in the Judaic Studies Honors Program at Lander College for Women. This year she completed her M.A. in Jewish Studies. Friedman recounted for classmates a meaningful lesson she learned from studying Jewish history, “The struggles and challenges that we face do not have the power to determine our happiness and success.” She said Touro has equipped them to achieve great things but that is not enough. “We need to make the conscious decision every day to use the skills we’ve been given. We will be tested, but we are also capable of overcoming every obstacle in our way,” she said.
Sarah Fishman, MSW, was chosen student speaker by classmates at the Graduate School of Social Work. She displayed a passion for helping others – including peers - and excelled academically, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. Before coming to Touro for social work, Fishman explored a business career and taught American History at two all-girls schools in Brooklyn. "As a teacher, I saw the need for better mental health care for my students and decided I wanted to improve the lives of children and teenagers in that way," she said. While earning her master’s, Fishman counseled kids and teens at mental health agencies as a social work intern. She knew she had found her calling. "Social work is about being compassionate, giving of oneself to others. The greatest form of self a person can achieve is expanding their love of self to others," she told her class.
David Regev also finished with a 4.0, and an M.A. in Web and Multimedia Design from the Graduate School of Technology. He shared his love for UX (user experience) design – creating a digital product so it works to help people achieve their goals. He also shared that he lost his mother to COVID-19, though he and his grandmother survived. Regev used the example of the coronavirus and the host of institutions involved with it - hospitals, medical schools, insurers, government, and their websites and apps - to illustrate his point. "Together they form one very large system. Anyone can research and find opportunities for improvement. The potential to help people and save lives is enormous," he said.
Rivky Goldman was a wife, mother and pillar of her Chassidic community when she realized a need for mental health support in her community and went back to school. She began at Touro’s School for Lifelong Education and then went on to earn her M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the School of Health Sciences. While in school, she organized support groups for women whose husbands or teens were diagnosed with disorders, and directed a parent mentoring program. Goldman said at Touro she learned that to be a counselor means to be a special “human being” – human meaning to “keep our own weaknesses and struggles in mind” and being meaning “being present with the client in the moment and connecting, while maintaining awareness of your own experience and emotions.” So, she concluded, she spent three years in the graduate program “to learn how to be a human being.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-graduate-division-commencement-2020.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2020/DGSgraduation3.jpg
June 18, 2020
213522
Touro Stands Against Intolerance and Hatred
Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish on How to Address Hate Crimes
Yesterday’s devastating rampage, during which six Asian Americans were murdered, is yet another tragic fatality in the escalation of violence in this country. While a final analysis of the details of this crime are still pending, hate crimes against Asian Americans have clearly spiraled. In a year that posed a public health crisis, as well as economic, social and myriad other challenges, tragically, hate crimes also rose. Instead of coming together in crisis, America has experienced its highest level in a decade of crimes motivated by racial, cultural or religious bias. Nearly 3,800 hate crimes against Asian Americans were recorded in this past year. Black Americans and Jews were targeted in startlingly higher numbers, and the senseless killing of Black Americans remains a national tragedy and a problem that must be addressed.
I know that you stand with me in solidarity with our Asian American brothers and sisters, and against the hatred and violence that targets them and any other groups.
National challenges have the power to unite us, and to help us achieve joint solutions to our shared problems. We cannot allow intolerance and senseless hatred to destroy the foundations of our country. This is a time when we need to work together to rebuild all that we have lost this past year. We must work tirelessly to strengthen and reinforce our bonds. As a nation—and as individuals—we must redouble our efforts to cultivate respect, empathy and dignity for all.
As an institution, Touro remains dedicated to serving students of all races and religions. Our commitment to ireating students, faculty and staff with integrity and respect, has never been more relevant. Our resolve to foster and promote these ideals has never been more vital. I urge every member of the Touro community to do your part to root out senseless hate and bias and to continue to project that message; to reach out to your fellow students, colleagues and your communities with respect, compassion and understanding.
Now more than ever is the time to stem the tide by taking individual actions against hatred and to turn towards our neighbors, regardless of their background.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-stands-against-intolerance-and-hatred.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2020/DrAlanKadish.jpg
March 19, 2021
125199
Take 5 with Professor Thomas Rozinski
A Former NYC Commissioner Brings Real World Know-how to Touro's Poli-Sci and Pre-Law Programs
This month, we chat with Thomas Rozinski, JD, MA, pre-law advisor and associate professor of Political Science at Touro’s Lander Colleges about his choice to leave a promising law career for teaching, how he uses music to teach political science and his expertise in the game of bridge.
1. Can you tell me about your background and education?
I grew up in Ohio and moved to New Jersey when I was 12. I attended Catholic schools through high school but chose to attend a secular university, Yale. I majored in economics and was considering obtaining a Ph.D. in that field, but after spending a summer working with economists at the Department of Agriculture in Washington DC I rethought my educational plans.
When I returned to school in the fall after my junior year, I added political science as a second major and applied to graduate schools in that subject as well as law schools. Harvard accepted me into doctoral programs in both law and government. I spent six years living in Cambridge, earning J.D. and M.A degrees and completing all Ph.D. requirements except for my dissertation.
2. Why did you choose to leave law for academia?
While at Harvard, I was struck by the fact that almost all my professors had spent their entire lives in academia. This meant they had little to offer students about the non-academic world in which most would soon be working. I resolved that before I began full-time teaching, I would seek significant experience in non-academic positions. I moved to New York City to take a job as an associate at a law firm, and then I moved to Anderson Kill & Olick to become a partner. While at that firm, I voted to admit Rudy Giuliani to the partnership after he lost the 1989 election for Mayor of New York. I worked on several cases involving his clients, and after he won the 1993 election he asked me to join his administration.
I worked for the City of New York for seven years, spending the first five as general counsel to the Parks Department, and then working a similar job at the Department of Homeless Services. During the last year of Giuliani’s second term, he promoted me to commissioner, putting me in charge of what was (and still is) the largest shelter system in the world. It was the most challenging job I ever had, since New York City is legally mandated to provide shelter for every homeless person as long as they need it. I would have liked to continue in the job in the Bloomberg administration, but the new Mayor wanted his own people in charge, so I had to resign shortly after he took office.
By this time, I had gained 12 years of practical experience in law and government, and decided I was ready to pursue a full-time academia job. Prof. Ross Zucker of Touro’s Lander College for Men hired me as adjunct professor of political science during the 2002-03 year, but my sights were on teaching in law school. The University of Michigan Law School hired me and I moved to Ann Arbor. However, I was quickly disillusioned by a legal education system that did little to teach students how to learn or practice law. At most law schools, classes are large, faculty contact is minimal, and instruction in writing is limited to one course during the first year. Two years of teaching in a system I didn’t have faith in convinced me to leave Ann Arbor and return to New York City. I worked as a legal consultant for several months, a job most notable for introducing me to my future wife. In the spring of 2006, a Touro political science professor resigned, and Prof. Zucker recommended me for a one-year interim position in the Lander Colleges. Aside from one semester on research leave, I’ve been here ever since.
3. What do you like most about working at a college? What would you consider a successful day at Touro?
One of the things I like most about my job at Touro is the small size of the department. This means that I need to teach in several fields of political science, and I relish the diversity of my course load. I currently teach political theory courses in the Women’s College in Manhattan and the Women’s Division at Avenue J. I teach constitutional law and international relations to the men in Brooklyn, and also Fundaments of Criminal Law in the new NYSCAS criminal justice program. Next semester I will be teaching courses in American government, along with a prelaw course in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
I also enjoy serving as the Touro’s main prelaw advisor, which gives me the opportunity to work with students in fields outside of political science. One of my prelaw advising projects was bringing the Sabbath observer LSATs to Avenue J 2011, which I took on after a student complained she couldn’t find anywhere in New York City to take the exam. 2017 will be the seventh year that the LSATs will be offered at Touro. I’ve also helped numerous students with their law school applications. When I arrived, Touro students only occasionally got into Harvard Law School; over the past six years, there has been an average of two Touro graduates admitted each year. Harvard Law School now regularly visits Touro to recruit our students.
Touro has several campuses, and this semester I teach at three of them. Since my average class size is five, I know everyone and am able to work with them closely in developing their critical thinking skills and to teach them about topics in political science. Every paper I assign becomes an interactive experience in writing, as I make 50-100 comments on most first drafts. Students refine their work over the course of multiple drafts, which helps them see many ways to improve their writing. The final paper they submit is often suitable for use as a writing sample, and about a dozen have been published in the Political Science Journal. I also try to work with each student in developing career plans, which often include working in law, government, teaching, or not-for-profit service.
4. I understand you use popular music to teach political theory. How exactly does that work?
About eight years ago, I started using songs to illustrate concepts in political theory. Many of the ideas that the great political thinkers developed still permeate our culture, and are reflected in the lyrics of popular songs. For example, I use “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat” from Guys and Dolls to demonstrate Plato’s belief that the rule of the wise is preferable to democracy, and Ace of Base’s “I Saw the Sign” to analogize to Plato’s cave and his theory of knowledge. The students link the lyrics to concepts in political theory, this creates a mnemonic device that helps them remember these concepts for exams. The Wall Street Journal featured my use of music in an article three years ago, and last year I published an article in P.S.: Political Science and Politics about my methodology.
5. What do you do in your spare time? What are your passions?
Four years ago, I got involved the Northeast Association of Prelaw Advisors (NAPLA), the largest prelaw advising association in the U.S. One of the reasons I joined NAPLA was to create a community of prelaw teachers who discuss teaching methods and how they can best prepare students to succeed in law school. There is a great disconnect between colleges and law schools over the teaching of law and legal writing, and I began to design a forum that would build bridges between law professors and the political science professors who teach their future students. As a result of my efforts, I’ve been elected Vice President of NAPLA, and in 2018-19 will serve as President.
Speaking of bridges, outside of Touro I am a serious bridge player ranked in the top 2% in the country. I learned bridge about 30 years ago and have won first and second place in national events. Bridge gives me the opportunity to use the mathematical part of my mind in a way different from political science, and I play online as well as in three or four major tournaments a year. Bridge is a very difficult game to play well, but the satisfaction I get from winning a competition is not as great as the fulfillment I get from helping a Touro student write an A+ paper.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/take-5-with-professor-thomas-rozinski.php
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November 30, 2016
288014
Students Across the Globe Call Touro University Home
Second International Student Mixer Brings Students Together and Showcases University’s World Presence
On September 16, Touro University hosted its second annual international student mixer at the Cross River Campus in Times Square. University Provost Dr. Patricia Salkin and Vice President Rabbi Moshe Krupka welcomed students from more than a dozen countries, including China, France, India, and Nepal.
Provost Salkin highlighted some of Touro’s newest academic offerings, including a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, recently designated as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency (NSA), a Master’s in Artificial Intelligence, and an updated MS in UX/UI & Interaction Design program reflecting new technology. She also announced that the Graduate School of Business’s MBA program has received STEM designation, allowing graduates an additional two years of optional practical training employment in the United States.
“Touro is on the cutting edge,” said Provost Salkin. “We are investing in technology, in our faculty, in our programs, and in our students.”
Rabbi Krupka reflected on the university's growth from a modest building with only 35 students to a global institution now headquartered in Times Square with nearly 19,000 students. He emphasized Touro’s commitment to inclusivity, referencing the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and the upcoming American Thanksgiving holiday as symbols of gathering and gratitude.
"I see an amazing gathering of talents among our students, staff, and faculty," Rabbi Krupka said. "In a very real sense, we reflect the spirit of gratitude and community. For all of us to come together under this roof as colleagues, and as a family—this is our Touro home."
Following the remarks, attendees watched Chasing Dreams in New York, a video created by Graduate School of Technology student Dileep Mada that showcases a student's experience as a foreigner in New York. “This is a heartfelt love letter to the city that inspires me,” Mada explained. “The cinematography captures the eclectic beauty of New York, portraying it not just as a location but as a character influencing my dreams.”
After the speeches, students enjoyed a catered lunch and games.
Chadeh Hutchinson, a first-year student at Touro College of Pharmacy from Jamaica, shared her appreciation for the sense of community. “Like Jamaica, New York is a melting pot,” she said. “I love that Touro is in the city. The school feels personable. Your professors know you. It’s one big, happy family.”
Xuhang Ouyang, from Guiyang, China, who is studying business, discovered Touro through an online advertisement and was drawn by the university’s reputation and global presence.
Diruv Upadhyay, from New Delhi, decided to attend the Graduate School of Technology after his brother’s successful experience there. He values Touro’s practical training through internships and career-focused programs, and he now has an internship with Lander College for Women. “It’s really awesome,” he said. “I’m learning and developing skills here that I can take anywhere.”
Phoebe Wang, an education graduate from Columbia University now in Touro’s applied behavior analysis (ABA) program in the School of Health Sciences, praised the ease of starting a new program. “I was working in education, but I realized I wanted to study something new,” she said. Danielle Livioco, of the Philippines, expressed appreciation for the faculty’s support and engaging classes. “The teachers really push me to bring out my creativity in a way I hadn’t experienced in the Philippines. They don’t shut down my ideas—they help me develop them.”
Chumeng Li, a graduate of Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan who is studying data analytics at the Graduate School of Technology, expressed relief at the smaller class sizes, compared to her previous university experience. “New York is a city where I can be myself,” she added.
As the event ended, students gathered in small groups to discuss their lives in New York. Many spoke of how much they enjoyed Touro’s new campus and loved being in the heart of one of the greatest cities in the world.
“If you ever want to take a world food tour, New York City is the place to be,” laughed Livioco.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/students-across-the-globe-call-touro-university-home.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2024/touromixerphoto.jpg
November 19, 2024
292994
Congressman Ritchie Torres Talks Antisemitism and Rising Above with Touro Students
The Bronx Representative Addresses Antisemitism on Campus, His Personal Struggles in Interview with Touro President
Congressman Ritchie Torres, a rising star in the Democratic Party and a stalwart supporter of Israel, spoke to students and alumni of Touro University in an interview with Touro President, Dr. Alan Kadish. The Bronx native spoke candidly about growing up in public housing, his struggles with mental health, his journey into politics, his support of Israel, and confronting his colleagues who seem to take every opportunity to speak out against the Jewish state.
Addressing an audience composed primarily of undergraduate students, Torres shared the pivotal moments that shaped his life, his political career and his vision for the future.
“I was raised by a single mother who had to raise three of us on minimum wage, which in the 1990s was $4.25 an hour,” Torres, 36, said, and credited his mother for instilling the virtues that have guided his career. “When I won my Democratic primary in June of 2020... I publicly said that before I’m a congressman or councilman, I’m first and foremost the son of my mother.”
An Early Start in Politics
Torres’ first job in politics was as an intern when he was 16. Almost a decade later, he took a “leap of faith” and ran for a seat in the New York City Council, winning and, at 25, becoming the youngest elected official in New York City. He told Dr. Kadish about the uphill battle of that first campaign, which was fueled entirely by grassroots door-to-door engagement.
“I spent a whole year doing nothing but knocking on doors,” Torres said. “I went into people’s homes, I heard their stories, and I won my first campaign on the strength of face-to-face campaigning.”
But his rise to political prominence wasn’t without personal struggles. In his early twenties, he said he battled depression and substance abuse after dropping out of college, and he was only able to overcome his problems after seeking help.
“I would not be in Congress and alive today were it not for the power of mental health treatment,” Torres said.
In 2020, Torres was elected to represent New York’s 15th congressional district in the House of Representatives. “I never thought, by the grace of G-d, I would have a fighting chance to rebuild my life, and then seven years later, become the youngest elected official in America's largest city, and then seven years later, become a member of the United States Congress,” Torres said. “And so for me, the lesson learned is, even in your moment of greatest darkness, never lose hope. And I feel like only in America is a story like mine possible.”
Connecting with Israel
Though Torres has established a reputation as a close friend of Israel, a sharp break from many young politicians in his party who veer to the left, he said that for most of his life he had almost no knowledge of Israel or the Jewish community. That all changed in 2014 when, after joining the City Council, he was invited on a trip to Israel by the Jewish Community Relations Council. It was transformative, he said.
“I came away from that first trip with a profound empathy, not only for the plight of the Jewish people, but for the complex security situation that Israel faces,” said Torres, who visited several historical sites, as well as Yad Vashem and the Gaza border. “Here you have Israel, a tiny democracy the size of New Jersey, surrounded by enemies that want to wipe it off the map.”
Dr. Kadish asked him how he addresses his colleagues in the Democratic Party who are critical of his pro-Israel stance. “I tell them, before you rush to judge Israel, you should actually go there.” Moreover, he said, he instructs them speak with Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs and Palestinians, and says, “If you have an open heart and open mind, I guarantee you that you will come to a view of Israel that’s far more nuanced than the caricature that percolates on social media platforms and on college campuses.”
A Message That Resonates with Students
The interview ended with Torres urging those in attendance to remain engaged in politics and civic life. Afterward, several students introduced themselves to the Congressman, and he took a few moments to speak to them individually before leaving campus.
Zippy Cywiak, who is in her last year at Touro’s Lander College for Women, said she particularly appreciated Torres’ spirited support of Israel. “I’m not sure exactly how the Democratic party feels about it, but it’s striking to see someone like the Congressman take a strong stance for Israel,” said Cywiak, a history major and political science minor living in Teaneck. “It takes a lot of courage. I don’t necessarily know if all Democrats have such courage, especially on such a public platform, to be pro-Israel in tumultuous times like these.”
Philadelphia native Simcha Kaplun, a poli-sci major in his second semester at Touro’s Lander College for Men, echoed Cywiak’s praise of Torres’ willingness to break with his party.
“I’m a Republican, and it was incredible to see a Democrat who shared so many of our values,” he said. “I really appreciated hearing his thoughts, especially since he’s such a strong supporter of the Jewish community and the State of Israel. My mother’s from the Bronx, so I was interested in hearing what he had to say, and it was great to have a representative of the Bronx speak on matters pertaining to so many of us. I thought it was really powerful.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/congressman-ritchie-torres-talks-antisemitism-and-rising-above-with-touro-students.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/RitchieTorresatTouro.jpg
February 11, 2025
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Touro Law Center Hosts Groundbreaking Symposium on Leadership in Higher Education
Scholars, Policymakers and Industry Experts Reflect on Regulatory Challenges, Changes to College Leadership
Touro University and the Touro Law Center recently hosted a thought-provoking symposium at their Times Square campus, exploring the evolving leadership dynamics in higher education, and offering a platform to discuss the rising influence of legal professionals in academic institutions, fostering critical conversations on compliance, governance and innovation.
Titled “Academics, Lawyers, and Government: Who is Leading Higher Education in the 21st Century?”, the two-day symposium brought together legal scholars, policymakers and educational leaders. In his opening remarks, Dr. Alan Kadish, president of Touro University, highlighted the critical role of navigating the “highly regulated industry” of higher education.
“It is no secret that as political changes occur in Washington or in different states, regulations evolve, often impacting institutions in significant ways,” he said, and emphasized the importance of adapting to these changes and ensuring compliance while maintaining academic excellence.
An Industry in Flux
The symposium was inspired by two significant publications: May It Please the Campus: Lawyers Leading Higher Education, authored by Dr. Patricia Salkin, Touro’s senior vice president of academic affairs and provost of Touro’s Graduate and Professional Divisions, and All the Campus Lawyers: Litigation, Regulation, and the New Era of Higher Education, co-authored by Louis Guard, vice president and general counsel at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and Joyce Jacobson, a former president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges. These works provided the foundation for discussions on the increasing reliance on legal professionals in university leadership roles, and the regulatory complexities faced by modern institutions.
“Since the 1970s, we’ve witnessed an exponential increase in government regulation and public policy influence on higher education,” according to Salkin. “Compliance costs alone can place tremendous strain on budgets, making innovation both essential and challenging. This shift has led to more lawyers assuming leadership roles, as institutions require greater legal acumen to navigate complex compliance requirements.”
The event featured four panels that addressed topics such as the shifting regulatory landscape, free speech challenges, a recent surge in institutional mergers, and the increasing number of lawyer-presidents leading colleges and universities. The panel discussions encouraged attendees to think critically about the evolving nature of university governance and the role of legal expertise in addressing pressing challenges, including the accreditation processes, the unrest on college campuses since the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas, and Title IX compliance, which involves protecting students from discrimination. In her welcoming remarks, Touro Law Review editor-in-chief, Alexa Sondey, said that as higher education continues to face evolving regulatory demands, it’s increasingly important to examine these challenges through a legal lens, and that the expertise of the panelists reflected that need.
“This symposium brings together distinguished scholars, policymakers and industry experts to engage in scholarly discussions on why these changes are occurring and what the future may hold,” Sondey said.
Looking Ahead
The symposium concluded with a forward-looking perspective on how institutions can balance regulatory compliance with academic freedom and innovation, leaving the participants with valuable insights and a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between law, policy and educational leadership.
The success of this symposium underscored Touro University’s commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue on pressing issues in higher education, and it has set the stage for continued exploration and collaboration in navigating the legal and regulatory challenges that lie ahead. Plans are already underway for follow-up initiatives, including webinars, research publications, and future symposiums to further delve into the issues discussed and identify actionable strategies for higher education institutions, according to Salkin.
“The panels were informative and provocative, the participants were engaged, and there were robust question-and-answer periods,” she said, and noted that articles from the conference will be published in a special symposium edition of the Touro Law Review.
Elena Langan, dean of the Touro Law Center, praised the collaborative efforts behind the symposium, acknowledging the contributions of Salkin and the Touro Law Review.
“Provost Salkin really spearheaded this symposium, and she has been instrumental in bringing this discussion to the forefront,” Langan said. “And the real heroes of everyone responsible for putting this together are our Law Review student, and I am proud of them for their dedication to putting together such an impactful event.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-law-center-hosts-groundbreaking-symposium-on-leadership-in-higher-education.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/AcademicsLawyersandGovtsymposium.jpg
February 06, 2025
289558
Cutting-Edge Mixed Reality Lab Newest Addition to Touro University’s Cross River Campus
New Lab Allows Students and Faculty to Pioneer New Way of Learning and Experimentation
Walk through Shakespeare’s London while reading the great bard’s Henriade trilogy. Learn how the stock market works by bidding on equities in a simulation of the New York Stock Exchange with classmates. Counsel a patient receiving a difficult diagnosis, with lifelike reactions powered by neural networks inspired by the human brain. Deliver a speech to a virtual United Nations. Examine a beating human heart in three dimensions.
These are just a few of the experiences at Touro University’s state-of-the-art Mixed Reality Lab that debuted at the Cross River Campus at 3 Times Square on October 31. The launch event brought together dozens of faculty members from across Touro’s schools, featuring remarks from the administration and a live demonstration showcasing the lab’s potential.
“The new Mixed Reality Lab reflects Touro’s commitment to innovation, creativity, and collaboration,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro University. “We are embarking on this exciting new venture at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds, exploring their use in education. With this facility, we’re offering our students and faculty a chance to pioneer new ways of learning, experimentation, and problem-solving.”
Located on the seventh floor, the lab is equipped with ten stations featuring Meta headsets and a diverse range of virtual and augmented reality software platforms. These tools support immersive educational experiences across various disciplines.
During the event, Dr. Patricia Salkin, Provost of Touro University, highlighted the evolving role of mixed reality in education. “Mixed reality is quickly becoming an essential tool for teaching and learning, especially in medical and healthcare fields,” she said. “It’s safe, personalized, cost-effective, and provides instant feedback to students, allowing faculty to conduct meaningful formative assessments.”
The demonstration provided faculty with the opportunity to try out the headsets, showcasing programs like a CPR simulation broadcast on a main monitor, an anatomy lesson of a human heart, and a chemistry module.
Paula Boyle, MS, PA-C, Director of the School of Health Sciences (SHS) Physician Assistant at the Manhattan Program, highlighted the practical applications. “The anatomy program could be incredibly useful for our students,” she remarked.
Dr. Rivka Molinsky, Associate Dean of Students and Innovation at SHS, also shared her enthusiasm about the lab’s potential. “It is thrilling to bring advanced technology, even in its infancy, to the faculty of our university.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/cutting-edge-mixed-reality-lab-newest-addition-to-touro-universitys-cross-river-campus.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/touromixedreality2.jpg
January 08, 2025
288544
Fostering Innovation and Providing Transformative Education
Touro Recognizes 2024 Presidential Faculty Award Recipients for Outstanding Teaching, Scholarship, and Service
Each year, Touro University celebrates the exceptional achievements of its faculty through the Presidential Faculty Awards for Excellence. These awards recognize faculty members who embody Touro’s mission to advance knowledge, foster innovation, and provide transformative education for students from different backgrounds. Honorees are distinguished in their respective fields for their dedication to teaching, research, and service, and together they exemplify the highest standards of commitment to the academic community and society at large. This year’s recipients have demonstrated outstanding contributions that inspire both their students and peers, underscoring Touro’s dedication to academic excellence and social impact.
Faculty members were nominated by members of the Touro community and were judged by a cross-disciplinary selection team from different Touro schools. Final decisions were made by Touro’s academic leadership and Touro University President Dr. Alan Kadish.
Among the 2024 Presidential Faculty Award winners are leaders in research, education, and community service who have made significant strides in their disciplines. From pioneering research in health disparities to innovative approaches in inclusive education, these faculty members bring unique perspectives and invaluable expertise to their work. Their accomplishments reflect not only their personal dedication but also Touro’s ongoing commitment to advancing knowledge and serving the community. Each recipient received an engraved medal that can be worn on their academic regalia and a monetary award in recognition of their outstanding accomplishments.
This year’s awardees are:
Excellence in Teaching
Julie Banfer, Ed.D—Touro University Graduate School of Education
Excellence in Service
Jay Shubrook, DO, FAAFP, FACOFP—Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine
Excellence in Research
Elizabeth Unni, PhD, MBA—Touro College of Pharmacy
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Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/fostering-innovation-and-providing-transformative-education.php
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December 08, 2024
252417
Touro University Hosts Grand Opening for New Times Square Campus
Leadership, Stakeholders, Supporters and Students Gather for Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
New York, NY—For the first time in its storied history, Times Square will be home to a flagship university campus as Touro University opens its new Cross River Campus at 3 Times Square. Nearly 3,000 students and staff will call the new campus home.
Touro created the unified campus to house its College of Pharmacy (TCOP), New York School of Career & Applied Studies (NYSCAS), Graduate School of Business (GSB), Graduate School of Education (GSE), Graduate School of Jewish Studies (GSJS), Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) and Graduate School of Technology (GST). The 11-floor vertical campus includes a student center, fully automated kosher dining area, a full-scale in-store pharmacy as well as state of the art classrooms, research labs and some administrative offices.
To commemorate this momentous achievement, Touro leadership, along with key stakeholders and supporters, gathered on Monday.
New Campus Began with a Dream
“Today is truly a glorious day for Touro University. After a half century of growth and service to humanity, Touro has arrived at the crossroads of the world—Times Square, New York City. We couldn’t be happier to be here,” said Rabbi Moshe D. Krupka, Touro Executive Vice President.
In introducing Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish, Rabbi Krupka shared that Touro’s arrival at their long-awaited new home “began with a dream that our president had a bit more than a decade ago. Like any great leader, he was tenacious in pursuing that dream and he brought us to this moment as an institution that is strong academically, socially and financially.”
“The grand opening of our Cross River Campus marks a new and exciting chapter of Touro’s storied history in New York City, and we thank all of those who have accompanied us in turning that page. Even though we have campuses located across the United States and abroad, New York has always been our epicenter and we are elated to have planted our flag right here,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro University. “Several years ago, while New York City’s economy was suffering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Touro’s leadership never stopped looking ahead. We believed in the resilience of New Yorkers… we believed in the dedication of our students… and we believed in the future. As the nation’s largest non-profit institution of higher and professional education under Jewish auspices, Touro demonstrated its beliefs and positive outlook with a major investment—an investment in our students, an investment in our institution and an investment in New York. Behind me are the first dividends of our investment—this beautiful, new, state-of-the-art 300,000 square-foot campus.”
Prime Real Estate
3 Times Square, originally developed by Rudin as the North American headquarters for Reuters Group PLC in the early 2000s, recently underwent capital improvements, including the creation of a new, glass-walled triple-height lobby and a sculptural façade screen designed to diffuse the light of Times Square. The building is easily accessible to Grand Central, Port Authority and Penn Station, providing an ideal campus for commuting faculty and students.
“Touro University is one of our most cherished educational institutions. Their bold decision to create a flagship campus at 3 Times Square is the embodiment of New York’s ability to thrive through constant reinvention and adaptation,” said Bill Rudin, Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rudin. “Touro’s daily flow of students, faculty and staff through Times Square has already injected an added sense of vitality to the neighborhood.”
“Higher education has been a stepping stone for so many young people in our city, and with this incredible new campus, New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs will have access to the state-of-the-art classrooms, research labs and more,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a statement. “Congratulations to Touro University on their brand-new Cross River Campus right in the heart of Manhattan. This campus is going to bring new energy to the Midtown community.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-university-hosts-grand-opening-for-new-times-square-campus.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2023/ribboncutting.jpg
April 21, 2023
288094
Two Classically Trained Musician Sisters from the Philippines Find Their Calling at Touro University
Eunice and Danielle Livioco Switched Career Paths to Discover What They Love
Growing up in the Philippines, Eunice Livioco demonstrated a natural talent for violin, piano, and singing. She pursued a music degree at the University of the Philippines, but midway through, something was amiss.
“As much as I enjoyed playing the violin and the piano, I felt like it wasn’t the career path for me or how I wanted to spend most of the hours of my week,” said Eunice. She found herself drawn to photography and design, and her eldest sister suggested she explore UI and UX design. After completing her degree, Eunice attended a graduate school fair in the U.S., where she discovered Touro University. “In the Philippines, changing your career or studying something different isn’t really encouraged,” she said. “But I realized I could find something new if I studied at Touro.”
At Touro’s Graduate School of Technology, Eunice found a challenging and supportive environment. Three semesters and a summer as a graduate assistant gave her exposure to different work cultures and departments, which she found crucial. “I was able to see different work cultures within the school and see how a school functioned,” she said. “We helped develop the school’s website which I was able to use in my portfolio.” For her thesis, she developed an app for her church and graduated as valedictorian in 2019. Speaking at commencement, she reflected, “The awkward girl from Manila is now the confident woman standing before 2,700 at Lincoln Center. The challenges I faced weren’t easy, but I’m thankful for them because they made me who I am today.”
After graduation, Eunice quickly secured employment as part of the Optional Training (OPT) program for international graduates at Ramsey Theory Group, a tech consulting firm, where she began in a UX/UI design role. She advanced rapidly, becoming a vice president in 2022.
While Eunice was building her career, her younger sister Danielle was going through a similar journey in the Philippines. “I always copied Eunice,” Danielle laughed. “Eunice used to draw, so I took up drawing, but while she eventually moved on, I kept at it.” Like her sister, Danielle studied music at the University of the Philippines but eventually decided she wanted a career in art.
After completing her associate’s degree in music and moving to the United States, Danielle set her sights on Touro’s digital multimedia design program. “It had everything I wanted,” said Danielle. “I loved it from the get-go. The teachers really push me to bring out my creativity in a way I hadn’t experienced in the Philippines. They don’t shut down my ideas—they help me develop them.”
Danielle had attended Eunice’s thesis presentation, and now, coincidentally, some of the same faculty are her instructors.
In her commencement speech, Eunice shared a sentiment that resonates with many of Touro’s international students: “Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, remember how far you’ve come, all the challenges you’ve faced, and the fears you’ve overcome.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/two-classically-trained-musician-sisters-from-the-philippines-find-their-calling-at-touro-university.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2024/sisters.jpg
November 21, 2024
287606
A Mysterious Guest for Dinner
New Book by Touro Dean Explores Talmudic Narratives
Aggadic stories in the Talmud offer profound insights into the lives of some of Judaism’s greatest sages – Hillel, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, Rav Sheshet, Rav Yannai, and many others – as they grapple with moral and existential dilemmas that resonate through the ages. In A Mysterious Guest for Dinner, Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol, the dean of Touro University’s Graduate School of Jewish Studies, delves into these timeless tales, asking thought-provoking questions: Should one sacrifice everything for a life of extreme holiness? Who truly deserves charity in a time of poverty, and how should one respond when a seemingly affluent individual begs for food? When a marriage falters because a wife attends a Torah lecture, who bears responsibility? And, most intriguingly, is it ever possible to encounter the Messiah?
“The more I carefully studied Aggados in the Gemara which tell stories, the more convinced I became that behind the often striking and fascinating storyline itself there was embedded the deepest wisdom of Chazal. And the more I sought to plumb the depths of that wisdom, the more excited I became about sharing it with others,” said Rabbi Dr. Sokol.
This volume, the second in Rabbi Dr. Sokol’s series on Talmudic stories published by Koren, presents a close analysis of ten narratives, uncovering the rich dialogues, ironies, and reversals they contain. Drawing on classical rabbinic commentaries, contemporary scholarship, and insights from psychology, literature, history, and philosophy, Rabbi Dr. Sokol demonstrates how these compact stories speak with enduring relevance to today’s seekers of Talmudic wisdom.
“Many who learn Gemara either skip over such Aggados or learn them quickly without devoting to them the attention they deserve. I hope readers of the book will be inspired themselves to work at understanding the many Aggadetas they encounter in their own learning, to focus on every word and phrase of the Gemara with meticulous care, to raise careful questions about the Aggadeta, and then to their best to answer them. Every word, every teaching of Chazal is precious. They often sought through the fascinating stories they told to convey their deepest insights, about the human condition, about the complexity of human relationships and moral obligations, about the challenges of Avodas Hashem and the costs it sometimes exacts, about the impact of our past upon the difficult choices we sometimes make, and about our deepest yearnings as Jews and human beings. I hope this second volume, like the first, introduces its readers to the complex and often surprising depths of Chazal’s wisdom”, continued Rabbi Dr. Sokol.
About Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol
Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol
Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol is the Dean of the Touro University Graduate School of Jewish Studies, and Rabbi of the Yavneh Minyan of Flatbush. He holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Thyssen Foundation Research Fellow, and received semikha from the Israel Torah Research Institute (ITRI) in Jerusalem after seven years of study in the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia. He has taught at the University of Pennsylvania, New York University, and Touro University's graduate and undergraduate schools. Rabbi Dr. Sokol has written or edited six books, including Judaism Examined: Essays in Jewish Philosophy and Ethics (2013) and best-seller of the year The Snake at the Mouth of the Cave: Exploring Talmudic Narratives (2021).
A Mysterious Guest for Dinner is available for purchase at Koren Publishing.
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November 05, 2024
284173
Groundbreaking AI Initiative to Transform Education Launched at Touro University
Over 100 Faculty Members Across Disciplines Attend Inaugural AI Bootcamp to Explore Cutting-Edge Tools and Prepare for a Technological Future
Touro University is blazing the path to the future of higher education by bringing faculty at all levels and in all disciplines together to use and teach AI. The university held its inaugural AI Faculty Bootcamp on August 5. The initiative aims to enhance student learning and prepare the entire academic community for a rapidly evolving technological future.
Over 100 faculty members from more than a dozen Touro campuses gathered at the new Cross River Campus for the event, which was co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost, Dr. Patricia Salkin, and the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning. Led by the AI@Touro Leadership Team, including Associate Provost for AI Dr. Shlomo Argamon, Dr. Jamie Sundvall, Dr. Jasmine Cowin, and Dr. Goran Trajkovski, the bootcamp provided a forum for faculty to learn about and explore various AI tools and technologies.
Dr. Shlomo Argamon emphasized the urgency of addressing AI in education now, saying that AI is a “force multiplier for innovation,” and that therefore “change will come more and more rapidly in the future.” He highlighted the fact that the “tools we teach our students when they enter the university will not be the same tools they’ll be able to use when they graduate. We must teach students and faculty not just how to use AI tools, but also the underlying concepts—they will need to be lifelong learners and adapt to the many technological changes to come.”
President Kadish: AI will Enhance Teaching, Operations and Productivity
Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish emphasized the importance of the new university-wide effort to implement responsible AI for education, stating, “At Touro, we see great opportunities for AI to enhance teaching, improve university operations, and boost productivity. Our goal is to lead the way in using AI effectively, ensuring that we equip our students with the skills they need to thrive in an AI-driven world without compromising their essential learning experiences.”
At the start of the bootcamp, many faculty attendees were not yet familiar with AI and its applications in education. However, by the end of the event, they felt more confident and excited about exploring how AI can assist them in their teaching and benefit their students. The hands-on projects and collaborative discussions helped demystify AI, leaving faculty eager to explore using these new tools.
Faculty engaged in a variety of interactive and thought-provoking activities. They participated in a collective generative AI activity, led by Dr. Cowin, to create course materials and explore the potential of AI to help faculty. Another group activity, led by Dr. Sundvall, focused on the ethical implications of AI, using interactive visuals and polling to explore morality in machine learning. In the afternoon, facilitated by Dr. Trajkovski, faculty worked in small groups on education-related AI projects, sharing their ideas with the group. Participants said they were energized by working with other faculty from different disciplines to create new ideas using AI.
Faculty Excited by AI
Throughout the day, faculty members expressed their excitement and shared what they learned. Dr. Melissa Morelli-Walsh, assistant professor in the nursing program, said, “It can free me up to be more available to work directly with students. I don’t want to spend so much time creating teaching materials—I’d rather have more time to connect with my students.”
One tool faculty were fascinated by was goblin.tools, an AI platform that offers tools to help with executive functioning. Dr. Toba Singer, Associate Dean at Lander College for Women, commented, “I have encountered so many students who need this kind of help. We often feel students should have learned these skills, but they haven’t, and now we can help them without feeling the pressure to take out time to teach the skills they should have mastered already.”
Dr. Henry Abramson, dean of Lander College for Men, highlighted a key challenge in trusting AI, noting that recently he queried ChatGPT about ancient Jewish presence in Bordeaux, and when the response cited “the Bordeaux Talmud,” which the dean knew didn’t exist, he followed up to learn more and the AI replied, ‘I apologize for the mistake in my previous responses. There is no historical evidence of a ‘Bordeaux Talmud.’ Thank you for pointing out the error, and I appreciate your understanding.”
The incident underscored the importance of responsible AI use, as faculty must navigate the balance between leveraging AI’s capabilities and ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the information it provides. Despite these challenges, Dr. Abramson expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “I’m excited to explore AI further and see the tremendous potential it holds for helping both faculty and students enhance their learning and teaching experiences.”
Touro faculty are now looking forward to the next AI Faculty Bootcamp, to be held in December. The university’s vision, to build a faculty-wide collaboration to weave AI into all areas of education, aims at educating a new generation of tech-savvy leaders. By emphasizing relationships, collaboration, and practical AI applications, Touro is preparing for a future where change is constant, but human connection remains central.
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August 21, 2024
283583
"Antisemitism Never Disappeared, It Just Became Socially Unacceptable"
Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish Delivers Keynote Address on Antisemitism at New Jersey Jewish Business Alliance Annual Luncheon
There are a variety of reasons for the massive increase in antisemitic incidents on college campuses since the October 7 massacres. But at its heart, perhaps the cause was our allowing ourselves to believe that such things were past history.
“Some people thought that antisemitism was gone,” according to Dr. Alan Kadish, president of Touro University. “But antisemitism has been around for a couple of thousand years, and it never disappeared—it just became socially unacceptable for a while.”
Dr. Kadish’s comments came at the 10th annual Legislative Business Luncheon of the New Jersey Jewish Business Alliance on August 6, where he served as keynote speaker. He told the attendees, which included New Jersey Congressman Tom Kean and New Jersey Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, that college professors, as well as high school and even elementary school teachers, have promulgated the view that “Israel and Jews are somehow part of the oppressor class.”
“But that ignores the long history of antisemitism,” he said. “In this dichotomy of oppressor and oppressed, we’ve been labeled oppressors without much thought to context or history. This intersectionality idea that you have to be on the right side of the oppressed, whether it turns out to be true or not, has led to some students reacting instinctively and opposing Israel and socially ostracizing Jews.”
The luncheon was held at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark, N.J., and also included Ilan Kaufthal, chairman of East Wind Advisors, and Kevin O’Toole, the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Noting a few startling statistics—including the 1,826 reported antisemitic incidents on campus between Oct. 7 and July, according to Hillel International, a 700% increase, and 306 antisemitic incidents in the 30 days following the attacks; since 2019, when Hillel began tracking antisemitic incidents on campus, they had never recorded more than 50 in a 30-day span—Dr. Kadish said that the crisis on college campuses is very real.
“It’s not just that many Jewish students felt unsafe on campus last year, they were unsafe.”
Considering these hostile environments for Jewish students throughout the U.S., he said he hopes Touro will serve as a model for universities that seek to provide them with a safe space and send a message to other schools that there are consequences to enabling antisemitism to grow and thrive. Since Oct. 7, Touro has established the Safe Campus Scholarship for undergraduate students who wish to transfer from colleges where they have encountered antisemitism, reducing their tuition by 25%. In addition, a cohort of students transferred to graduate programs. Dr. Kadish estimates that hundreds of students have taken advantage of Touro’s new transfer policies, including from Ivy League colleges.
“I am not suggesting that Touro is the only solution or safe school, but we plan to continue to set an example with our dedication to inclusiveness,” he said. “Now all schools need to address the problem of antisemitism on campus, as they would any form of racism.”
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August 08, 2024
283180
Fighting Setbacks in the Pursuit of Knowledge
Touro University Annual Research Day Highlights Resilience and Persistence
Juggling childcare, work, and her classes at Touro University’s New York School of Career and Applied Studies, Kathryn Baslyk had a problem familiar to most people in the 21st century: anxiety. To help her control it, Baslyk began writing out her responsibilities in a daily planner.
“I started noticing that I felt less anxious once I saw everything put together and all my tasks distributed on different days of the week,” said Baslyk.
As a psychology major, Baslyk also realized she might have a promising topic for a research project. Together with her professors, Baslyk put together a study and recruited dozens of participants. Her paper, “The Effect of Visual Planning on Anxiety,” concluded that being able to visualize tasks whether through journals, planners, or cue cards, was highly effective in combatting anxiety.
Baslyk was one of several Touro students whose research won honors this year at Touro University’s annual school-wide research day on May 8. Titled “Resilience and Persistence,” the event, held in the school’s flagship Times Square Cross River Campus, brought a large crowd of students and faculty members to celebrate Touro University’s ever-expanding research footprint, now stretching across five states.
Basilyk’s story was echoed in both keynote presentations. Speaker Lorah Perlee, PhD, VP of Strategic Program Direction and Hematology and Global Program Head in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, spoke of how her team fought setbacks as they developed Veopoz, the first FDA-approved drug to treat CHAPLE disease, a rare, little-understood fatal genetic condition that affects the immune system. There are believed to be only 100 people who suffer from the disease. (At one point, their study enrolled ten people with the disease, which, Dr. Perlee noted, accounted for 10 percent of the entire population.)
“We are committed to curing diseases, regardless of the size of the population,” she said. “We are driven to advance science and medicine and continue to pursue knowledge. That is in our DNA at Regeneron.”
Following Dr. Perlee’s speech, Dr. Aurelio Lorico, PhD, MD, a professor of pathology at Touro University Nevada delivered his own story of persistence in the face of failure, which led to his receiving Touro University Nevada’s first National Institute of Health grant.
Both presentations were followed by a lengthy Q and A.
The day was also a clarion call for the importance of objective and evidence-driven research that is a hallmark of research at Touro University.
Salomon Amar, DDS, PhD, Touro’s Senior Vice President for Research Affairs, noted that the event had received 170 abstracts, of which 102 were selected to be posted online.
“We are here today to celebrate advances across the Touro universe,” explained Dr. Amar. “We are strongest when we work in tandem towards our goals.”
Touro President Alan Kadish, MD, connected the theme of the day to Touro’s larger mission, noting the long-term detrimental effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, campus unrest, and worsening anti-Semitism in the United States. “It has been a tough few years,” admitted Dr. Kadish. “Resilience and persistence have categorized Touro throughout its 50+ years. Although we are not a faith-based institution, we are an institution of Jewish tradition; something that has categorized the Jewish tradition for millennia is a commitment to the advancement of knowledge despite what is going on around us.”
Zvi Loewy, PhD, Associate Dean of Research at Touro College of Pharmacy, presented awards for best student-research presentations across four categories: Applied Clinical and Translational Research; Basic Sciences and Natural Sciences; Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Sciences; and Social, Behavioral, Educational Sciences & Humanities.
Below are the winners:
Applied, Clinical & Translational Research: “#HormonalBirthControl: Birth Control Talk on TikTok”—Madelaine McElrath, New York Medical College
Basic Sciences and Natural Sciences: “All-trans retinoic Acid (ATRA) Reduces Carcinogenicity of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Through Modulation of Differentiation Gene Driver HOXD4”—Kaci Kopec, New York Medical College
Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Sciences: “Changes in School-Age Children’s Wellbeing and School-Related Needs Post-Covid-19 Pandemic” —Rachel Spronz, New York Medical College
Social, Behavioral, Educational Sciences and Humanities: “The Effect of Visual Planning on Anxiety”—Kathryn Baslyk, New York School of Career and Applied Studies
Rumal Marji, a future member of Touro College of Pharmacy’s class of 2028, said that Touro’s school-wide research day offered her a different view of the school. “I think it just showed me how much research the university is conducting,” said Marji.
TouroCOM Montana student Helan Paulose, whose research examined the effects of protein Superoxide Dismutase 1 on ALS patients, won first prize in her school’s Research Day. She received a second-place prize at the university-wide competition. “It was really amazing for us,” said Paulose who together with her fellow co-researchers led a breakout room session. “We knew we did some solid research, but to be recognized throughout the whole university system was quite an honor.”
Kaci Kopec, a fourth year PhD student in microbiology at New York Medical College was surprised by the scale of research inside the university system. “We rarely are able to see what other people are doing in our other schools, but days like Research Day enable us to learn from each other and collaborate,” she said.
Touro
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May 15, 2024
282195
Top 5 Tips For Creating a Winning Cover Letter
Mastering the Art of Cover Letters: Expert Tips to Elevate Your Job Application
Cover letters can be a powerful way to add a compelling narrative about your skills to your job application, but like all things career-related, they need to be done effectively.
A cover letter should never be an afterthought. The goal is for your cover letter to enhance your chances of getting an interview, but when done incorrectly, they have the exact opposite effect!
Here are the top 5 tips for creating a winning cover letter.
1) Tell Me Why You Are The Best Candidate: Cover Letters are written in 1st person, which provides the opportunity to really sell yourself to that company. Hiring managers want to hear that you are the best candidate and the perfect fit for that Company and position, so focus your cover letter on making that specific case, i.e. find the match between your education and past experience and the employer’s specific needs. I advise students to target their cover letters based on what the reader wants to hear. Dedicate a paragraph to a description of what makes that company unique or special, followed immediately by a paragraph that demonstrates that your interests, skills and abilities (just so) happen to be a perfect match for that environment! You can even paraphrase some of the language in the job description to highlight your own skills and experience.
2) Generic Templates: I cannot tell you how many times I have seen generic cover letters sent to multiple companies, where the writer has changed only the relevant contact information. Again, the goal of your cover letter is to describe why you are perfect fit for the specific position and that company. There is no way a generic format can accomplish that. Write an individually tailored cover letter for each job application that describes your qualifications and fit for that position.
3) To Whom It May Concern: One of the quickest ways to ensure that your cover letter and resume are ignored is by including the generic and impersonal “To Whom It May Concern” line. If you can, try to find the name of the hiring manager so you can address him or her specifically. Most companies are very good at hiding that information, so instead of “To Whom It May Concern (or its close cousin, “Dear Sir or Madam”) try to target your cover letter with something more specific and personable like “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Human Resources Professional.”
4) A Warm Lead: If you know someone at that company, reach out to him or her and ask if he would submit your resume and cover letter on your behalf, or at the very least, if you can use his or her name on your cover letter. Companies love internal referrals, so nothing beats a current employee submitting on your behalf. When that is not possible, being able to add a line (with permission) like “Chaim Shapiro, Assistant Director of Career Services at Touro recommended that I apply for this position,” lends credibility and can be a powerful way to get your application noticed and moved to the next level of review.
5) Should I even bother? This may be a bit controversial, but I usually advise students to only include a cover letter when the application requires it specifically. Why? Cover Letters are a powerful tool that can enhance your chances at landing the job but, I have found that most applicants do not take their Cover Letters seriously. Most students do not have 2-3 hours to invest in a targeted cover letter for each of their applications, so they revert to a generic format that ends up doing a lot more harm than good. Do not make that mistake. Write a targeted cover letter for each job, or just let your resume do your talking!
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
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April 17, 2024
281490
Graduate Division Commencement: 1,200 Degrees Awarded Touro’s Class of 2024
Speeches, Celebrations, and a Call to Purpose at Coney Island Amphitheater
Touro University’s Division of Graduate Studies (DGS) held annual commencement exercises on Wednesday, June 18th, at the Coney Island Amphitheater for the 1,200 graduates of the Class of 2024.
Graduates from the division’s five schools entered the theater in a processional led by Grand Marshall Dr. Alan Sebel, while pomp and circumstance played and a live feed was projected onto two jumbo screens on both sides of the stage.
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Graduate and Professional Divisions Dr. Patricia Salkin opened the ceremonies with congratulatory and welcoming remarks to the class and their guests as they settled in at the amphitheater on the world-famous boardwalk in Brooklyn.
President Dr. Alan Kadish Addresses Future
Following an invocation delivered by Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Krupka, Touro University President Dr. Alan Kadish congratulated the class for their hard work and commitment to fulfilling their dreams. He expressed confidence that as they go forward, they will continue to transform their aspirations into realities.
“Graduates from your programs have become leaders in social work, technology, business, and both secular and Jewish education,” the president said. “Since receiving university status in New York several years ago, our graduate schools increased in both visibility and prestige. But the real prestige stems from you – our graduates – and the many things you will go on to achieve.”
Regardless of what’s next, Dr. Kadish cautioned, crossroads will be encountered, some leading to greater challenges and others offering paths of least resistance.
“You will find that it’s not just about making a living. Your choices will include not only prioritizing issues and causes that are most important to you, but also how you choose to defend those issues and promulgate those causes,” he said. “As our education graduates learned, education requires the civil exchange of ideas. It also demands respect for all opinions.”
The president urged the class to pursue purpose and set personal as well as professional goals. “View work as an opportunity to contribute to society. Harness your strengths, learn something new every day, and turn your career into a pathway to a meaningful life.”
Student Speakers Share Reflections
The deans of the division’s five schools introduced their student speakers to share personal reflections:
Mushka Steinmetz, M.A., Graduate School of Jewish Studies: “Our world right now is in a state of upheaval. In the face of such chaos, one might ask, is now the time for historical inquiry? Fellow graduates, as we step into the fray armed with our pens, let us remember: our voices are not feeble. We possess a potent weapon—the power to unearth truths from the annals of history and illuminate the path forward with hope.”
Ms. Fyruz Ramisa, MBA, Health Care Management, Graduate School of Business: “Each of us has overcome challenges and obstacles to reach this milestone, which is a testament to our resilience and determination… As Nelson Mandela once said, ‘It always seems impossible until it's done.’ Let these profound words guide us forward, urging us to persevere toward greatness, especially in the face of daunting challenges.”
Yessica Lora Acosta, M.S., School Counseling, Graduate School of Education: Let us not forget the values that have been our guiding light: integrity, empathy, and the pursuit of excellence. Our education equips us to pursue our dreams, uplift those around us, and enhance our communities. Let us start the next chapter with courage, humility, and self-belief. The future looks unlimited and with our boundless potential we will tackle and overcome life’s challenges.”
Krissoula Martin, MSW, Graduate School of Social Work: “Hold on to the passion and commitment that brought you to this moment. We are filled with optimism and hope. The next generation of social workers stands ready to confront challenges with courage, compassion, and integrity. Embrace the challenges with open hearts and unwavering determination. Undoubtedly, you will positively impact the lives of those you serve.”
Lasha Gochiashvili, M.S., Data Analytics, Graduate School of Technology: “Our incredible achievement is not just in completing a program and in receiving a diploma. But, rather, it reflects late-night sacrifice, hard work, and perseverance. We’ve shared lifetime memories, supported each other, and created friendships that will last a lifetime. We inspired each other to succeed. You are my inspiration with your own stories, and I applaud each of you.
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June 21, 2024
281615
NSA Designates Touro University a Center of Academic Excellence for Cybersecurity
With National Security Administration Recognition, Touro's Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity Set to Train the Next Generation of Much-Needed Cybersecurity Professionals
Nearly every day, there’s another news report about a data breach that’s exposed the sensitive information of millions of people or some hacker group that’s using ransomware to extort money from a corporation. In today’s information-driven world, knowing how to protect data, systems and networks is not only a highly-sought skill – it’s also critical for both personal and national security.
Touro University is training the next generation of much-needed cybersecurity professionals, and the school’s Bachelor of Science degree program in Cybersecurity and Network Administration was awarded the National Security Agency’s (NSA) prestigious designation of Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD).
There are only about 400 schools in the U.S. – and just 19 in New York – that have earned this designation. “The National Science Foundation and the Department of Homeland Security designed this program to cultivate a culture of excellence in cybersecurity through rigorous curriculum and program requirements,” explains Touro’s Associate Director of Cybersecurity Satchit Hegde. “Touro is proud to be part of this community of schools committed to developing the cyber workforce.”
What is an NSA Designation in Cyber Defense?
NSA designation is a distinction that’s awarded by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program, which is managed by NSA's National Cryptologic School. The program was established as a partnership with educational institutions to develop cybersecurity curriculum standards of excellence and to ensure the competency of students and faculty. It also promotes the integration of cross-discipline cybersecurity practices and encourages leadership, community outreach, and the pursuit of solutions related to cybersecurity education.
"At Touro, we have always prided ourselves on offering a robust and comprehensive Cybersecurity program,” shares Payam Bina, Deputy Chair of the Touro University Computer Science department. “Achieving this designation not only validates the strength and quality of our program but also underscores our commitment to excellence in cybersecurity education."
Receiving an NSA designation is a reflection of an academic institution’s dedication to training students with a comprehensive and cutting-edge cybersecurity curriculum. It’s a mark of excellence that shows that the school has developed a rigorous and high-quality degree program that the NSA feels confident will prepare students to not only work in the field but make meaningful contributions to it.
“This achievement is a monumental milestone for our institution, and it signifies our commitment to providing top-tier cybersecurity education,” Payam asserts. “It underscores the quality and rigor of our cybersecurity program and places us among the elite group of institutions recognized for their excellence in cyber defense education.”
Students who choose a CAE-CD designated program like Touro’s B.S. in Cybersecurity and Network Administration will learn the most up-to-date information and build the most relevant skills needed to succeed in the industry. CAE-CD programs are continuously updated and improved to keep up with the quickly evolving field of cybersecurity and maintain their designation.
Graduates of CAE-CD programs also may have a competitive edge in the marketplace. Because the NSA designation indicates a thorough, rigorous, and high-caliber education program, many employers value degrees earned from CAE-CD schools over those without. As a result, graduates may be able to more easily open doors to prestigious positions in government agencies, private sector companies, and beyond.
Building a Career with a Bachelor’s Degree in Cybersecurity
After graduation, students will be prepared to work in a variety of roles and are likely to be in high demand in the workplace with an average annual salary of between $100,000-$136,000. Employers seek out graduates from NSA-designated schools, and the field is growing quickly. In fact, between 2021 and 2031, the computer and information technology field is expected to grow by 15% and add nearly 683,000 jobs.
Graduates from Touro’s Cybersecurity and Network Administration bachelor’s program have already found success in the industry and currently work for organizations like Google, Citi, TransUnion, the City of New York Office of Labor Relations, the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Fabuwood, and Global Tech Solutions in roles such as Cybersecurity consultant, DevOps Engineer, Cybersecurity Architect, Data Engineering Manager, Director of Technology and Security Analyst.
If you’re considering a career in cybersecurity, Touro’s NSA designated bachelor’s degree can help you develop the skills you’ll need to thrive with a rigorous CAE-CD curriculum that will help you stand out in the job market. To learn more about this prestigious cybersecurity bachelor’s program and how it can kick start your future, contact Payam Bina at payam.bina@touro.edu.
Touro
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June 25, 2024
269171
Touro University Hosts Virtual Discussion on Artificial Intelligence
Panelists Address the Dual Power of Technology to Vilify Israel and Combat Antisemitism
Touro University hosted a virtual conversation about the role of artificial intelligence in increasing anti-Israel sentiment during the war with Hamas, and the cutting-edge efforts to use the same technology to combat antisemitism worldwide. The “Touro Talks” program was presented by Touro’s Jewish Law Institute.
Touro University President Dr. Alan Kadish moderated the discussion, which featured a panel consisting of prominent figures from the worlds of technology, diplomacy and communal leadership. Such conversations are increasingly necessary, as there has been a surge of antisemitic sentiments online ever since the October 7 massacre of Jews by Hamas, including, as Dr. Kadish noted in his introduction, the distribution of a video by, “of all people, Osama bin Laden, criticizing the United States and criticizing Israel,” which has drawn widespread support and sympathy for the mastermind of the September 11 attacks, from thousands in the U.S. and worldwide.
Dr. Kadish and the panelists detailed the various challenges in dealing with the amount of hate and disinformation that has been directed toward the Jewish community, both in person and online, after which they demonstrated how technology is being utilized to fight back against antisemitism.
“The overwhelming majority of Jews and non-Jews don’t understand the nature of the of the threat that we are facing,” said panelist Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman emeritus of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organization. “They don’t understand how virulent it is, how much it is poisoning the minds of otherwise intelligent young people that we see on college campuses falling for these lies and distortions.”
Technology’s Role in Spreading Misinformation
In explaining the role technology plays in disseminating misinformation about Jews or Israel, panelist Dr. Joel Finkelstein, the co-founder & chief science officer of the Network Contagion Research Institute, said that foreign regimes, extremist groups and other malign actors are often behind efforts to use bots to increase the number of times Israel is tied to damaging hashtags on social media, such as #Genocide, #Displacement or #Colonialism. Artificial intelligence then exacerbates the issue by generating fabricated content about atrocities it claims, falsely, have been committed by the Jewish state.
“When these terms surge,” said Dr. Finkelstein, “we also see surges in mobilizations and protests, and we see surges in antisemitic attacks and mobilizations.”
Another panelist, Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Israel’s special envoy for combating antisemitism, said we bear responsibility in allowing antisemitism to fester online long before Hamas’ brutal attack. Instead of putting pressure on legislators to hold social media companies accountable for their refusal to crack down on hateful posts, and even promoting them, we mostly shook our heads without taking action.
“All we’re doing is playing whack-a-mole on social media spaces,” she said. “Each one of us has a responsibility to hold to account those infrastructures that we have built or that we are members of for this moment in time to stop being reactive and begin to be proactive.”
Harnessing AI to Analyze Threats
Despite the potential for harm, Dr. Finkelstein said he was optimistic because AI can be harnessed to combat the very ills it is causing. For all it’s doing to endanger the international Jewish community, AI can be turned around and used to identify the sources of the many lies that are being spread. Technology can be developed to detect all the racist and antisemitic content in real time and enter the information back in a database, which can then be used to analyze its patterns and then predict when a surge of hate-filled misinformation will be released.
Finkelstein is currently in the process of creating such a program, Shofar.ai.
“And that changes the game,” he said. “If we’re able to map out the battlefield, we can present the decisive information to law enforcement agencies, and they can be more effective once they understand where threats are coming from.
“And they desperately need our help.”
At the close of the program, Dr. Kadish said that Touro was motivated to host the panel because it is committed to addressing critical issues facing the Jewish community and beyond.
“What’s happening on college campuses is not just antisemitism, it’s a paradoxical rebellion against Western liberal values,” he said. “We've got to continue at this extraordinarily dangerous time to incorporate what we’ve heard today to continue the fight and build a society that’s better.”
Touro
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December 04, 2023
249884
Touro Awarded $3.2 Million in Federal Funds
Innovative New Projects Will Provide Opportunities for Lawyers, Doctors to Serve Society
Community service and innovation are hallmarks of the education and experience at Touro University, and with the help of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and other Congressional leaders, future doctors, scientists and lawyers will now have expanded opportunities to develop their capacity to serve society.
More than $3.2 million in federal funding was awarded for exciting projects at Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center and New York Medical College, a member of Touro University. These grants were included in the federal omnibus spending package for 2023.
Touro Law Center will receive $475,000 to create a new Small Business Legal Clinic that will offer legal assistance to minority and women-owned small businesses. The free clinic will support the planning, development and success of small businesses, creating a network of support and opportunities to help underrepresented communities.
Touro’s New York Medical College received two grants—$1.9 million to expand existing clinical skills and disaster medicine facilities and create the Equity and Compassion in Medical Education Through Advanced Real-Time Simulations project and $825,000 to support the Women’s Institute for Science Entrepreneurship.
“The support from Congress for education and training of medical students and others in healthcare and disaster medicine is invaluable, especially the science mentorship program for women" said Alan Kadish, M.D., President of New York Medical College and Touro University. "We particularly want to thank Senator Charles Schumer, Congressman Mondaire Jones and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand for their support."
Providing Legal Services to Local Underserved Small Businesses
Small businesses are the backbone of the economy and livelihood of so many Long Islanders.
Through this grant, Touro Law will support the incubation, development and success of minority and women-owned small businesses across Long Island through critical legal assistance, access to resources, networking building and educational programming. The Small Business Legal Assistance Clinic will also provide important hands-on training for law students as they represent actual clients with real legal needs in the community.
Training Doctors for Modern Times—Equity and Compassion in Medical Education
Every patient wants to see a physician with an empathetic bedside manner who understands his or her life challenges, not just his medical condition. The Equity and Compassion in Medical Education project will train medical professionals to provide compassionate care by challenging them with demanding real-time healthcare scenarios.
With the funding secured through this grant, the highly specialized healthcare training facility at New York Medical College will be expanded to provide students and residents with patient encounters designed to teach and test their ability to recognize patients’ issues that go deeper than the health problems they report. Ethnically diverse mock patients, portrayed by professional actors or high-fidelity mannequins, may initially conceal food insecurity, unemployment or disordered personal relationships, all of which students will learn to probe and investigate with the same intensity as they would direct to chest pain or impending labor. Simulations of community-wide emergencies, such as mass transit accidents, active shooter events or pandemics, will intensify the level of preparedness, situational awareness, and rapid responsiveness required of every healthcare professional in modern times.
“This recognition by the U.S. Congress ennobles our 162-year-old institution and advances its historic mission,” said Robert W. Amler, M.D., Vice President for Government Affairs and Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice and Institute of Public Health. “These innovative educational approaches will instill new reality-based skills in future healthcare professionals for many years to come, and will bring new vitality to the growing ranks of women as science entrepreneurs.”
Advancing the Role of Women in Science Entrepreneurship
The Women’s Institute for Science Entrepreneurship (WISE) is a transformative program that will allow women to cultivate new scientific concepts and launch new businesses, create a multidisciplinary entrepreneurship educational opportunity for students and launch careers for alumni who will make significant differences to their communities and the world.
WISE draws upon educators and students from Touro University, New York Medical College (NYMC) and BioInc@NYMC, the award-winning biotechnology incubator for local entrepreneurs and start-up biotech firms, located on the NYMC campus. The program will support women student innovators and entrepreneurs to pursue their STEM education and research, with the goal of transforming ideas into reality.
“We are grateful to the U.S. Congress for supporting our mission of empowering women in science and encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit,” said Marina K. Holz, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Director of the Integrated Ph.D. Program, Interim Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, who will serve as Director of WISE. “Interventions that create a path for women in science to become business leaders are most effective when introduced early in their educational and professional careers, and this program will robustly promote this goal.”
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February 15, 2023
280777
Touro's Lander Colleges Celebrates Achievements of 600 Graduates at 50th Annual Commencement
University Bestows Honorary Degree on Keynote Speaker, Congressman Mike Lawler
Amidst the backdrop of war and rising antisemitism around the world, Touro University graduated nearly 600 students last Sunday at the 50th Annual Commencement Exercises, held at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. The mood was at once somber and festive as families, friends and faculty came out to honor the individual and collective achievements of the graduates and offer hope for the future.
In his message to the graduates, Touro University President Dr. Alan Kadish shared his insight on responsibility and freedom. “We know that we are required to say, ‘the world was created for me.’ That is not meant to make us feel egotistical; it is intended to make us feel responsible. We are required to see every one of our actions impacting not only ourselves, but also our communities and the world at large… your choices and the things that you contribute—especially at this turbulent time—truly matter,” said Dr. Kadish.
“As graduates, you are free from the day-to-day responsibilities of classes and maintaining your grades. You are free now—free to work for your families and communities… free to help Klal Yisroel… and free to build a better world,” continued Kadish.
Numerous awards were presented for community service as well as high academic achievement in math, accounting, biology, finance, psychology, computer science, political science and more. The 2024 Alumnus of the Year Award was presented to Morris Oiring, a leader and innovator in the healthcare industry. Founder of the Oiring Group and long-time COO of Pleet Homecare, Oiring is paying it forward with scholarships to help the next generation of Touro students succeed.
Speaking Out Against Antisemitism
Congressman Mike Lawler received an honorary degree and served as keynote speaker. His words resonated with the audience of hundreds and he was stopped throughout the speech for applause.
Lawler, who introduced the Antisemitism Awareness Bill in Congress, began his speech with a quip, that got a laugh from the crowd, “Rashida Tlaib is sorry she couldn’t join us today.”
He then turned serious, “Touro University has equipped each and every one of you with the skills, knowledge and experience necessary to make your own mark in the world. However, it's not just the degrees and certificates we all celebrate today, but also the character, values and sense of community you have cultivated during your time here,” said Lawler.
“These challenges of antisemitism test our ideas and they compel us to question which way is the best path forward. But it is precisely in these moments, that we must act with moral clarity and conviction.”
“The rampant antisemitism we’ve seen across the country since the horrific attacks on October 7th is abhorrent and must be condemned wherever it rears its ugly head. As the representative of the 17th Congressional District of New York—home of the one of the largest Jewish communities in America, I will never be silent and never back down. It’s why I’ve led the fight to stand up for our Jewish community here in America and combat antisemitism and Jew hatred,” continued Lawler.
“Recently, we passed my bill, the Antisemitism Awareness Act, through the House of Representatives, which aims to stop the pervasive antisemitism we’ve seen on other college and university campuses across the country. We will not tolerate antisemitism and Jew hatred anymore—and in the same way they would crack down on racism or bigotry of any kind, they must do so with antisemitism.”
Lawler affirmed his support for the State of Israel to thunderous applause and encouraged graduates to look to the future with the courage to surmount the unique challenges of our times. He received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Future is Bright for Touro Grads
The Touro graduates are headed for careers in top firms in technology, finance, accounting, cybersecurity and more. Many will enter graduate and professional schools in law, medicine, dentistry and psychology, where they have acceptance rates of over 95%. Others will pursue health science careers as physical and occupational therapists, physician assistants and pharmacists through Touro’s Integrated Honors Pathway.
One of the valedictorians, Bracha Gluck of Touro’s Lander College for Women, shared her thoughts on attending a Jewish institution as well as her personal wisdom for the future.
“At Touro, there was a seamless integration of our Jewish identity with our higher education. I never felt divided over being both academic and Jewish. It is for this reason that I am excited to continue pursuing my dream of becoming a doctor in the Touro University system at New York Medical College. Especially during these past few months, Touro’s voice of Jewish pride stands as a powerful beacon of hope and guidance, setting an institutional example of how we should approach our own personal lives,” said Gluck.
Other valedictorians included Ariel Goodstein and Chana Birnbaum of Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences. Goodstein is headed to Harvard Law School this fall and Birnbaum, who is currently conducting rheumatology research, plans for a career in the medical field.
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June 04, 2024
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Touro Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary and Groundbreaking Achievement with Gala and Convocation
Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla Will Receive Honorary Doctorate
Touro will celebrate its history and mark its achievement of university status at its 50th anniversary gala and convocation on December 4, 2022.
The university will present an honorary doctorate to Dr. Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer. During his more than 25 years at Pfizer, Dr. Bourla accelerated the company’s transformation to become a more science-driven, innovative company. Under his leadership, Pfizer delivered a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 in just eight months—a process that typically takes eight to ten years— without compromising quality or integrity. A year later, Pfizer delivered the first FDA-authorized oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19.
“Albert Bourlas’s drive to have a transformational impact on human health mirror’s Touro’s own commitment to transform students’ lives through education and career opportunities. We are honored to present him with an honorary degree and welcome him to our community,” said Touro President Alan Kadish.
In addition to its 50th anniversary, Touro is celebrating its new university status, a singular accomplishment. University status is awarded to academic institutions in recognition of the breadth and depth of degree programs offered. At Touro’s 35 schools across four countries, students are pursuing undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees in such fields as medicine, law, dentistry, business, education, Jewish studies and other health science areas and disciplines.
Touro will honor several individuals who led the university’s expansion and impact over the past 50 years.
Dovid Lichtenstein is an entrepreneur, real estate investor and a Touro University board member. He is the founder and CEO of The Lightstone Group, one of the largest and most diversified privately held real estate companies in the United States. He has authored several volumes entitled Headlines, which highlight contemporary issues in Jewish law, based on his weekly podcast, Halacha Headlines.
Dr. Robert Goldschmidt joined Touro in 1974 and has served in many capacities, including his current role as Touro Vice President for Planning and Assessment and Executive Dean at Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences in Brooklyn. He also serves as the Touro College Accreditation Liaison to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
Hon. Shelley Berkley is Senior Vice President of External Affairs of the Touro University System. She previously served as CEO and Senior Provost of Touro’s Western Division, where she was administrative and academic head of the Nevada and Northern California campuses of Touro University. Prior to that role, Shelley served the State of Nevada in the United States House of Representatives from 1998 to 2013.
Dr. Alan Kadish is President of the Touro University System. He is a prominent cardiologist, dedicated teacher, researcher and scientist and experienced administrator. Alan Kadish, M.D., has developed Touro into one of the largest healthcare educational systems in the U.S.
For more information or to reserve tickets, please visit 50.touro.edu/gala
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November 16, 2022
279702
Congressman Mike Lawler to Deliver Keynote Address at Touro’s Lander Colleges Commencement
Longtime Supporter of Israel and Jewish Community to Receive Honorary Doctorate
Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY), will serve as Keynote Speaker for the 50th Commencement Ceremony of Touro’s Lander Colleges, to be held on June 2nd at Lincoln Center in New York City. Lawler will also receive an honorary doctorate at the event.
Congressman Lawler, who represents New York’s 17th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, is a longtime supporter of Israel, the Jewish community and Jewish education. A champion of school choice, he has publicly defended and protected Jewish education on both the state and national levels. He has also fought against antisemitism and the BDS movement and is an outspoken supporter of Israel.
“Touro is honored to recognize the efforts and action of Congressman Lawler to advocate for the Jewish community and stand up for what’s right in these most challenging times. In the wake of the anti-Israel demonstrations at colleges and universities across the nation, Lawler has shown that the safety of Jewish students is of paramount concern,” said Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish.
This spring, Congressman Lawler introduced the Antisemitism Awareness Act which the House passed by a margin of 320-91. This legislation will require the Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism and its contemporary examples when enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws. Usage of the IHRA definition in this context is a key step in calling out antisemitism where it is and ensuring antisemitic hate crimes on college campuses are properly investigated and prosecuted.
Lawler has a positive message for Touro University’s 600 graduates. “There are many challenges we face right now, from rising antisemitism to multiple conflicts across the globe to an economy that isn’t quite working for everyone. Go out there and make a difference and now, the future of our society is in your hands—help make a better world for those that will follow you,” said Congressman Lawler.
“Graduating is a momentous occasion—congratulations to you and your families on this incredible achievement,” he continued.
Lawler previously served as a New York State Assemblyman. In Congress, he currently serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee and nearly 50 congressional caucuses, including as Co-Chair of the Anti-Congestion Tax Caucus, the Moldova Caucus, the bipartisan SALT Caucus and the Problem Solvers Caucus.
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May 20, 2024
272112
In Response to Campus Antisemitism, Touro University Expands Scholarship for Affected Students
Fund Will Help Students Continue Their Higher Education in a School Committed to a Safe Academic Environment
With virulent antisemitism surging at college campuses across the country, Touro University expanded the Touro Safe Campus Scholarship to help defray tuition costs of students who transfer to Touro’s New York School of Career and Applied Studies (NYSCAS) for the fall semester, from any other college where they may no longer feel comfortable. The Scholarship was launched earlier this year when campus unrest threatened student safety in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks.
Touro has successfully maintained a conflict-free campus focused on education and is prepared to provide financial assistance to students who seek a safe and supportive academic environment. With a primary campus in Times Square, New York City, Touro University is comprised of over 19,000 students across 36 campuses in six states. This year has seen an increase in enrollment within the Touro University system.
Touro’s undergraduate NYSCAS division offers a direct pathway to its graduate and professional programs for qualified students, including the only medical and dental school under Jewish auspices in the country.
While Touro was founded under the historic Jewish tradition of tolerance and dignity, it currently enrolls a diverse population comprised of students from a wide range of economic, racial and religious backgrounds.
“Our students select Touro because they know they will receive a rigorous education in an environment committed to diversity of students and ideas. College students should be focused on their studies and shouldn’t have to experience hate, violence and antisemitism while pursuing their education and professional training,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, president of Touro University. “Like many, we’ve been appalled by the inability of university leaders to address the rising antisemitism on campuses. This has inspired Touro to create solutions that both protect people seeking higher education while staying true to our school’s founding mission.”
The Touro Safe Campus Scholarship is now available to students who transfer to Touro NYSCAS for Fall 2024, from another college where they currently feel unsafe and uncomfortable. Transfer students with a minimum 3.0 GPA or higher are eligible for this scholarship. Awards amount to 25% of tuition per semester, over and above other financial aid for which students are eligible and can be rewarded for up to seven semesters. Students must maintain 3.0 GPA at Touro to continue receiving the scholarship and it can only be applied toward tuition. To learn more contact Rabbi Baruch Fogel at robert.fogel2@touro.edu.
Touro
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April 25, 2024
277984
Former Israeli Consul General Appointed Global Distinguished Professor at Touro University
Diplomat and Branding Expert Ido Aharoni Aronoff to Teach Business Diplomacy and Non-Product Branding
Ido Aharoni Aronoff, an Israeli diplomat, advisor to global companies and international relations professor, was named Global Distinguished Professor of Business at Touro University, Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish announced today.
Aharoni Aronoff, who spent his entire diplomatic career in the United States, is a 25-year veteran of Israel’s Foreign service, a public diplomacy specialist, founder of the Brand Israel Program and a well-known place positioning and branding practitioner. Aharoni Aronoff has served as a member of the Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University since 2015 and as a lecturer at the University’s Coller School of Management since 2018. He has served as a global distinguished professor for international relations at New York University and was Israel's longest-serving consul general in New York, with the rank of ambassador, serving in that role from 2010-2016. In recent years, Aharoni Aronoff has served, in advisory capacities, several global companies, such as Libra Group, MasterCard, APCO, Value Base, Bank Leumi USA, Perion Network and others.
“Professor Aharoni Aronoff has wide-ranging professional experience in the spheres of government, diplomacy, public service and branding, and we are thrilled that he’ll be bringing his many talents and skills to Touro to benefit our students and faculty,” said Dr. Kadish.
In his new role, Professor Aharoni Aronoff will teach the practice of business diplomacy and non-product branding to both undergraduate and graduate students and will represent Touro in public forums.
“Touro University is known for its ability to provide real-world, hands-on training and skills to help its graduates join the workforce and have meaningful careers to benefit society. Touro has made great contributions to the field of healthcare and medical education and now it is focusing on business administration. I welcome the opportunity to share my marketing expertise with the students at Touro. Having been in the public sphere for over 35 years, I expect to share my practical experience overseeing Israel’s largest diplomatic mission worldwide as well as my experiences branding Israel and consulting with numerous international corporations,” said Aharoni Aronoff.
Aharoni Aronoff established Brand Israel after 9/11, when there was a great need to build a strategy to celebrate Israel’s creative spirit. Today, and more so post 10/7, social media is disrupting the way people all over the world process information, according to Aharoni Aronoff. “The algorithms design a conversation that is binary, or black and white. People crave simplicity at the expense of dealing with complex issues. They feel compelled to express an opinion on issues sometimes they know nothing about, and to ‘signal’ they are on the so-called ‘politically correct’ side of every topic. It’s become very hard to have nuanced conversations. The best example of that is ‘cancel culture’. If I can’t deal with what you’re saying, I don’t listen to you, I shut down, ‘cancel’ you and, indeed, there’s been a serious effort to ‘cancel’ Israel in the wake of October 7,” says Aharoni Aronoff.
Aharoni Aronoff believes education is the answer. “As the largest institution of higher education under Jewish auspices, I believe in Touro’s ability to contribute to and influence that sphere and to provide students with the tools to interpret and apply knowledge. We can educate about history and the complexity of the situation. Right now is a great time to step up these efforts, as there is such a dire need for nuanced conversation. I’m very excited for the opportunity to be part of Touro University, when there’s a greater role for Touro to play in academia, Jewish life and the connection with Israel. I see myself as part of that bridge between Israel and the American Jewish community and it’s an honor and privilege to join Touro and help make a difference for our students and the larger community.”
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April 04, 2024
275785
Touro University Hosts Discussion of Antisemitism on Campus
University Professors from Around the U.S. Call for Enforcement of Rules, Mandatory Holocaust Education and Advocacy
Touro University convened prominent professors at American universities across the U.S. to discuss antisemitism on campus. The “Touro Talks” program, presented virtually and co-sponsored by Touro’s Jewish Law Institute, was attended by hundreds of participants from around the country and moderated by Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish and Professor Sam Levine of Touro’s Jewish Law Institute.
Professors from Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, University of California Berkeley and University of North Carolina participated, each of whom had written and spoken about antisemitism on their campuses.
The wide-ranging discussion covered what each had experienced over the past few months since October 7th, including the charged atmosphere, what has been done to combat the problem and what they thought could be done going forward.
“Up until a few months ago, many naively thought the 2,000-year-old problem of antisemitism was gone and now we know that’s not true and we all must band together to fight it,” said Dr. Kadish.
Tensions on Campus
The academics described tension on campus and serious concerns, detailing everything from demonstrations, panel discussions and graffiti to perceived failures on the part of university administrators and trustees to condemn antisemitism and enforce rules to protect students.
“We’re not seeing differences in ideology, differences in politics.” said Shai Davidai, assistant professor of management at Columbia Business School. “We’re seeing hatred.”
Dr. Kadish agreed it’s been disappointing that some college leaders have not stood up and tried to fight antisemitism in a more aggressive way, and that attempts to get them to do so have been largely unsuccessful.
How to Solve the Problem
Claire Finkelstein, a professor of law and professor of philosophy and faculty director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law at the University of Pennsylvania, described a lack of perspective among students who are no longer taught the Holocaust or European history.
“We’re at a point where very few Holocaust survivors are left to speak up,” she said, describing the rise in Holocaust denialism as extraordinary. “The flaws in secondary education explain why colleges are fertile ground for a surge in antisemitism,” continued Finkelstein.
She called for colleges to teach civility on campus, provide mandatory instruction on the Holocaust, halt and punish threatening and harassing speech and to stop taking funds from non-democratic nations, especially in the Middle East.
U.C. Berkeley’s Professor of Law Steven Solomon agreed, saying undergraduate students he teaches are ignorant about the Nuremberg trials. “They believe Israel just existed in 1948. They really don’t know the history generally, not just the Holocaust.”
Professor Davidai urged that people need to speak up and get others to speak up. “Write letters to local newspapers. Realize this is not a Jewish problem. This is an American problem. That’s the only way we will make any change. If you wait and wait, it will end up being too late when you actually want to act,” he said.
Touro Talks, an online lecture series engaging thought leaders and experts from around the world on academic and contemporary issues, is directed by Nahum Twersky.
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March 13, 2024
274052
Have an Idea for a Startup? Great. Now What?
Transforming Your Startup Idea: The Initial Steps to Bringing Your Idea to Life
Embarking on the entrepreneurial journey with a brilliant startup idea is just the beginning. The real challenge lies in transforming that idea into a tangible business. This guide outlines the critical first steps for aspiring entrepreneurs to transition from ideation to building a startup poised for growth.
Entrepreneurship, startups, tech, we all glorify this world and as a result, everyone has an idea they think will be the next big thing. The reality though, is that ideas are borderline worthless. Not only are ideas a dime a dozen, and not only can they not go anywhere without execution, the truth is, if you look at some of the winners in tech, they didn’t even have a unique idea to begin with. What was so unique about Zuckerberg’s idea? Twitter? Instagram? None of these were very good ideas, but they all executed and continued to execute all the way till they achieved market domination.
So if you have an idea for a venture, that is great, but now take that idea and try to transform it into a business. Here are the first 5 steps you need to take:
Competitive Analysis is Absolutely Crucial
I cannot stress this enough. Before taking one step forward, being raising money, before building a product, take a month and study the market. Make a landscape of any and all companies who are targeting the same audience as you, building a similar product to you, or offering the same value proposition as you.
Try to include at least 50 companies in that landscape. This will help you know your market better, it will help you go to market better, and in case that wasn’t enough, it will make an amazing impression on any investor who asks you about your competitive landscape. More competition means there is more demand for what you are trying to do. That is good news.
Build a Prototype, Even on a Basic Level
Coming to an investor with an idea means that investor will either tell you to come back later when there is traction or if they do write a check, it will be on very aggressive terms. Building a basic prototype using platforms like InVision will help you visualize your vision both to you, to your team, and to potential investors and customers.
Find 100 Users and Talk to Them
Amazing investors over the years have written about the need to scale slowly and organically. Everyone dreams of having a billion users, but start with 100. 100 loyal users who will give you honest feedback, positive or negative. You won’t be able to speak to your users when you have hundreds of thousands of them. Aim to hit that 100 milestone and get to know those users.
Map out Your Investors Carefully
As a first time entrepreneur, you might think that you need investor money more than investors need you. You would be wrong. Investors need to return their investors’ money too, so they are constantly looking to find good deals and deploy capital. Find the best investors for you based on their expertise and by interviewing their portfolio companies. Ask the founders what it’s like to work with that investor and if they provide real value beyond the check. Choosing the right investor might be the most important decision you ever make as an entrepreneur.
Hustle, Execute, Iterate, and Scale
If you made it this far, now the fun begins. Build the product, get ready to iterate based on user feedback and behavior, and never get too used to success. You hit a milestone? Great. Pop open the champagne, then start planning the next milestone you want to hit.
Entrepreneurship is hard, it is statistically impossible if you think about it, but anyone who has the bug knows they have no choice but to build products and try to change the world!
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/have-an-idea-for-a-startup-great-now-what.php
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May 14, 2019
274045
Managing Student Loan Debt
Optimizing Your Student Loan Repayment Plan for Financial Freedom
At last, you graduated from school. The commencement ceremony was inspirational, and you looked picture-perfect in your cap and gown. You savor the exciting moment as you prepare for the next phase of your life. However, your excitement is short-lived when you receive a statement from the federal student loan servicer.
The Purpose of Student Loan Debt
If college is an investment, then interest on the student loan debt is an investment expense. Thus, just as an investment requires a hurdle rate – or minimum rate of return – to justify borrowing, so too must student debt. Student debt helps you pay tuition and invest in your career but needs to be repaid when you can afford it. Accordingly, choose a reasonably priced college and a degree that is in-demand so that the return of investment will enable you to repay the debt.
Understanding Your Student Loan Options
There are several repayment plans available to pay off student debt, and it is crucial to choose a plan that works for you.
Standard Plan: The default payment plan is comprised of fixed monthly payments – with a minimum of $50 a month – for up to 10 years. Although this plan usually results in the least amount of interest, this plan is recommended only if you can afford regular monthly payments. If you’re eligible, you can extend the term of the payments for up to 25 years – which results in a lower payment amount but collectively more interest.
Graduated Plan: A graduated payment plan is available where monthly payments are made over 10 years. However, the payment amount – which must exceed the interest amount – increases gradually over time. This plan is logical only if your monthly income is expected to increase over time. This plan can also be extended for up to 25 years, depending on eligibility.
Income-Driven Options: Student debt can be paid gradually over 25 years with a payment amount that depends on factors such as your income, family size, and loan amount. This plan results in higher interest, and the monthly payment is adjusted annually based on your annual recertification. However, the remaining balance on the debt can be forgiven after 20 and 25 years.
Choosing Your Repayment Plan
Although carrying debt is a burden, it is not always prudent to pay off the student loan early. Student debt is low-interest debt, has flexible payment options, may be eligible for a tax break, and may be forgiven. However, student debt increases your debt to income ratio and may disqualify you from buying a home or financing a car. Also, student loans are generally not discharged in bankruptcy and will result in wage garnishment, withholding of tax refunds, and retention of Social Security retirement and disability benefit payments if you default on the loan.
Pay off the debt: If you are in a strong financial position and do not borrow money to support your lifestyle (i.e., credit cards), then pay off the debt using the 10-year payment plan with accelerated payments. Note that there are no prepayment penalties on student loans.
Don’t pay off the debt: If you do not have an emergency fund, do not earn enough to set aside money for retirement, or maintain debt other than student loans, then do not pay off the student loan early. Instead, opt for an income-driven option until you can afford to accelerate payments.
Paying Off Student Debt
Your plan to pay off student debt should include setting aside money to repay the debt – beyond the required monthly amount and signing up for autopay so that you don’t miss a payment. Also, capitalized interest should be paid off early – during the grace period – so that you don’t pay interest on the accrued interest. You can also refinance the loan at a lower interest rate through a private lender. Some providers reduce your rate if you enroll in an autopay option. Obviously, as with everything in life, living within your means and being fiscally responsible will help you rid your debt.
By Shulem Rosenbaum, Professor of Accounting at Touro and Senior at Roth & Company LLP
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/managing-student-loan-debt.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/StudentLoanDebtStrategies.jpg
May 28, 2019
274038
Does the Perfect Resume Actually Exist?
Mastering the Art of Resume Writing: Tips for Success
Crafting a resume that stands out is an art form crucial for launching and advancing your career. With a focus on simplicity, proofreading, comprehensive contact information, a targeted summary, and work experience, these guidelines aim to elevate your resume. By adhering to these principles, you can transform your resume into a powerful tool that captures the attention of potential employers and showcases your qualifications effectively.
Everyone knows you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression and your resume represents your chance to make yourself stand out. It can be one of the most important documents on your journey to a successful career path.
To make sure you get it right the first time, Maksim Paliyev, Director of Placement, Career Services at NYSCAS, offers dos and don’ts that could mean the difference between catching an employer’s attention and securing a job or getting stuck at the bottom of the pile with no response from potential employers.
KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid) PrincipleDon’t overload your resume with fancy fonts or $20,000 vocabulary words. Resumes should be neatly typed and use basic fonts that are easy to read, such as Arial or Calibri. Employers do not have much time to spend reviewing applications so make it simple for them to see quickly whether you are a fit.
Proofread as Many Times as PossibleImagine for a second that you are looking to fill an open position at your company. You read the resume you were just sent and notice three grammar mistakes in the first paragraph. The chances of contacting that person for the role? Slim to none. Remember that it is critical that your resume has no errors, whether it’s formatting or grammar-related. Consider letting someone you trust review your resume with fresh eyes prior to pressing the “send” button. Of course, that is after you have already gone through it with a fine-tooth comb yourself. Being detail-oriented is a necessary skill for any professional role and therefore, ensuring that your resume is mistake-free is critical.
Include Updated and Complete Contact InformationAs silly as it might sound, some people omit their addresses and provide only their phone numbers and email addresses at the top of their resume. This could hurt your chances of being contacted as employer’s often want to see where you live in proximity to the company’s headquarters.Unless you have a valid reason for not disclosing your home address or phone number, note that such an omission could prevent you from moving forward in the hiring process.
Targeted Summary of QualificationsKeep in mind that the “Summary of Qualifications” section on your resume should be targeted and revised for each job application. Be sure to review the job description thoroughly so you can emphasize key skills you already have that match the specific role to show you are a fit for the position.Also, consider adding soft skills such as communication, listening, critical thinking, and willingness to learn to highlight the various qualities you will bring to the table if hired.
Quantify Your Work ExperienceDid you copy and paste your previous job descriptions directly onto your resume? While this can show tasks you have handled in the past, it lacks real, measurable evidence of your worth to future employers. Consider adding something about how your analytical thinking improved overall performance of the business by a certain percentage and how social media campaigns and/or digital marketing tactics you were involved with increased sales. Utilizing data will spotlight important indicators of impact, making you a standout candidate in the eyes of any hiring manager.
By Maksim Paliyev, Director of Placement, Career Services at Touro University's New York School of Career and Applied Studies (NYSCAS)
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/does-the-perfect-resume-actually-exist.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/ThePerfectResume.jpg
June 26, 2019
274031
One Degree. Six Jobs that Can Change the World.
Diverse Paths in Social Work: Exploring the Impactful Roles
With a social work degree, you open doors to various roles where you can help people from all walks of life overcome their challenges. Whether it's aiding families in crisis, supporting the elderly, or helping veterans adjust to civilian life, social workers play a crucial role in society. Here's a look at six areas where social workers bring their expertise and compassion to the forefront, showcasing the profession's wide-ranging impact and the profound opportunities it offers to change lives for the better.
“Not all superheroes wear capes,” says Dr. Steven Huberman, Dean of the Touro University Graduate School of Social Work. A career in social work is a chance to change lives and offers a multitude of paths and adventures in a profession with one common goal: to help vulnerable people of all ages and conditions overcome life’s challenges. The young, the old, families in crisis, the sick and disabled, the veteran, the addicted, and those facing emotional or mental anguish. There is so much vital and rewarding work to do, according to Dean Huberman.
Here are just six settings in which social workers can find both jobs and joy.
The private practitioner. Social workers see clients for an array of issues, from anxiety, phobias and depression to an inability to leave a bad relationship or an unhealthy need to ruin a healthy one.
The medical social worker. The setting is health care or hospital, where social workers from those in pediatric intensive care units, to cancer units, to in-hospital hospice care, hold support groups, comfort grieving parents and relatives, access and create rehabilitation plans. Some even base themselves in emergency rooms to calm the waiting and help them untangle the frightening bureaucracy of insurance, medicare and medicaid. Studies show that social workers even help patients heal.
The geriatric care practitioner in nursing homes and other elder care facilities. They deal with everything from care plans to communicating the needs of residents, many of them unable to do so themselves. Some work with Alzheimer’s or dementia patients and many manage Medicaid and insurance issues for patients and families.
The school social worker. For those who love and value future generations, this is an enormously varied and rewarding job. They are trusted friend, facilitators for services such as medical care, housing, even making certain the child has clothing and food and is not being bullied. They step in when the parents can’t or won’t. In essence, they are the human hero for kids who have never had one.
The social worker for veterans and their families. From brain trauma to PTSD, to homelessness and hopelessness, the social workers get veterans the care they need, individually and through advocacy work to change public policy and gain funding for those who served us and now need help.
The social worker/administrator. These social workers run major departments and agencies, including homeless shelters and battered women’s shelters, and other nonprofits where they are generally executive directors. They have excellent administrative skills that enable them to deal with clients, donors, politicians while managing staff, budgets and running programs.
Get more information on how you can become a social worker and enjoy a rewarding career.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/one-degree-six-jobs-that-can-change-the-world.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/SocialWorkCareers.jpg
July 29, 2019
274016
The Guide to Creating a Winning LinkedIn Profile
A Step-by-Step Guide to Elevating Your LinkedIn Game
Unlock the full potential of LinkedIn with our comprehensive guide, designed to elevate your professional online presence. From crafting a captivating headline to choosing the perfect headshot, each step is crucial in creating a LinkedIn profile that stands out. Dive into the details of optimizing your profile, including leveraging rich media content, highlighting your career interests, and syncing your educational achievements. Learn how to make your profile accessible and engaging for recruiters and professional connections alike, ensuring your digital footprint aligns with your career aspirations.
Go to www.linkedin.com and create an account
Log into your account
Press the “ME” tab and go to “view profile”
Name: Use your first name and last name only, no degrees or icons. You can add a maiden name
Photo: Insert your headshot photo. When taking your headshot, dress as if you are going to a professional networking event in your industry. It’s ideal to have a white or gray background, nothing too busy
Headline: Treat this as your LinkedIn “Elevator Pitch.” LinkedIn limits your headline
Background Image: Add a horizontal background image that helps promote your personal brand image. Never use the default background provided by LinkedIn
About me: This is more information about you (such as the “summary” from your resume. Upload “Rich Media Content” to tell your story including videos, presentations, links to blog posts, or articles you’ve written. You can even upload your resume as “Rich Media Content” and be sure to include your email address here
Career Interest: Selecting the “Open Candidate” option allows recruiters to know that you are available, even if you have a job listed. Be sure to include your desired job titles and your location
Experience: Sync this with your company logo and use information from your resume
Education: Sync with Touro and include your major accomplishments when impressive
Skills: The list is searchable. You can add the relevant skills right into your profile. Pin your top 3 and enter up to 50 skills
Recommendations: Obtain at least 3 recommendations from professors, department heads, or people who supervised you in an internship or work-related experience
Vanity LinkedIn URL: Use this as a signature line in your resume. For example. www.linkedin.com/in/johnsmith
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/the-guide-to-creating-a-winning-linkedin-profile.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/WinningLinkedInProfile.jpg
September 04, 2019
274009
Jump-Start Your Career with These 5 Tech Trends
Discover the Technologies Redefining the Workplace and How to Leverage Them for Career Success
Dive into the dynamic world of technology as we unveil five groundbreaking trends poised to revolutionize the professional landscape. From enhancing HR processes with technology to the pivotal role of Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, spatial computing, and the power of social and web platforms, these trends offer a roadmap for navigating and excelling in the evolving workplace. Prepare to harness these innovations and transform your career trajectory.
The world of technology and innovation is moving at an unprecedented pace, and it’s almost impossible to keep track. But most of the new breakthroughs fall under very defined and specific categories—a few of which are expected to fundamentally change the workplace as we know it.
In order to maximize and capitalize upon these hot new trends, you must first recognize and familiarize yourself with how they are expected to impact your career.
Here are 5 major tech trends you’ll be hearing of on an almost daily basis as you enter the workforce and develop your career.
HR Tech
In the “olden days”, the way people decided where to work was salary and compensation. Today, top talent is paying close attention to company culture. What’s it like to work there? How are employees treated? Are people happy?
As company culture increases in importance, HR tech is there to support and enhance it. Whether it is employee engagement platforms, worker retention solutions, or internal communication products, today, what an employee does for the company is less important than what the company is doing for the employee.
AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to be everywhere nowadays and, in this case, looks are not deceiving you. AI truly is everywhere, and it already affects so many aspects of our lives, something that will only increase in the coming years.
Contrary to popular belief, AI is not replacing humans anytime soon. It will, however, increase our efficiency and, as a result, our productivity.
In the coming years, we, the human race, are going to have to up our game and focus on more meaningful work, which is ultimately what will differentiate us from the “robots.”
Cyber Security
As the internet continues to dominate our world, it brings with it vulnerabilities and potential danger. Your organization, whether it’s a 5-person startup or a 500,000-person enterprise, is exposed to cyber threats that can easily lead to the complete collapse of the organization.
As a result, the cyber security space is a highly saturated one with thousands of companies taking on this challenge from a different angle.
Choosing your company’s cyber security solution might end up being the most important decision you ever make as the company continues to grow.
Spatial Computing
You’ve heard of virtual reality, and if you’re a bit geeky, you may have even heard of augmented reality. But have you heard of mixed reality? Mixed reality, a technology pioneered by a company called Magic Leap that has raised billions from investors like Google, Alibaba, and Andreessen Horowitz, is building what many believe is the future of human-computer interaction.
Whichever technology ends up gaining traction, one thing is for sure, the days of the mouse and trackpad are long over.
The workflow as you know it will fundamentally change over the next few years and spatial computing is expected to lead the way.
Social and Web Technologies
It’s no secret social media has quickly become the most effective megaphone the world has ever known. What you might not realize though, is that these platforms are already playing a significant role in the employee recruitment process and will continue to increase in importance when it comes to all things communication, marketing, sales, and HR.
These are only some of the many technology trends that are expected to change the way we work, and that change is expected to happen in the very near future. Hold on tight, we are in for a very fast and exciting ride. Make sure you’re prepared!
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/jump-start-your-career-with-these-5-tech-trends.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/CareerTechTrends.jpg
September 17, 2019
274000
10 Ways to Prepare for the Touro Career Fair
Strategies for Success at Touro's Networking Event
The Touro University Career Fair presents an excellent chance for students to explore diverse career opportunities and connect with potential employers. To ensure you stand out and potentially secure a job or internship, preparation is key. From refining your resume to practicing your interview skills, these 10 strategies will help you navigate the fair with confidence, showcase your strengths, and open the door to new professional possibilities. Whether you're seeking an internship or a full-time role, come with an open mind and ready to impress.
The Touro University Career Fair is right around the corner and is planned for September 24th. It offers a valuable opportunity to meet with different companies in various industries and to network with potential employers.
Are you prepared? Here are 10 tips to make the most of your time—and possibly score a new job.
Have a clear idea of what type of position you are looking for. Do you need an internship or a full-time position?
Narrow down your choices. For example, marketing majors may want to be consultants, managers, or advertisers. There are so many career options in each field so determine where you see yourself.
Go in with an open-mind. Even if a company doesn’t offer a position you were interested in, make a good impression since you never know where it could take you down the line.
Have a clear, clean looking resume. Resumes need to be aesthetically appeasing. Your resume should be organized in a professional manner so employers can quickly locate information they are looking for.
Research the companies you are interested in beforehand. Knowing facts about the company will not only set you apart from other contenders but will also enable you to ask questions at the end of the interview.
Know yourself. Prepare a list of your best skills and qualities. Also, know your weaknesses so you can address that question properly in case the companies ask about them.
Positive attitude. A smile goes a long way. Companies want to hire easygoing positive employees that will be team players.
Dress appropriately. Come well-groomed, in professional business attire.
Practice your interview skills. You know the saying, “Practice makes perfect?” Well, it actually does help you better understand your key attributes that should be highlighted to a future employer.
Be yourself. Companies don’t want robotic, memorized answers. Don’t be afraid to show your personality.
By Avital Levene, Lander College for Women, Class of 2020
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/10-ways-to-prepare-for-the-touro-career-fair.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/CareerFairPrepTips.jpg
September 18, 2019
273993
5 Ways College Freshmen Can Prepare for Their Future Careers
Laying the Foundation for Professional Success in College
Starting college? Here's how to gear up for your future career from day one: embrace the uncertainty of career choices, engage actively in exploring career paths, aim for multiple internships, connect with professional associations, and start building your network. These steps will lay a strong foundation for your professional journey ahead.
It is an exciting time. You are about to start college!
If you’re like most students, your focus is on your classes and adjusting to college life, not necessarily your career. But that is a mistake. To be successful, you need to focus on your career from day one.
Here are the five things you should start thinking about as soon as your college career begins.
1) It is normal to not know: It happens every year. A week or two after school starts, a new student nervously pops his/her head into my office. It seems everyone knows what they want to do for a career, but they don’t. Is that normal? The good news is that it is very normal. Deciding on a career is a big decision and there are plenty of college students who have no idea how they want to spend the next 50 years of their life. But don’t just stand there, follow #2 and do something about it!
2) Be proactive from day one: Meet with your academic advisor and career services office to clarify career options and to pursue opportunities that can provide some clarity as to whether a particular career is or is not for you.
This can take some time and many students come to realize that initial career objectives are not actually realistic.
3) Look for multiple internships: Internships are essential for career success. They are your opportunity to demonstrate your skills as well as test-drive your career choice. Every student needs to complete at least one,but to be truly competitive, students should complete multiple internships. Most major companies hire their summer internship class in September so talk to your career services team right away to find out how to apply.
4) Join a professional association: Most major professions have a professional association providing support, guidance, and career opportunities. Many of these associations have significantly reduced student rates. Ask your professors for recommendations as to the best professional associations and join one so you can take advantage of their resources and events.
5) Build your network: It is always best to build your professional network before you need it. Set up your LinkedIn profile, engage in professional related discussions on Twitter and LinkedIn and go to industry networking events to meet people and build your professional brand and networking capital.
Chances are that your network will be invaluable when you are out looking for that first job. Good luck!
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/5-ways-college-freshmen-can-prepare-for-their-future-careers.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/FreshmanCareerPrepGuide.jpg
September 19, 2019
273986
Top 5 Tips to Prepare for the New Semester
Maximizing Academic Success: A Guide for the Upcoming Semester
Ready for a new semester? Here are five key strategies: pick your classes thoughtfully, learn about your professors, consider a part-time job, fix your sleep schedule, and ensure you relax before the rush. Follow these steps for a smoother academic journey.
In my three semesters in college so far, I have picked up a few tips and tricks as I prepare for the new school year. These tips may be useful for any college student. College is tough, but with these skills, you will be on the right track to ace your semester!
Choose your classes wisely.Many students decide to take classes simply because they “fit into their schedule.” But they run the risk of taking five extremely difficult classes. This can lower your GPA and increase your stress levels. When picking my classes, I always make sure to have a balance. If I’m taking two challenging classes, I will make sure to have at least two lighter ones to ensure I can keep up my grades. Also, taking classes you enjoy motivates you to get through the semester. For example, I chose a more difficult literature class since I liked the professor. The class was fascinating and I was motivated to succeed because I loved what I was learning. If you sign up for a class that you end up disliking, there is always an option to switch around your schedule. You don’t want to suffer class when there is a better option.
Research your professors.I always like to learn a bit more about my professors before class begins. You can find out information from websites like “Rate My Professor,” or see reviews on your college Facebook groups. Talking to students who took the class before you is another way to get feedback. Don’t be afraid to ask for notes and tips on how to ace the class. If the professor provides you with an email address, contact them with questions or concerns.Bonus tip: Check your universities portal for important updates on the upcoming semester. Many professors will post information about and requirements for their class before the semester begins.
Sign up for a part time job or internship.Many students do not take classes every day of the week. Take advantage of the spare time to make a couple extra bucks. Many colleges will pair up students who need to be tutored. There are many ways to make money on college. You’ll be happy to afford a good dinner instead of always eating cereal and ramen noodles.
Make sure to get some sleep.This is pretty self-explanatory. When school is out for summer, I myself usually go to sleep after midnight and wake up around 8 or 9 in the morning. However, during the school year you’ll need to adjust your schedule since you may have to catch an early train or bus. Train yourself to be in bed by 11pm at least a week before the semester begins. This will help you wake up more efficiently once class begins.
Relax and rejuvenate.This sounds insignificant but if you’re someone who always needs to maintain a busy schedule you’ll need to read this. Take a few days before the semester starts to not think about work or school. Go to the beach, have a day at the park. Maybe sleep in and make a nice brunch. Stress doesn’t help anyone.
I hope with all these tips you will be ready to take on the next semester. Good luck!
By Avital Levene, Lander College for Women, Class of 2020
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-5-tips-to-prepare-for-the-new-semester.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/SemesterSuccessStrategies.jpg
September 20, 2019
273979
The Externship as a Step to a Professional Position
Transforming Externships into Career Opportunities
Externships are pivotal for bridging the gap between academic learning and professional practice, offering hands-on experience and a glimpse into real-world applications. Expressing interest in future job opportunities and showing a willingness to learn and contribute can turn an externship into a stepping stone for your career.
It might happen by luck but don’t rely on it. You can take steps to ensure you maximize your internship/externship fieldwork placement. Remember, it is not uncommon for your training ground to evolve into a paid professional position.
Let’s say you are studying to be a Physician Assistant. As part of your education, you are interning for five weeks through my office. Having trained a variety of students, my team and I have focused on several steps that you the student can take to ensure the success of your rotation and perhaps land a permanent position. These steps are transferrable to other professional training programs. Here are seven steps to success.
Call 3-5 business days before the rotation begins to introduce yourself. In our office, you will speak with the Director of Administration. The call will confirm the start date and time. Determine who you should ask for when you come that day and whether that person will be the one who introduces you to the other staff. You should ask about the dress code, start and finish times to the workday, and other points for which you need clarification.
Also, ask which Electronic Medical records program the office uses. Then research it. Become familiar with it. It adds to your knowledge base and demonstrates a proactive interest.
Learn beyond the basics about the office’s specialty. What you’ve learned in school about any area is rudimentary at best. It is a starting point only. Network among your peers, professional colleagues, teachers and others to find out what you should review before commencing the externship. Peruse a medical textbook on the subject.
Get your hands “dirty.” The 5-week externship is for you to learn hands-on. Literally. The only way to learn what is abnormal with a physical exam is if you first learn what is normal. That happens by touching and feeling the patient under the tutelage of the physician. Are you squeamish about direct patient care? Speak to your guidance person in school and work it out before you step into the real world of the externship or else find another externship. You should be seeking every opportunity to be hands on and add to your knowledge base.
What if your externship places you more in the background, perhaps doing paperwork? Again, speak to your professional program. You must ensure that you have the opportunity to interact with patients.
You have questions? I love them. I also love asking my students questions.
Questions affords me a glimpse into your thought process as a health care professional. My colleagues and I are here to help to develop that thought process. You take that thought process when you leave my four walls and it goes with you into the next professional setting to grow further. And so forth.
You want to take notes while speaking with me? In my office, the Director of Administration will set up a lunch time for the two of us. You can ask questions and take notes.
Leave the iPad, the iPhone, the tablet or whatever with your personal belongings. You are accustomed to taking notes and Googling questions. I get it. But the gadgets limit what and how you learn. In fact, they impede the hands-on learning process that is key to your professional development. These devices prevent interacting with patients effectively. You may write down in a little notepad you carry in your pocket names of conditions an anything else to be researched and discussed later.
Roll up your sleeves and be as hands-on as possible. Your lunch breaks and after hours are the times to take notes and research further. Answer your cell phone during these breaks.
Learn something about the business of medicine. In primary care pediatrics, for example, there are “private” vaccines and there are “VFC” or “government” vaccines. Learn what this means to an office. Why are initial sick visits booked differently than established sick visits? What is the initial newborn well visit about? What is the “payor mix” about? Seek out the office administrator or the equivalent and find out.
Take the initiative and ask about employment opportunities. You like the office. You are interested in a job once you have completed school. Then say something. Ask to meet me and my Director of Administration. Put your cards out on the table.
The goal of an externship is for you to acquire basic skills to become a health care professional. This is a proactive process, especially on your part. Your showing interest, developing professional skills and availing yourself of every learning opportunity possible can open the door to your first professional position. It will also give you a taste of the “real world.”
By Hylton I. Lightman, MD, DCH, FAAP, Pediatrician and Medical Director at Total Family Care in Far Rockaway, New York
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/the-externship-as-a-step-to-a-professional-position.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/ExternshipExcellence.jpg
September 20, 2019
273972
Top 5 Resume Myths
Unpacking Common Misconceptions to Enhance Your Job Search
Navigating the job market begins with a standout resume, but misconceptions can derail even the most qualified candidates. Understanding these myths empowers job seekers to craft resumes that truly represent their qualifications and stand out in the competitive job market.
Resumes are your job search calling card. It is the very first thing you need when you are looking for a job. Unfortunately, resumes are complex and confusing and not at all easy to produce. To borrow a line from Winnie the Pooh, “The most frustrating thing about resumes is that resumes are frustrating things!”
Perhaps even more frustrating are the prevalent resume myths that people accept as fact. Let’s get ready to bust the top 5 resume myths, one by one!
1) There is a RIGHT way to make a Resume: I often speak to frustrated students who tell me that they have received contradictory resume advice from multiple reliable sources. This is very common. There is little, to no, consensus on the “right” way to create your resume. You will get different options from different experts. I don’t believe there is one “right” way to create a resume, but there certainly are wrong ways. Everyone agrees your resume has to look nice and be error-free. Beyond that, it really depends who you ask.
2) Stick to the page limit: I have heard a lot of different permutations of this one, like college resumes need to be one page, or that you can add an extra page to your resume for every ten years of work experience. I don’t believe there is a magic formula, but I do believe that you should always use full pages with strong content. Do not go onto a second (or subsequent) page unless you have real accomplishments with which to fill it.
3) Put an “Objective” on your resume: Can we finally put this myth to rest? I personally believe objectives are remnants of the old days when people would send resumes via snail mail in order to specify to which job they were applying. Today, most of the process is automated. Resumes are sorted by job opening, so there is no need to express the specific position (and don’t get me started on the fluffy, meaningless statements people choose to include). Career Fair resumes may be an exception to this rule, because recruiters may be recruiting for numerous positions and it can be easy for a resume to be placed into the wrong pile.
4) Put your references on your resume: I see this all the time. References build your credibility, so I understand why people want to include their references on their resume, but it is simply not the place for it. Space on your resume is at a premium. Don’t waste it with your references. The employers will ask you to provide your references when they are ready.
5) Create a PDF Version of your resume: Occasionally, different versions of word processors change the formatting on your resume. To avoid that, the argument goes, create a PDF version of your resume so that it looks the same whenever it is opened.
The problem is that most major companies use applicant tracing systems (ATS) that utilize scanning technology. Many of these systems do not read PDF’s well. That means that the system may misread a PDF resume, and it may never get to the human review level, even if you used all the correct keywords.
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-5-resume-myths.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/ResumeRealTalk.jpg
October 30, 2019
273959
Studying Tips or Hacks
Unlocking Your Learning Potential
Unlocking your academic potential involves understanding your unique learning style and adopting effective study habits. By tailoring your study habits to fit your learning style and maintaining a disciplined approach to your academic work, you can enhance your performance and achieve your educational goals.
Benjamin Franklin famously said “…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” I would like to add “studying” to the end of that quote. The reality is that anyone who does well in college must study, without exception. There is no avoiding it, and the truth is studying can be painful. There is nothing worse than the dread of knowing that the days preceding a test you are going to have to lock yourself in the library and study for hours upon hours. Many people say that in order to avoid the “pre final blitz” you should study in increments throughout the semester, as we have all heard “review what you have done at the end of every class so you don’t have to cram everything before finals week.” This is true, but for many people, myself included, they forget the material even when studying under a low stress environment. Additionally, if we are all being honest, everyone crams to some extent or another. Therefore, the million dollar question is when one is studying, be it preparing in advance or cramming the day before, how do you remember the information and maximize your productivity while studying?
There are three types of people in terms of their ability to learn; visual, auditory and kinesthetic. If someone is a visual learner, they can read the material and fully understand and comprehend it. If someone is an auditory learner they would benefit from listening to an audiobook and from listening to music while studying. Someone who is a kinesthetic learner learns best when they re-write the notes and converting the material into real life tangible examples.
The key to knowing material and remembering the material is finding out what learning style suits you best. However, this is harder than it sounds. Personally, I think auditory learning is the most enjoyable. But, this mode of learning is completely ineffective for me. I can study for 12 hours straight and I will not remember one thing. My brain works kinesthetically, which means when I study I rewrite my notes and then I know the material well. Although it is tedious, it is the most effective and reliable. Studying is about finding what works for you, even if it isn’t the most enjoyable. This is only a recent discovery for me. I remember I would get to a test after studying for hours upon hours and be shocked that I didn’t recognize anything. I was studying the wrong way. The moment I discovered that if I rewrite my notes I will know the material well, it changed my life.
This being said there are universal studying and test taking tips that can help anyone, no matter what kind of learning suits you best.
Sleep: In my second semester of college I stayed up really late studying for my final. I recall knowing all the material cold when I finished studying. I got to my test the following day and I was staring at the paper in shock. I did not know the material. I realized it was because I did not have a good night’s sleep. It may be hard to accept, but sometimes it may be worth it to go to bed early and study less rather than go to bed later and study more.
Phone: I am a very easily distracted person. When I study the cap of a water bottle can distract me for at least 25 minutes without even realizing it. However, there are some distractions that are avoidable. When your friend texts you whether you want pizza or Chinese food for dinner, it is a text that can wait. Try putting your phone on “do not disturb” and as reward for yourself for every hour of straight studying you get to check it and respond to all those urgent requests.
Lighting: Have you ever been in a class and the teacher turns off the light to show a video on the smartboard and then forgets to turn them on again? The rest of the class the mood is always dry and the sleepiness is high. When you study make sure you are seated in a well-lit area. It may help to have the room lights on with an additional desk lamp as a focus. I’m not a scientist, but I’m pretty sure it’s self-explanatory why the darker the room is the sleepier you get.
Breaks: This is a simple one – studying for 10 hours straight sounds more daunting than 5 increments of 2 hours. And the truth is, it’s also less effective. Many times when you sit still too long, you get in this zone and forget where you are. That’s good but the problem is when you get to a test, it’s very hard to get into that same zone you were when you studied. Therefore, it’s good to train yourself to study in increments for as long as your test will be. It will train your body to work the way you will on the test.
Bottom Line: The bottom line is there is no easy way out. Any good test taker knows that he or she will have to put in the work in order to do well. That simple. So next time you have a test coming up or you’re reviewing that day’s notes, try a different method of learning or try one of these tricks. Who knows – you might do very well by trying something new.
By Azriel Kimmel, student at Lander College for Men
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/studying-tips-or-hacks.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/AzrielKimmel.jpg
November 13, 2019
273928
Top Ways for College Students to Find Financial Aid Options
Unlocking Funding Opportunities for Your Education
Navigating the maze of financial aid can be daunting for both prospective and current students. Yet, understanding your options is crucial to funding your education effectively. Here are pivotal steps to ensure you're maximizing financial aid opportunities.
If you’ve ever filled out a college application, then you know that the process is both thrilling and terrifying. It’s thrilling because you stand on the precipice of what may be a life-changing journey and it’s simultaneously terrifying for a wide variety of reasons including what may be at the top of your list – How am I going to pay for my education?
For most undergraduate and graduate students, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the starting point for funding their educations. This form needs to be filled out annually by both current and prospective college students to determine their eligibility for financial aid and applicants can list multiple schools to receive the results of the application once it is processed.
Below are some quick tips to be mindful of:
1. Submit your FAFSA as soon as possible for the 2019-2020 academic year or download the FAFSA mobile app on iOS and Android2. Do not wait until you submit your admission application to file your FAFSA3. Ensure that your social security number is correct on your FAFSA because this error is difficult to correct4. Use the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Data Retrieval Tool to complete your FAFSA if possible5. Make sure your answers on the FAFSA are accurate and remember that it is mandatory to resubmit the FAFSA for each year you are enrolled in college 6. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask your financial aid office for help as that is what they are there for or call 1.800.4FED.AID
Additionally, it’s key to research scholarships that you may be eligible for. FastWeb is a reputable and free website that is helpful to visit when kicking off your search. You should also consider any civic and religious organizations to which you (or your parents) belong that might help to support your studies. If you are employed and eligible for a tuition benefit, apply to receive it and learn as much as possible about federal loan programs.
Undergraduate Students
As an undergraduate student, upon submitting the FAFSA, you will be evaluated for federal grants, loans and work-study options. At many colleges, you will also be assessed for available institutional scholarships and grants. Be aware that some colleges require additional applications for their funds. Many states use the FAFSA to evaluate you for a grant from your state of residence, yet if you are a New York resident a separate application is required.
Many students are eligible for a combination of financial aid scholarships, grants and loans to assist with tuition, fees and books as well as living expenses like housing and food, so don’t miss out on this opportunity.
Graduate Students
The options for financial assistance from federal and state programs for graduate students are unfortunately almost entirely limited to loans. As a graduate student, you should be able to borrow up to $20,500 via a federal unsubsidized student loan for each academic year of study (as long as you are at least a half time student). You could also borrow up to the Cost of Attendance in the Graduate PLUS loan if you need to cover your living expenses. The Graduate PLUS loan, unlike the unsubsidized student loan, requires a credit check for approval.
Your graduate program may offer institutional scholarships/grants and you should contact the college to ask if that assistance is available and how to apply. You should also ask if the college offers assistantships, which typically require a work commitment in exchange for tuition relief. Your college may be able to provide information about any potential employers known to them that repay a portion of the employee’s student loans as an employment incentive as well.
Graduating from college with the least amount of student loan debt possible is incredibly important, so don’t delay starting this process as doing so could prevent you from qualifying for grant and scholarship money.
By Aquila Galgon, Executive Director of Financial Aid and Compliance at Touro University
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-ways-for-college-students-to-find-financial-aid-options.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/FinancialAidInsights.jpg
November 26, 2019
273920
Five Careers that Only Require an Associate’s Degree
Explore High-Demand Careers with a Two-Year Degree
An associate’s degree, typically requiring two years of study, can be a stepping stone to rewarding careers and further educational opportunities. Here are five promising fields accessible with an associate’s degree.
You already know getting a degree is a great way to improve your career opportunities, potentially earn a higher salary, and learn new skills–but the time and money it takes to earn a bachelor’s degree may be intimidating. An associate’s degree can be a viable option! An associate’s degree takes two years or less and often opens the door to exciting new job opportunities. Many associate’s degree holders go on to complete a bachelor’s degree and beyond. Here are five fields to consider as you think about your educational and career goals.
1. Digital Multimedia Designer
If you have an interest in designing websites, books, or newspapers, or always have creative ideas for advertisements or marketing campaigns, a career in multimedia design could be for you. After you successfully complete your associate’s degree program, you may qualify for entry-level positions in graphic design and web publishing. Whether you’d like to become an assistant art director, assistant web designer, digital photo processor, freelance media designer, production assistant, digital illustrator, and/or digital retoucher, the creative world is at your fingertips!
2. Human Services
With an Associate in Science in Human Services, you’ll have learned all about people: how they think, why they act the way they do, and how they grow and develop through life.
At the completion of your program, you may apply for a position such as assistant clinical counselor, mental health/caseworker aide, or paraprofessional for agencies that provide social services (such as mental health services agencies, family support service community centers, rehabilitation centers, or day treatment program centers). Continuing on to a bachelor’s or graduate degree will open doors for you to work in a fulfilling career as a psychologist, social worker, counselor, or private therapist in adult and family services, services for those with developmental disabilities, addiction services, or child-and-youth services.
3. Business Management
Always wanted to start your own business? Interested in a career in accounting, finance, management, or marketing? An associate’s degree will give you a solid understanding of the American business enterprise: You’ll hone your communication, teamwork, and research skills; will learn basic theories of economics like supply and demand; and will be trained in several computer business applications.
You’ll be prepared to move on to a bachelor’s in Business Management & Administration and/or move on to pursue a career as a junior accountant, banker, nonprofit administrator, marketer, advertiser, or financial analyst.
4. Information Technology (IT)
Someone who works in Information Technology (IT) ensures that all the computers in a network are secure, connected and working properly. Your courses will teach you about installing and upgrading computer programs, fixing technical computer issues (troubleshooting), managing the users who have access to the computer network, and incorporating programs that will keep these computers secure.
After completing your associate’s degree, you’ll be prepared to continue your education at the bachelor’s level or begin working as a computer technician, consultant, or network administrator in the IT department of a company, school, office, or other institution.
Want to become qualified for a higher-paying, more advanced position in IT? After receiving your bachelor’s, you may also continue your education to earn a master’s degree in IT.
5. Web Programmer
Learn how to speak the language of the Internet. Java is a popular computer programming language. You’ll be trained in basic and advanced Java techniques, data structures, front-end languages, and web programming and development. Upon completion of your degree, will be eligible for positions as Java programmers and developers, with starting salaries from $35,000-45,000 going up to $80,000-90,000 after five years.
Earning your associate’s degree can lead to an exciting career, new opportunities, and professional and personal growth. Ready to get started? At Machon L’Parnasa, classes are small and individualized and provide personalized support every step of the way. Depending on the program you choose—certificate, associate’s degree, or both—our courses will train you to enter the workforce right away or prepare you for a more advanced degree.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/five-careers-that-only-require-an-associates-degree.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/AssociateDegreeCareers.jpg
December 11, 2019
273911
Finding the Right Career For You
Choosing Your Career Path: Essential Strategies for Students
Deciding on a career is a significant step for college students, fraught with questions and possibilities. It's crucial to approach this decision with a strategy that balances personal interests with practical considerations. Key steps include leveraging career services for guidance, engaging in self-assessment to understand your strengths and interests, networking to gain insights, pursuing internships for hands-on experience, considering the lifestyle each career offers, and focusing on what genuinely satisfies you beyond the paycheck. These approaches help clarify your career direction, ensuring a choice that's both fulfilling and aligned with your long-term goals.
Are you enrolled in college but still unsure what career path to pursue? If so, you’re not alone. Excluding the few people who have particular passions (for law, health sciences, engineering, or another path), so many people find themselves anxious as they must decide on their majors. Choosing a career at any age is daunting. It requires self-awareness, an honest assessment of your strengths and skills, and what you actually enjoy doing. You must also possess a certain level of knowledge of the work environment in any particular profession in order to select a path that ideally will last for decades.
Many young people feel rushed to select the “perfect” major so they can follow a particular career trajectory. But if you made the choice due to familial pressure or anticipated earnings, it likely won’t lead to great satisfaction. Taking the time to find a career that best matches your interests and strengths is a difficult but worthwhile undertaking. Here are some top tips to help you get started on identifying the right career path for you.
Take time for self-assessment! Most colleges offer career services and academic advisement. Use them! Seek out these professionals whose job it is to help you explore your strengths/challenges, likes/dislikes, skills, and values. There are various exercises and aptitude-type tests they can provide to help you discover your path. Talk to professors who are also professionals working in fields you are considering entering. They can give you a reality check and answer your questions.
Network with everyone you know. It can feel like there are so many possibilities, so how do you begin to narrow down your options? I always recommend starting with the people you know in a variety of professions. If someone is working in a field that interests you or has a job that seems particularly exciting, ask if you can shadow him or her or conduct an informational interview so you get a sense of the workplace and job responsibilities. By observing how people spend their days, and asking targeted questions, you can begin to parse out what you like and what doesn’t appeal to you. But remember, professions can vary in different settings so don’t make a judgment based on only one person.
Gain real-world experience. Internships and volunteer programs are a great way to “try on” different professions. You can see what it is like to work in a particular setting and decide if you actually like the day-to-day realities. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Experiences that challenge us tend to teach us the most about what we really can do and where our strengths lie.
Think about the lifestyle you want. What type of lifestyle do you want to have for the long haul? Are you someone who is energized by working fourteen-hour days? Are you most productive in a flexible environment? How do you want to balance your work and home life? It is important that the demands of your career match how you want to live. Think ahead and choose a career that matches your interests but also your desired lifestyle. If you need remote options or flextime, make sure there are settings in your chosen profession that offer that.
It’s not always about the money. Yes, money is certainly important, but it shouldn’t be the driving force behind your decision. Choosing a career based solely on salary won’t serve you well in the long run. If that high-paying job isn’t a match for your interests and strengths, it ultimately won’t make you happy and you are more likely to seek change mid-career. If you choose a profession that provides you with personal satisfaction and a work setting where you feel motivated to achieve, you will likely be successful and perhaps more importantly, happy.
Treat this time of self-exploration with rigor. The more you commit to putting in the work, the more likely you are to end up in a profession that is right for you and will serve you well for years to come.
By Jodi Smolen, Director of Career Services at Lander College for Men
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/finding-the-right-career-for-you.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/CareerPathStrategies.jpg
December 19, 2019
273903
Top 5 Career-Related Social Media Activities
Essential Social Media Strategies for Career Development
Navigating the job market effectively requires more than just sending out resumes. In the digital age, social media plays a crucial role in setting job seekers apart. Essential strategies include crafting a distinct personal brand, maintaining this brand across platforms, optimizing your LinkedIn profile, developing a focused social media strategy to engage industry leaders, and using a combination of social media tools to showcase your professional identity and expertise. These approaches help candidates increase their visibility and attractiveness to employers in a competitive job landscape.
I like to say that the best thing about job searching today is that it is so easy to send a resume, and the worst thing about job searching today is that it is, yes, so easy to send a resume. With the advent of email, candidates no longer need to print and snail-mail resumes to each company.
Easier applications have led to a massive increase in the resumes received for every job opening. This is especially true for college students looking for entry-level jobs. Think about how many students graduate every year and are competing for the very same jobs!
Job seekers need to find a way to make themselves stand out from the rest of the crowd, and social media can play a large role in that process. Here are the top five career-related social media activities that will help you land that job.
1) Define Your Personal Brand: Resumes are no longer enough. Employers expect each candidate to have a well-defined “brand” that represents who they are, what they know, and what they can do professionally. Proven skills and accomplishments usually define the brand for more established professionals. College students, however, frequently need to create their brand from scratch. It takes time, thought, and effort to get to the root of who you are. Fortunately, you can get started today: PwC has an excellent brand-creation tool.
2) Brand Consistency: Once your brand is defined, you must stay consistent across all of your social media streams. That doesn’t mean you can’t post personal or family pictures on Instagram and Facebook or discuss your pithy thoughts on Twitter. The primary question you need to ask yourself before any post is, “Is this on or off my brand?” If it is off-brand, don’t post it. Remember that your brand is in its early development stage, and it doesn’t take much to create a skewed impression. That may seem difficult, but I like to say: “If you need to try too hard to stay on brand, it probably isn’t your brand!”
3) Create a Winning LinkedIn Profile: Of all the social media websites, LinkedIn is the most important for your professional career. You need to create a powerful, winning LinkedIn profile that promotes your brand, professionalism, and expertise. Companies do Google their candidates and check their profiles, so you want to make sure that your LinkedIn profile best represents the professional side of your brand.
4) Design An Effective Social Media Strategy: Let us dispel a common misconception: there is no social media magic. Being on Social Media does not mean that you will suddenly find a job or that opportunities will knock on your door; the effective use of Social Media takes time and effort. Find out where the decision-makers in your field spend their time online and create your own social media strategy to reach them. For example, participating in Twitter chats, online conferences, and LinkedIn group discussions can be a powerful way for unknown entry-level candidates to demonstrate their expertise and get noticed.
5) Utilize a Multi-Modal Approach to Social Media: The best social media strategies utilize the specific strengths of each social media platform in conjunction with one another. I recommend “Identify on LinkedIn, engage on Twitter, and seal over coffee” as a winning strategy (see infographic) because it combines the power of LinkedIn to identify potential leads and contacts and Twitter’s ability to engage them. Your strategy may differ depending on social media use in your particular profession, but make sure you use all your social media options to your best advantage.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-5-career-related-social-media-activities.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/CareerSocialMediaTips.jpg
December 23, 2019
273895
Top 5 Professional New Year’s Resolutions
Strategies for Career Success & Professional Advancement
As the new year rolls in, it's an ideal moment to recalibrate your career goals. Key strategies include setting specific, ambitious objectives and devising a concrete plan to achieve them. Remember, encountering obstacles is part of the process; resilience is your ally. Keeping a weekly log of your accomplishments can motivate you and highlight your progress. Lastly, don't forget to reward yourself for milestones reached—it boosts motivation and acknowledges your hard work. These steps are designed to propel you toward a productive and successful year ahead.
The New Year is a great time to take stock of your professional accomplishments and shortcomings and set ambitious goals for the following year. Here’s my top 5 list of professional New Year’s resolutions to get you on the path toward a successful year:
1) Set Ambitious Goals: It is a lot easier to get somewhere when you know where you want to go. New Year’s is a great time to set your goals for the coming year. Think about what you would most like to achieve in school, in your job search, or in your professional life, and set them as your target goals for the coming year. Make sure to write your goals down so you are 100% clear on what you plan to accomplish.
2) Develop a plan: People often joke about how quickly they abandon their New Year’s resolutions. The best way to avoid falling short is to create a detailed plan of how you will reach your goals. Break down your goals into manageable pieces. Set specific monthly targets and timetables and schedule a few hours at the end of each month to make sure you are still following your plan and to make adjustments when necessary.
3) Don’t allow let-downs to let you down: We all fall short. Even the best-laid plans don’t always work out the way that we intended. Too many people give up on their goals at the first sign of trouble. Things will go wrong over the course of the year, but don’t give up and don’t get down on yourself. You may have to work harder for a few weeks to get back on your planned schedule, but that is much better than giving up.
4) Chart your weekly accomplishments: It is a great idea to keep a spreadsheet listing your major accomplishments for every week. Whether those accomplishments are related to your big picture goals, or smaller goals like doing very well of an exam or landing a coveted job interview, mark it down in your spreadsheet. Looking back, you will be amazed at how much you actually accomplished. In addition, a weekly spreadsheet can be an excellent motivator to make sure you have at least one accomplishment to include for every week.
5) Reward your success: Rewards are a great incentive. Don’t forget to celebrate your major accomplishments along the way. Yes, there is always so much more that we want to do, but a small reward for a job well done will reinforce your success and help keep you motivated. Even small things like dinner at your favorite restaurant or tickets to a sporting event can provide a great incentive to keep going and attain your goals.
Have a happy and productive New Year!
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-5-professional-new-years-resolutions.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/ProfessionalNewYearsResolutions.jpg
January 01, 2020
273748
4 Tips for Dealing with Depression and Anxiety
How to Reduce Your Stress Level and More While Successfully Completing Your Degree
Higher education can be a period of significant stress, leading to depression and anxiety among students. Recognizing and addressing these mental health challenges is essential for academic success and overall well-being. Key strategies include openly acknowledging feelings of depression or anxiety, not isolating oneself, exploring professional treatment options, and prioritizing physical health through regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep. Touro offers support through counseling services and Wellness Coordinators to help students navigate these challenges, emphasizing the importance of mental health in achieving educational goals.
Whether you’re in college, grad school, or a professional program, it’s exciting and motivating to be working towards your degree. It’s a time of intellectual challenge, personal growth, and academic accomplishment. But you may also have periods of feeling confused, discouraged, or anxious. Year after year, the two most common mental health issues reported by U.S. college and graduate students are depression and anxiety. Some people are already dealing with one or both of these problems when they arrive on campus. For others, the problems emerge as the pressures of the academic year build-up, especially around midterms or finals.
Everyone feels sad, gloomy, or down occasionally. Sometimes the reason is clear: a disappointing grade; a romantic breakup; family problems; financial problems; etc. Often, we’re back to normal after a few days, or perhaps a week. But sometimes these feelings seem to come from nowhere, they don’t go away, and they keep us from enjoying our usual activities. They can interfere with appetite, with sleep, with relationships, with studying, and with work. When that happens, we may be dealing with clinical depression.
With anxiety, too, there’s a continuum. We all know what it’s like to feel uncomfortably worried about an upcoming exam, for example, and many of us are afraid of various things, such as flying, cats, or being caught in a crowd. Often, we can (and do) push ahead with our daily lives despite those worries or fears. But when we’re so worried or fearful that we can’t sleep, or we’re unable to concentrate on school or work, or our relationships suffer, or our lives become organized around avoiding certain things or experiences, we may be suffering from an anxiety disorder.
If you’re feeling persistently depressed or anxious, what can you do?
Don’t dismiss these feelings or push them under the rug. Regardless of whether they’re triggered by specific events or seem to come from nowhere if they’re interfering with your ability to enjoy life and get where you want to go, they should be taken seriously.
Don’t isolate yourself. Let others know how you feel so that they can offer you emotional and practical support.
Consider professional treatment. A therapist’s job is to help you identify the problem and find ways of alleviating it. Sometimes, medication can help, so the therapist may refer you to a psychiatrist for a consultation. You don’t have to be “crazy” to benefit from therapy or medication; you just have to want things to change for the better. And you certainly don’t have to be in treatment forever!
Take care of your physical health. Try to get plenty of exercise, follow a balanced diet, and get to bed on time (even if you’re not sleeping well). Avoid using alcohol or recreational drugs to boost your mood or suppress your anxiety, as they can have the opposite effect.
Touro-NY schools have counselors or a Wellness Coordinator who can help you find affordable community treatment for personal, emotional, or substance use problems. Check your school’s website, under the “Students” tab, for more information.
By Erica Weissman, J.D., Psy.D, is the Director of Student Mental Health Services and Associate Professor at Touro University
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/4-tips-for-dealing-with-depression-and-anxiety.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/StudentMentalHealthTips.jpg
January 08, 2020
273725
Credit Card Tips for College Students
Smart Strategies for Managing Credit Wisely
For college students, mastering credit card use is key to establishing a positive credit history. Recognizing credit cards as loans rather than cash is fundamental. Proper use involves choosing cards wisely. It's critical to select cards with benefits that align with your spending patterns and to spend within your means. Awareness of the impact of high balances on credit scores and the high costs associated with cash advances is also important. By focusing on these principles, students can leverage credit cards to build a strong financial future without falling into common pitfalls.
Quick finance quiz … true or false? Credit cards are like money. Well, they sure feel like money, especially when you can’t resist that stylish jacket or the more expensive entrée at the fancier restaurant. And these days they’re accepted everywhere, just like money.
But they’re not money, they’re loans. And loans have to be repaid … with money. And therein lies the difference. When you swipe your credit card you should be confident that you can pay the bill … shortly … like in a month. This is especially true for college students who often work part-time or maybe even not at all. Credit cards can be advantageous, but proper use is essential if you want to make the most of them. Here are a few tips.
Establishing good credit – Credit cards offer convenience, and emergency access to funds and they allow for online purchases. But the most important aspect, especially if you’re a college student, is that they allow you to build good credit. The value of this may not be immediately apparent, but down the road a strong credit rating allows you to access bigger loans for longer periods for some of life’s essentials. We’re talking car loans, mortgages, and maybe even a business line of credit if you have that entrepreneurial spirit.
Not all cards are the same – The terms offered to you by the issuer vary from one bank to the other. Students particularly should be wary of cards marketed with accompanying gifts such as T-shirts and coffee mugs. Often these cards are offered by smaller banks/institutions who may maintain more aggressive or unscrupulous tactics. That 10-dollar shirt may end up costing you hundreds or more dollars down the road.
Familiarize yourself with key credit card terms – You should know what is meant by the APR (the interest rate you are being charged) and the difference between annual fees vs. penalty fees. An annual fee is what you’re being charged for the right to have the card. In the competitive credit card environment found in the U.S., you should not apply for such a card. Shop around and you’ll easily find “no annual fee cards”. Otherwise, you’re paying for the “right to spend,” which is somewhat akin to those flea markets that charge you just to enter. Also keep in mind that annual fees count as your first purchase, even if you never use the card! There are many cases of someone who has applied for a card, forgot about it, and soon found themselves delinquent even though they never made a single purchase. Penalty fees, on the other hand, are usually assessed for late payments or payments less than the minimum. They can be quite stiff (often around $25 – $35) and make any credit card a bad deal. Also, keep in mind that failure to pay the minimum payment may also cause the original APR to be bumped up. Even on new purchases.
Be aware of how rewards programs work – If you were enticed by the card’s rewards program, be sure to understand how points are redeemed. Some cards automatically credit you 1-2%, thereby reducing your balance. With others, however, you have to redeem them online or by phone. And if you don’t get around to it, those points may expire. Also be aware that rewards may be valid for only certain types of purchases (gas, food, vacation) so if that’s not where you spend your money … well, then, there are no rewards.
If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it – You’ve probably heard that you should not carry balances from one month to another. Besides the additional interest you’ll be paying (that $1000 spontaneous vacation may end up costing you $2000), be aware that excessive purchases, those that bring you close to your credit limit, will result in a lower credit score. Credit raters prefer that you use around one-third of your credit limit and they will penalize you if it is higher over a prolonged period. Check your credit score every few months. Let’s face it, building a good credit score is one of the primary reasons for getting a card in the first place.
Avoid cash advances – Sure it feels good to use your credit card like an ATM card, but it will cost you. Banks may change 3-5% for that advance and it comes off the top. A $100 cash advance may net you only $95 … and you may have to pay interest on that, depending on when you pay it back. Before applying for a credit card you should first open a bank account. That is the most effective way of paying bills, building your savings, and accessing cash when you need it.
So why bother – All these caveats may make you feel that credit cards are not worth the trouble, but they are … especially in today’s world where convenience, flexibility, and a good credit score are essential for many of life’s activities. You just want to be sure that you avoid the obvious mistakes. Here are some statistics that will help to keep you focused on the best way to handle a credit card account:
Half of all college-age cardholders got their first card at 18 years old
One out of four has more than one card
Four out of five don’t pay the full balance each month
The average balance is over $2000
If you have a card, or if you plan to apply, consider these stats as a guide to how you will manage your account. Hopefully, you will limit the number of cards you have (not to mention the applicable credit limit) and pay off the balance each month. Your reward will be felt both now and later as you utilize the card for no one’s advantage other than your own.
By Angelo Decandia, Professor of Business at Touro’s New York School of Career and Applied Studies (NYSCAS)
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/credit-card-tips-for-college-students.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/CollegeCreditCardTips.jpg
January 22, 2020
273718
Top 5 Tips to Make Your Interview Stand Out
Enhancing Your Interview Impact: A Guide
Making your interview memorable is vital in a crowded job market. Researching your interviewer and the company thoroughly can give you an edge by showing genuine interest and preparation. Bringing resumes on professional paper can visually distinguish you from others. Respectful interaction with everyone at the company, including support staff, can influence perceptions of you. Lastly, a handwritten thank-you note post-interview can leave a lasting impression, setting you apart from those who stick strictly to digital communication. These steps can help ensure you're not just another candidate but a standout applicant.
Your interview is only one step in the employment process. Chances are numerous candidates have also been called for an interview. Those other candidates are your direct competition! Here are 5 tips to make sure your interview stands out from the rest.
1) Know your interviewer: Once your interview is scheduled, take the time to research your interviewer. LinkedIn is an obvious place to find relevant professional information (super hack: read both the LinkedIn recommendations received and given by your interviewer), but don’t stop there. Google the interviewer and research him or her across the internet and social media to find out their interests, specialization, and background. That way, you can try to work some of his topics of interest into your interview answers.
2) Really know the company: I advise students to dedicate several hours to research so that they know the company even better than the interviewer does (super hack: master the material on the company’s LinkedIn Career Page- they are telling you what they want you to know). Watch all of the career videos, and be familiar with their mission statement and any recent news articles about the company. Your knowledge will demonstrate that you care about the company and will help you describe why you are the perfect “fit.”
3) Present professional copies of your resume: Most resumes are sent electronically. That usually means that the interviewer will either be looking at your resume on his/her computer or a copy printed on regular computer paper. This is your opportunity to shine! Print 5-10 copies of your resume on professional resume paper (in case you meet with multiple people) and hand it to the interviewer to use. That gives you and your resume a more professional look!
4) Treat the support staff with respect: People are often so focused on their interview that they don’t realize how they appear to the other people they meet at the company. Make sure to treat the security guards, administrative assistants, and anyone else you meet in the office with the highest regard and respect. Thank them for their time and assistance. Administrative assistants frequently have a lot of influence over their bosses, so aside from being the right thing to do, respectful treatment can enhance your prospects.
5) Send a handwritten thank-you note: Pretty much everything is done electronically these days. You do need to send a thank you email to the interviewer within 24 hours, but if you want to get noticed, send an additional handwritten note as well! Handwritten notes are almost a lost art in today’s world, so sending a professional, neatly written one will truly make you stand out.
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-5-tips-to-make-your-interview-stand-out.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/InterviewImpactStrategies.jpg
February 05, 2020
273711
5 Reasons to Consider a Social Work Career
Unveil the Rewarding Journey of a Social Work Career
A career in social work offers diverse opportunities, job security, and the chance to promote social justice while experiencing personal growth and fulfillment. With a broad range of settings to work in, from healthcare to community organizations, social workers play a vital role in improving individuals' and communities' lives. This field not only provides a stable and versatile career path but also allows professionals to make significant societal impacts, advocating for change and supporting those in need. If you're considering a profession where making a difference is part of the daily work, social work might be the right choice.
In the classic The Wizard of Oz, a tornado tears through Kansas, and Dorothy and her dog, Toto, end up in the Land of Oz where she meets a witch who tells her to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City. There she will find a Wizard who will help her get home.
Along the way, she makes friends with a scarecrow who wants a brain, a Tin Man seeking a heart, and a Cowardly Lion looking for courage. When they find the Wizard, they learn that he does not have magical powers to help them after all. And they see that they don’t need him because they already have brains, a heart, and bravery — all they lacked was belief in themselves.
That is the essence of social work. Social workers help people see there is hope and realize their potential. They help individuals gain self-confidence and overcome obstacles. They form communities and provide support, so individuals and families don’t feel isolated and come to realize they can help one another and feel empowered. They often focus on services and social action for change. Striving for civil justice and equity are tenets of the profession.
Here are the top reasons to choose social work today:
Flexibility in job opportunities – There are many different directions one can go with a social work degree. Diversity abounds in the workforce, in employment settings, and with client populations. One can work in child protection, schools, hospitals, or mental health facilities. Social workers can work one-on-one with individuals or groups; as managers overseeing and coordinating service programs; as educators and researchers; in government and non-profit organizations on policy analysis and promoting social change; and as administrators in leadership roles in social and community service organizations. There are great prospects for growth and advancement and to change career paths within the field – all meaningful work.
Job security – The social work degree is versatile and provides skills needed to work in a multitude of service-related organizations.
Social justice– You can promote social justice, serve people or communities; enter politics or create policy. You can be a change agent and improve the quality of life for others.
Promotes self-growth – You learn to see the world in a clearer and more informed way and to think critically about society, community, and personal needs and issues. You learn skills needed to be a better human being who lives for the sake of others. You build empathy, and self-awareness of privileges and biases, and help change communities for the better.
Personally rewarding – Social workers feel they are rewarded daily through helping others. They believe that being able to work in the profession is a gift because it allows them to give of themselves to other human beings every day. Helping people and making the world a better place brings personal satisfaction.
Are you ready to get started on your social work career? Get started today!
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/5-reasons-to-consider-a-social-work-career.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/SocialWorkPathImpact.jpg
February 19, 2020
273699
Job Networking In College
Building Professional Relationships for Future Success
For college students, building a network is key to unlocking job and internship opportunities. Starting early by attending networking events, connecting with alumni, engaging on LinkedIn, and volunteering can pave the way for future success. These efforts help students gain insights, expand their professional circles, and secure valuable opportunities in their field. Here's how to start building those crucial connections.
Q: My daughter will be looking for an internship during her last year in college, and ultimately, a job, but she has no connections and no idea where to start. How can students begin to build their network while still in college so the employment search will be easier when they graduate?
A: The good news is you are asking the right question. The point of networking is to ensure that you are connected with people early on so that when you need assistance, you know where to reach out.
Here are some top tips for college students to get their feet wet in the networking game:
1) Find out about networking events your college is planning. Often schools host networking events for current students and alums. It’s a great way to meet new people who are already in the workforce, and alums are often invested in helping students at their alma mater.
2) Find out about networking events in your neighborhood. Shuls are looking for ways to engage students, particularly young women who have recently returned from studying in Israel. Recognizing that students will be planning their future professional careers, shuls have started hosting networking events with business people in the community. See if your shul has an event planned or suggest that they host one on their own or in conjunction with another shul.
3) Stay connected with people you know. Make a list of connections you have through your school, internships, jobs you have held, and your local community. You can connect via email, LinkedIn, or by meeting for a periodic cup of coffee, sharing your career goals and learning more about theirs. From time to time, you can email a connection with an interesting professional article and a personal note, checking in and indicating why it would be of interest. You can also do something as simple as sending a Shana tova email or congratulating them on a promotion. The main goal is to stay in touch and ensure that people in your network positively remember you.
4) Use people in your network as “connectors”. Your network may include individuals in various professions who may be able to act as “connectors”. They may not have information or a job for you but they may be able to introduce you to someone else who can provide valuable career advice or, if you are lucky, an internship or job. But remember to pay it forward! As a student, and also later on in your career, make an introduction and be a connector for different people in your network.
5) Network online through LinkedIn. If you don’t already have your LinkedIn profile set up, do so immediately. Connect with people you know via LinkedIn and see who their connections are and request an introduction to others. Keep in touch with your LinkedIn network by messaging connections, posting articles you have written, and sharing articles you find interesting to those in your profession. Target influencers in your chosen field, connect with them, and comment on their posts. Respond and comment in a way that shows your interest and expertise in the field so that if you or someone else reaches out on your behalf, they’ll remember you as someone intelligent and motivated.
6) Engage in online chat groups. You can engage in chats hosted by professional groups in your chosen field. This will help you meet others with similar interests who may already be employed. You can also respond or message people on Twitter and connect that way. I know of a media student who continually offered research assistance to a journalist on CNBC for free, via Twitter, and ultimately landed a job when the reporter got his show.
7) Make volunteering a priority. Find causes that interest you, and commit time regularly. Some nonprofit board members are extremely well-connected, and if you develop a relationship with them, they may offer to submit a resume for you to a potential employer. It’s always a good idea to contribute and help others, but doing so will also look good on your resume and help you meet a new group of people who could potentially be “connections” or “connectors”.
8) Ask for informational interviews to gain real-world exposure to your field. Reach out to people you or your parents know who are currently working in your chosen field. Ask for an informational interview or a brief meeting to talk about their profession and learn more about what skills/personality are needed to succeed, what a typical day is like, and available career opportunities. Be sure to thank them after the meeting, and ask them who else they think you should speak with in the field. This will help you expand your network and learn more about the field. Most people enjoy being viewed as experts and are happy to share their time with people just starting.
9) Keep in touch with your professors. Some are also working in your chosen profession and have contacts with whom they can connect you. Many are contacted regularly by employers seeking good students for internships or jobs. Your professors know your talents and capabilities. Be sure they also know you are looking for a position, and have your resume on hand in case they receive these types of calls.
College students are not used to breaking out of their cliques and reaching out to professional adults, but when you become comfortable connecting with people, you’ll be making a long-term investment in your future. Undoubtedly, you’ll reap the benefits of your network for years to come.
By Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike, Dean of Touro’s Lander College for Women, The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School, and Vice President for Online Education at Touro University
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/job-networking-in-college.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/CollegeNetworkingGuide.jpg
March 04, 2020
273678
Advice for Students Preparing for Open-Book Exams in a Remote Setting
Maximizing Success in Virtual Open-Book Exams
Open-book exams in a remote setting present unique challenges. This guide highlights crucial strategies for success. Key points include familiarizing yourself with exam guidelines, organizing study materials efficiently, and prioritizing course content over external resources. Effective time management, setting up a distraction-free environment, and maintaining healthy habits like adequate sleep are also vital. With focused preparation and strategic execution, students can excel in open-book exams, leveraging them to showcase their knowledge and analytical skills.
As social isolation became a pivotal measure for preventing the spread of COVID19, schools around the world had to quickly adapt and move to a virtual curriculum. In the past few weeks, schools dedicated their efforts to continue to ease the students’ migration to a new system, while facilitating learning and maintaining academic excellence. With schools closed and students back at their homes, a natural consequence of the online transition was to establish that exams be taken remotely. Although there is a consensus of substituting classes with videoconferencing platforms, when adopting an online exam format, courses have been primarily divided between two different formats.
The first method was to adopt exams with online proctoring, trying to maintain the usual closed-book and timed exam structure. In this case, introducing new software packages for testing that would either offer human proctors or advanced artificial intelligence technology, which includes features like computer lock-down with desktop monitoring, face-recognition, and eye-tracking capability.
On the other hand, many instructors recognized the technical challenge of suddenly asking the entire student body to install exam proctoring software on their computers and the resulting level of technological intrusion into the test-taking process. Moreover, making the exam closed-book in a remote setting, without in-person opportunities for monitoring and enforcement, was perceived as also heightening inequities among students. Thus, many preferred a second method, shifting to an open-book approach, allowing students to consult textbooks, notes, and in some cases, electronic resources during the exam. Many instructors choosing this path found it fundamental to exercise confidence in students’ ability to conduct themselves with academic integrity.
Having the chance to simultaneously serve as a medical professor, while serving as a graduate student, I recognize that a shift in exam modality may not feel as natural to everyone. Therefore, I put together 10 tips to help students who are shifting into open-book exams from a remote setting.
1. Know the rules
Different courses have different definitions of what is open-book, open-notes, and open resources. Make sure you are familiar with the established rules from the course and what can or cannot be used as a resource during the exam.
Be sure to respect the ethical principles established by the course and the student handbook of your school.
2. Plan ahead
Double-check the time and date of the exam. Know how much time you have to complete it, and how to submit it.
Be familiar with all the topic areas that the exam will cover.
Prepare your virtual and physical environments ahead of time.
3. Don’t forget to study!
It may seem obvious, but a common misconception that students have is that since the exam is open book, you don’t have to study as hard. This is not true, especially in a timed exam.
A brain search is still faster than a search through your notes, a book, or even an internet search. Even more important, finding the content is not the same as understanding it, so you don’t want to leave the learning part for exam time.Make sure to create your knowledge base ahead of time, the open book will not help with critical thinking.
4. Prepare your resources as you study
Have a good overview of the material to secure a global understanding of the main themes and subtopics.
Create a reliable filing system, easy to understand, and easy to access. Organizing things by topic tends to be the norm, but you may choose color-coding or another unique method.
Create brief summaries and tables for the key points.
Don’t recreate materials that are already available, instead make brief and legible notes, using clear headings that will be easy to find during your search.
Print out what you find essential.
5. Less is more
Many materials by your side might make you feel secure at first. But it can also make you overwhelmed during a test.
Determine what materials are essential. It works best to rely on just a few resources, keynotes, and summarizing tables.
6. Prioritize course materials!
A Google search may sound great but may prove itself time-consuming as you navigate through an ocean of unreliable sources. At times, even when finding a scientific publication, the article’s conclusion may portray isolated findings and not the scientific consensus.
Your instructors provide you with required and recommended materials that were tailored to your specific course for a reason and are the primary source for exam questions. Rather than internet searches, prioritize a PowerPoint search, e-book searches, or other material provided by your faculty.
7. Balance time and opportunity
Approaching an open-book exam as a search expedition will most likely lead you to time-out before you had the chance to answer the entire exam. Just because you can look up answers for every single question does not mean you should.
Searches are time-consuming and frequently add to the stress. Try to approach your preparation and execution of an open-book exam as you would a closed-book exam, but one in which, when needed, you could double-check your answer.
Keep a clock nearby to help you time the exam and set the alarm for 15 minutes before ending time. The clock will help you pace yourself, and the alarm will alert you that you’re running out of time soon.
8. Prepare your environment ahead of time
You are used to taking assessments in a proctored environment, where the room has been tailored to the exam-taking experience. Regulated temperature, easily accessible outlets, and a person who will shush anyone who tries to disturb your peace. This is not the case in your remote environment.
Your home has distractions, clutter, and interruptions. Although you could take the exam in your pajamas, everything else should try to replicate the exam environment the best you can. Ahead of time, silence all phones and computer alerts. Shut down all other software. Notify your family not to disturb you. Be alone in the room. Clear your table, leaving only the essential. And don’t forget to eat before the beginning, the exam time is not the time for snacks.
9. Don’t forget to sleep
The isolation during the pandemic may have disrupted your routine. Try to maintain healthy habits, including a proper sleeping schedule.
Don’t stay up overnight with last-minute studying and get a good night’s sleep.
10. Trust yourself and go be awesome
You are proficient in this. No explanation required.
By Dr. Fernando P. Bruno, Assistant Professor of Pathology & Anatomy at TouroCOM Middletown
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/advice-for-students-preparing-for-open-book-exams-in-a-remote-setting.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/RemoteExamPrep.jpg
April 17, 2020
273651
10 People Skills That Can Help Advance Your Career
Boost Your Professional Growth with Key Soft Skills
Thriving in today's competitive professional landscape goes beyond just having technical expertise or a stellar resume. Interpersonal skills, or "people skills," play a crucial role in career advancement. Whether you're aiming for a leadership role or seeking to enhance your workplace dynamics, mastering these skills can significantly impact your professional trajectory. This guide outlines ten critical people skills that can help you navigate and excel in your career, from effective communication and creative problem-solving to active listening and the art of networking.
You have your college degree, but how can you continue to thrive in your current and future jobs in an ever-changing and highly competitive marketplace? We recently spoke with Touro Graduate School of Business (GSB) student Jessica Lilly, who is graduating in June 2020 with her M.S. degree in Human Resource Management, about the vital skills learned in graduate school that can be utilized throughout your career. Lilly currently works as a Human Resources (HR) Administrator at the well-known credit ratings company, Fitch Ratings and her dream job is to become an HR Business Partner.
1. Communication is Critical
“I have seen the importance of communicating effectively both in college and in my current workplace. Verbal and written communication creates a lasting impression on the receiving end, and you must be specific and distinct without coming off as aggressive,” said Lilly. She added that whenever possible, you should get up from your desk and go speak to a colleague in person for valuable face time, making a connection that can be long-lasting and mutually beneficial.
2. Always Compromise
Ensuring that any negotiation or discussion you initiate concludes with an “I win, you win” scenario is essential as this helps to build trust, respect, and a strong relationship with your subordinates, peers, and even your superiors. “After taking a negotiation course at GSB, I learned framing, strategizing, and planning for negotiation; strategy and tactics of distributive bargaining; and strategy and tactics of integrative negotiations, which have enabled me to do this with ease,” Lilly said.
3. Never Forget the Importance of Active Listening
When expressing a point, it’s essential to remind yourself that you’re not the center of the universe and need to demonstrate empathy, as well as actively listen and respect other points of view, even if you might not agree with them. If you give a little, you will get a little and this can prove invaluable in the workplace as people have long-lasting memories. Plus, it showcases your flexibility in key situations.
4. Demonstrate Leadership Through Action
Realizing that true leadership is shown by example rather than via words is vital, both in life and in business. Truth be told, people will always gravitate toward a leader who does not “tell” people what to do but one who “exemplifies or shows” what needs to be done by being a role model and demonstrating it.
5. Leave Your Ego at the Door
Just like you might pack your lunch or pick out your outfit every day before heading into the office, it’s also important to put aside your ego. Colleagues quickly develop trust and admiration for individuals who display humility, a collaborative mindset, and perhaps most importantly, a positive attitude.
6. Be Creative
In very regulated environments, you might feel as if you can’t be creative. Yet, there is always room for at least some creativity in business and it sparks innovation and uncovers hidden talent. “In class, we reviewed a case study on Pixar, a computer animation studio, and this changed the way I look at human resources and financial services indefinitely. I realized that no matter what workplace you’re in, coming up with out-of-the-box ideas will spur different ideas business-wide, and leveraging different strategies can result in positive business outcomes,” according to Lilly.
7. Admit When You Don’t Know Something
If you can’t ask for help when needed, how will you ever learn and be prepared to complete a similar task next time? The truth is that we learn so much from our peers and it’s always a better idea to say that you don’t know something rather than going with the “fake it until you make it” approach. Bonus: Your more experienced peers will appreciate your willingness to learn and be more likely to assist you if you’re honest.
8. Network as Often and Everywhere Possible
Take every opportunity you can to expand your business networks, even if you’re not currently job searching, as it will help to build your confidence, practice interviewing skills, and make connections that can provide you with crucial advice and more. Be open to any networking opportunity that may arise as you can never predict who you’ll meet or what they’ll teach you. Who knows what opportunity could fall in your lap at any moment in time?
9. Don’t Be Afraid to Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone
“While pursuing my undergraduate degree, I was never the student who raised my hand to ask tons of questions or someone who ever sat in the front of the classroom. There were hundreds of students in every class and we were all just numbers. However, Touro gave me the confidence to expand my social skills through speaking out and sharing my opinion, taking me way outside of my comfort zone. I appreciate the small class sizes here and that my professors make it a point to show that they’re committed to getting to know me on a personal level by asking about my interests and career goals. I encourage you to embrace new ways of doing things that might be uncomfortable at first,” said Lilly.
10. People and Human Capital are the Most Important
Treat your peers, supervisor, and subordinates with a high level of respect to build positive relationships that will drive the best results. Your work ethic is a large contributor to the success of any business, yet the interpersonal relationships you build with your team are by far the most valuable. Forming a connection on something as small as how you spent your weekend makes a huge difference in how you’re viewed. Being friendly and approachable goes a long way in ensuring that a comfortable working environment with a cohesive team is created. People who connect well on a personal level are willing to go the extra mile for the team professionally and their collaborations are usually highly successful. We all work harder and deliver more when we enjoy the company of our supervisors and colleagues and feel they have our backs.
By Jessica Lilly, Graduate School of Business (GSB) student
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/10-people-skills-that-can-help-advance-your-career.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/JessicaLilly.jpg
April 30, 2020
273641
7 Tips for Surviving & Excelling in Marketing
Essential Strategies for Success: Unlocking Your Potential in the Marketing Field
The marketing landscape is ever-evolving, with success hinging on understanding customer needs, innovation, and adaptability. This guide highlights seven essential strategies for marketing professionals aiming to excel. From fostering a customer-centric approach to continuous learning and embracing competition, these insights equip marketers with the tools needed for success in a competitive environment.
Breaking news: It’s tough out there.
If you chose a career in marketing, you made a good decision. Marketing is the lifeblood of both corporate and not-for-profit organizations of any size. Add the number of marketing platforms and technologies and you’ve got yourself a challenging but fun career ahead.
Have you heard someone older say, “If someone had told me what I should have known when I was younger, I would be much more successful.” Well, these tips are written to increase your probability of success as a marketer, regardless of industry or the size of the company.
Before we dive in, I would like to ask you to accept this as a reality: We live in a fast-moving world where free and unlimited access to knowledge, on any topic, has given a sobering meaning to the term, “knowledge is power.” It’s uber-power – our ability as consumers to not only question what we see, hear, or read but to, with great ease, confirm, deny, and find out just about anything and everything we need to know.
Human psychology has always played a role in marketing. We make decisions as humans but with so much information hitting us on all fronts. Now more than ever, we are susceptible to influences, conflicting data, and impulsive decisions because we are stressed and overwhelmed.
The old, industrial-era marketing where consumers were looked upon as a generic group (men ages 18-50) that could easily be tempted by teaser offers, double-coupons, and too-good-to-be-true testimonials is gone forever. While it is risky to generalize, I’m going out on a limb and willing to stand by this; of course, there are individuals out there who are naive or impulsive but trust me, they have become the exception, not the rule. And for the record, this has nothing to do with IQ, academic degrees, etc. – ‘consumerism’ has gone through a seismic shift thanks to the Internet and easy access to information.
Here are your survival and success tips for becoming an exceptional marketing professional:
Tip #1: Walk in stupid every morning
This is the mantra of one of the most successful ad agencies in the world. The premise is simple – humble yourself and recognize that every morning when you come into work there is someone, somewhere in the vast universe, that has already come up with a better idea than you. Never assume that you know everything, even if the data is conclusive. Your competitor can be anywhere in the world and you should always strive to stay one step ahead by being critical and creative.
Tip #2: Think like a customer
If you remember anything, please let it be this tip. The basic definition of marketing has not changed: “Identify customers’ wants or needs and satisfy them.” The Industrial era was dominated by sales– telling customers what they needed or should have. 21st-century marketing is about consumers – your ability to “think and be like your ideal customer.” Almost every business has multiple customer segments and specific customer profiles within each one (typically referred to as Avatars). As marketers, we must develop an exact profile of each Avatar and deliver specific products and services that they seek. What is the best way to develop an Avatar of your ideal customer? Easy, go talk to them. While we live in the most technological era in history, we have become over-reliant on technology (email, texting, messaging) and forgot the ancient (but proven) art of getting genuine information: speaking to each other. “Pick up the phone,” go visit your customers and ask a simple question: “What else can I do for you?” This is the cheapest and yet most effective form of marketing research! (Do you want to spend twenty minutes doing a survey? I didn’t think so).
Tip #3: Stay thirsty, my friend
As in “thirsty for knowledge” – feed the insatiable knowledge monster because nothing is constant; what is working today isn’t necessarily going to work tomorrow; study alternative approaches to marketing; read studies, the data is out there for you to learn from; don’t dismiss ‘stuff’ that seemingly isn’t working (the data isn’t attractive). On the contrary, I believe wholeheartedly that “if it didn’t work, it is likely due to a bad strategy or execution.” In other words, studying failures (yours and others) is the key to success. Most importantly, your constant self-education will lead you to discover early-stage technologies or approaches worth testing. There is only one sure way for you to stay ahead of the competition and that is by having a head start on what is working or not worth trying.
Tip #4: This is not how we do things around here
Fight like hell the temptation to be mediocre, to take the easy road instead of the “road less traveled.” Read Seth Godin’s brilliant book, Purple Cows, and Jack Trout’s “Differentiate or Die.” If you’re not unique, you’re a commodity and commodities have zero customer loyalty or long-term growth. This applies to you as an individual as well. The answer to “Why should I hire you?” can’t be anything that can easily be answered by another candidate, hiring managers are looking for purple cows because brown cows are everywhere.
Tip #5: Don’t fall in love with one marketing platform/tool or another
Remember, we live in a dynamic world and Instagram being hot today doesn’t guarantee it’ll be hot next year. While you should not ignore what is working, remember that successful marketing is a combination of multiple moving parts and not one tool or tactic over another. Marketing is a balancing act and knowing where to direct resources and attention is key to success.
Tip #6: Respect and study your competitors
Competition is good for business and it will keep you on your toes. There is something to be learned from how your competitors do business – size doesn’t matter! I find that smaller companies are much more agile and creative than big-budget corporations. Survival is a great motivator. Small companies know how to do more with less, they must squeeze every conversion and ROI out of a very limited budget, and they must be creative to accomplish results. There’s a productive aspect to studying your competitors: often, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, you just have to make it more suitable to your audience.
Tip #7: Know when it’s time to walk away
Marketing is expensive, both in terms of the time it takes to be different and better and the resources required to launch and maintain campaigns. Check your ego at the door – it is perfectly fine for campaigns (or ideas) to fail. Don’t try to squeeze success out of bad data just to feel good. Admit defeat, figure out what didn’t work and why, and try again. Instead of worrying about your bruised ego focus instead on satisfying customers.
By Zev Asch, Adjunct Marketing Professor at Touro's Graduate School of Business (GSB) and owner of LEDAZA Marketing
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/7-tips-for-surviving--excelling-in-marketing.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/MarketingSuccessTips.jpg
May 13, 2020
273620
5 Things You Need To Know About AI Video Interviews
Adapting to Automated Hiring: Strategies for Success
As AI video interviews become commonplace, job seekers face new challenges. These fully virtual, AI-evaluated sessions require no human interaction, with prerecorded prompts guiding the process. Success hinges on understanding AI criteria, optimizing technical setup, and refining communication skills. This article outlines five critical tips for navigating AI video interviews, from ensuring optimal lighting and camera positioning to incorporating key job description keywords in your responses. Learn how to engage effectively with AI, demonstrating your qualifications and readiness for the role in this evolving job market landscape.
These are tough times for job seekers, but you are one of the fortunate ones. You just got an interview! No one is meeting job candidates in person, so you do your best to prepare for a virtual interview. To help prepare, you try researching the interviewer only to find out that there isn’t one!
Virtual interviews are so last decade. Your interview is completely virtual with no human interaction, prerecorded questions, and prompts to record your answers. Doing a little more research, you discover that your answers won’t even be reviewed by a person; the company uses artificial intelligence (AI) to screen video interviews and determine who moves to the next round. How do you prepare for that? Here are 5 things you need to know about AI video interviews.
1. What are AI Video Interviews?Technology has advanced rapidly. Major companies have been conducting virtual interviews for years via platforms such as Skype, BlueJeans, and more recently Zoom. This is the next logical step.
Your responses to interview questions will be interpreted by artificial intelligence to determine if you are a good fit for the company. For many companies, your interview will not receive human review unless the AI determines that you meet their preset criteria.
2. How does it work?
Most AI-based systems allow you to interview at any time within a window of a couple of days. The questions are preselected, and often recorded in video form. Some companies just provide the text of the question for you to answer.
Usually, there is a countdown timer after each question is read before you can record your answer. This is the time to make sure your camera is focused correctly, you are centered on the screen, and you have a professional background.
Himal Ahuja, founder of the career readiness platform, Quinncia, a leader in the use of AI for career readiness, stressed that proper lighting is essential for video interviews. The system must be able to see your face. A source of light behind your computer is usually the best way to go.
Be aware that normally, your computer screen will show you answering the question during the recording process. Look directly at the camera. Himal recommends putting a book under your computer and keeping it at arm’s length, so the camera is at eye level.
Many employers allow you 2-3 attempts to answer each question before they are submitted, but that is not universal. Multiple attempts will allow you to restart if you make a mistake in an earlier iteration. Be aware that companies can keep track of the number of attempts and can use that in their assessment. Instructions provided with the interview should clarify how many attempts you have per question and how long your answers can be.
3. What does the AI do?
This is advanced technology. The AI system dissects your video and judges your performance based on preselected criteria set by the company. These are very smart machines. Believe it or not, they claim that they can measure things like mood and attitude in addition to things like the use of keywords, the structure of your answers, your use of language, filler words, and face and body language.
The system analyzes the video of your face so it can interpret even the smallest movement of your lips and eyes. Believe it or not, the system will analyze whether it believes you are being truthful, or exaggerating based on small movements in your lips and eyes. That is why the lighting is so important. The AI will not get a reading if it cannot see your face.
4. How do I prepare for an AI interview?
That is the golden question! Every company can set the criteria to determine what factors they consider important in terms of determining a successful interview, so there are no absolute answers to the question.
In addition to the standard preparation you need to make for any virtual interview, you have to focus on trying to give the AI what it wants to see. AI transcribes your answers, so try to speak a little slower than in standard conversation so that the system doesn’t miss any of your words.
Most likely, the AI is looking for the use of certain keywords. Often the job description will contain most of those keywords. Make sure to use them during your answers, but remember the system is also judging you based on the content of your answers, so you will have to weave those keywords in.
AI claims it can judge your mood. Whether they really can do so accurately is a matter of debate, but the AI system does include that interpretation in your analysis. Try to choose a time when you are relaxed and happy. It can be a good idea to watch a short video that puts you in good spirits before you start (watching Patrick Kane’s Stanley Cup-winning goal from 2010 works well for me).
Stay focused and attentive and be wary of your facial expressions and body language. Smile, but be genuine. AI is very smart. Small differences in the movements in your lips, nose, and eyes can mark the difference between a real smile and the smile you give during that last photograph after 5 hours at your cousin’s wedding.
5. Practice, Practice, Practice
My best advice is to practice video interviewing to get a better feel for how it works and how you present yourself. As opposed to a standard virtual interview, you will see yourself on your computer screen while you are recording your answers. That takes getting used to.
The best idea is to record your answers so you can watch them and assess your performance. An even better idea would be to submit your practice interviews to Career Services so they can give you feedback.
Fortunately, LinkedIn has a free virtual interview preparation tool that allows you to record your answers and share them with experts who can give you feedback.
LinkedIn recently made the exciting announcement that they will be rolling out a free AI evaluation of the video interviews you record on the platform. Every company sets different criteria for their AI, but this new LinkedIn system will allow you to evaluate things like your sentence structure, use of filler words, pauses, words per minute, increases or decreases in the speed of your answer as well as the use of nonprofessional words and culturally insensitive words.
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-ai-video-interviews.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/AIInterviewPrep.jpg
May 26, 2020
273613
Five Tips To Take Your LinkedIn Profile To The Next Level
LinkedIn Optimization: Key Strategies for a Compelling Profile
In a competitive job market, an optimized LinkedIn profile is a crucial tool for professionals seeking opportunities. With the platform hosting millions of users, small details can significantly impact your visibility and attractiveness to employers and recruiters. This guide provides essential tips for enhancing your LinkedIn presence. These strategies aim to improve your online persona and increase your chances of job search success.
Recent events and widespread unemployment have generated a new focus on LinkedIn as a job search tool. With more than 680 Million LinkedIn users, the smallest details about your LinkedIn profile can make all of the difference between standing out and getting noticed by employers and recruiters… or not. How do you make sure that your LinkedIn is optimized? Here are the top five tips to create a winning LinkedIn profile.
1. Know your brand. It is very important to know your brand. In short, that means you need to have a clearly defined perspective of who you are and what you do that makes you stand out. Why should an employer hire you? What are YOUR selling points? It is very difficult to create a social media presence or a LinkedIn account that promotes your brand when you are not sure how to define it. Know who you are first and then how you proceed will flow from that.
2. Create a memorable and descriptive “Headline.” LinkedIn defaults to your job title or school status as your LinkedIn Headline. Change it. The LinkedIn Headline shows up everywhere you do on LinkedIn; in searches, emails, and posts. Those 130 characters are the most valuable real estate in all of social media. When used correctly, your Headline serves as your LinkedIn elevator pitch, describing who you are and more importantly, why employers would want to hire you.
There is a significant debate among LinkedIn experts as to whether you should mention your job search in your Headline. I believe you should not. Your Headline should be about what defines you, and you are not defined by your job search. There are other places on LinkedIn to alert members to your job search.
One of the latest tricks is to put “ONO” (Open to New Opportunities) in your Headline. ONO serves as a code to recruiters who are looking for job seekers, without defining themselves as such to the wider public.
3. Use a Vanity URL. Every LinkedIn account has a unique URL. The default URL will usually include some of the letters of your first and last name and some random numbers. You can and should change your URL using the “firstnamelastname” format. This more professional URL (like https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaimshapiro) gives your profile a more polished look and, more importantly, can then be used as a signature line in your regular emails
If your “firstnamelastname” is taken, don’t worry. Try adding a dash or an underscore. In the worst case, add a professional designation (like MA or CPA) to make sure you still have your vanity URL.
4. Personalize Your Background Image. All LinkedIn users can upload a background image for their LinkedIn profile. People are visual, so a nice background image enhances the look of your profile. LinkedIn defaults to a blue background and many LinkedIn users choose stock photos. If you want your profile to stand out, choose a personalized picture that reinforces your brand. As a public speaker specializing in social media, my background image is a picture of me giving a social media workshop.
Make sure to choose your background photo wisely. The picture is displayed in a wide format on LinkedIn, and your profile photo will cover part of the bottom left of your background image, so make sure that it does not cover anything valuable.
5. Maximize the new “Featured” section. LinkedIn recently added a “Featured” section toward the top of your profile. This is your opportunity to add rich media content such as videos, presentations, etc. that help promote you as a job candidate.
People are very visual. Instead of telling employers about your skills, the “Featured” section allows you to show them. Instead of just claiming that I give great LinkedIn Workshops, I embed videos of my workshops so people can see for themselves.
Videos and PowerPoint presentations work well here. I advise job seekers to upload their resume (without the address) here as well. Doing so creates a small preview of the resume text and allows viewers to download an actual copy of your resume to share with other members of their team.
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/five-tips-to-take-your-linkedin-profile-to-the-next-level.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/LinkedInOptimization.jpg
June 01, 2020
273606
Career Spotlight: Mental Health Counselor
Requirements and Opportunities for Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHC)
The journey to becoming a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) involves rigorous academic and professional training. Touro's accredited program prepares students for these steps. LMHCs find opportunities in diverse settings, distinguishing their clinical focus from social work.
What kind of professional training is required?
To practice counseling in any of the 50 states, a professional license is required. In the State of New York, there are three professional counseling licenses, one of which is the Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC).
To earn an LMHC, an applicant must have graduated from a NY State accredited 60-credit graduate program in Mental Health Counseling, complete 3,000 hours of supervised practice, and achieved a passing score on the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Exam (NCMHCE). Touro College’s Department of Behavioral Sciences (DBS) Mental Health Counseling program is a NYS accredited program and allows students to meet the education requirements for licensure.
Is this a new field?
In New York, this is a relatively new license, which is why there is so much confusion about the degree. However, it should be noted that New York is among the last of the states to approve this degree for licensure. Counselor licensure has existed in some states since as far back as the 1970s.
What are the variety of settings in which mental health counselors can work?
LMHCs can be found in outpatient clinics, substance abuse treatment facilities, hospital and medical settings, social service agencies, Personalized Recovery Oriented Service (PROS) programs, and, of course, private practice.
How does it differ from social work, from the educational and career standpoints?
This is a great question and anything we answer could potentially be debated. Having said that, it is important to address this question so potential students can make informed decisions. Both of these socially valuable fields seek to help people in their lives.
For licensure, both require a 60-credit Master’s and fieldwork, with post-graduation hours of fieldwork required, as well. Traditionally, the education program of each focuses on different content areas; those pursuing clinical licensure in mental health programs require a majority of their 60-credit program focused on clinical education and preparation, whereas those applying for the social work license must demonstrate a minimum of 12 hours of clinical coursework including assessment and diagnosis, social work treatment and practice.
Career-wise, there is great overlap in the professional training and preparation for both professions. In NY State, the lack of awareness of what LMHCs can contribute has hindered the growth of opportunities available to them. However, the tides are changing as is exemplified by the continued increase in acceptance of LMHCs in various professional settings and by healthcare insurance companies.
Starting salary:
The typical salary for an LMHC across NY State is in the range of $40,000-$45,000, but this varies based on specialty, additional certification, and location. It has been noted that the more certifications professionals attain, the more earning power they have.
This is one reason why the Touro's Mental Health Counseling Program has applied to be able to offer students a 350-hour educational certificate that, in association with internship placement and degree, will permit students to apply for their Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor–Trainee (CASAC-T) designation upon graduation. This makes them close to achieving the full CASAC certification by the time they graduate.
Research demonstrates that CASAC certification in conjunction with the LMHC increases salary potential by $10,000 – 15,000 dollars a year.
What personality type does well in this field?
People who are empathetic, compassionate, community-minded, and culturally sensitive would do very well in this field. However, the most successful candidates also tend to be humble and recognize that although they have a talent for helping people and a good listening ear, learning skills in counseling is a life-long process.
What skills would you say are required to be a mental health counselor?
Empathy, compassion, good listening skills, clarity in communication, patience, and ability to see individuals alone, and as they are in their world.
By Dr. Faye Walkenfeld and Dr. Kimberly Johnson, Touro's School of Health Sciences
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/career-spotlight-mental-health-counselor.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/DrFayeWalkenfeld.jpg
June 09, 2020
273491
Are Open Textbooks as Great as You Think?
How Free Open Textbooks Are Changing Education
Touro College embraces open textbooks, offering free online access to reduce student expenses and enhance learning. Spearheaded by Touro Libraries, this initiative sees faculty like Dr. Carrie DiMatteo integrating digital textbooks into psychology courses, leading to improved student engagement and significant cost savings. This approach exemplifies Touro's effort to alleviate the financial strain of education, benefiting both students and educators by facilitating easier access to course materials and enabling a more interactive classroom experience.
You may have heard the term “open textbooks” but if you thought it meant simply having your assigned text in your college class open at all times, your assumption would be way off.
An open textbook is a textbook that is fully accessible online and what’s more, it’s free of cost for students and teachers to use. The trend of utilizing digital textbooks in college classrooms is gaining momentum by the day and Touro's New York School of Career and Applied Sciences (NYSCAS) jumped on the bandwagon along with Dr. Carrie DiMatteo, Assistant Professor of Psychology. What’s more is that Touro Libraries spearheaded the open textbook program, coined Open Touro, and the utilization of these easily accessible texts by the Department of Psychology is part of this larger initiative.
“It is still a bit of a challenge for educators to find open textbooks but I was lucky because one of my former colleagues from Brooklyn College was using an open textbook in his class and developed an edition specific to his school. With this personal connection, I was able to begin utilizing it in my psychology class,” Dr. DiMatteo said.
One of the biggest advantages of using open textbooks is that they can be legally adapted by professors, making it easier to add additional material if necessary, change terminology, or remove unneeded chapters.
While sometimes the rule of “you get what you pay for” applies, it doesn’t in this case. There are truly no limitations to using these digital textbooks and a professor teaching any course can elect to leverage them. A bonus is that using these books has enabled Professor DiMatteo to witness an increase in students reading their assignments, which prompts enhanced engagement and a higher level of active participation in the classroom.
“Providing access to this important course material for all my students is monumental. It makes a major difference–previously, half of my students would be looking at me and nodding but then they couldn’t go home and read the assigned chapters because they couldn’t afford to buy the book,” she said.
Psychology student Mandie Mamanna is a single mother who previously had spent close to $250 on textbooks alone per semester. Last semester, however, with the option to use this resource, she only spent $75.
“Open textbooks are helping me drastically cut costs associated with pursuing my undergraduate degree and I am now able to apply these funds towards other things including tuition payments. It makes my life easier since typically at the end of each semester I am left with these books that I will likely never use again that just take up space as they sometimes can’t be resold,” said Mamanna.
She adds that being able to print out the textbook material and then write notes directly on it is helping her to better comprehend what she is being taught. She also loves the fact that she doesn’t have to carry another heavy book on her daily commute. As a bonus, open textbooks are environmentally friendly.
“I think open textbooks are just as beneficial to professors as they are to students because with a book you can’t easily show a page you are highlighting to your students without printing it so it drives collaboration throughout the college system,” Mamanna added.
Last fall, open textbooks were used in seven general psychology and two experimental psychology classes throughout Touro, for an estimated $14,833.41 in cost savings to students.
While most students will graduate with some student loan debt, it is because of open textbooks and professors like Dr. DiMatteo that this burden can be significantly reduced.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/are-open-textbooks-as-great-as-you-think.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/OpenTextbooksTouro.jpg
June 23, 2020
273481
5 Health Care Jobs That Are Always In Demand
Touro's Educational Pathways: Building a Healthcare Career
This article outlines five promising healthcare roles, including Physician Assistants and Pharmacists, highlighting the job growth and educational pathways Touro offers. Dive into these opportunities to secure a future in a field that's not just rewarding but also critical to public health.
For the past several months, every evening at 7 pm, something remarkable has been happening in cities across the country. In crowded apartment buildings, people lean out their windows and cheer. They climb onto rooftops and fire escapes to bang pots and pans together. On leafy suburban streets, families stand on their porches and applaud. Cars honk their horns. For a few minutes, a feeling of solidarity and celebration rings through the air, as we salute the healthcare heroes who are risking their lives on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic that’s turned our world upside down.
If you’ve ever thought about pursuing a career in the health sciences, now is the time to seriously consider your options. “If you want to make a difference, if you want to help, a career in health care allows you to do that in a way that’s meaningful and has long-term value—both to society and to you personally,” says Dr. Rivka Molinsky, Associate Dean of Students and Innovation at the School of Health Sciences at Touro College.
"There’s the professional calling of helping and caring, and then there’s also very solid income potential in the long term,” she explains. “These careers aren’t just practical and helpful in a crisis, such as we are experiencing now, they’re consistently necessary to meet the needs of society in general.”
The Touro University offers many different ways to become a healthcare hero. Whether you’re interested in pharmacology, nursing, or physical therapy, or are looking to become a physician, there’s a program that can get you where you want to go.
Not sure which career path is calling your name? Here are five healthcare jobs that will be in high demand for years to come:
#1: Physician Assistant
Physician assistants, or PAs, work with doctors to examine and treat patients. They may review patients’ medical histories, order tests, perform examinations, prescribe medication, counsel patients, and more. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that demand for PAs will grow 31 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations. With a median salary of $112,000 per year in 2019, this is a lucrative career path with huge potential. Find out more about Touro’s Physician Assistant programs.
#2: Physical Therapist
Touro’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program trains students to become knowledgeable, in-demand physical therapists who bring a high level of care and compassion to their jobs, helping patients rebuild their capacity for pain-free movement after injury or illness. Slated to grow by 22 percent from 2018 to 2028, and with a median salary of $89,000 in 2019, this career path offers the satisfaction of helping others as well as job stability and fair compensation.
#3: Pharmacist
A doctor of pharmacy is an expert in different types of medications, and counsels patients in their safe use as well as dispensing them; the median salary for pharmacists in 2019 was $128,000. The Touro College of Pharmacy offers a four-year PharmD program, taught by professors who are board-certified practitioners in their field. With a faculty-to-student ratio of 10-1, fully equipped labs, and a vast library of works available for online study, students receive an incomparable education that enables them to pursue any type of pharmacological career they wish.
#4: Registered Nurse
If you’d like to become a Registered Nurse, Touro University is one of the best places you can go. It offers the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and is ranked among the top 10 best schools for salary potential, along with Ivy League universities Harvard and Columbia. Nurses work in a wide variety of settings and can have many different roles, but one thing is certain: they will always be in the backbone of the health care system. Read more about Touro's nursing program.
#5: Physician
Touro University offers several distinct paths toward becoming a fully licensed, practicing physician. The School of Medicine at New York Medical College, a member of Touro, was founded in 1860 and consistently trains future MDs to provide highly skilled, compassionate care that’s steeped in evidence-based science. A Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) degree differs from a traditional medical degree in that DOs take a more holistic, wellness-based approach toward patient care. At Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, students are taught to treat the whole person, not just their symptoms. Touro has DO programs available in New York, Nevada, and California.
The future looks bright for physicians with median pay in 2019 greater than $208,000, and job growth projected to be seven percent from 2018 to 2028.
Are you ready to take the first step toward your future as a healthcare hero? Find out more about the programs at Touro, and someday soon, people could be applauding you. *All job growth projections and salary information courtesy of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/5-health-care-jobs-that-are-always-in-demand.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/HealthJobsinDemand.jpg
July 07, 2020
273474
Entrepreneurship at Touro Graduate School of Business: A Q&A with Dean Mary Louise Lo Re, Ph.D.
Preparing Entrepreneurs for Today's Market
During this past academic year, the Touro Graduate School of Business (GSB) has placed a new emphasis on entrepreneurship. We sat down with Dean Mary Louise Lo Re, Ph.D. to learn more.
Q. Please tell us about the Touro Graduate School of Business and entrepreneurship.
A. Entrepreneurship is one of the seven tracks in our MBA program representing 13 percent of our student body. With the start of the 2019-2020 academic year, GSB is focusing more on this important area of study.
Q. Why do you think that entrepreneurship is an important area to offer GSB students?
A. Entrepreneurship is one of the five forces that shifts a nation’s demand curve. Moreover, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics attests that entrepreneurship plays a vital role in the growth of the U.S. economy. To date, there are 27 million working-age Americans who are starting or running new businesses in the U.S.
Q. Has anything changed in the training of tomorrow’s business leaders that makes the study of entrepreneurship an important part of their business school training?
A. Today, the barriers to entry for launching businesses have significantly decreased. Ambitious young businesspeople no longer need a storefront, they don’t have to confront zoning regulations and customers and employees aren’t restricted to a business’ geographical location. Another key change is the importance of branding, growth, and availability of statistical analysis of data—which is paramount for any new business venture.
Q. How do you train your entrepreneur track students?
A. Embedded in our graduate courses is a pathway towards the creation of a new enterprise and full-blown business plan. Students work in groups to develop a fresh idea or a rebranding of an existing product/service. They conduct research and create a working model for their new enterprise. GSB students learn hands-on what it takes to be an entrepreneur.
Q. Do you have entrepreneurs on your faculty?
A. We have many faculty members who have or have had their own business or serve as consultants to major firms—among them Dr. Corrado Amato, a member of the GSB faculty and expert in business management, entrepreneurial process, and organizational leadership. He recently completed a five-course specialization certificate program in entrepreneurship at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He oversees GSB’s participation in the Mid-Hudson Valley Business Competition, which is designed to encourage students to learn how to compete, develop a business plan, think like an entrepreneur, and transform an idea into a new business venture while providing tools, funding ($10,000 1st prize award) and resources available in the New York State area. In addition to our skilled faculty and competitions, we bring in senior professionals as guest lecturers.
Q. What type of entrepreneur students do you hope to graduate?
A. We hope to graduate entrepreneurial-minded students who will start their business ventures or who will make tactical changes in their current career paths.
By Mary Louise Lo Re, Ph.D., Dean of Touro's Graduate School of Business (GSB)
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/entrepreneurship-at-touro-graduate-school-of-business-a-qa-with-dean-mary-louise-lo-re-phd.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/DeanMaryLouiseLoRe.jpg
July 21, 2020
273467
10 Tips to Prepare for Your Professional School Interview
Strategies for a Successful Admissions Interview
An interview invitation from a professional school marks a pivotal point in your academic journey. To convert this opportunity into an offer, preparation is key. This article outlines ten tips covering punctuality, attire, communication, and mindset to enhance your interview performance. Whether you're facing a panel in-person or connecting online, these strategies are designed to help you present yourself as the ideal candidate.
You’ve dreamed about going to grad school for as long as you can remember. You put in the hard work during your high school and undergrad years. Your application, complete with glowing letters of recommendation, is finished and now you’ve been invited for an interview. Celebrate this achievement and don’t stress! Your hard work has paid off so far, and with a little preparation, you’ll be ready to showcase why you are worthy of an offer of admission.
As a former human resources executive for more than 25 years and a higher education professional for more than a decade (including close to four years as an admissions dean at Touro College of Pharmacy), I have learned what makes for a successful interview. Here are my top 10 tips to prepare for your professional school interview day:
1. If your interview is in person, be on time, and by that, I mean be at least 15 minutes early. First impressions count! If your interview is virtual, ensure your computer, microphone, and Wi-Fi are working properly. You may also want to consider setting an alarm to make sure you are ready to go right on time.
2. Be gracious and polite to everyone you meet. The day starts once you walk in the building—you never know who you are riding the elevator with or what impression you made on the security guard.
3. Keep that phone away! Make sure your phone is set to silent. You do not need any distractions.
4. Dress for success. Go in with your “A-game” outfit and “A-game” body language on!
5. Put a smile on even if you are not feeling it. It will become contagious to both you and those you meet.
6. Keep your eyes and ears open so you can see if this is where you can envision yourself.
7. Whether this school is your “safety” school or your number one choice, behave as if this is the highest stakes day of your life. It’s a smaller world than we think, and you never know when or where you may encounter the interviewer(s) again.
8. Know why you are here today. Have some original answers as to why you want to attend the school. Do your homework!
9. Address the elephant in the room—if you have a hiccup on your record, either academic or professional, have a clear answer ready, which must include ownership rather than playing the blame game.
10. Do not let the sun set until you have thanked everyone who made the effort to welcome you on your interview day. Be quick to express gratitude and slow to complain.
By Heidi Fuchs, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Enrollment Management at Touro College of Pharmacy
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/10-tips-to-prepare-for-your-professional-school-interview.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/ProfessionalSchoolInterviewPrep.jpg
September 10, 2020
273453
5 Things You Should Know About Interning During COVID
Essential Tips for Securing and Excelling in Remote Internships
The pandemic has transformed internships, primarily pushing them online. This article offers five practical tips for students facing remote internships, including technical setup, professional conduct on Zoom, optimizing LinkedIn, navigating AI interviews, and using this time as an opportunity to stand out. These guidelines aim to prepare students for success in the current remote work landscape.
COVID-19 has changed everything. In addition to the medical and health issues, the pandemic has left an unprecedented trail of destruction in the employment world as well.
Internships posed a unique challenge for companies last summer. The inability to host traditional internship programs on-site, led to many companies canceling or significantly curtailing their summer internship programs at the last minute, sending thousands of students scrambling to make summer plans.
Sadly, it looks like COVID will still be our reality come next summer as well, but we can use the lessons learned this last year to our advantage. How can students secure an internship and prepare for success in a COVID world?
Here are the top five things interns need to know about internships during COVID:
Remote is RealityLet’s face it. We are not going back to in person meetings for a long while. Students need to be prepared to apply, interview and complete an entire internship remotely. That means having reliable high-speed internet, a reliable computer, webcam and speaker at home are essential.
Zoom-InZoom etiquette is a must. Student must have a quiet room for business purposes and a professional background (just because your bed is made does not make your room professional). As much as people joke about how pets and children interrupting Zoom meetings is the new normal, as an intern, you are trying to make a long-term impression. Make sure you are presenting yourself professionally and there are no interruptions.
LinkedIn Is EssentialLinkedIn has been necessary for a long time, but social media is even more important now. Employers will not be seeing candidates in person, so LinkedIn will be one of the primary ways they screen candidates. Make sure to have a professional LinkedIn profile that enhances your professional image. You can watch my LinkedIn webinar by clicking here.
AI InterviewsThe work world was moving this way anyway, but students need to be prepared for computer-based interviewing. Be ready to go through the entire process remotely. Often employers will utilize Artificial Intelligence as opposed to a live interviewer, so be prepared for that.
Stand OutEmployers always love people who can work through challenging times and embrace change. If you perform well now, you can really differentiate yourself. All negatives can be a positive. Use this pandemic as an opportunity to demonstrate just how talented and flexible you are!
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/5-things-you-should-know-about-interning-during-covid.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/COVIDInternshipTips.jpg
October 01, 2020
273446
5 Ways the Pandemic Has Positively Impacted the College Experience
Unexpected Benefits of COVID-19 on Higher Learning
The pandemic has unexpectedly benefited college education, introducing resilience, honesty, collaboration, flexibility, and deeper personal connections into the academic experience. These shifts highlight the adaptability and integrity of students and faculty alike, pointing towards enduring improvements in higher education.
The global pandemic has compelled people in every industry to think and act differently. The college experience has been greatly impacted and students and faculty have had to adapt to teaching and learning in radically new ways. Yet, it’s not all bad. Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike, Dean of Touro’s Lander College for Women and Vice President for Online Education at Touro University, shares how the coronavirus has affected the overall college experience in positive ways that will last way beyond this crisis.
Fostered Resilience: Data gathered before COVID-19 showed that today’s students lack resilience. In the face of COVID, the degree of resilience among students has been impressive, if not astounding. They have persisted in pursuing degrees despite changing rules for learning, testing, and performance.
Demanded Honesty: Exams have been given in multiple formats—remote proctoring, via Zoom, take-home exams, etc. Students have been overwhelmingly honest and have acted with academic integrity. Despite temptation and opportunity, students have set an impressively high standard and adhered to it.
Encouraged Collaboration: Solving many COVID-related problems required collaboration across different organizational functions—between students and faculty, among students, and between various college departments. Working together, in some cases for the first time, created a newfound respect for how others operate and forged new partnerships which enabled moving from a vertical to a horizontal structure—more teamwork and less top-down management.
Forced Flexibility: Changes in higher education have typically moved at a glacial pace, with most course material delivered much as it had been a century ago. Generally, faculty delivered courses in the kind of lecture format in which they had been taught. The pandemic forced a rapid change as faculty (and students) began employing new ways to teach and learn. This development has expanded college professors’ toolboxes and broadened the minds of their students.
Personal Connections: Many faculty members have routinely begun smaller classes and seminars with several minutes of general conversation with students. They may chat about family, plans for downtime, favorite recipes, post-graduation plans, or whatever. In the absence of classroom courses, these conversations have helped forge connections among students and between faculty and students.
Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike, Dean of Touro’s Lander College for Women and Vice President for Online Education at Touro University
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/5-ways-the-pandemic-has-positively-impacted-the-college-experience.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/PandemicEducationBenefits.jpg
December 02, 2020
273414
5 Hot Careers You’ve Never Heard Of
Discover Unique and Rewarding Career Opportunities
The job market is full of unique opportunities beyond the conventional roles we hear about every day. From healthcare and renewable energy to government, data analysis, and mapping technology, these roles offer promising futures. Learn about the qualifications, responsibilities, and potential earnings in fields like diagnostic medical sonography, wind turbine technology, patent examination, statistics, and cartography.
From the serious to the surreal, there are any many jobs you probably never considered. Whether you’re looking to move forward in your career or change careers completely, it’s important to know which opportunities are out there. To help, we’ve compiled five hot careers you’ve never heard of that will give you plenty of ideas to consider. Each one is in a growing industry – so check them out and see which jobs might be best suited to your unique skillset.
1. Diagnostic Medical SonographerIf you’ve ever had a baby – or know someone who has – you’re probably familiar with the term sonogram. What you may not know is that doctors use sonograms for much more than telling prospective parents the sex of their babies. Today, diagnostic medical sonographers use ultrasound equipment to create images of internal organs, tissues, ligaments, and more, allowing doctors to figure out what’s wrong with a patient without the need for exploratory surgery.
US News & World Report ranked Diagnostic Medical Sonographer as the third best job in healthcare support in 2018. Even better, qualified digital medical sonographers face a miniscule 1.1% unemployment rate and can make an average of $70,000 a year.
2. Wind Turbine Technician
There are nearly 58,000 wind turbines across the US, which might be one of the reasons the Bureau of Labor Statistics named Wind Turbine Technician the fastest growing profession between 2014 and 2024 with a projected 108% increase.
Climbing high up into wind turbines, technicians – sometimes called wind techs – basically act as troubleshooters for the electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic components of the turbine. Their responsibilities could be as simple as replacing a light bulb or as complicated as repairing the turbine circuit board. Wind Turbine Technicians also perform tower inspections, complete regular maintenance, and sometimes compile data that’s used for research – all for an average salary of $52,000 a year, along with an unbeatable view.
3. Patent Examiner
While most people will never make the same kinds of scientific contributions Albert Einstein did, nearly anyone can follow in his footsteps to become a patent examiner. This US government job requires strong analytical skills, fluency in other languages, and some kind of scientific expertise.
Patent examiners review applications, make sure inventions are clearly described, and assess the safety, originality, and functionality of the creation in question. While inventions might include those products you see on late night infomercials, these days, patent examiners are also likely to see cutting-edge technological advancements that haven’t yet been released to the public. If that’s not incentive enough, patent examiners can make up to $82,000 a year – and earn federal benefits, too.
4. Statistician
If you know you want to do something in business, but you’re not sure what, consider becoming a statistician. Using data and statistics to help make decisions, statisticians have the ability to work in a wide range of industries from computers to healthcare, and they have the potential to make contributions to human rights and counterterrorism in the future. Unlike data scientists, who emphasize software programming and machine learning, statisticians decide which data they’ll collect and how, and then analyze that data to form conclusions and make informed decisions.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates a 33% growth in the field from 2016 to 2026. With an average salary of $80,000, it’s a great way to put that business degree to use in any field that catches your interest.
5. Cartographer
Now that the world has been reliably mapped, you might imagine that there’s not much need for cartographers – or map makers – but the opposite is actually true. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 19% growth in the industry in the next eight years.
While mapmakers used to draw the world by hand, today’s cartographers use digital technology to design new maps and update existing ones based on geographic information they collect and interpret. Their responsibilities often require working knowledge of GIS – or Geographical Information Systems – coding abilities, programming, and spatial analysis. On average, cartographers earn about $64,000 – and occasionally, they get to travel to the exotic (or less-than-exotic) locations that are being mapped.
These five hot careers you’ve never heard of can lead you on the path to a life you’ve never dreamed of.
Stacy Gerard, Touro’s Social Media Director
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/5-hot-careers-youve-never-heard-of.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/UniqueCareerPaths.jpg
December 15, 2020
273407
3 Ways to Stand Out as A Candidate In a Pandemic World
Adapting to the Digital Job Market
The job market has rapidly shifted online, requiring candidates to adopt new strategies. This article outlines three practical ways to stand out in a digital-first job search environment, including engaging in online conferences, optimizing LinkedIn for networking, and presenting professionally on Zoom. These steps are crucial for job seekers aiming to navigate the virtual job landscape effectively.
In our new COVID-19 reality, it seems like everything in the world has gone virtual. From conferences to college classes to meetings, everything has moved online in the last nine months.
Networking has always been a key component of a successful job search, but we are not able to meet face-to-face anymore. As a result, job candidates need to find a new way to differentiate themselves and stand out in our new pandemic-forced virtual world.
Here are the top three ways to stand out as a candidate in a pandemic world.
1. Engage in Online ConferencesWhile some conferences were canceled in March and April because of the pandemic, most organizations have moved their conferences online. It is much harder to stand out in an online conference than in person, but it is essential for job candidates to attend online conferences and to fully participate.
There are some important steps a candidate can take to help differentiate themselves at online events. First, candidates should reach out and introduce themselves via email or on LinkedIn to the presenters for each session before they attend, to start building a networking relationship.
Most online sessions have a chat feature enabled. Chat is the best way to stand out. To get noticed, candidates should prepare some great questions and observations to post during the presentation and then follow up with every attendee that responded to them in the chat (more on that in point #2).
2. It’s All About LinkedInHow do you follow up with conference attendees from the chat? The answer is simple. Send a personalized LinkedIn connection request to all the people who engage with you at the online conference and make sure to mention both the conference and the session in which you met.
Of course, you will need a winning LinkedIn profile before you reach out so that you are presenting yourself professionally, but LinkedIn remains the very best way to build your brand and network online.
3. Professional Zoom Background and AppearanceI have seen this way too often, even from purported professionals; a lack of professionalism on Zoom. People still judge you by your appearance, even on Zoom. Make sure you present yourself professionally at all times.
You must be well-groomed and professionally dressed on Zoom. While most people understand that there are going to be disruptions on Zoom at home, do your best to avoid them by sitting up a private and quiet room.
Always make sure to use a professional background on Zoom, and no, your bed, no matter how well made, should never be visible behind you.
Hopefully, we are turning the corner on this pandemic, but many people expect a return to a new normal as opposed to our old reality post-COVID that will include much more online interaction. Get started on maximizing your use of online resources for networking, both for the rest of the pandemic and beyond.
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/3-ways-to-stand-out-as-a-candidate-in-a-pandemic-world.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/VirtualJobSearchStrategies.jpg
December 28, 2020
273175
Navigating the Job Market During the Pandemic and Beyond
Strategies for Job Hunting in Uncertain Times
The pandemic has reshaped the job market, introducing both challenges and opportunities for job seekers. This guide offers practical advice for navigating these uncertain times, emphasizing the importance of focusing on growing fields, assessing personal strengths and weaknesses, and the willingness to retool or relocate if necessary. With an optimistic view on economic recovery and the evolving job landscape, these tips are designed to help professionals and graduates strategically approach their job search, stay flexible, and make the most of available opportunities.
The year 2020 was a whirlwind, creating feelings of uncertainty—especially when it comes to the economy. Whether we’re talking about job prospects, earnings or career development, employment anxiety is understandable. There’s no crystal ball, but a sober assessment of the landscape can guide you as you begin your professional life.
Consider the following:
1. You only need one job
Avoid a negative mindset and keep your goal in sight. A steady position in a solid organization provides a good salary, allowing for growth. That sounds more doable than solving the pandemic.
2. Understand the economic reality
Government projections say we won’t reach pre-pandemic GDP levels until at least mid-2022. Assume that unemployment will remain high as well. Decide whether to jump into the job pool, change jobs, or use the time to improve skills. Graduate schools and certification programs generally take one to two years, just in time for that 2022 return to normal.
3. Pick a growing field
Know which fields provide the best prospects. Whether it’s health care, data analysis or logistics, know what it takes to succeed.
4. Choose the right career
Don’t only look at salary and consider what type of work you might enjoy. If you’re not good with numbers, forget financial analysis or accounting. If people are not your thing, skip sales and marketing. Do an honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses and you’ll make choices that are a better fit.
5. Are you willing to relocate?
Sometimes the best job is not where we live, but in a different locale. Would you be happy in that environment?
6. Don’t be afraid to re-tool
If you’re on the wrong career path, make the switch now. Don’t worry if it adds time to your educational life. Better now than later.
7. Play the hand you’re dealt
Concentrate on what you can change and ignore things beyond your control.
8. Make the most of your opportunities
Prepare fully for interviews, researching the employer and position. Don’t waste opportunities which may not reappear.
9. Be more flexible
Tough job markets are not the time to search for the ideal position. Consider positions you found unsuitable before the pandemic. You can always change jobs when things return to normal, but without the pressure of being jobless.
There are bright spots. A doubling of the Federal Minimum Wage would boost earnings. Student loan payments will probably be deferred till October 2021 and perhaps even eliminated.
Ultimately, how quickly we recover from the pandemic is key. The arrival of several vaccines should bring the virus under control. The crucial mechanism of social distancing will most likely peak in April 2021 and begin to dissipate as a greater percentage of the country develops immunity. This will lead to a normalization of economic activity.
Whether you’re ready to graduate, or an alumnus concerned about career development, know that this is not the first recession nor the last. No matter how tough the job market, you only need one job. Let that be your focus and things will turn out okay.
Angelo Decandia, Professor of Business at Touro's New York School of Career and Applied Studies (NYSCAS)
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/navigating-the-job-market-during-the-pandemic-and-beyond.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/JobHuntingPandemicEra.jpg
January 26, 2021
273104
Work from Anywhere: College Internships in our COVID-World
Embracing Remote Internships: A New Era for College Students
The shift to remote internships in the wake of COVID-19 has transformed the landscape for college internships, offering students unprecedented flexibility and access to opportunities nationwide. Contrary to initial concerns, remote internships have proven to enhance career prospects, with platforms like LinkedIn and Google listing thousands of positions across diverse industries. This article delves into the benefits and challenges of virtual internships, including increased conversion rates to full-time employment and the necessity for proactive networking. Discover how the work-from-anywhere model is reshaping internships, making this an opportune time for students to gain valuable experience without geographical constraints.
Contrary to popular belief, due to a proliferation of remote internships, undergraduate college students have the chance to gain experience with better outcomes now than they did before the pandemic. Listen up college students! If you attend college in Missouri, you no longer need to make travel arrangements or find housing to attend your summer internship in New York City. Just hop online and log in. Now is the best time to grab that work experience.
Internships have consistently increased the odds of a fresh graduate landing a coveted entry-level position. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) “When employers have equally qualified candidates, they choose the candidate with internship experience. In 2019, 56% of interns and 40% of co-op students became entry-level hires.”
Virtual internships abound in almost every industry. LinkedIn listed 5,417 remote internships posted in the last month. Google lists their location as anywhere, Monster calls it work from home, while the job platform Handshake uses the language remote workers allow. No matter what you call them, you can find internships with no commute, yet provide real experience. Options are available for undergraduate students in digital marketing and public relations, as financial analysts, tax interns in public accounting firms, policy research positions, and of course, software development. Pre-med students may observe telehealth appointments but, as of now, no hospitals are offering remote internships. We are all lucky that it is too difficult to take a pulse or administer oxygen through Zoom. Students interested in medicine still have to suit up in PPE and arrive in person.
What about all of those casual interactions and connections students made when on the same floor as their co-workers? They could knock on a door to ask a quick question or catch them as they walked out of a meeting together to discuss a new idea. It is true that this aspect of remote internships is lacking. Students have to take the initiative to reach out and make personal connections with fellow interns, team members, and supervisors. However, companies have also noticed this missing aspect so some have created extra online sessions for interns and employees to “chill” together—a quasi-online happy hour (BYOB).
Despite the pandemic, remote internships from summer 2020 had an 80% conversion rate to full-time employment, according to NACE. This was up from 68% in summer 2019. Companies reported that the quality of work completed by the interns was the same or better. As an added bonus, employers were able to attract candidates that were more diverse.
Virtual internships are providing never-before-seen opportunities for undergraduate college students. Those in rural areas of the US, and even students in large cities, are benefitting because they can target a company that is headquartered in another location. The work-from-anywhere internship has opened up possibilities literally across the country. You can live in California and intern in a New York-based firm, as long as you can swing the time difference and get to work at 6 am. Do not be discouraged by the current employment situation. You are better off now than a year ago when remote internships were still a novelty. Pick your dream internship and apply today.
Jodi Smolen, Director of Career Services at Touro's Lander College for Men
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/work-from-anywhere-college-internships-in-our-covid-world.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/RemoteInternshipsGuide.jpg
April 15, 2021
273096
What is Emotional Intelligence—and Why You Need it
Unlocking the Power of Emotional Intelligence
Career Services Director at Touro’s Lander College for Men explains why emotional intelligence is vital to success in our careers and our personal relationships.
When you meet someone, you can tell if they have, “it.” Someone who carries themselves with self-confidence and poise, while simultaneously being able to stop what they are doing to listen to a friend’s problem and empathize has “it.” Someone who can look you in the eye when speaking with you has “it” too. They are aware of themselves and others and can connect because of their emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the secret ingredient in interpersonal relationships.
Twenty-five years ago, the psychologist Dr. Daniel Goleman popularized the idea with his book Emotional Intelligence. His goal was to study the human mind through the lens of anthropology, sociology, and psychology. The business community quickly adopted his ideas.
Someone with emotional intelligence will be in touch with himself and be able to forge new relationships. Gemma Leigh Roberts, a Chartered Organizational Psychologist, defines emotional intelligence as being able to understand and express emotions and use empathy. She explains that our psychological makeup has three parts: emotional intelligence, also called emotional quotient or EQ, personality and IQ, or overall general intelligence. While one’s personality and IQ may be fixed, Roberts claims that anyone can increase their EQ by learning and practicing new skills.
How do we measure EQ? Roberts says that EQ is measured by being aware of emotions, expressing emotions, controlling emotions, and relationship management. There is an inward focus and an outward focus as well. Inwardly, people need to develop their self-awareness and self-management. Outwardly, people should aim to improve their social awareness and relationship development.
We need to be aware of our feelings. Sometimes it takes great effort to put on a smile because we had a difficult morning. The kids did not behave or you missed the bus so you were late to work. It is harder to put on a smile at work after surviving that morning. Are we aware of the hurdle we must overcome to get back to “normal”? We are more irritable than usual and therefore we might need a few minutes to calm down before diving into our first project at work. Being self-aware and managing ourselves is half the battle of emotional intelligence.
Externally, we can increase our social awareness and develop stronger relationships. The body language of our co-workers provides a clue. Are they walking with slumped shoulders while staring at the floor? Maybe they have creases running across their forehead because they are worried. If we take the time to notice the details about our co-workers’ body language and facial expressions, we can respond accordingly. We can express concern or be supportive, instead of plowing through our agenda even though we had a meeting scheduled. We can be human first—and co-workers second. By doing this, we gain trust and build relationships. We also develop leadership skills and earn promotions at work. It’s a win win scenario overall.By Jodi Smolen, Director of Career Services at Touro's Lander College for Men
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/what-is-emotional-intelligenceand-why-you-need-it.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/EmotionalIntelligenceExplained.jpg
April 20, 2021
273089
5 High-Paying, Fast-Growing Careers in Technology
Unlock Your Potential with a Degree in Technology
See how a bachelor’s degree or Master of Science degree in a computer-related field can prepare you for an in-demand tech job that’s exciting and challenging, well-paid, and has unlimited growth opportunities.
No one can see the future, but if the present is any indication, a career in technology is one of the safest bets you can make. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the computer job market will grow by at least 11% between now and 2029, adding over half a million jobs to the US economy.
Whether you’re creative or analytical, detail-oriented, or a big-picture thinker, there’s a job in technology that’s right for you. You can dive into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) and help create chatbots and other tools driven by machine learning, protect companies from global cyber threats and massive data breaches, or even invent new software languages and systems that will revolutionize the industry. The options are unlimited – and expanding by the minute.
Best of all, there are rewarding careers in tech at every level, so whether you’re in interested in earning a bachelor’s degree in computers or you’re ready to up your game with a Master of Science in Information Systems, you can pursue the option that’s right for you and get started right away.
To learn more about some of the most exciting career opportunities in computer-related fields right now, check out these top jobs in the tech sector.
1. Artificial Intelligence Specialist
With an explosive growth forecast and a high salary, Artificial Intelligence Specialist is one of the most exciting tech careers you can pursue. Demand for some AI/ML positions (like Machine Learning Engineer) has already increased by 344% between 2015 and 2018 – and is just ramping up.
To work in AI and Machine Learning (ML), you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in computer science or mathematics – and as your career advances, you may need a master’s or doctoral degree in a related field. You’ll also need a deep understanding of algorithm design, cloud software, and coding, along with a balance of developer knowledge and business analytics skills that will position you to make a strategic impact using these in-demand technologies. With most employers just beginning to tap into the business applications of AI/ML, the future potential of career options is nearly limitless. Plus, you can expect to earn an average annual salary in the range of $113,000.
2. Information Security Analyst
If you’re detailed oriented and have strong analytical and problem-solving skills, working as an Information Security (IS) Analyst will ensure a high paying salary and job security. Over the next 10 years, the field is expected to grow by 31% as ransomware, malware, data breeches, and other threats become an increasingly damaging risk to business.
As an Information Security Analyst, you’ll stay on top of the newest techniques used by hackers and bad actors and the technologies that protect against them. That includes everything from data encryption and the use of firewalls to establishing security policies and best practices for the employees in your organization. To get started, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science or programming, along with work experience as a network administrator or in a similar position to gain the necessary expertise. Many IS professionals also go on to earn an MBA in information systems before becoming Information Security Analysts and averaging $104,000 annually.
3. Software Developer
Whether you dream of creating the next great game, app, or program, you can make a huge impact on the technology landscape and the lives of millions of users by working as a software engineer. Plus, with demand expected to grow by 22% in the next 10 years, you’ll have tremendous career potential – and plenty of job security.
The first step to becoming a software developer – also called a software engineer – is to earn a bachelor’s degree in a computer science program that will build your programming and coding skills and give you a broad range of knowledge about the software development process. You’ll use that knowledge to figure out how to best meet your users’ needs, design new products or fine-tune and optimize the ones that already exist and maintain functionality with continuous testing and reassessment. On average, you can expect to earn an annual salary of roughly $110,000 as a software developer, with some software engineers earning as much as $145,000 annually.
4. Dev Ops Engineer
A development operations – or DevOps – engineer straddles the line between operations and technology, working to establish and optimize a company’s enterprise applications. Part of the thriving software development industry, experts predict the field will grow by as much as 22% between now and 2029.
To work as a dev ops engineer, you’ll first need to earn a bachelor’s degree in a tech-related field like computer science or engineering to build a solid foundation in JavaScript, Linux, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and other tech fundamentals. Many also pursue additional certifications like “Certified DevOps Engineer” from AWS or become members in organizations like DASA – the DevOps Agile Skills Association. These added qualifications will prepare you for a career that involves day-to-day troubleshooting as you work to make your company’s hardware and software interact as effectively and efficiently as possible – and you can expect an annual salary of $95,000 for your efforts.
5. Computer and Information Research Scientist
One of the fastest growing tech careers with a projected 15% increase in demand between now and 2029, computer and information research scientists are also on the cutting-edge of innovation, finding new and exciting solutions to complex business problems by using existing technology in inventive ways.
Building on a bachelor’s degree in a tech-oriented field, most computer and information research scientists go on to earn a master’s degree in computer engineering or computer science. Many also build specialized knowledge of the field in which they apply their skills, either through experience or through additional training. From there, they often work with scientists and engineers to invent new computer languages, software systems, or other tools that improve a specific issue or a field in general (like robotics or programming). While the average salary is $127,000 a year, some computer and information research scientists make as much as $194,000 annually.
Ready to forge your future in tech and secure an in-demand job with a great salary? Learn more about our many programs:
Undergraduate computer science programs:
New York School of Career and Applied Studies (NYSCAS)
Lander College of Arts & Sciences
Lander College for Men
Lander College for Women
Graduate programs:
Graduate School of Technology
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/5-high-paying-fast-growing-careers-in-technology.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/TechCareerOpportunities.jpg
April 20, 2021
273079
Top 5 Ways to Prepare for Touro’s Virtual Career Fair
Maximizing Success at Touro's Virtual Career Fair
As Touro University gears up for its third virtual career fair, students have a unique opportunity to connect with potential employers from the comfort of their own homes. To navigate this digital networking event effectively, preparation is key. This guide offers five crucial tips, from dressing professionally to ensuring a stable internet connection, to help students make the most of the virtual career fair. Embrace these strategies to stand out to recruiters and secure valuable job and internship opportunities.
Are you job hunting? Planning for your future career? Touro will be hosting its third virtual career fair. In the past year, Touro hosted two successful virtual career fairs, and we can say with confidence that both students and employers like the ease and convenience of this new format. It is likely that some virtual elements will be incorporated into our in-person career fairs in the future.
Virtual career fairs may be a new concept thanks to the covid pandemic but it’s still an excellent way to network and meet prospective employers. So, how can students best take advantage of this virtual career fair? Here are our top five tips to ensure you are ready for the big day.
1) Preparation is still key
Even though you may be attending the fair from your bedroom, it does not mean it takes any less preparation. To be successful, you will need to dress appropriately, create a winning resume, research your target employers, and hone your interview skills. Fortunately, your career services department specializes in helping you in these areas (see tip number two).
2) Reach out to career services ASAP
With the career fair taking place at the beginning of the semester, there is not much time to prepare. To take full advantage of this great opportunity, you need to meet with career services to get your resume, handshake account, and interview skills ready. Don’t wait! Make an appointment today by contacting Career.services@touro.edu.
3) Embrace the timing
While we understand that a September career fair may seem early with students focused on their class schedules and the Jewish holidays, it also presents a unique opportunity. Our regular career fair is usually in early October, which is late in the employers’ recruitment cycle. An early career fair means there are more available jobs and internships for our students at top companies!
4) Be virtual ready
There are some important tips to keep in mind when preparing for a virtual career fair. Employer appointments are on a first come, first served basis, so you need to register early and reserve your interviews. Once the interview sessions are taken, they are gone. In addition, make sure to have a reliable internet connection, in a quiet, clean room where you can focus on your interview. Put some books under your laptop so the camera is at eye level and make sure there is adequately and well-placed lighting so the interviewer can see your face.
5) Get ready to network!
Handshake recently announced that messaging will be enabled for the fall career fair. That means you can have longer conversations with and really promote yourself to the recruiters in attendance. We know this will be one of our best career fairs ever. Contact Career Services to get prepared today!
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-5-ways-to-prepare-for-touros-virtual-career-fair.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/VirtualCareerFairPrep.jpg
May 21, 2021
273072
Top 5 Tips for Academic Administrators in Higher Ed
Effective Strategies for Successful Academic Leadership
This article outlines five crucial tips for academic administrators aiming to enhance their leadership skills. Covering the importance of leadership, relationship building, impartial decision-making, recognizing diverse learning styles, and delegating authority effectively, these insights are designed to foster a productive and positive educational environment.
As the long-standing dean at the School of Health Sciences at Touro University, I have learned many valuable insights that will help administrators do their jobs to the best of their abilities. Although it is based on my experience in higher education, many of the tips can be applied to an administrator in any administrative situation including K-12 education or business.
Following these tips will establish you as a competent and effective leader, and, in turn, will help those who report to you enjoy a high level of job satisfaction as you work together to achieve the goals and objectives of your college or university. Effective management and leadership create a productive work environment and a high level of morale.
1. Know the difference between leadership and management
Management consists of the ability to arrange and control all the elements of situations to accomplish a goal. Leadership refers to a person’s ability to motivate and inspire others so that they will become valuable members of the team so that your college or university will be successful. Managers create and execute plans that help a college or university reach its goals and objectives. Leaders establish those goals and objectives and inspire those who report to them. Inspiration and goal and objective setting distinguish managers from leaders. In your position, you should aim to be a good manager and a great leader.
2. Make connections with everyone who works in your workspace
Wherever your office is located, you will be in a space occupied by people doing a wide variety of jobs. You will have maintenance personnel, security guards, faculty members, administrative assistants, students, cafeteria staff, and others. You will encounter some of those people every day and others more infrequently depending on what position you hold and their responsibilities. You should make it your business to get to know all those people. Learn their names and stop and chat from time to time.
When you can, offer to help and make sure you acknowledge the things they do for you. As a person who is in charge, many will consider you a person who has wise advice to share. It is good to remember that just listening and being present has great benefits for you and the people with whom you are interacting. It is also good to acknowledge the fact that you may not have anything useful to say to a person sharing their problems, but they will appreciate the opportunity to be heard. Your interactions will help create a positive atmosphere that will affect the quality of life for everyone in your environment, including you.
3. Put your personal feelings aside
Your own beliefs, knowledge, preferences, strengths, and weaknesses will play a role in your impression of others. As an administrator, your impression of each person will include your evaluation of their effectiveness in executing their role in your department, school, or university. Your overall impression will be negative or positive. It is important that you work at not letting your personal impression of those with whom you interact affect your dealings with them. As an administrator, you will be faced with making decisions that affect those who report to you. You will need to make decisions about requests for resources, applications for promotion, and other things that affect those who report to you. In all these cases, you need to keep a check on your response in terms of letting your personal preferences and impressions dominate and bias your decisions.
You need to make your decisions based on the merits of the request. If you don’t do that, your bias will become obvious to all of those who report to you and to those to whom you report. This will ultimately undermine your authority and lead to you being seen as a biased leader who does not make fair and equitable decisions. At times, you may be unaware of these biases unless you examine them each time a decision is placed in front of you. It is a good idea to consult with those with whom you have built a strong and trusting relationship. Often others can see our biases, preferences, and impressions more clearly.
4. Understand different learning styles
Each of us has developed a method for doing our professional work. Some professionals work on a project continually and don’t stop working until they complete the project. Other professionals work in episodes. Some professionals start work on a project as soon as it is assigned to them. Others don’t start working on a project until it’s closer to the deadline set for its completion. When you have professionals who report to you, it is important that you discover what approach they take in undertaking a project. It is important that you don’t expect all of those who report to you to work the same way you do on a project. The important criteria that you should use in evaluating someone’s work is whether the project gets completed on time and that the work produced is of the quality specified for the project. The timeliness and the quality of the project should be all that matters and should be all you address when you give them feedback on their work.
It is true that people learn in different ways. This fact has led to development of the concept of learning styles. Some people find auditory materials easier to learn and prefer learning things by listening to presentations. Others would rather see the materials they need to learn and therefore prefer reading and other forms of visual presentation. Other prefer to learn by doing things. It is also possible that we may learn certain types of material using one modality and another type of material using a different modality. It is important for us to take learning style into consideration when we are presenting materials that we want people to learn or are giving them projects to complete.
5. If you give someone the responsibility, give them decision power
In your role as an administrator, you will need to assign projects to different members of your team. When you do this, it is important that you specify exactly what you want and when you want it. It is also important that you set a reasonable deadline for the completion of the project. It is important that you spend enough time with your team members so that they are clear as to what you want to happen. It is also important that you make it clear that you are available for questions and input when they deem it necessary. It critically important that you make it clear that you give them permission to make whatever decisions they believe they can make and only consult with you when they believe they need your input.
If you continually check up on your team members while they are working on the project, you will undermine their confidence and make it difficult for them to complete the task and feel a sense of accomplishment. Micromanaging interferes with productivity and is very demoralizing to those being micromanaged. If you want to create a team that is effective and productive, you need to let those team members complete the projects they are given. You can consult when asked to do so, but it is a mistake to try to get too involved in the execution of the project.
These tips have been excerpted from Dean Primavera’s new book, Tips for an Academic Administrator in Higher Education: A Handbook of 53 Practical Suggestions.
By Louis H. Primavera, PhD Professor of Psychology, Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-5-tips-for-academic-administrators-in-higher-ed.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/Top5TipsforAcademicAdministratorsinHigherEd.jpg
July 08, 2021
273063
Top 5 LinkedIn Tricks I Bet You Didn’t Know
Beyond the Basics: Mastering LinkedIn with These Hidden Features
LinkedIn's platform offers more than just basic networking; it includes several underutilized features that can significantly improve your professional online presence. This article outlines five such features: customizing website links, using LinkedIn's CRM tools, syncing with Gmail, tagging connections, and accessing your LinkedIn archive. These advanced tips will help you manage relationships and optimize your profile for better visibility and engagement.
Hopefully, by now, you are using LinkedIn and getting more comfortable with its basic functionality. As I have said before, there is no LinkedIn magic, so being on LinkedIn is never enough. You need to create a strategy and follow a plan to help you achieve success. Here are 5 LinkedIn tricks and super hacks that I bet you didn’t know.
1) Rename Your Website Links:
LinkedIn gives you the ability to include links to three of your websites under your “Contact Information.” Even the best LinkedIn Users tend to use the LinkedIn default website names (e.g. My Company) for the link. I advise users to skip those default names and choose “Other” from the website name dropdown. After you choose “Other” LinkedIn will allow you to create a brief description of your website in your own words. Seize that opportunity to be much more direct and tell people what your website is all about, where you are sending them, and why!
2) LinkedIn CRM:
LinkedIn provides a great CRM (Contact Relationship Management) feature. Once you are directly connected to someone on LinkedIn, the CRM will appear when you click on their profile. The CRM is a powerful tool that allows you to keep important notes on your connections, such as where you met, topics of conversation, plus any follow-up strategy you’d like to employ. You can even use the CRM to remind you to reach out to that contact at a future date. The CRM is a powerful way to keep track of all the information you need about a contact so you are fully informed when you reach out to him or her.
3) Sync Email and Contacts Via Gmail:
Under the “My Network Tab” and “Connections” LinkedIn allows you to “sync” your Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Contacts. Once you “sync” those accounts, your email and meetings will default to your CRM for the appropriate LinkedIn contact. This allows you to add the treasure trove of information in your personal email and calendar to your CRM so you are really armed with all the necessary information when you reach out to a contact.
4) Tag Your Connections:
LinkedIn also allows you to “Tag” your connections. That means you can create specific categories by which to divide your LinkedIn contacts so you can find all of the connections that meet your specific criteria in one place. For example, I have all of my LinkedIn Clients “Tagged” under “LinkedIn Clients.” This allows me to pull up all my clients at one time and see who may be interested in a follow up session. You can create multiple “Tags” and even include the same contact under multiple “Tags.”
5) Request Your LinkedIn “Archive”:
If you have been using LinkedIn for a while, it can be difficult to keep track of all of your LinkedIn activity. Fortunately, LinkedIn offers a free archive of all of your LinkedIn data! Under the “Privacy and Settings” tab, you can request an archive which will include all of your 1st Degree Connections, Status Updates, Group Posts, Likes and Messages in a relatively easy-to-use spreadsheet. This data can be a valuable way to track your activity and determine the specific return on investment for your time and effort on LinkedIn.By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-5-linkedin-tricks-i-bet-you-didnt-know.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/LinkedInAdvancedTips.jpg
October 07, 2021
272983
Choosing A College Major
Balancing Passion and Practicality in Choosing Your College Major
Selecting a college major is more than just picking a field of study; it's about setting the foundation for your future career. This guide suggests a thoughtful approach to choosing a major, highlighting the importance of aligning one's interests and strengths with viable career opportunities. It outlines practical steps for students, including self-assessment, research, consulting with career services, and exploring internships. By considering both passion and practicality, students can make an informed decision that leads to both personal fulfillment and professional success.
Q: My daughter just got back from seminary and will be starting college in the spring semester. Do you have any ideas on how she should go about choosing a major?
A: There is a long-running debate in the world of higher education regarding the purpose of college. Is it to broaden your mind and become educated, or is it a stepping stone to a career? Considering the cost of college and today’s competitive job market, just about everyone must think practically. Even if a student’s ultimate goal is an intellectual pursuit of knowledge, she should also choose a path that will lead to a career. In all colleges, choosing a major is the first step toward pursuing a career.
When thinking about choosing a major, there are a few steps to take:
1. Ask yourself what you like to do and what your strengths are.
Next, ask if those interests/passions and skills translate into a career. If you love science and helping people, medicine or health sciences—PA, PT, OT—could be in your future. If you love numbers, actuarial science or accounting might be for you. If you love music, think hard about how that can be turned into a career. Is there a related love? Sometimes music and math go together. If that’s the case, you may want to consider becoming a math teacher or an actuary.
2. Do some research.
Talk to people who have majored in the fields you are considering and find out about the academic course of study, as well as the job prospects. Additionally, simple internet searches can help you find out about the average salaries of professionals in particular fields and whether there is growth potential in the field. As technology continues to develop, new job opportunities that didn’t exist a few years ago will arise. One of those opportunities may be right for you and enable you to combine several interests and abilities.
3. Join online groups.
On Facebook and LinkedIn, you can join groups connected to a particular major and learn more from peers at schools around the country. You can also ask about careers that people can enter with a variety of majors. Ask questions that are relevant to you. For example, you might want to know what psychology majors do if they are not interested in becoming therapists or conducting research. Or what you might do if you major in computer science and minor in English.
4. Make an appointment with the college’s office of career services.
Discuss your skills and passions and gain advice on how they may translate into a major and ultimate career that will be both enjoyable and practical. Visit Indeed.com and see what backgrounds are suggested for different careers.
5. Consider majoring in a field that is practical and minoring in an area you love.
I know students who have majored in computer science and minored in art, leaving them open for careers in STEM, programming, graphic design, or working on technology in an art-related setting, such as gathering data in a museum.
6. Seek internships that bridge the gap between your major and a more practical career.
If you are majoring in the humanities, for example, you can also take courses in computer science and perhaps secure an internship in technology. This can help position you for a future career in the field. Employers like to see well-rounded individuals who have the skills they need but are educated citizens as well.
By Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike, Dean of Touro’s Lander College for Women and Vice President for Online Education at Touro University.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/choosing-a-college-major.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/ChoosingCollegeMajor.jpg
November 21, 2021
272956
Top 5 Mistakes College Students Make On LinkedIn
Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile: Avoid These Five Mistakes for Professional Success
LinkedIn has become an indispensable tool for job and internship seekers, particularly for college students looking to carve out their professional brand. However, common missteps can hinder their opportunities rather than enhance them. This guide highlights the top five mistakes college students often make on LinkedIn, including having outdated or stagnant accounts, improperly syncing school names, misusing the alumni search feature, and misrepresenting test scores. By understanding and avoiding these errors, students can more effectively leverage LinkedIn to showcase their professional potential and connect with meaningful career opportunities.
LinkedIn is the new normal. While everyone must create a winning LinkedIn profile, it is especially important for college students. Most college students are in the job or internship market, and LinkedIn is an essential part of promoting their professional brand. Unfortunately, there are a lot of avoidable mistakes college students make on LinkedIn that end up hurting them. To help you avoid these, here are the Top 5 Mistakes College Students Make On LinkedIn.
1) Outdated Accounts
Will Rogers’ famous quote, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there” provides a powerful LinkedIn lesson. Being on LinkedIn is not enough. You have to effectively use LinkedIn. Even if you create a great LinkedIn profile, it has no value if it is not kept up to date with new internships job experiences, etc. Keep your profile up to date at all times!
2) Stagnant Accounts
Even when you are careful to keep your LinkedIn profile up-to-date with the latest career and school information, how does the average recruiter viewing your account know that it is up-to-date? Recruiters are taking a professional risk by reaching out to you, and the last thing they want is to be surprised by incorrect and outdated information! Recruiters are more confident in the accuracy of your profile when they see that an account is active. Your LinkedIn activity remains visible to users for only two weeks, so some activity must be always visible. Make sure you post a “Status Update” or post to a Group at least once every two weeks to avoid a stagnant account.
3) Not Syncing Your School Name
LinkedIn has a great auto-fill feature. When you start typing your college’s name into the education field, LinkedIn will auto-complete the name for you. This is a bigger deal than it may seem. When you use the LinkedIn auto-fill, your school's logo will automatically appear on your profile and will make it much easier to find in school name searches. This will also set your default “Alumni Search” to your institution.
4) Hey-We are BOTH Alumni!
The Alumni Search is a very powerful tool that allows users to search for alumni from their school in positions of authority in fields and at companies of interest. Networking is the most effective means of finding a job, but I advise against reaching out to alumni just based on school affiliation. Trust me, you are not the first one to come up with that idea!
I recommend a much more targeted approach. Before you reach out to alumni, check their profiles and other social media accounts to identify other connections and shared interests aside from your school. Finding a way to engage alumni on multiple levels will make your request stand out from the rest.
5) Irrelevant Test Scores
LinkedIn has a nice feature that allows you to add a “Test Scores” section to your profile. While I understand that you may be very proud of the 97% you received on your political science midterm, LinkedIn is not the place to highlight that. Only include test scores that make you more marketable as a professional. My advice is to only add impressive test scores on professional certification exams such as the CPA, actuarial exams, or others in that category.
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-5-mistakes-college-students-make-on-linkedin.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/LinkedInStudentsMistakes.jpg
December 28, 2021
272948
Career Spotlight on Pharmacy
A Comprehensive Guide to the Roles, Education, and Opportunities in Pharmacy
The field of pharmacy offers a diverse range of career paths, each with its own unique responsibilities and settings. From ensuring the safe and effective use of medications to advising on optimal drug therapies, pharmacists play a crucial role in healthcare. This guide delves into the various opportunities available within pharmacy, including community, hospital, clinical, industry, and consultant roles. It also outlines the educational journey to becoming a pharmacist, including licensure requirements, potential for specialization, and the skills necessary for success. With a promising job outlook and flexible working arrangements, a career in pharmacy presents a fulfilling option for those passionate about patient care and medication management.
Dr. Michelle Jakubovics received her PharmD from Touro College of Pharmacy in 2013, where she is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, and her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Touro College in 2009. After earning her PharmD degree, she completed pharmacy practice and internal medicine pharmacy residencies at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn, where she serves as a clinical pharmacist in internal medicine and as Internal Medicine Pharmacy Residency Program Director.
What do pharmacists do?
Pharmacists ensure that patients receive appropriate medications by reviewing prescriptions to make sure there are no harmful drug interactions and ensure dosages are safe and effective. They dispense medications based on prescription orders, counsel patients on their medications, advise physicians on prescribing optimal medications, compound medications that are not available from drug manufacturers, and administer immunizations.
What are the different career opportunities that exist and what do they do in the different settings?
Pharmacists work in many different settings and their day-to-day activities can vary significantly by setting. Pharmacists can work in retail, hospital, industry, and clinical settings.
Community Pharmacists: Community pharmacists work in retail pharmacies and are involved in reviewing prescriptions, dispensing medications, counseling patients about medications, and administering immunizations.
Hospital Pharmacists: Hospital pharmacists review medication orders placed by the medical team before drugs are administered to patients to ensure there are no adverse interactions and that drug dosing is appropriate based on a patient’s kidney function, body weight, and lab results. Hospital pharmacists also compound intravenous medications using sterile techniques, dispense medications, and answer questions from physicians regarding medications.
Clinical Pharmacists: Clinical pharmacists are involved in direct patient care and can work in both inpatient and outpatient settings. In the inpatient setting, clinical pharmacists round daily with the healthcare team, sharing their expertise on drug therapy management. They monitor and recommend adjustment of medications and advise physicians on optimal drug therapy. In the outpatient setting, pharmacists help patients manage diseases, such as diabetes, and adjust medications to help get diseases under control.
Industry Pharmacists: Pharmacists working in the pharmaceutical industry setting are involved in marketing, sales, education, and research and development for pharmaceutical companies.
Consultant Pharmacists: Consultant pharmacists provide advice on medication use to medical institutions, including nursing homes. A consultant pharmacist typically is involved in reviewing patients’ medication regimens, particularly in the nursing home setting, where monthly medication reviews help ensure the residents receive appropriate medication therapy.
How long does it take to become a pharmacist?
What are the educational and licensing requirements to become a pharmacist? Pharmacists complete four years of pharmacy school, following completion of undergraduate prerequisite courses. College of Pharmacy graduates receive the Doctor of Pharmacy degree, which is required for licensure as a pharmacist. Graduates are required to pass two or three licensure exams, depending on the state where the pharmacist is entering practice.
Can one specialize? Is there more education required to do so?
Yes! Pharmacists interested in specializing can complete residency or fellowship training in their area of interest. For example, pharmacists can become specialists in infectious diseases, geriatrics, pediatrics, internal medicine, cardiology, critical care, ambulatory care, and more.
What skills and personalities are needed to be successful?
A successful pharmacist has good communication skills, a passion for helping others, and the ability to pay attention to detail.
What is the average salary range of a pharmacist? Are pharmacists in high demand?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for pharmacists in 2017 was $124,170. Pharmacists are in high demand, with demand projected to increase by 6 percent from 2016 to 2026.
Is there flexibility in the hours and days pharmacists work?
Yes, pharmacists are needed around-the-clock, and work arrangements can vary from full-time day or evening shifts to part-time or per diem work for pharmacists seeking a better work-life balance.
By Dr. Michelle Jakubovics, Touro College of Pharmacy Alum
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/career-spotlight-on-pharmacy.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/PharmacyCareerGuide.jpg
February 17, 2022
272938
Why an MS in I-O Psychology is a Great Path to a Career in HR Too
Bridging the Gap Between HR, I-O Psychology, and Organizational Development
Exploring a career in human resources offers a unique opportunity to impact the workplace positively, but it's not the sole path to making a difference. An MS in Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology presents an alternative route, equipping professionals with the tools to enhance employee well-being and workplace efficiency directly. This guide highlights the distinctions and synergies among HR, I-O Psychology, and Organizational Development, shedding light on how an advanced degree in I-O Psychology can serve as a powerful foundation for a career in HR or related fields. With the demand for skilled professionals in these areas on the rise, understanding the nuances of each can help you carve out a fulfilling career path.
Learn more about the similarities and differences between industrial-organizational psychology, human resources, and organizational development to figure out which career – and educational path – is right for you.
If you’re interested in a job where you can help people and make a difference in the workplace, then pursuing a career in human resources might seem like a logical path – but it’s not the only option. Depending on your goal, pursuing your master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational (IO) Psychology may better position you to make the kind of impact you’ve always imagined.
The Role of HR
Human resources professionals have responsibilities like recruiting and interviewing candidates for job openings, putting together compensation and benefits packages, and providing organizational training. What you may not realize is that, in general, HR looks out for the best interests of an organization. That includes everything from protecting the company from legal issues by developing and enforcing policies and procedures to managing timekeeping and payroll to handling employee discipline and termination. If a career in HR is your goal, you can qualify for a job after earning a bachelor’s degree, but it’s probable that you’ll eventually need to get an MBA in order to advance your career.
How I-O Psychologists Fit in the Workplace
In contrast, the field of Industrial-Organizational Psychology focuses on employees and how to improve their lives and well-being. Essentially, an IO psychologist applies the principles of psychology to the workplace, using intensive data and research to figure out how help employees feel more satisfied, motivated, and engaged at work. That includes assessing, measuring, and evaluating human behavior using hard data – which helps to avoid bias – to solve problems related to recruiting, productivity, general employee health and wellness, and other workplace concerns. The field of Organizational Development places a similar emphasis on qualitative data, but instead of focusing on employees, it focuses more heavily on change management and using strategic interventions to drive organizational effectiveness. An organizational development specialist or organizational change management specialist often starts by using data and focus groups to diagnose organizational problems and then creates written or oral presentations to propose solutions and data-driven strategies. To become an IO psychologist or an organizational development specialist, you’ll need to build on a bachelor’s degree with a master’s in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. While human resources, industrial-organizational psychology, and organizational development are all related, they each serve distinctive functions. No matter which of these rewarding career paths you choose, you’re likely to be well-paid and enjoy a decent level of job security over the next 10 years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, human resources managers earn an average annual salary of $121,000, industrial-organizational psychologists can expect to make an average of $112,000 each year, and the average salary for an organizational development specialist is around $116,000 annually. All three industries are expected to grow by 5-7%, which is slightly faster than average, over the next 10 years.
No matter which option you choose, Touro can prepare you to achieve your goals and make a positive impact in the workplace in the way you always dreamed.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/why-an-ms-in-i-o-psychology-is-a-great-path-to-a-career-in-hr-too.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/MSinIOPsychforHR.jpg
March 24, 2022
272931
Three Most Valuable Components of Your LinkedIn Profile
Optimizing Your LinkedIn Presence: The Key Elements
In today's job market, your LinkedIn profile is your digital handshake. The most crucial aspects to get right are your name, profile picture, and headline. These elements ensure you make a strong first impression and are easily discoverable by potential employers and connections. This guide covers how to effectively tailor these components to stand out on LinkedIn and support your professional networking and job search.
LinkedIn is no longer optional. It is truly an indispensable component of the modern job search. Unfortunately, the effective use of LinkedIn is not intuitive. In order to get the best results, it is important to know how to use LinkedIn effectively. Over the next few months, I will provide top LinkedIn tips geared toward setting up a winning LinkedIn profile and using LinkedIn effectively to help you find a job.
The first point of focus on your LinkedIn profile is what I call “The LinkedIn Triumvirate” (any history majors?). Wherever you appear on LinkedIn, from search results to emails to suggested connections, your Name, Profile Picture, and LinkedIn Headline will show up with you. That makes these things the most valuable components of your LinkedIn profile.
Let’s discuss each:
1) Name:
This may seem intuitive, but I see a lot of people making mistakes when it comes to their names. People often try to find you by conducting a “name” search on LinkedIn, so it is important to use your legal name or a standard and easily recognizable nickname for your legal name (eg “Dave” for “David”). Include your maiden name in the LinkedIn provided field (if you have one) to make it easier for people to find you. Do NOT include titles and degrees (eg “Dr” or “MA”) as these may skew search results away from your account. LinkedIn’s User Agreement prohibits the inclusion of any information aside from your name in this field, so do not include other information like your email address or Twitter account even though they would be highly visible as a result.
2) Profile Picture:
LinkedIn claims that users are seven times more likely to view your account if you include a profile picture. That makes a lot of sense. Your picture is your visual representation on LinkedIn. It is much easier to relate to an account when it has a face as opposed to just a name. Your profile picture should be a professional headshot. This must be a professional picture of you alone, so don’t try to crop your face out of a family photo or use your business logo, etc. I advise students to dress for their picture as they would dress if they were attending an industry networking event. That means what you wear would change drastically if you are looking to work at a bank vs a tech start-up company.
3) LinkedIn Headline:
Your LinkedIn Headline is the short, 120-character description that is featured prominently in your LinkedIn profile. I believe that the headline is the most valuable and the most underutilized space in Social Media. Your Headline is your LinkedIn Elevator Pitch. It has to be what sells you! These are the critical words that will either encourage someone to click on your profile OR move on to other candidates. The Headline will normally default to your job or student status (eg Student at Touro University). Change it! Include information that illustrates why the reader MUST pay attention to you and the skills that you bring to the table. Don’t worry. It takes time and effort to create a winning LinkedIn Headline. I personally frequently enhance my own, but it is critical to utilize this valuable Social Media real estate to your best advantage!
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/three-most-valuable-components-of-your-linkedin-profile.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/LinkedInEssentials.jpg
April 28, 2022
272924
Top 10 Tips to Combat Burnout
Practical Advice for Maintaining Well-being in High-Stress Professions
Burnout is a significant risk for professionals in high-stress fields such as social work, where the emotional toll of dealing with societal issues can be overwhelming. Dr. Steven Huberman, former Dean of Touro College's Graduate School of Social Work, offers ten invaluable tips for managing stress and preventing burnout. From the importance of disengaging from work after hours to the benefits of regular exercise and peer support, these strategies are designed to help you maintain balance, promote personal growth, and ensure long-term professional and personal well-being.
Social workers spend a good part of their day addressing serious societal issues. From drug addiction to family dysfunction and generational poverty, mental health professionals are often shouldering the world’s problems.
Social workers may feel weighed down and become overwhelmed by what they hear and the feeling that there is not much they can do to actually solve these tough issues. This feeling can lead to burnout which may interfere with both the ability to perform the job and to function at home. To help combat burnout, here are top tips:
When you leave the office, disengage from work. Turn your focus on yourself, your family, and your friends. Try to create a routine for disengaging. This can be reading a book on your commute home, which can offer a distraction and a way of transporting yourself to another world; spending 10 minutes playing with your children as soon as you come home; or calling a friend to catch up. The important thing is to create a transition that takes you away from work mode and into home mode and not to let the two modes get interconnected.
Exercise. Walking at least 30 minutes a day or burning at least 500 calories daily through whatever exercise suits your fancy is essential. Exercising until you begin to sweat is a good rule of thumb. Increased cortisol, often called the “stress hormone” because of its connection to the stress response, is associated with about 50 % of cases of major depression. Research has found that depressed patients who take a brisk 30-minute walk or jog three times a week experience as much relief as patients treated with standard antidepressant medications. So head off this work-related depression before it gets started by starting and maintaining a regular exercise routine.
Don’t stay seated at your desk all day. Make it a point to stand up for at least 5 minutes every hour. One study found that people who routinely spend more than two consecutive hours sitting had a 125% increased likelihood of cardiovascular disease, another study showed that sitting around can mean letting stress accumulate in your body. People who move around stay physically and mentally healthier.
Put it all into perspective. As much as you’d like to, you’re not going to solve the refugee crisis or reduce the suicide rate singlehandedly, but you may help one person live in dignity. Every person is his or her own world and you can and should celebrate small achievements. The ripple effect of helping one person will affect his or her family and community and the impact can be quite large. Even if it’s not monumental, making a difference in one life at a time, every day, is an accomplishment of which you can be quite proud.
Remember the mission of Touro University. We are all here to help those who are vulnerable and to affect social justice. When you do that, you are staying true to the ideals of Touro University, the social work profession and yourself.
Avail Yourself of Peer Support. Remember you are not alone. Consult with colleagues, and don’t forget your fellow alumni and the Touro Graduate School of Social Work faculty members when the stress gets too overwhelming. Once a part of the Touro family, always a part of the Touro family.
Develop Interests that Promote Personal Growth. You are not your job. You are a person with many facets and outside interests. Don’t forget to feed those other parts of yourself. Learn to knit, take a painting or poetry class, go rock climbing or whatever other hobbies suit your passions.
Reframe Your Life Goals. If your job is overwhelming, ask yourself—why did you pursue this position? What are your career goals and how is this position helping you to achieve your goals? Do you have a vision of what you would like for yourself? Give yourself some time to answer these questions so you can assess whether it might be time for a change.
Assess your Stress Reaction. How do you normally handle stress? Are the coping mechanisms working for you? Is it possible you need to think of another strategy?
Anything and everything stress-related is exacerbated by not getting enough sleep. Try your best to get at least 6-7 (8 hours is even better!) hours of sleep in order for you to be able to function at peak.
By Steven Huberman, Former Dean of Touro's Graduate School of Social Work
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-10-tips-to-combat-burnout.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/BurnoutPreventionTips.jpg
June 22, 2022
272917
Top 5 Tips for Creating A Winning Resume
Expert Resume Tips: Moving Beyond Traditional Templates to Stand Out
In the ever-evolving world of job hunting, creating a standout resume is more crucial than ever. This guide breaks down five essential tips to help you move away from generic templates and craft a resume that truly reflects your unique skills and experiences. From the importance of a concise format to the power of a well-crafted summary statement, these strategies are designed to give your resume the edge it needs in a competitive job market.
Conventional wisdom changes constantly and nowhere is this more evident when it comes to trends in resume-writing and job-hunting. The following are five do’s and don’ts that should help you write a resume that’s a winner.
1) Don’t use the Microsoft Word template
At orientation, I often ask students who have a template resume to raise their hands. When they do, I tell them, “Great, now throw it out!” The ease and speed with which you can create a template version of your resume is a great indication of their lack of quality. Even worse, hiring managers see dozens of template resumes every day, so even if you include great content on your resume, chances are it will not stand out. Everything of value takes time to accomplish. There are some excellent books and resources that can help you create a “winning resume” that is original, authentic and reflective of your personal brand. I recommend “Knock ‘em Dead Resumes” by Martin Yate.
2) Keep it to one page
There is a lot of confusion about this. The general rule of thumb is that your resume should be one page in length for every 10 years of professional experience. Remember that your content needs to be solid and you gain nothing by adding fluff. In all my years in College Career Services, I have never worked with a traditional college age student who had enough experience to justify a second resume page.
3) Objective: leave it out!
Resume experts do not agree on much, but the vast majority agree that the old resume “Objective” is a thing of the past. There is no need to tell the employer that you are “looking for an opportunity that fully utilizes your ability to use meaningless, flowery platitudes.” You get the idea.
4) Summary statement
As opposed to the old “Objective” create a “Summary Statement” or bulleted “Summary of Qualifications” that clearly demonstrates that you have the skills that they seek for that particular position. Most people don’t realize this, but you can submit a different, targeted resume for every position to which you apply. Be honest, but borrow key skills from the job description for your Summary!
5) Really? You have references?
The most wasted resume line is the old throw-away “references available upon request” that so many people place on the bottom. The assumption is that you will provide references when requested, so saying it adds nothing. One of my colleagues once quipped that if you are going to state the obvious, why not add, “will come to interview if invited?”
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-5-tips-for-creating-a-winning-resume.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/WinningResumeTips.jpg
July 20, 2022
272903
Top 5 Personal Branding Tips
Crafting and Communicating Your Unique Professional Identity
In today's competitive job market, establishing a strong personal brand is crucial. Read about essential tips for creating a personal brand that resonates. From understanding your core strengths to maintaining consistency in your online presence, these strategies are designed to help you stand out. Learn how to assess, express, and protect your professional identity, ensuring your brand effectively showcases your value to potential employers.
Trends have changed drastically in the job search world. A great resume, cover letter, and even a winning social media presence are no longer enough. The new normal is that you are expected to have your own personal brand which defines and expresses who you are. As I like to say, we used to talk about name brands, but now your name IS your brand!
Here are the top 5 Personal Branding Tips:
1) Know who you are:
The first step in creating your personal brand is assessing who you are and where your strengths lie. Think of your brand as the value you can add to a company, job, or field. To be helpful, your brand needs to be reflective of the skills you really bring to the table and what makes you stand out. If you are having trouble assessing your skills and developing your brand, PricewaterhouseCoopers has a great personal brand workbook available for free.
2) Be honest about who you are:
We should always be striving to improve ourselves and our skills. That said, people are different. Your brand must be an accurate reflection of who you are, not who you hope to be. Be honest with yourself and don’t set exaggerated expectations that you are unable to meet. My guiding rule–if you are trying too hard to create or maintain your brand, it is probably not your brand.
3) Express who you are:
Once you determine your specialty and the value that you bring, you need to be able to disseminate that information in short, social-media sized messages. Focus on the important things that really make you stand out, but keep the wording under 130 characters so you can use it as your LinkedIn Headline or easily share it on Twitter.
4) None of us are unique:
Discovering and expressing your professional brand is an empowering experience. A warning is in order, however. Your skills and expertise make you who you are, but avoid describing your skills as “unique.” There are seven Billion people in the world. I guarantee you that you are not unique. A better idea is to find a creative way to express your brand and your value so that it gets noticed.
5) Everything you do is part of your brand:
I keep going back to this warning. Everything you post online is permanent. The reality is that all of your online activities become part of your brand. One negative comment or picture can adversely affect your brand and make you much less marketable. Always make sure to stay “on brand” in your posts, and avoid pictures or comments that will negatively impact how you are viewed.
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-5-personal-branding-tips.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/PersonalBrandingTips.jpg
August 17, 2022
272910
Career Planning
Advice on Early Career Planning for College Students
The transition to college marks a pivotal time for students, not just academically but also in laying the groundwork for their future careers. The journey begins on the first day of college, with strategic steps towards defining educational goals, exploring various career options, and gaining practical work experience through internships. This guide provides essential tips for students to start their career planning early, ensuring they make informed decisions that align with their aspirations and lead to a fulfilling professional life.
Q: My daughter is starting college this fall and I know she’ll be busy with classes and studying. When is a good time to begin career planning?
A: Career planning should actually begin on the first day of college. Here are some ways a student can get started:
In the first semester, schedule meetings with advisors. Your daughter’s academic advisor can help her define her goals and plan her educational journey so that she takes all the courses she needs to pursue her chosen career in a timely fashion.
She should also be speaking to advisors in the career services office during her first semester. A career advisor can help her learn about various careers open to people in the field she chooses, what’s involved in terms of day-to-day responsibilities in various settings, specific training required, job flexibility, workplace culture, and salaries. Your daughter can think about what she’s heard, research these settings by talking to people she knows or family friends who work in the field, and then start zeroing in on what she thinks is a fit for her.
By the second semester, she should be talking with the career services center about securing an internship in her chosen field. Once she has taken several courses in her chosen field, she is ready to pursue an internship. Having exposure to the field and some work experience on her resume will make her more competitive and attractive as a job candidate when she graduates. In many fields, there are numerous settings in which one can work (marketing professionals can work in a corporate, nonprofit, or government setting; social workers can work in a counseling center, hospital, drug rehab center, or more), and students who pursue multiple internships while in college can discover which setting within a field works for them. The internship also helps students network with potential employers and others in the field and may lead to a full-time job offer upon graduation.
Another benefit of doing an internship is that it allows students to learn more about a profession before they enter the job market. Sometimes that experience reconfirms students’ career path, but sometimes students find that their internships didn’t work. Some students love the academic coursework relating to a field, but through an internship, they may realize a job in that field may not be a fit for them. Through their internships, they can learn about other fields that are a better fit for their strengths and interests. It is far better to find that a field is not right for you when you are a sophomore in college than when you have already graduated and invested much time and money in pursuing a given career. Your daughter should discuss her experience—pros and cons—with her career advisor to help plan the next steps in her career path.
After your daughter completes her internship, she should schedule another meeting with career services to process her internship experience. This is when she can talk about what she liked about the setting/duties/field, and what she didn’t like, to help her figure out the next steps in terms of whether this career path/setting is for her, whether she should pursue something else, or perhaps secure another internship in a different setting in the same field. Career services can also help ensure that your daughter does appropriate follow-up with the internship supervisors so that she can obtain recommendations for future employment at that employer or another one.
By Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike, Dean of Touro’s Lander College for Women and Vice President for Online Education at Touro
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/career-planning.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/EarlyCareerPlanning.jpg
August 04, 2022
272888
5 Steps to Choosing a Career Path
From Self-Discovery to Practical Decision-Making: Navigating Your Career Journey
Choosing a career path is a pivotal decision that blends self-exploration with practicality. Follow a comprehensive 5-step process to guide you through this journey. From evaluating personal interests and skills to considering the practical aspects of potential careers, this article offers insights into making informed choices that align with your aspirations and capabilities. Whether you're just starting or contemplating a change, these steps are designed to lead you toward a fulfilling and realistic career path.
Exploring your interests, skills, and abilities to consider what's practical. Choosing the right career can be a difficult and anxiety-provoking process. Will I enjoy it? Will I be good at it? Will it provide an adequate living? This is also an exciting opportunity to actively explore and discover more about yourself and the world. Of course, since everyone has different skills, interests, experiences, and goals, no one career is best for everyone. So, how do you choose the career that is best for you? Here are five steps to guide you through this process:
1. Put it in context
While it is an important decision with long-term implications, many people spend too much time gathering information, asking for advice, and worrying about their choices – all of which make this process painful and ineffective. Research suggests that people are terrible at choosing jobs. According to economist Neil Howe, only 5% of people pick the “right” job on the first try and those who do, tend to make less creative and innovative choices. In addition, job instability and career volatility steadily increased over the past few decades. In 2016, the average number of years on the job was 4.2 and 33% of people reported that they had been at their current job for 12 months or less (National Bureau of Labor Statistics). So you can expect to switch jobs and careers several times throughout your life, particularly at the start of your career. Of course, if you are committing a large amount of time and money to pursue a professional degree, you need to be more careful. There are several ways you can test out your interest in these fields before fully committing such as by taking prerequisite courses, accruing observation hours, lower-level work experience, and volunteering in a setting that employs these professionals. While it is important to spend time thinking things through and taking your best guess, don't overdo it!
2. Think about your interests
You probably want a job that you will enjoy. Besides being happier, you will be more motivated, dedicated, and likely more successful. How can you tell if you will like a job? Consider your ideal dream job, think about your hobbies, volunteer or summer work, part-time experience, and even academic classes. Which did you enjoy and what are the themes that characterize these different situations? Do you prefer tasks that involve working with people and creativity (e.g., school play or arts and crafts counselor at camp)? Do you like organizing things and paying attention to details? Do you like working with your hands but also enjoy science? It is important to note that individuals often have 2-3 different interests and many careers will involve various tasks. You want to find something that includes your unique combination of interests.
Psychological testing when conducted by a qualified career counselor can also help determine what careers you might like. However, sometimes you just need to take your best guess and try something. You may not be able to try out being a nurse without committing to a few years of school, but you can take a single anatomy class and find a part-time job as a nursing assistant. Any job, class, volunteer opportunity, book, home project, etc. can be an opportunity to learn more about which career you might enjoy. Finally, it is important to remember that people are not the best prognosticators of what makes them happy. Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert studies this extensively and found that people generally misjudge the impact of all sorts of decisions and events. For example, a lottery winner might be very happy for a couple of months or weeks but will soon return to their baseline. Surprisingly, paraplegics (those paralyzed completely from the neck down) are on average just as happy as everyone else. So take your best guess and try something.
3. Think about your skills and abilities
You don't necessarily need to be the best at your job, but you don`t want to choose a career that isn`t a match for your skills. Think about what you excelled in at school. Many of the ideas discussed above about assessing your interests are useful here too. Think about hobbies, jobs, and projects. Are you good at computers? Fixing things? Math? Choosing colors? All of these can be translated into different careers. Besides technical skills, it is also important to consider your “soft” skills, which are personal attributes that enhance an individual’s interactions and job performance and are shared between many jobs. For example, are you timely and hard-working, or like to do things at your own pace? Do you work better when you are following or giving orders? Do you like specific instructions or are you comfortable defining your own goals and methods?
Think about your communication skills, your ability to quickly establish positive relationships, and your ability to make others comfortable around you. Can you be aggressive and decisive? Can you motivate and direct others? Different careers require different sets of soft skills and these are often more important than technical ability. For example, a business manager needs to be more aggressive, decisive, and good at directing others, while a social worker needs to be more patient, understanding, and good at understanding others. Sometimes it’s hard for us to see where we excel. Ask your parents, other family members, friends, or teachers what they think. Their ideas might surprise you! Finally, there are some circumstances in which accurately and precisely assessing ability is very important. If you have struggled significantly in past jobs/classes and are unsure what your strengths and weaknesses are, or if you have significant cognitive, sensory, attentional, or mental health needs, find a competent career professional who can help you maximize your chance of succeeding.
4. Don't neglect the practical
After all this work, you may have finally found the perfect career. You are interested, excited, and confident that you have the skills and will succeed. One problem, the career is in camel husbandry and the only jobs available are in Sudan. Practical considerations are very important and often require compromise. Every career has downsides and upsides. If you focus only on the downsides, you can cross everything off your list for a legitimate reason. Nothing is perfect or even close to perfect. You need to balance the plus and minus and consider the practical implications of your choice. Talk to several people in the field with various levels of experience and find out:
What is the training or schooling like?
How easy is it to find a job?
What do people get paid at entry level?
What are typical hours and work conditions?
What kind of advancement is possible?
What do you wish you would have known before you started?
Also, think about personal practical details. Can you afford to spend that much time in school? Will your family be willing to sacrifice for it? Are you willing to commute? Will you be happy with that kind of pay? Do you have connections in the field? Addressing these practical concerns can make or break your career choice. But remember, as you will most likely be switching jobs at some point, the most important factor in the beginning is personal growth. If a job provides great training or experience, it will set you up for a more productive and enjoyable career in the long term.
5. Discover your strengths and interests
Career seeking can be stressful, but is also an opportunity for self-discovery and growth. While it is an important decision, do not spend years figuring this out. Career choice is not a one-time event, but rather a lengthy and unfolding process. You can and will adjust things as you go along, so the most important thing is to get started. You need to assess your interests, your skills, and the practical considerations. Look at your past experiences, consult with others, consider professional testing or counseling, but most importantly gather more data by trying things. Teach yourself a new skill, take an interesting course, shadow someone at work, volunteer, and look for a part-time or entry-level job in the field. Finally, keep in mind that your interests and skills are dynamic characteristics that largely reflect your experience. Just like other areas of life, the fastest way to develop career interests and skills is by deliberately committing to a career and working hard to develop them. Good luck!
By Steven Tzvi Pirutinsky, Professor at Touro's Graduate School of Social Work
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/5-steps-to-choosing-a-career-path.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/5StepsCareerChoice.jpg
September 07, 2022
269618
COVID-19 has Anxiety and Depression on the Rise. Here’s Why It’s Happening — And How Social Workers Can Help
Mental Health in the COVID Era: The Rising Challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in anxiety and depression worldwide. This article examines the causes behind this mental health crisis and highlights the pivotal role of social workers in addressing it. From navigating grief and economic strains to tackling long-term health impacts, learn how social workers are essential in guiding individuals and communities towards healing and resilience in these unprecedented times.
Nearly three years into the global COVID-19 pandemic, the toll it’s taking on our mental health is intensifying.
According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of anxiety and depression has increased 25% worldwide in the wake of the pandemic. In the United States, the outlook is even more extreme. An article by Boston College about COVID-19's toll on mental health found anxiety up 50% and depression up 44% among American adults. Among younger adults, aged 18-29, rates of both conditions were up over 60%.
COVID-19 has turned our world upside down in so many ways. Why, specifically, are we seeing such a huge surge in depression and anxiety right now? There are many reasons.
Complex Grief
Grieving the loss of a loved one is always hard, but it’s even harder during a global pandemic. Many people were not able to say goodbye to their loved ones in person, and funeral and memorial services have frequently been limited or canceled completely. According to an article by Scientific American, the COVID-19 pandemic has put many people at risk of experiencing intense and prolonged grief that can make daily life unmanageable.
Illness and Unhealthy Routines
Getting sick and being unable to live your normal life can be a depressing experience, even under normal circumstances. But for those coping with long COVID or post-COVID conditions, the situation can be even more upsetting than normal. Little is known about the long-term impact of these conditions, and that uncertainty makes coping a lot harder than dealing with a common flu or cold. More than one million Americans may now be facing a long-term disability as a result of a COVID-19 infection.
We also know that during the pandemic, many people’s alcohol use increased and sleep patterns struggled. Heavy drinking and sleeplessness are also factors than can contribute to worsening mental health.
Economic Struggles
Money troubles — getting laid off, losing work, or being unable to work due to a new disability — are also a big driver of anxiety. COVID-related economic uncertainty is unlikely to go away any time soon. As companies continue to reel, adapt, and chart an uncertain future, workers are at increased risk of unemployment and tough economic circumstances, which can adversely affect mental health.
Everyday Uncertainty
Even if a person hasn’t been impacted by any of these specific circumstances, the everyday uncertainty of navigating life during a disruptive, life-threatening global pandemic can be enough to put a person’s mental health on the decline. More Americans than ever are reporting regularly experiencing fear, sadness, loneliness, and worry.
So, what can be done to support this newly stressed and depressed population? Social workers are poised to help in unique ways.
Social work is all about supporting individuals and communities through hardships and challenges. Social workers use their professional expertise to advocate for people who need it and help them tangibly change their circumstances for the better. Whether in an office, a school, or a hospital, social workers work directly with clients, as well as within larger structural systems, to create meaningful change.
To turn the tide of these alarming trends, it’ll take a lot more people stepping up to be part of the solution. A Master’s Degree in Social Work is a great place to start. See how you can help improve community mental health and well-being by becoming a social worker.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/covid-19-has-anxiety-and-depression-on-the-rise-heres-why-its-happening--and-how-social-workers-can-help.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/CovidMentalHealth.jpg
January 04, 2023
269599
Top 5 Interview Prep Tips
Mastering the Art of Interviewing: Essential Strategies for Standing Out
Your opportunity is finally here. You received a call-back from an employer, and they want you to come for an interview! This is great news and an incredible opportunity, but you are likely one of several candidates who reached this stage. You need to prepare to make sure that your interview makes you stand out from the rest of the pack. Here are the top five interview prep tips to help you land that job.
1. Schedule to arrive one hour early
The quickest and surest way to ruin an interview is to arrive late. All your excuses about bad traffic or delayed trains will likely fall on deaf ears. I always advise students to schedule to arrive one hour before the interview. That way even with a horrible commute or unforeseen circumstances, they will still arrive on time.
2. Never show up TOO early
While you should schedule to arrive one hour early, you should actually walk in between 5-10 minutes early. People are busy, and it is very uncomfortable for employers to have applicants sitting around for long periods of time. If you arrive early, confirm that you have the right location and make sure you know the security procedures, and then kill your time at a local coffee shop (just remember that coffee and many foods can stain your clothes and teeth, so be careful).
3. Wear appropriate professional dress
It is essential that you are appropriately dressed for an interview. In most cases that will mean that you dress in formal business attire (such as a suit). However, it is very important to really know the company. Many tech-based start-ups are less formal and will view a suit as an indication that you are not the right fit for their culture. Look up a number of senior employees on LinkedIn and make your decision based on how they are dressed in their profile pictures.
4. Present yourself professionally
There is so much more to your professional persona than how you are dressed. Little things like clean and trim nails, fresh breath and neat hair can make a huge difference. Weather is no excuse! It doesn’t matter if it is hot and humid or pouring rain, you need to make sure that you present yourself dry, calm, cool and collected. A quick check in a bathroom mirror before you walk in can make a HUGE difference! This is another reason that arriving early can give you a big advantage.
5. Prepare!
Interviewing is not intuitive and you do get better at it with practice. If your school has a Career Services office, come to them for assistance. Study standard interview questions and strategies for answering them. Be confident in yourself. Work on your eye contact, your posture and eliminating any distracting habits (like twirling you hair or tapping your pen). Practice your answers with a friend or spouse (or in the worst case scenario, in front of a mirror) so you get a feel for how you sound.
By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-5-interview-prep-tips.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/blogs/InterviewSuccessGuide.jpg
May 05, 2023
269590
Five Exciting Ways AI Technology is Transforming Healthcare
AI's Groundbreaking Impact in Modern Healthcare
Discover how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the landscape of medical services and patient care. This article explores the significant ways AI technologies, including machine learning, robotics, and virtual reality, are revolutionizing healthcare.
It’s never been a more exciting time to build a career in healthcare! Thanks to AI technologies like machine learning (ML), robotics, and virtual reality, the field is transforming at a rapid pace – and breakthroughs that seemed impossible just a few years ago are now happening regularly. It’s no wonder that AI investment is a priority for 60% of healthcare leaders according to the Philips Future Health Index 2022 report.
While experts agree that it’s highly unlikely that AI or ML will become sophisticated enough to replace humans any time in the near future, these tools certainly have the capability to reduce the burden on healthcare professionals and support them to do their jobs more effectively. AI can quickly sift through massive amounts of data to provide insights and predictions, automate administrative tasks like record-keeping, optimize treatment plans, and much more. From surgical robots to rehabilitation wearables to virtual waiting rooms, here are five incredible ways that AI is changing healthcare and helping medical professionals improve – and save – patient lives.
1. Robotics
The idea of using robotics in healthcare isn’t new, but the applications are becoming more innovative – and more widely available – every day. In fact, what was once highly specialized technology that was only found in operating rooms or labs is now something many people keep in their pockets or wear on their wrists. Fall detection technology, heart rate sensors, step counters, and other physical monitors found in smart phones and smart watches are all powered by AI and robotics!
In addition to the “cool” factor, which encourages people to purchase and use these tools, wearables makes it easier for nurses to monitor patients by providing real-time data over a continuous period of time. Using this steady stream of information, nurses can make more accurate diagnoses, identify potential chronic conditions, and even offer specific suggestions for how patients can change their behaviors for better health.
This robotic wearable technology is also used in orthotics, prosthetics, and exoskelotons, which incorporate sensors and deep machine learning to assist in rehabilitation for people with mobility issues caused by stroke, injury, or normal aging. Worn physically on the body, these devices optimize movement, develop strength, and provide stability, supporting physical therapists and occupational therapists in their efforts to help patients to recover and regain independence.
AI robotics is also taking a more prominent place in the operating room. While surgeons have long had the ability to physically control robotic devices to maneuver into hard-to-reach places or perform delicate procedures, new surgical robotics have the ability to execute a series of preprogrammed tasks. In some cases, they remain fully under the control of the surgeon, and in others, the surgeon complements the tasks being performed by the robot, so the robot essentially becomes a surgical assistant.
The potential for healthcare robotics is also expanding exponentially with the rise of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), which have applications for both patients and doctors. Patients can step into a real or imaginary world to interact with 3D models and complete specific tasks that improve motor functions or manage pain, doctors can practice procedures and perfect their technique in a VR world, and AR can enhance MRI or CT data or provide images or support during surgery.
2. Natural Language Processing
Natural Language Processing is another exciting area in which AI is transforming healthcare and improving patient outcomes. Essentially a translator between humans and computers, NLP allows computers to understand human language – including written text and audio collected by a microphone – by converting it into code that other computers can easily analyze.
Before NLP, all the notes that doctors, nurses, lab technicians, physical therapists, or other providers wrote or recorded during patient visits were considered unstructured data – written text that couldn’t be understood by computers and therefore often went unused. However, with NLP, healthcare workers can now add these notes to patient records in a way that allows this data to be processed and analyzed by engines and machine learning algorithms.
This additional data gives healthcare providers a clearer picture of a patient’s overall health, leading to better results. Computers are able to “read” exactly what a patient shared in their own words, interpret the conversation, and analyze the context. From there, it can pull together details that otherwise would have been missed, spot conditions that were improperly coded, provide nuanced insight into a patient’s health, and make records easier to search.
In addition to improving individual healthcare outcomes, NLP is also accelerating research and leading to faster, more effective treatment options. Pharmaceutical and biotech companies have successfully used NLP to sift through mounds of clinical data, looking for patterns, trends, and other information that has led to breakthroughs in medical treatments and therapies.
3. Machine Learning
Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that allows computers to use data and algorithms in order to learn in the same way that humans do. Since the healthcare industry generates massive amounts of data, machine learning tools can drastically reduce the burden on everyone working in healthcare by analyzing that data faster and drawing more accurate conclusions that result in better diagnoses and treatments.
Due to this speed and efficiency, machine learning has been widely adopted in the healthcare industry. Computers are now used to comb through electronic health records looking for patterns and insights, allowing doctors and scientists to focus on interpreting what they find and using that information to make predictions. The way scientists were able to identify pending outbreaks of COVID-19 by analyzing wastewater samples is a great example of machine learning in action.
This predictive application of machine learning also allows doctors to use a patient’s makeup to determine which procedures or treatments are most likely to be successful – which is known as precision medicine. Machine learning can even be used to “learn” the difference between cancerous and healthy tissue, build predictive models that optimize drug development, and spot early signs of chronic disease – before patients have started showing symptoms.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, and the potential for machine learning to improve lives is unlimited. Deep learning frameworks are being created that assess a patient’s physical therapy performance and give it an object grade, so PTs are better able to monitor recovery and adjustment treatment plans. A system called TikTalk uses AI and ML to customize child speech therapy, providing personalized word lists and real-time feedback. Eventually, machine learning will likely touch nearly every aspect of medicine.
4. Chatbots and Beyond
There’s no question AI is transforming healthcare in ways that allow for more accurate diagnoses, more effective treatments, and improved outcomes, but it’s also improving the entire patient experience, which translates to higher quality care. Experts agree that when patients are more satisfied, they’re more likely to be engaged with their care – and that leads to better health management and better results.
One of the biggest advancements in healthcare involving AI is the chatbot. While healthcare chatbots have been around for more than 50 years, they’ve exploded in popularity in the last decade, and the industry is projected to have a value of nearly $950 billion by 2030. Most commonly used to check symptoms, schedule appointments, and provide medical information, healthcare chatbots can be accessed anytime and virtually anywhere, making them much more convenient for patients.
Along with chatbots, there are other exciting innovations that improve the patient experience – like Mend’s Enhanced Virtual Waiting Room. Telehealth providers can opt for the EVWR to engage waiting patients with a media library that includes TED talks, health information, and wellness videos.
Mend also has created an AI/Machine Learning technology-based platform that can use the web camera on a phone or computer to obtain FDA-approved vital signs while a patient waits for a digital or in-person appointment to begin. That means that instead of sitting around impatiently, patients can actively take their own blood pressure, heart rate, breathing assessment, and cardiac workload via Mend’s web cam technology as part of the digital check in process, turning waiting into productive use of wait time.
5. Automated Administration
Although slightly less glamorous than surgical robots or web cams that take vital signs, AI technology is also streamlining healthcare administration by taking care of mundane tasks like patient summaries and billing. In fact, it’s estimated that 40% of healthcare support staff tasks and 33% of practitioner tasks can potentially be automated, giving doctors, nurses, and therapists more time to take care of patients.
Automation is already being used to reduce the administrative burden for medical professionals. Through robotic process automation (RPA), computer programs equipped with machine learning, known as “software robots,” are used for everything from admitting patients to updating records to processing billing claims. Incredibly, use of RPA has been shown to eliminate up to 70% of the repetitive tasks associated with routine claims – while also reducing turnaround time by as much as 85%.
These are just some of the ways AI is transforming healthcare and delivering improvements for patients and providers alike – and more exciting changes are on the way! As technology evolves, AI has the potential to automate more tasks to reduce the burden on healthcare professionals and create ever-more-accurate predictions that lead to better pharmaceuticals, individualized treatment plans, and improved outcomes for patients. Working alongside AI, doctors, nurses, technicians, occupational and physical therapists and researchers will have more capacity and capability to do what they do best: focus on their patients and create the kinds of human interactions that save lives.
Touro
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September 12, 2023
272877
Top 5 Career Damaging Social Media Mistakes
Steering Clear of Common Social Media Pitfalls with Expert Advice from a Career Success Director
Social media's power in shaping careers is undeniable, yet a single misstep can have serious consequences. Learn about five critical social media errors to avoid. This guide aims to help you use social media wisely to enhance rather than harm your career prospects.
Social media may be the most powerful employment tool in history. It enables students to engage employers and establish a unique brand and professional persona in a manner that is truly unprecedented. However, that power can be a blessing or a curse. Negative, potentially career-damaging content can be spread to thousands with the simple click of a button. Caution is the order of the day.
Here are the top 5 career-damaging social media mistakes you MUST avoid:
1) Posting inappropriate content or pictures:
A party picture among friends or an inside joke may seem innocent, but you never know what may go viral. There is no real context to social media posts, so you must always consider how a picture or a comment would be received by an employer if seen absent of any context. Do NOT post anything that does not make you look professional. It may be the ONLY thing your potential employer sees about you!
2) Speaking negatively about your school or employer:
You may be very upset by a grade you received, or believe that you were treated unfairly in an internship, but do NOT post that information on social media. Once again, there is no context here, and a potential employer will not take kindly to these kinds of posts. Every company worries about its online brand, so your willingness to post negative comments will be seen by an employer as an indication that you would do the same if you worked for them. That is a risk they do not want to take.
3) Getting involved in political discussions:
People can be so passionate about their politics. It seems so natural to engage in political debate online, especially when someone posts something that you find extremely infuriating. The problem is that you can be sure that someone else will find your political opinions equally infuriating. Politics triggers a lot of emotion and an employer or hiring manager may turn you down simply based on a political disagreement. Unless you work in politics, steer clear of this topic on social media!
4) Being too pushy:
Social media is a great way to engage people in real time. Sometimes, however, because we are not calling or emailing someone directly, we don’t realize how aggressive constant social media engagement can be. People don’t like pushy salesman, be it in-person or online. Don’t keep badgering that hiring manager across social media channels. Remember that you are asking for something from them. Give them time to respond. Texting or direct messaging people you do not know well will be seen as overly aggressive. My rule of thumb; if the recipient of text would ask “who is this?” then that is NOT a person you should be texting.
5) Being passive:
Will Rogers once said “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” Social media is an investment of time and effort. Respond when people reach out to you, even if you don’t see immediate employment value in that relationship. In addition, don’t let your social media accounts sit stagnant for long periods of time. Make sure to update your LinkedIn, Twitter and even Facebook accounts so that people see that you are active. That makes them much more likely to engage and interact with you!By Chaim Shapiro, Touro's Director of the Office for Student Success
Touro
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January 30, 2024
179008
Touro’s Eighth Annual Research Day Brings Together Experts from Across Schools and Disciplines
Event Highlights Autism and Student-Led Research
The breathtaking scope of Touro College was on display during the school’s eighth annual college-wide Research Day held at Touro’s Harlem Campus on May 7.
More than 200 students and faculty members attended the event which featured 167 poster research presentations across a wide array of disciplines—from an analysis of cognitive impairments caused by concussions in NHL players to barriers in employment for Asian social workers to the effects of isolated attention on motor and cognitive performance.
This year’s Research Day was sponsored by Operant Systems Inc. and Designs for Vision.
“Touro’s reach, both in terms of academic offerings and experiential community-based learning opportunities is unparalleled, and we are determined to explore and further develop a wide array of applied and theoretical knowledge,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro College. He called the conference, “the harbinger of better research to come out of the institution.”
Participating Touro schools included Lander College of Arts and Sciences (LAS), Lander College for Women—the Ann Ruth and Mark Hasten School, Lander College for Men, School of Health Sciences, New York School of Career and Applied Studies, Touro Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem and Middletown, Touro College of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Business, Touro College of Dental Medicine, Graduate School of Education, Graduate School of Jewish Studies and Graduate School of Social Work.
The event focused on autism and featured speeches by two leading researchers, Marvin Natowicz, M.D., Ph.D., medical geneticist and clinical pathologist at the Cleveland Clinic and professor of Pathology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, and Susan Courey, Ph.D., program chair of childhood and special education at Touro College’s Graduate School of Education. In addition, earlier in the day a small symposium of autism researchers from across the college took place, where those researchers were able to share knowledge about their research and seek opportunities for collaboration.
“In light of Touro’s scholarly diversity, we decided to have our speakers focus on different elements of autism, both from a biomedical perspective and from an educational research outlook,” said Salomon Amar, D.D.S., Ph.D., Touro’s Provost for Biomedical Research.
During his speech, Dr. Natowicz, a renowned expert in neurodevelopment, delivered a wide-ranging and comprehensive medical perspective of autism, from the condition’s first diagnosis in the 1940’s to the most recent and cutting-edge analysis of the phenotypes involved in the disorder.
Dr. Courey offered audience members a first-hand look at how parents dealt with the diagnosis; their fears for their children as well as their aspirations for their future. Dr Courey also offered practical advice for classroom and home management techniques for children with autism.
“Many parents—once they accept that their child has the condition—talk about their child’s strengths,” said Dr. Courey. “They say they wouldn’t have had it any other way.’
This year’s conference was also the first to grant awards to student-led research projects honoring papers in two different categories: Biomedical, Health and Natural Sciences; and Arts, Humanities, Social, Behavioral and Educational Sciences. TouroCOM Middletown students Tabina Syed, Maisie Orsillo and April Perez-Moore received first place for their paper, “Recommendations for a Protocol-based Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment as Adjunctive Therapy for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.” Lander College for Women student Elana Friedman, who worked with TCOP’s (Touro College of Pharmacy) Dr. Zvi Loewy, took second place with her paper “Chemical Effects on Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilm Dispersion,” which looked at the effect of common denture cleaners on dispersing oral biofilms, colonies of harmful microorganisms in the mouth.
In the latter category, Evelin Stavnitser, of New York School of Career and Applied Studies, received the first-place prize for her paper, “Preliminary Analysis of Self-Stimulating Behavior in Conversation.” Touro College of Medicine in Middletown students Johnny Truong and Mason Thornton received second place for their paper, “A Cast Study of Somatic Conversion.”
The best papers published in 2017 by faculty members, as judged by the Touro faculty members that make up the Touro College Research Collaborative, were also given awards divided into the same categories. TouroCOM Harlem professor Mikhail Volokitin, DO, received first place for “Osteopathic Philosophy and Manipulation Enhancement Program: Influence on Osteopathic Medical Students’ Interest in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine,” published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. Steven Pirutinsky, Ph.D., of Touro’s Graduate School of Work, received first place in the Arts and Humanities category for, “A Paradigm to Assess Implicit Attitudes Towards God: The Positive/Negative Associations Task,” published in Journal of Religion and Health.
Poster Presentations
After the keynote speeches, students and faculty members mingled by their poster presentations in a cross-disciplinary exchange of ideas in the TouroCOM Harlem hallways.
“It’s important for people to challenge your conclusions,” said School of Health Sciences Doctor of Physical Therapy candidate Daniel Vapne, who together with fellow DPT student Pat Pasquini spoke about their research on the use of a smartphone app to measure joint mobility. “It allows you to refine your ideas to the best version of itself.”
LCW student Rachel Pacht, along with LCW's Dr. Randi Sherman, looked at the correlation between Biblical Hebrew literacy skills developed in Jewish schools and Modern Hebrew fluency among Orthodox Jewish college students. Their results indicated that students with weak Biblical Hebrew skills tended to have equally weak Modern Hebrew skills. However, strong Biblical literacy skills did not correlate with strong Modern Hebrew skills. "The curriculum in Orthodox schools is mostly reading and writing and that can teach you how to read and write a language, but it won't teach you how to speak it," said Pacht.
An enterprising group of TouroCOM Harlem students studied the perception future DOs had on alternative medicine like acupuncture, reiki and dietary supplements. “It was a polarizing subject,” admitted Ana Christina Reyes. “The more people understood about alternative medicine the less negatively they viewed it.”
“Touro’s really special when it comes to research,” said OMS I Alex Over. “DO schools have a bad rap when it comes to doing research, but Touro has slam-dunked every research opportunity.”
SHS DPT candidates Brandon Bullock, Annelise Delemarie and Seth Power looked at the effects of aerobic exercise for avoiding a secondary stroke. They found that simple exercise reduced blood pressure, “Traditionally, PT doesn’t focus on aerobic exercise, but it might be something we should consider.”
Research Day was an opportunity for Emily Lisanto, a student at SHS’s Physician Assistant program, Bay Shore (NUMC extension) program. “I always wanted to continue the research I did during my undergraduate years,” said Lisanto. “Research Day allows me to network and meet other researchers in the field.”
Marilyn Flores and Nini Katchiuri, of TCOP studied the effects of a drug for pancreatic cancer. The study indicated that the drug could prolong life for a year, but at an enormous financial cost. “It helped people, but it’s very expensive,” said Flores.
“Research Day is really good networking for us,” Katchiuri pointed out. “It’s good to communicate with other researchers.”
OMS I Shelia Krishnan presented a poster she delivered at the Experimental Biology conference in Orlando. During a routine dissection, she discovered an extra lobe (or accessory lobe) on the left lung in one of the cadavers. While an initial assumption assumed that this was a factor in the individuals’ death, Krishna discovered that the unnecessary lobe had, in fact, been harmless. “Someone comes in with an extra lobe in their lungs, it might look like a tumor, but they might not need to excise it,” said Krishnan.
Johnny Truong and Mason Thornton of TouroCOM Middletown wrote up a case study on a patient they encountered on their rounds who suffered from somatic disorder, an inability to use a limb despite having no physical illness.
“It’s rare to have a case like this that you end up treating as an in-patient,” said Truong, who received an award from the Research Day organizers. “The patient’s recovery took 108 days. You need to examine the underlying causes of something like this.”
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June 05, 2019
271640
Touro University Announces New Associate Provost for AI
Dr. Shlomo Argamon to Integrate Artificial Intelligence into 30-Plus Programs Across 18 Campuses
In the last decade, artificial intelligence broke out of the realm of science fiction into real life, spurring endless headlines and debate among pundits, politicians and scholars over its uses—and its dangers. In 2024, Touro University will take a lead in addressing—and shaping—AI’s impact on higher education by appointing American-Israeli computer scientist Dr. Shlomo Engelson Argamon, as the nation’s first Associate Provost for Artificial Intelligence.
“Too often, academia and industry merely react to advancements in technology,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, president of Touro University. “Touro has decided to take a proactive role to address AI’s promises and challenges now and for the future.”
“We looked nationally for someone who could ensure that our growing university system is capable of anticipating and harnessing AI’s potential,” Kadish said. “Dr. Argamon brings three decades of research into AI and related fields as well as a history of academic entrepreneurship—building programs, such as one of the country’s early master’s programs in data science; developing partnerships between disciplines, such as his work in the digital humanities—using computer tools to advance scholarship in literature and related departments; and fostering effective collaboration academia and the private sector.”
In the newly-created role, Argamon will lead the formation of University-wide policies and programs to integrate AI throughout all of Touro’s 30-plus undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. His responsibilities will include creating courses and course materials that teach relevant techniques and concepts within each area of study; developing undergraduate courses and concentrations, as well as certificate and graduate degree programs in artificial intelligence. He will activate best practices and proven methodologies governing AI use within the university setting, from ensuring academic integrity to supporting struggling students to personalizing the educational experience.
Argamon will also lead efforts to use AI for improving the University system’s functioning, such as utilizing forecasting and data analytics to streamline student recruitment, budgeting, curricular planning and other administrative functions.
“With this new effort, Touro University will emerge as a national leader in the use of AI’s power to educate and support our students and improve the University’s operations,” Kadish said.
“When President Kadish first approached me with his vision, I was thrilled. We have a chance to be the tip of the spear in applying the promise of AI to all aspects of higher education,” said Argamon.
“In many ways, Touro already is a model of the 21st century university. Under President Kadish’s leadership, Touro focuses on what students need to launch themselves into a rapidly evolving marketplace and world,” continued Argamon. “And now, as one of the first universities to teach and use AI in a unified way throughout all our programs and operations, we will not only prepare our students for the new AI-powered workplace they will encounter on graduation, but to be lifelong learners who can adapt to the accelerating rate of change that AI will engender.”
The new associate provost also holds a faculty appointment as professor of computer science.
Professor Argamon earned a B.S. at Carnegie-Mellon, and an M.Phil and Ph.D from Yale University. He did post-doctoral work at the University of Chicago and Rutgers University and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship at Bar-Ilan University. Argamon taught at Bar-Ilan and at the Jerusalem College of Technology before joining the computer science faculty of the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2002. He served as department chair there from 2019-2023 and founded Illinois Tech’s master’s program in data science.
Argamon was the Aston University Distinguished Lecturer in Forensic Linguistics in 2014 and is a Fellow of the British Computer Society, as well as a fellow at the Brain Sciences Foundation in Providence, RI. He has served as an advisor to numerous high-tech companies and start-ups, and has provided expert opinions in multiple legal cases. Professor Argamon’s research uses machine learning and computational linguistics for authorship and text analysis with application to fields as diverse as counter-terrorism, criminal investigations, humanities scholarship and healthcare/biomedical informatics.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-university-announces-new-associate-provost-for-ai.php
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January 04, 2024
266950
A Fascinating Memoir Sheds Light on Jewish Life in the 19th Century
New Book from Touro University Press Chronicles the Day-to-Day Life Experiences of a Shochet in Ukraine and Crimea
Touro University Press has just released a newly-translated autobiography, The Shochet: A Memoir of Jewish Life in Ukraine and Crimea, which promises to be a landmark addition to the field of Jewish and Eastern European history. This intriguing volume, authored by Pinkhes-Dov Goldenshteyn, and meticulously translated by Michoel Rotenfeld, associate director of libraries for Touro University, offers an eye-opening glimpse into late 19th- and early 20th-century Tsarist Russia through the life of a man whose story was, until recently, only known to a few Yiddish-speaking scholars.
Set against the turbulent backdrop of Ukraine and Crimea, Goldenshteyn's memoir chronicles his experiences growing up as an orphaned traditional Jew. But his story is more than a personal account; it is an expansive panorama of an era. The narrative is a mosaic of vivid characters and scenarios—tales of communal life (including encounters with prominent Hasidic Rebbes and rabbis), persecution and poverty, familial bonds, religious practices, social classes and local politics.
Rotenfeld was fascinated by the original Yiddish memoir from the moment he began to read it. He says, “Apart from Goldenshteyn’s autobiography being a page-turner, a major part of its appeal to me is his detailed description of every aspect of traditional daily life. Also, this work is one of the very few 19th-century autobiographies to be written by a Jewish traditionalist from the poorer classes. Most of them were written by middle class followers of the Jewish Enlightenment Movement, who broke away from tradition and are either scathingly critical of traditional life or are overly nostalgic for a traditional way of life which was disappearing. Goldenshteyn’s account offers a fascinating glimpse into the past not obtained elsewhere.”
The Shochet offers a historical account that is rich in detail, making it an invaluable resource for scholars, historians and anyone interested in understanding the complexities of Eastern European life during this period.
Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, university professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought at Yeshiva University, comments: “This is a remarkable book, brimming with much information about East European traditional Jewish life in the second half of the 19th century… Special commendation goes to Michoel Rotenfeld for providing an excellent translation, comprehensive introduction and detailed notes for this volume which, for him, is clearly a labor of love. This book contains a treasure trove of information for the scholar and will provide hours of reading pleasure for the layman.”
Order The Shochet: A Memoir of Jewish Life in Ukraine and Crimea: Volume I on Academic Studies Press.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/a-fascinating-memoir-sheds-light-on-jewish-life-in-the-19th-century.php
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October 31, 2023
267045
Bringing Clarity to Complexity
At Elland Road Partners, Lander College for Women Alumna Hannah Rubin Turns Data into Stories
As a writer and strategist at the communications consultancy Elland Road Partners, Lander College for Women alumna Hannah Rubin spends her days absorbing information and shaping it into clear and usable copy— case studies, newsletters, featured stories, website copy, reports —for clients across a range of industries. Much of her work involves entering unfamiliar territory, learning quickly, and translating complex material into language that clients and readers can understand.
“It’s part strategy, part reporting, and part writing,” she said. “We’re learning how companies operate and then articulating their work in compelling ways.”
Rubin says that ability to dive into something new, rapidly master the subject, and present it clearly to others is a skill she first developed as an English major at LCW. “I learned to read closely and think analytically,” she said. ““Themes, tones, culture, word choice, structure — literary analysis train you to pay attention to those details. That has helped me in the work I do, to dig down and not be afraid to ask questions.”
Originally from Wesley Hills, N.Y., Rubin began her college career at Touro Israel, which she described as a strong entry point into higher education. What appealed to her about LCW was both the academic seriousness and the environment itself. “I liked the idea of a community of serious, ambitious female students who came from similar backgrounds and religious commitments.”
Her current work is very different than where she originally thought her career would take her. Rubin did not initially plan on studying literature. She began college as a math major, drawn to what seemed like a practical professional pathway. “I thought I would become an actuary,” she said. “In my first semester as a math major something shifted and I started to rethink my career choice.” Writing had always been part of her life, and after speaking with Dr. Zarnowiecki, chair of the LCW Language and Literature department, Rubin switched her major to English literature. “It was a pretty radical departure,” she said. “I didn’t know where I would end up, but I hoped to build a career where writing was central.”
Rubin threw herself into her new field, studying literature from the Renaissance through Victorian and Modernist periods. She also took a class in Holocaust literature that left a deep impression. Writers such as Primo Levi and Tadeusz Borowski, she said, “were shattering”, and the experience stayed with her beyond the classroom.
As she neared graduation, a connection through Touro’s career services office helped Rubin clarify her next step. She was introduced to Elland Road Partners, a firm run by veteran editorial professionals and went for an informational interview. They offered her a summer internship, and after finishing her final semester, she stayed on. Rubin, who graduated as LCW’s valedictorian in 2020, has now been with the firm for six years.
Over time, Rubin has worked with clients across the media, real estate, health care, nonprofit, and technology sectors. She has created communications assets for organizations such as Crain’s New York Business, Delta Air Lines, and Hudson Yards, and more recently has taken on sustainability-focused work with Trellis, where she has had to immerse herself in the language of decarbonization and environmental metrics. The challenge, she said, is being thrown into fields that are unfamiliar. “But that’s what makes the work interesting” Rubin said. “It keeps me on my toes.”
Outside of client work, Rubin continues to write when she can. Now living in New Jersey, with her young family, she says it has become harder to find the time for longer pieces, but the interest remains. She is drawn to cultural essays, particularly those that examine familiar aspects of Orthodox life with anthropological curiosity. Some of that work has appeared in outlets such as Tablet.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/bringing-clarity-to-complexity.php
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March 26, 2026
238335
Touro Trained Us to Listen and Lead
From Advocating for her Profession to Saving Lives on 9/11, PA Maryann Ramos Embodies Touro’s Values and the PA Spirit
On one of America’s darkest days, a Touro-trained PA was there to help the wounded and save the injured. 9/11 began as an ordinary day for physician assistant Maryann Ramos. A member of the Pentagon’s civilian workforce, she began seeing patients at seven-thirty on the morning of September 11. After several appointments, someone called her over to look at the television. Together, she and her coworkers watched in horror as a plane hit the Twin Towers. Then she heard a thud.
“When we walked out, I could see the smoke coming from the opposite end of the Pentagon across from us,” Ramos told the Greenwich Time paper. “It was big, black smoke that was gray on the outside. I didn’t know at first it was another plane. I thought it had been a bomb.”
While still in civilian clothing, she convinced officers to let her in to a cordoned off area and quickly went to work setting up triage services where she treated patients until she was relieved at six in the evening. Unique and terrifying as the day was, for Ramos it was a continuation of the work that began when she enrolled as a student in Touro’s first physician assistant class in 1972.
How Her Medical Career Began
Ramos always nurtured an interest in medicine but as a woman in the early seventies, her choices were limited. When she was a student in Fordham University, she made a deal with a fellow student, the man who eventually became her husband. “We talked about our professions,” said Ramos. “I would help him become a psychologist, get his PhD, and then he would help me become a physician.”
When Maryann met with the dean at Rutgers’ medical school, he told her she was too old to start medical school, and a mother. “It was 1969,” Maryann laughs. When a friend told her about Touro’s nascent PA program, Ramos saw her opportunity to enter the medical field and quickly applied.
“Touro was a wonderful place,” recalled Ramos. “They made sure that the physicians teaching us came from different subspecialties of medicine. Touro gave us a very broad education and it gave the true feeling that once we got on a floor or into a private practice, we could help with the team…we were going to be a positive asset. And I think that is still true today.”
The program was an intense one, made even more difficult by Ramos’s hour-and-a-half commute each way and her caregiving responsibilities with her husband for their two children. But she recalls the time fondly.
“It was exciting to learn medicine from active clinicians and to see how we as physician assistants could fit into the medical delivery system,” said Ramos. “The physicians that they chose to teach us were so focused on their knowledge and the transfer of that knowledge to us without hurdles. It was as if they were teaching medical students.”
After graduating, Ramos quickly found a position as the first PA in an 1100 bed VA hospital, both a testament to her abilities and the need for the brand-new addition to the medical practice. Functioning as the first member of a new profession was daunting, but Ramos dazzled. “Since I was the first PA in the hospital, I was representing the profession,” she recalled “I had to be the person that I wanted a good PA to be.”
A New Career in the Frontiers of Medicine
Ramos’ first position was in the pulmonary ward of the Brooklyn VA. There, she helped use what was a then-revolutionary way of scanning for cancerous tumors in patients’ lungs, the bronchoscopy. “This allowed us to look into the lung for cancerous tumors without cutting into the actual lungs,” she said. After a year, Ramos transferred to another VA hospital closer to her home in New Jersey.
Ramos’s abundant care and concern for her patients was clear from the start. She recalled a medical mystery that stumped the doctors in her unit. Veterans diagnosed with tuberculosis weren’t getting better despite the effective drugs used to treat the disease. The answer required Ramos to do some old-fashioned detective work and deduction. “I looked up their medications and discovered that the drugs were being broken down in their livers,” said Ramos. The veterans, she learned, were given three-day passes for the weekend since the drugs made TB untransmissible. “I looked at them and most of them used the pass after their Friday morning medicine and they’d hang out in bars to see their buddies and they’d end up drinking.”
“And even if they drank five drinks, that meant over the day, they weren't intoxicated necessarily, but their liver was busy detoxing any alcohol they had,” she explained. “So, the liver was being used elsewhere and it could not be used for the medications. I sat at least six of these young men down. And I said, here's what you need to do. I could send you to the psychiatrist. He or she could teach you how not to drink when you go and see your friends. And in three months or less, I think you would be sterile of all of the tuberculosis problems. And they did that, and they found they were getting better without the drinking.”
In gratitude the veterans bought her a watch. “It’s one of my medals,” said Ramos. “It reminds me that a good PA goes beyond just the diagnosis.”
Fighting for PAs Everywhere
While she worked in the VA, Ramos was a tireless advocate for the profession and her fellow PAs. She founded and led the New Jersey State Society for PAs. With funding from The American Academy of Physician Assistants, she lobbied legislators in the state to develop legislation codifying the rights and responsibilities of the profession.
“We were up against a barrage of advertising from nurses who initially viewed PAs skeptically,” said Ramos. “There were ads in the papers against PAs with headlines like, ‘70,000 nurses can't be wrong. The PA doesn't belong in New Jersey’.”
When she and her family moved to Connecticut, she worked with the Connecticut PA Society. “We wanted better laws for PAs in the whole state and also the ability for PAs to have prescriptive practice,” said Ramos. For her work in developing the PA profession in the state, she received a plaque from the state legislature.
“When I first started at the Brooklyn VA, they considered PAs lesser professionals,” said Ramos. “They didn't realize how well we were trained.” After her work in the VA hospital system, Ramos spent time working at Yale and teaching in the City University of New York. In 1993, she joined the Pentagon.
An Angel of the Pentagon
Ramos is still haunted by what she saw that day.
“One of our cases was a woman who was only 23,” said Ramos. “She had no blouse on her back since it had been burned off, probably by a blowback. Her skirt was intact since it wasn’t synthetic. But her legs had been burned so badly that the skin on them was hanging off. She died two days later, but I was able to get her to an ambulance so she could get seen in the hospital immediately. Those were the kind of things we saw until 7 p.m.”
Ramos was photographed treating US Army Captain Lincoln Leibner and the iconic image became the cover of the 2002 U.S. Medicine magazine.
When she retired from the Pentagon in 2008, Ramos received the Civilian Superior Performance medal. She also received an angel figure in a red, white, and blue blouse by a patient who described her as “the angel of the Pentagon.”
The Work of a PA is Never Done
Despite retiring, Ramos is still active. She is part of the Connecticut branch of the Medical Reserve Corps, a federal organization composed of 200,000 volunteers who respond to public health emergencies and participate in health-related activities.
She was called up to help during Hurricane Sandy and the recent Covid-19 pandemic. On the legislative front, Ramos is working to introduce proper PA legislation to Puerto Rico to help patients on the island.
“What I'm most proud of in my career is that I was able to make a difference with certain patients that didn't ever have anyone listen to them carefully,” concluded Ramos. “And so, I was able to get that [needed] information and refer them to the right person.”
“I wanted my patients to view me as a provider of preventive and curative medicine and someone that would listen to them. This started with Touro—they trained us to listen. I think Touro deserves the tip of a hat for being one of the first schools in New York City to have a PA program, and a vibrant one at that; a program that is continuing to this day. I'm just thrilled to be part of any commemoration that celebrates Touro.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-trained-us-to-listen-and-lead.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/fifty-anniversary/images/news-and-events/ramos1.jpg
August 16, 2022
Physician Assistant Program
264428
Early Detection for Mouth and Throat Cancers
New Test Shows Promise for Reducing Mortality, Touro and NYMC Researchers Contribute to Study
A new saliva test was found to be highly accurate in the early detection of oral and throat cancers, a breakthrough that could potentially reduce mortality rates for these cancers. The research was published in the journal Oral Oncology.
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (mouth cancer) and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (throat cancer) often go undetected in the early stages. More than 70% of oral cancers are detected in stages III or IV when the five-year survival rate drops to less than 50%. If they’re diagnosed early, the survival rate rises to 84%.
Early diagnosis of mouth and throat cancer has been difficult because it relies on a visual exam, typically by a dentist, but these cancers often have little to no symptoms in the early stages. Likewise, many people don’t have regular dental visits and the thoroughness of screenings varies by providers, especially in less developed nations, where oral cancer rates tend to be the highest.
If cancer is suspected, patients typically need to undergo an invasive biopsy, which runs the risk of hematomas and bleeding, and there’s an increased risk of metastasis if cancer cells are released into the bloodstream during the procedure.
Several diagnostic tools are available to help providers determine if a biopsy is needed, but there is no consensus on which are the most effective, and their accuracy is not high enough, ranging from about 80% to 88% accurate.
The research team, which includes Salomon Amar, D.D.S., Ph.D., provost for Biomedical Research at Touro University and Nevenka Dimitrova, Ph.D., adjunct associate professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology, at New York Medical College, in Valhalla, New York, was looking for an easier, more sensitive screening tool. They collaborated with Viome Life Sciences Inc. to develop a microbial and gene expression test called CancerDetect for Oral & Throat Cancer™, which simply uses saliva.
The study included people at higher risk of these cancers—those over 50 years of age or those who have a history of tobacco use. The saliva test results (negative or positive) were compared with the diagnoses of lesions that were discovered during a biopsy. The study found that the test had a 90% sensitivity (true positive rate) for oral cancer and 84.2% for throat cancer, at a specificity of 94% (true negative rate). The test was equally accurate for early-stage and later-stage cancers.
“This test has the potential to be used for early screening in primary care settings and in secondary care centers, reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies under some scenarios,” the authors wrote.
The non-invasive test, which has been fast-tracked by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), offers important advantages over existing diagnostic tests because of its high sensitivity and specificity. “It has the potential to identify patients for additional follow-up before their disease has progressed to be apparent in visual/tactile exams,” they wrote.
The American Cancer Society estimates about 54,000 new cases of oral cancer, leading to 11,230 deaths in the U.S. in 2022. In South/Southeast Asia, oral cancer is one of the top three cancers, and about half of all oral cancers occur in Asia.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/early-detection-for-mouth-and-throat-cancers.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2023/oralcancer.jpg
September 28, 2023
259681
Jews in Spain and Portugal: From Flourishing Legacy to Germinating Spore
Touro Students and Faculty Explore Jewish History on Summer Tour to Iberian Peninsula
This month, Dr. Karen Sutton, Holocaust historian and professor at Touro’s Lander College for Women, had the privilege of joining 85 Touro students and faculty from across all our campuses for a fascinating journey through the Iberian Peninsula. They explored the rich and heartbreaking Jewish history in Spain and Portugal and learned about the present-day rebirth of the Jewish community. Dr. Sutton shares her experiences here.
Over the course of ten days in July, a group of 85 Touro students and faculty trekked along winding cobblestone streets to encounter the remnants of once-thriving places of Jewish learning and worship. The knowledge that some of the most famous Jewish scholars and biblical commentators, like Maimonides, Yehuda Halevi and Ibn Ezra once studied and wrote in the very same places that we were standing upon, struck a deep chord. Under both Moslem and Christian rule, Jews were either converted, annihilated or expelled en masse. And yet, we were still here to travel, learn about and even re-establish Jewish communities throughout Spain and Portugal.
Although almost all the places of worship and residence had long become Christian, that week we became archeologists, excavating and unearthing Jewish sites and artifacts in our own minds. We envisioned how these places looked when they were thriving with Jewish life—the synagogues that once had beautiful stars of David mounted on their entrances rather than crosses, the sanctuaries that were filled with Hebrew prayer books rather than New Testament Bibles strewn along the pews. Most of all, we could envision our Sefer Torah in the holy ark behind a rich tapestry. This powerful image of a Jewish community bursting with Biblical learning and passion was somehow conveyed despite the now total lack of concrete evidence.
Throughout the trip, scholars and Touro professors such as Dr. Stanley Boylan, Dr. Israel Singer, Dr. Dana Fishkin and Esther Boylan lectured about both the horrors and splendors of Jewish literature and learning in medieval and early Renaissance Spain and Portugal. Although Jewish life in Spain ended with the Expulsion in Spain in 1492 and a few decades later in Portugal, we learned about how and when tiny Jewish communities returned and how vibrant Jewish communities are now being rebuilt, particularly in Portugal. The tour combined lectures and discussions with hands-on site visits and students expressed that this type of pedagogy as an optimum learning experience.
“The rich culture of Spain and Portugal that I was able to witness on this trip through all the places we visited was unmatched,” said Ruthy Hamadani, a psychology major at Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences in Brooklyn. “We all finished the trip with a very clear understanding of the history of the Jewish communities originating from this region. I’m so glad I had this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit these countries with Touro. I don’t know how to say thank you besides for promising to apply what I learned in the lectures and tours to my daily life.”
For me, the most compelling moment was in Madrid, at the arena of the auto-da-fe “act of faith” in Plaza Mayor located right above the Inquisition’s torture chambers. During the Spanish Inquisition, 32,000 Jews were convicted of being Marranos, or secretly practicing their religion, and burned at the stake for a period of over 200 years that began in 1480. As we envisioned the flames of the pyres and the incredible suffering of our brethren, we joined together to say Psalms as we tried to comfort each other and raise the souls of those who died there. At the time of the executions, the throngs of Christian spectators looked on with cheer and glee. For us, thankfully, it was just curiosity that our prayers and tears elicited from the onlookers, tourists of all religions.
A guided tour through the Prado Museum, where we saw the works of Diego Valesquez, was a cultural highlight of the trip to Spain. For many of us, the depiction of The Expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492 following the Alhambra Decree, by the Spanish artist Emilia Sala y Frances was an illustration of much of what we had been studying. In one awesome image, we were able to bear witness to one of the most dramatic episodes in the history of Spain and the Jews.
Flying from Lisbon to Porto, we began studying and touring sites of the Jews of Portugal, before, during and after the Inquisition. We traveled to the mountains of east Portugal to Trancoso, where Jews lived after the expulsion from Spain. The old Jewish quarter with its medieval walls and gates, Caso do Gatos Preto, is still decorated with the Lion of Judah. The Isaac Cardozo Jewish Centre for Jewish Culture preserved the Jewish legacy of this region, including a replica of a small synagogue. We continued to Belmonte, home of a Jewish community of crypto Jews that hid their faith for over 400 years. What is so incredible, is that their Christian neighbors did not turn them into Inquisition authorities, but kept their identity a secret. In the 20th century, these Jews were able to openly practice their Judaism and establish a synagogue. Praying there and visiting the town’s new Jewish Museum founded in 2015 was also an extremely powerful experience.
As a final sojourn, touring the former 15th century Jewish district of Lisbon and then seeing the very modern Chabad house and the foundations of a modern Jewish community, now about 5,000 strong, gave us a sense of the past, the present, and the continuity and strength needed to build a Jewish community. The Chabad Rabbi, Eli Rosenthal, noted that we “traveled more as family than a group.” I delivered the final lecture, on Sousa de Mendez and The Righteous Diplomats, bringing home the message that the diplomats recognized Jews as worthy to be saved as a people and as individuals.
Helping our students grow and expand their knowledge by experiencing the history and culture of the Jews of Spain and Portugal was an important vision behind this trip and one that will long be remembered!
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/jews-in-spain-and-portugal-from-flourishing-legacy-to-germinating-spore.php
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July 28, 2023
256622
Touro University Honors Class of 2023 Graduate Division
Eleven Hundred Diplomas Awarded at Coney Island Amphitheater
Graduates from the six graduate schools of Touro University’s Division of Graduate Studies in New York were awarded advanced degrees at commencement ceremonies held at the Amphitheater at Coney Island on June 15.
Touro faculty and administration, including Touro University President Dr. Alan Kadish and Graduate and Professional Divisions Provost Dr. Patricia Salkin, warmly greeted graduates from the schools of Jewish Studies, Health Sciences, Technology, Social Work, Education and Business as their families and friends joined in the celebration.
First Ph.D. in Jewish Studies
Highlights included the granting of Touro’s first doctoral degree in Jewish Studies, with a hooding by President Kadish, and the graduation of nearly 800 educators, making the Graduate School of Education one of the largest in the region. Ninety-three students completed their studies with honors as members of the national honor society for educators, Kappa Delta Phi.
“Graduates, today, we honor and celebrate the culmination of your hard work, and your commitment to fulfilling your dreams. I am confident that you will continue to transform your aspirations into reality,” said President Kadish in his remarks. “Congratulations class of 2023. Now more than ever, the world is counting on you.”
Student speakers from the graduate schools comprising the Division of Graduate Studies - Jewish Studies, Health Sciences, Technology, Social Work, Business, and Education each shared personal reflections:
Rivka Schiller, Ph.D., Jewish Studies, earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago and her M.A. at Touro. A top student, her dissertation, “Jews in Chmielnik, 1556-1946: The Rise and Fall of a Polish Jewish Community,” stemmed in part from her own familial history.
“What binds us together today is that we’ve been given the space to pursue something that is not merely about earning money or becoming successful; it’s about something far less tangible: doing good in the world...”
Loveleen Kaur, Master of Social Work, Graduate School of Social Work, was born and raised in India and moved to the United States during high school with her family.
“Your journey as social workers has only just begun,” she reminded classmates. “As we learned in our internship experiences, every interaction we come across has the potential to change someone’s life. Social work is a profession dedicated to creating positive change in the world and we are all now part of that noble tradition.”
Antonia Torres-Gearity, M.S. Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Graduate School of Education, came to the U.S. from Mexico at 16 without knowing English. Her first job was housecleaning because of the language barrier. She has been in the field of special and bilingual education for 19 years and recently won the Bilingual Teacher of the Year Award from the New York State Association for Bilingual Education.
“Taking the experience that Touro has provided us, let us become those that create the same experiences for our students. Let’s be that high school teacher that inspired us, that believed we could do it. Let’s be that teacher that made a difference in our lives.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-university-honors-class-of-2023-graduate-division.php
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June 20, 2023
253316
Zvi Ryzman Receives Honorary Degree
Corporate CEO, Philanthropist, Torah Scholar and Touro Chairman Serves as Keynote Speaker at Commencement for Touro University’s Lander Colleges
Zvi Ryzman received an honorary degree and served as commencement speaker for Touro University’s Lander Colleges Commencement Ceremony on June 4 in Lincoln Center in Manhattan.
Ryzman joined the board of Touro University 20 years ago and, since 2020, served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Touro University, supporting the vision of Touro Founder Dr. Bernard Lander and the university’s growth and expansion under current President, Dr. Alan Kadish.
Introducing him as a speaker, Dr. Kadish called Ryzman, a “role model for integrating a life of Torah study and stellar achievements in the business world, a true Renaissance man.”
In a stirring address, Ryzman exhorted graduates about their mission as Jews and as alumni of Touro.
“It is incumbent upon us as a tzibur, a nation, to be godly and saintly and thereby make a kiddush Hashem, to sanctify Hashem's name in this world,” said Ryzman. “It is expected of us as people to demonstrate that the nation as a collective can be an ambassador of Hashem in a material world.”
Weaving erudite Talmudic passages and later commentaries, Ryzman spoke about the responsibilities of maintaining one’s integrity while venturing out into the business world.
“Hashem is found not only in the Beis Meidrash and Beis Knesset but also in the offices of businesses, also of government and corridors of hospitals,” said Ryzman. “Touro University has assisted you in lighting your own internal flame, allow that flame to illuminate your track as you trek forward in life.”
A Life of Accomplishment
Ryzman is passionate about promoting the value of higher education, both as a means of earning a livelihood and becoming citizens of the world. He is President and CEO of American International Industries, one of the largest manufacturers and importers of cosmetics and beauty products in the world. Ryzman’s company sells wholesale to beauty suppliers and retailers in the U.S. and around the world.
Winner of the Jerusalem Prize for Torah Literature, Ryzman is the author of numerous Hebrew seforim and English language Jewish titles, including a series called Exploring Modern Halachic Dilemmas and one entitled The Wisdom in the Hebrew Months, both published by Artscroll. One of his seminal works is an in-depth exploration of the halachos pertaining to fertility treatments and organ transplantation. This and a myriad of other topics are at the core of Ratz KaTzvi, a 21-volume series on Jewish law and thought.
A highly successful businessman and noted philanthropist, Ryzman spends much of his time studying and teaching Torah to audiences all over the world.
Success Begins at Home
Ryzman spent his early years in Europe and moved to Israel as a school-age child, growing up in Tel Aviv. He studied in the famed Chevron Yeshiva and also served in the Israel Defense Forces. Ryzman earned a degree in political science and economics at Tel Aviv University, as well as rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Yechezkel Sarna of the Chevron Yeshiva.
He says he owes his success to his father, Rav Yehoshua Heshel Ryzman, who exemplified the values Ryzman has adopted throughout his life and career. Ryzman’s father learned in various Yeshivos in Poland, ultimately becoming a long-standing talmid in the Chabad Lubavitch Yeshiva in Otzvozk. He was subsequently appointed Rosh Yeshiva at the Yeshiva’s branch in Warsaw.
After suffering the brutality of the Nazis in labor and concentration camps, he ultimately arrived in Israel, pursued a secular education at Tel Aviv University and entered the business world, buying a flour mill that the family still owns and operates today.
“My father never stopped teaching Torah while pursuing knowledge and earning a living. That was his legacy to me,” says Ryzman. “I learned from him that if you want to stay grounded in Torah, you need to give a shiur and teach others so you yourself can learn in depth. I never call myself a rabbi, I am an ish asakim, a businessman who learns and teaches Torah every day. The Torah teaches everything, including the right way to conduct business. My Torah study has sharpened my mind and contributed to my ability to think strategically in business.”
Advice for Today’s Graduates
Ryzman believes the key to success in both life and business is to focus and concentrate on the task at hand. “When you’re learning Torah, your mind shouldn’t be racing and thinking about your to-do list at work, and when you’re involved in business, concentrate on what’s in front of you. People who accomplish a lot have a plan, so be sure to design a plan for what you want to do each day. You don’t have to give up on Torah or business success, just plan when you are going to focus on each. If you need to start working at 5 am, then plan to learn at 4 am and stick to it. I recommend learning something in depth that really speaks to you, so you recapture the joy of learning that you had in yeshiva, and sustain it as you move into professional life,” explains Ryzman.
“When it comes to succeeding in the business world, slow and steady is the way to build. Learn everything you can about the space you’re working in, conduct as much research as possible and don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and do menial tasks. Respect everyone in the organization. I don’t call people employees, everyone in my company is a colleague because I have something to learn from each of them,” shares Ryzman.
Ryzman urges today’s young people to remember their past and their roots. “Take your values and your parents’ teachings with you as you enter the professional world, and you’ll succeed in the present and into the future.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/zvi-ryzman-receives-honorary-degree.php
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June 20, 2023
256099
Touro Celebrates Achievements of More Than 600 Graduates at 49th Annual Commencement
Bestows Honorary Degree on Corporate CEO, Torah Scholar and Touro Chairman Zvi Ryzman
Touro’s Lander Colleges graduated more than 600 students last Sunday at the 49th Annual Commencement Exercises, held at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. Families, friends and faculty came out to honor the graduates and celebrate their individual and collective achievements.
“The Torah-rich settings at Touro have provided a superb education that you will use to continue expanding and deepening your knowledge as you move on to graduate work or enter the workforce,” said Touro University President Dr. Alan Kadish. “Your experiences here have taught you the values of balance and dedication, which until now, have existed within a bubble. In your parents’ homes, you saw tradition and learned Torah values. At your yeshivot and day schools, the values that you learned at home were continually reinforced. And in Touro’s unique programs, these values were shared and expanded. But now, upon graduation, they will be put to the test… I have been in education long enough to know that no one is ever thrilled to hear the word test. But I am also here to tell you fear not—because you’ve done great thus far. And you will continue to succeed.”
Numerous awards were presented for community service as well as high academic achievement in math, accounting, biology, art, education, finance, psychology, political science and more.
Zvi Ryzman, Chairman of the Touro University Board of Directors, received an honorary degree and served as keynote speaker. A true Renaissance Jew, Ryzman is a respected Talmudic scholar and international teacher of Torah as well as Founder and CEO of American International Industries, one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of beauty products in the world. He served in the Israel Defense Forces, received rabbinic ordination from Rav Yechezkel Sarna of the famed Chevron Yeshiva and earned a degree in political science and economics at Tel Aviv University. For Touro students, he is a role model for integrating a life of Torah study and stellar career achievements.
“No matter the path one takes, our calling is to make a Kiddush Hashem,” said Ryzman, “we can show the world that Hashem is found not only in the Beis HaMedrash and Beis HaKnesses, but also in the lobbies of businesses, halls of government and corridors of hospitals. Our timeless Torah provides timely context and framework for every new dilemma posed by modern science and technology. I encourage you to delve deep enough, learn diligently enough and I am sure you will find it,” said Ryzman.
Future is Bright for Touro Grads
The Touro graduates are headed for careers at top firms in computer science and technology, finance, accounting, cybersecurity, marketing, business and more. Many will enter graduate and professional schools in law, medicine, dentistry and psychology, where they have acceptance rates of over 95%. Others will pursue health science careers as physical and occupational therapists, physician assistants and pharmacists through Touro’s Integrated Honors Pathway.
In looking to the future ahead, one of the valedictorians, Dovi Teigman of Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences, shared his personal wisdom, "It is only the Torah values we hold dear, such as honesty, humility and compassion, in combination with the knowledge we have acquired, that truly define us as individuals and shape the impact we will make on the world."
Chana Rosenbluth, valedictorian at Touro’s Lander College for Women, who is headed to Columbia Law School this fall, urged her fellow graduates to step up and become leaders, “Wherever you are headed next, take charge of it. If you, like me, are going on to further education, form relationships with your teachers and take an active role in your class culture. And if you are entering the workforce, seek out connections with role models and colleagues, embrace the opportunities that come your way, and continue to develop yourself... Use the skills that you have gained in college to take active roles in your communities as well. Continue to volunteer, give, educate and lead.”
Other valedictorians included Daniel Sokel of Touro’s Lander College for Men, who is planning for a career as a clinical psychologist, and Aliza Peikes of Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences, a software engineer at Goldman Sachs.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-celebrates-achievements-of-more-than-600-graduates-at-49th-annual-commencement.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2023/lander2023commencement.jpg
June 05, 2023
254047
Touro Holds First School-Wide Research Day at Times Square Campus
Day Celebrates Collaboration Between Schools and New Partnership with Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute
Touro University held the school’s annual Research Day on May 2. It was the first Research Day to take place in the school’s new flagship campus at 3 Times Square Cross River Campus as well as the first day devoted to research since Touro University partnered with the prestigious Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute in New Mexico.
Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish opened the event by noting that this year marked the school’s 50th anniversary and the great strides the school has taken since its opening. “We began with 35 liberal arts students in midtown Manhattan,” said Dr. Kadish. “Today, we’re a system in 10 cities with close to 20,000 students.”
During his speech, Dr. Kadish discussed the double-helix structure of DNA and how history collectively ignored scientist Roslyn Frank whose x-ray of the structure set the stage for the discovery.
“What are the lessons of that story?” explained Dr. Kadish. “To some extent it’s a lesson about sexism and antisemitism, but hopefully we’ve eliminated that in science these days. But [the lesson] is that scientists in different fields sometimes have different ways of looking at the same data and different ways of producing scientific advances… When collaboration is done in the right way it can bring together people from different disciplines who can produce major advances.”
Dr. Kadish spoke of the grants that Touro offers to students and faculty members as well as the spirit of cross-collaboration that permeates the university.
The program’s visiting keynote address was delivered by Irving Weissman, MD, Director of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford University, entitled, “Normal and Neoplastic Stemcells.” Andrea Taylor, Ph.D., of Touro University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in California, delivered the Touro Keynote address with her presentation entitled, “The Science of Collaboration & the Collaboration in Science: Keeping it Original and Impactful in the Realm of Biomechanics.”
Faculty and student research awards were also given out to the following papers:
Social, Behavior and Arts: “Covid-19 Mental Health, and Religious Coping Among American Orthodox Jews,” Journal of Religion and Health 2020—Steven Pirutinsky, Touro University Graduate School of Social Work
Biomedical, Health & Natural Sciences: “Activated Microglia Cause Metabolic Disruptions in Developmental Cortical Interneurons that Persis in Interneurons from Individuals with Schizophrenia,” Nature Neuroscience, 23: November 2020, Sangmi Chung, New York Medical College (NYMC), School of Medicine
Student Poster Awards 2023
Applied, Clinical & Translational Research: Evaluating the Influence of the Covid-19 Pandemic on adverse Birth Outcomes— Mikaela Glass, Touro University
Basic Sciences and Natural Sciences: Remodeling of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Sginature by Natural Alkaloid Berberine, Tara Jarboe, NYMC
The event also featured more than 70 poster presentations by faculty members and students.
“We celebrate most importantly the next generation,” said Touro Provost for Biomedical Research for the Touro University System, Dr. Soloman Amar. “Touro has been central in training students, undergrad grad, post, grad, and professional schools. Our mission is to make sure that the we ensure that the next generation will be well prepared.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-holds-first-school-wide-research-day-at-times-square-campus.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2023/touroresearchday12.jpg
May 17, 2023
175392
Using Data to Enhance Learning Experiences
Touro Holds University-Wide Summit on Assessment
More than 100 faculty, administrators and professionals from across the Touro College and University System schools joined together for a summit on academic assessment on Feb. 21.
Entitled, “Next Generation Assessment at TCUS,” and taking place simultaneously in Touro College’s midtown headquarters, Touro University California (TUC), Touro University Nevada (TUN), New York Medical College (NYMC) and in the Touro University Worldwide (TUW) offices, the first-ever university-wide summit allowed participants to learn and discuss the benefits of proper assessment measures, the latest technologies available and how the university’s commitment to assessment leads to better student education outcomes.
“Assessment is what we do to make sure we’re excellent in all areas of education,” stated Touro University Nevada Provost Dr. Raymond Alden III. “The techniques we use are rapidly evolving to meet the needs of a new generation of students.”
Keynote speaker Dr. Catherine Wehlburg, Dean of the School of Sciences, Mathematics and Education at Marymount University, spoke about the history of assessment in teaching and how proper assessment is integral. “Assessment has always been the way to know what we’re doing and whether that’s not working,” said Dr. Wehlburg, author of the books, Promoting Integrated and Transformative Assessment: A Deeper Focus on Student Learning and Meaningful Course Revision: Enhancing Academic Engagement Using Student Learning Data. “As educators we use assessment constantly.”
Dr. Wehlburg discussed the relatively recent trend of assessment taking place outside of university systems in terms of ranking systems for universities and outside metrics. Dr. Wehlburg encouraged educators to focus more on the personal dimensions of assessment. “Assessment is done to enhance learning, it’s not an end of itself,” she said. “It’s not about gathering data for the sake of gathering data, but rather to use that data to enhance our learning experiences.”
As a way of re-focusing teaching goals, Dr. Wehlburg asked audience members to envision an ideal student five years after graduation. “What to they know? How do they act? What do they believe?” She asked.
After the speech, several breakout sessions took place with faculty from across all Touro’s schools, including panels on meeting accreditation standards, the use of the ExamSoft assessment platform and ensuring that faculty is involved in assessment procedures. A second main speaker, engineer Caarie Saarinen, a Senior Solutions Engineer at Instructure, who promotes instructional technology to promote teaching and learning, spoke of how to use Canvas, a cloud-based learning management service.
“Networking with our colleagues allows us to talk about the assessment techniques we are currently using and how to enhance them,” said Dr. Henry Cohen, Dean of Touro College of Pharmacy.
“It’s an absolutely wonderful idea to have this university-wide assessment summit,” said Dr. Lina Richardson, Interim Acting Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for Touro’s New York School of Career and Applied Studies. “Assessment is extremely important and the new methods we discussed today will allow our faculty members to better evaluate what is working.”
The program was coordinated by the TCUS Academic Affairs team, which includes the provosts, academic vice presidents and chief academic officers at Touro’s California, Illinois, Nevada and Illinois campuses. Patricia Salkin, Provost of the Graduate and Professional Divisions at Touro College, convened the system-wide task force responsible for the event. Salkin explained, “Touro College and University System is serious about our commitment to full and robust assessment of our student learning outcomes, our educational programs and all aspects of how Touro operates to achieve our mission and goals,” she continued. “Today’s program is just one aspect of the ongoing work of the task force that includes a new TCUS website for assessment resources to help faculty and administration, an inventory of assessment tools used at Touro, and ongoing analysis and discussion of best practices as part of our ongoing continuous quality improvement.”
Dr. Alan Kadish, President of the Touro College and University System delivered the closing remarks. He praised the Provost’s Office for putting the summit together and stressed the value of assessment for the university.
“Today’s summit has been an opportunity to bring people together and share the best practices of Touro on assessment,” concluded Dr. Kadish. “Together the combination of strengths of TCUS, TUC, TUN and NYMC and Touro College creates a powerhouse of knowledge and intellect. When we work together, it improves us all. Assessment is mission critical for higher education. And this summit is a testament to our commitment to it.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/using-data-to-enhance-learning-experiences.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2019/TCUSAssessment.JPG
March 12, 2019
251808
A Little Bit of Everything
Touro Law Center Alum Todd Zimmer Helped Thousands Leave Toxic Marriages
Todd Zimmer is many things to his clients.
“Matrimonial law is not an easy area,” reflected Zimmer, an alum of Touro Law Center whose firm recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. “There’s a lot of emotional trauma: You’re a little bit of a financial planner, accountant, attorney and often a good part a therapist.”
And judging from the hundreds of positive reviews online from satisfied clients whom Zimmer has helped leave toxic marriages, he manages all these roles with ease. Zimmer said that his interest in pursuing family law began early on in high school and solidified when he worked as an RA in college.
“I saw a lot of women who were victims of domestic violence and rape,” he recalled. “I decided to become a family law lawyer. There are different types of abuse: physical, financial, sexual, emotional and verbal. Early on, I realized I didn’t want to work on the 50th floor of an office in Manhattan with a bunch of suits and ties; I wanted to be in the trenches and work with people one-on-one.”
In his senior year of college, Zimmer’s mother was hospitalized and, wanting to be close to her, he looked for a law school in Suffolk County and discovered Touro Law Center.
“It’s the only law school in Suffolk County,” said Zimmer. “I could’ve gone somewhere else, but because of my mother’s condition, it was very appealing to me to be close by. I didn’t have any lawyers in the family to ask about the pros and cons of different schools so I went with the location.”
He enrolled in 1990.
“It was a great experience,” explained Zimmer who graduated in 1993 and immediately passed the bar. “The professors were excellent and they gave me a wonderful grounding in the law. I passed the bar the first time and felt very well-prepared.”
Success came quickly to the new lawyer. After working for two law firms, he decided to start his own practice. “It's a little bit scary when you open your own practice,” he remembered. “I was blessed when I went out on my own. The phones started ringing and they never stopped.”
Zimmer’s charitable work intersected with his business. “I started working with women who were victims of abuse,” said Zimmer. For his work, the Long Island Women’s Coalition awarded him the person of the year and he served on the board of the Victim’s Information Bureau and sponsored a room in a women’s shelter. “My name became synonymous with fighting for people. People see your ability and passion. We have no advertising budget and everything is completely word of mouth.”
Zimmer attributes his success to two factors.
“The number one thing is being knowledgeable about the facts and the laws that apply to them,” he said. “But it is equally important to have empathy and look at people as people instead of as a payday. I joke that the day I stop caring about my clients is the day I will retire. As long as I have that empathy then I know I’m doing what I need to do.”The firm initially saw 10-15 clients a month; then 20-30 in the 2000s and Zimmer said that the firm sees roughly 60-80 clients a month. The firm itself has also grown and now employs eight lawyers. Zimmer’s partner, Stephanie Mathiesen, is also a graduate of Touro Law Center. Zimmer goes out of his way to hire Touro Law Center graduates.
“People who come from Touro are extremely well prepared,” he said. “They’re sharp, intuitive and they just get it. We’ve had associates and interns from other schools and we found that the individuals from my alma mater are just as good, if not better. Touro is an excellent school and certainly doesn’t always get its due. I’ve never been let down by Touro Law Center students and graduates. I’ve been poaching from Touro my whole career.”
Touro has also become a family affair. Both of Zimmer’s twins are enrolled in Touro schools. His daughter Kathryn is in the university’s PA program and his son Jared is a freshman at Touro Law Center. The significance of Touro’s 50th anniversary isn’t lost on him.
“I remember going to school and meeting students that had been in the Law Center’s first class; they were only a few years ahead of me,” said Zimmer. “It’s pretty amazing that an institution has proven itself over time. There’s no easy way to do that. Touro has stood the test of time. For half a century, the school has pumped out senators, congressmen, judges, lawyers and all types of gifted professionals. Touro has become synonymous with law and the practice of law.”
Touro
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January 09, 2023
249640
“I Was Called for This”
Dr. Coralanne Griffith-Hunte Fights for Trauma Survivors and Combats Human Trafficking
Coralanne Griffith-Hunte, Psy.D., had an idyllic childhood with her family that taught her the values of caring and community, but even the best parents can’t prevent all tragedies. As a five-year-old, Dr. Griffith-Hunte was molested. She recovered thanks to the support of her friends and family. And now this alumna of Touro University Worldwide works to ensure others have that same support.
“We don't experience life without some form of trauma or hardship occurring to us,” explained Dr. Griffith-Hunte, a graduate of Touro University’s online Psy.D. program in human and organizational psychology. “The good thing for me was that after I experienced trauma, I had a strong support system. I needed people to see my pain; I needed people to form a community of trust around me and to know I wasn’t alone. As I got older, I questioned myself: what about the other young people, the other children who experienced something and did not have the same support system that I had? How could I now be that support system for them?”
Through her work as the founder and chairwoman of the Created for Greatness Leader Group, Dr. Griffith-Hunte has helped hundreds recover from trauma, worked with local and global legislators on improving trauma care, and helped develop legislation to help support trauma survivors. In addition, she has helped thousands of New York residents through various grassroot initiatives ranging from helping prisoners re-acclimate to society to coat drives for children in need.
“Those who have been traumatized don't have to be defined by their violation,” said Dr. Griffith-Hunte, who is also a community faith-based leader. “I think that was so pivotal for me, having other people understand you're not what has happened to you. So, my experience is what propelled me. The experience, not just the violation, but the experience of the village showing up, the people in my life believing me, surrounding me, and providing me with the tools to thrive.”
“I was called for this,” continued Dr. Griffith-Hunte. “It's not a career, it's not a job, it is my purpose. It is my calling on the earth to be able to help individuals ascertain the tools they need to live a better life.”
A Setback and a New Beginning
As Dr. Griffith-Hunte was reaching the peak of her career in her mid-thirties, she suddenly found herself bedridden by fibromyalgia, cancer, and the consequences of years of back surgeries. “I was lying in bed in a brain fog,” remembered Dr. Griffith-Hunte. “I would try to spell simple words in my mind like cat, but I couldn’t. I’m a minister as well so I’m praying to God while I’m crying and what I heard was, ‘Go to school, go back to school. Go back to school.’"
She discovered Touro University Worldwide online and learned that she could earn a degree while still at home.
“Attending Touro wasn't just going to some university,” stated Dr. Griffith-Hunte. “It was personal. It had to be the place where I could get my brain working again. Though I was lying in bed, I was not going to lie down and just die. I was going to fight for my life, and I was going to fight to regain and even surpass what I did previously. But I needed the ideal university that would help me along this journey, and it was a tough journey.”
Dr. Griffith-Hunt’s immediately felt the warmth the school offered during her interview for the program.
“That phone call was long,” she laughed. “I had a lot of questions. I did not feel as though I was being a bother. I felt as though that person really wanted to make me not just know about the university itself, but make me feel comfortable to know that was the ideal place for me with all that I was going through at the time.”
During the four years she spent in the program, she formed a close relationship with her professor Dr. Aldwin Domingo.
“Each of my professors was absolutely wonderful,” recalled Dr. Griffith-Hunte. “But to this day I talk about Dr. Domingo. He pulled out of me things that I didn't even know were inside of me. He compelled me to study to be the best, and to do what was necessary since I am dealing with human lives.”
“When I walk in the chambers of the senate, congress, and I sit with members of the United Nations, I take him with me,” continued Dr. Griffith-Hunte. “In that time when I needed that mentorship, he answered the call. At the time when I didn't know if my brain would work with me, without him even knowing, he helped me to get all those pieces back together.”
Graduation and a Landmark Achievement
Dr. Griffith-Hunte earned her Ph.D. in 2018. This was also the year that the New York Senate passed the landmark End Child Sex Trafficking Bill, a bill that Dr. Griffith-Hunte had been instrumental in advocating for.
“I'm proud that my name is connected to that bill,” she said. “This is how I serve my community.”
Dr. Griffith-Hunte with New York State Senator Kevin Parker, with whom she has worked with on various mental health initiatives, including the child sex trafficking bill
The bill makes it easier for prosecutors to charge criminals with human trafficking; requires hotels to provide information about human trafficking to potential trafficking victims; and provide additional support for victims of human trafficking.
During her long career, Dr. Griffith-Hunte has earned a dizzying number of accolades: she received the New York State Senate 2019 Woman of Distinction Award and the 2019 Humanitarian Award; in 2020, she joined the United Nations 58th Commission for Social Development to end homelessness and assisted in developing the UN’s Resolution on Homelessness. In 2021, she spoke in Switzerland at the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue, and was featured in Forbes magazine in May 2021 for her expertise on the effects of mass incarceration and post-traumatic prison disorder.
Dr. Griffith-Hunte’s relentless drive continued in 2022. She was acknowledged by the directorship under the Biden/Harris administration and spoke to various directors of the administration about her work as a Trauma-Informed Psychologist and preventing human trafficking; she accepted an invitation to join the Health and Human Services Partnership Center’s Director’s Committee for Mental Health and Youth Think Tank; and she consults on human trafficking on the Ukrainian border upon the request of the Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the United Nations; Dr. Griffith-Hunte’s and the UNITAS team won the 2022 Gold Anthem Award for Best Strategy in Human Trafficking Prevention Education Curriculum.
“Touro absolutely was part of the foundational pillar for the career that I have right now,” she said. “I'm proud of my Touro badge. I graduated with the skillset that I needed to function in the capacity that I am in right now. I'm very proud to be a Touro University graduate.”
Touro
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February 06, 2023
245624
Touro University Marks 50 Years at Celebratory Gala
More than 1,000 Supporters, Faculty, Friends Reflect on Touro’s Past Achievements and Future Plans
More than 1,000 people converged on New York City’s Marriott Marquis this past Sunday to mark the 50th anniversary of Touro University. The feeling was one of an extended family reunion as students, alumni, faculty, friends and supporters from around the U.S. and the globe joined together for this historic milestone. Past, present and future merged at this celebration of Touro’s meteoric rise from a small college with 35 students to an academic powerhouse with 19,000 students,140,000 alumni and 246 undergraduate, graduate and professional programs producing valued leaders in medicine, business, law and more.
Tribute was paid to visionary founder, Dr. Bernard Lander, of blessed memory, whose tenacity enabled him to build a college from the ground up at age 56 and continue expanding its programs until well into his 90s. His dream of creating a center of higher education that would literally be all things to all people has been realized. Under the skillful leadership of his successor and current President, Dr. Alan Kadish, Touro has emerged as a place imbued with Jewish values where a diverse group of students attain quality education and meaningful careers in just about every field.
An Evening to Remember
Warmth, appreciation and a sense of awe could be felt throughout the event as the Touro family reflected on the scope of the University and its remarkable growth and advancement in only 50 years. The festivities began with the completion of a Sefer Torah, funded by Touro Chairman Zvi Ryzman and his wife Betty and members of the Touro Board of Trustees, in memory of former Chairman, Dr. Mark Hasten.
“When you stand on the shoulders of giants, you can accomplish beyond what you imagined possible in your wildest dreams. The history and legacy of Touro is miraculous, how appropriate that we begin our event tonight completing the writing of a Sefer Torah. This truly represents the vision of our leadership,” said Rabbi Yonason Sacks, Rosh HaYeshiva of Beis Medrash L’Talmud at Touro’s Lander College for Men.
Touro friends and supporters mingled at the reception and lauded faculty at the convocation where Pfizer Chairman and CEO, Dr. Albert Bourla, received an honorary doctorate. Entertainment was provided by internationally renowned tenor and cantor, Yaakov Lemmer, and tribute was paid to the evening’s honorees: Hon. Shelley Berkley, Dovid Lichtenstein, Dean Robert Goldschmidt and Dr. Alan Kadish.
“Throughout the year, we’ve had a number of events celebrating the 50th anniversary and tonight is the culmination. Thank you for joining us to celebrate one man’s dream that has become a magnificent reality. We have come so far together and had many achievements along the way. This year’s milestones have been the greatest of all—receiving university status chief among them. This recognizes our dedication to research and service to the community,” said President Kadish.
Dr. Kadish introduced Dr. Bourla and stated that his achievement of bringing a safe and effective COVID vaccine to market in just nine months is one that will be remembered for the ages throughout the world.
Dr. Bourla shared that Touro and Pfizer have a lot in common. “Touro and Pfizer are both committed to innovation, not for the sake of innovation, but to move the world forward and to make an impact on people’s lives. Universities like Touro that are developing bright minds have a critical role to play, as companies like Pfizer advance global health. We are living in a world with incredible scientific discovery where we can turn disease into chronic conditions and be better prepared for future pandemics.”
Serving the Jewish Community and Humanity
Dr. Kadish highlighted the success of Touro’s new initiatives and shared how Touro’s ongoing dedication and steadfast commitment to Jewish values have created an ideal learning environment for a diverse student population.
“Looking at the world today, where 73% of college students say they hide their Jewish identity on campus and 50% report experiencing antisemitism, Touro’s mission is more important than ever. Students from diverse backgrounds representing all nationalities and ethnicities share ideas, friendship and collaboration…At Touro, we are developing students who will become leaders of tomorrow, the right kind of leaders—those who are dedicated to serving society and understanding and respecting others. Here’s to the next 50 years!” said Kadish.
Echoing Dr. Kadish’s sentiments, Rabbi Moshe Krupka, Touro’s Executive Vice President, said, “We are creating something that will serve humanity well beyond our time.”
Video presentations showcased the honorees and their contribution to Touro. Rabbi Doniel Lander, Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim and Touro Chancellor, shared his perspective as the founder’s son, a Touro executive and longtime friend and colleague of Dr. Alan Kadish.
“It was easy to dismiss my father as a dreamer, but he often said ‘I may be dreaming but I’m not sleeping.’ In the parsha we just read, Yaakov Avinu dreamt he saw a ladder with angels ascending and descending. My father too shared this vision. He planted his ladder on earth where he created an institution that was rooted in reality but connected to a heavenly vision. My father connected the mundane with the transcendent and that is Touro. There were difficulties and crises along the way and my father’s optimism enabled him to see that the angels would never leave. Tonight we pay tribute to him and to Touro’s incredible leader, Dr. Alan Kadish who keeps adding new rungs on the ladder that is Touro, inspiring students and expanding our programs. The miracle truly never finishes.”
Looking Ahead to the Future
While the evening spotlighted myriad Touro achievements and leading personalities who made history over the last 50 years, Dr. Kadish shared his thoughts for the future as well. What’s next for Touro? “As we look forward to the next 50 years we’re asking ourselves—What does society need? What do our students need? How can we better serve our community? How can we do that through education, through research and inventing new knowledge and through perpetuating the Jewish tradition? How can we do it better in the next 50 years?,” asked Kadish. “Because as good as we've been, one of our underlying principles is, we can always be better. And that's our message to everybody. We don't rest on our laurels. We've accomplished a great deal, we’re proud of it, but for the future, we can be even better. And we will be!”
Touro
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December 06, 2022
243604
Touro University Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary with Gala and Convocation
Names Honorees Who have Led the University’s Expansion, Impact and Innovation Over the Past 50 Years
Touro University will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary with a gala and convocation on December 4, 2022, to be held at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.
Touro was founded in 1970 by visionary educator, sociologist and rabbi, Dr. Bernard Lander, of blessed memory, to perpetuate the Jewish heritage, as well as to serve the general community in keeping with the historic Jewish commitment to intellectual inquiry, the transmission of knowledge and service to society. Today it is America’s largest private institution of higher and professional education under Jewish auspices, serving 19,000 students at 35 schools across four countries.
“Over the years, we have grown exponentially in terms of our academic offerings and research capacity, but we remain as committed as ever to our mission to support, serve and strengthen the Jewish community,” said President Alan Kadish, M.D.
In addition to its 50th anniversary, Touro is celebrating its new university status, a singular accomplishment. University status is awarded to academic institutions in recognition of the breadth and depth of degree programs offered. Touro students are pursuing undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees in such fields as medicine, law, dentistry, psychology, business, education, Jewish studies, and other health science areas and disciplines.
At the gala, Touro will honor several individuals who led the university’s expansion, impact and innovation over the past 50 years.
Dr. Alan Kadish is President of the Touro University System. He is a prominent cardiologist, dedicated teacher, researcher and scientist and experienced administrator. Dr. Kadish has developed Touro into one of the largest healthcare educational systems in the U.S. and under his leadership, Touro continues to prepare a new generation of scholars, entrepreneurs and professional leaders.
Dovid Lichtenstein is an entrepreneur, real estate investor and a Touro University board member. He is the founder and CEO of The Lightstone Group, one of the largest and most diversified privately held real estate companies in the United States. He has authored several volumes entitled Headlines, which highlight contemporary issues in Jewish law, based on his weekly podcast, Halacha Headlines.
Dr. Robert Goldschmidt joined Touro in 1974 and has served in many capacities, including his current roles as Touro Vice President for Planning and Assessment and Executive Dean at Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences in Brooklyn. He also serves as the Touro College Accreditation Liaison to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
Hon. Shelley Berkley is Senior Vice President of External Affairs of the Touro University System. She previously served as CEO and Senior Provost of Touro’s Western Division, where she was administrative and academic head of the Nevada and Northern California campuses of Touro University. Prior to that role, Shelley served the State of Nevada in the United States House of Representatives from 1998 to 2013.
At the gala, the university will present an honorary doctorate to Dr. Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer. During his more than 25 years at Pfizer, Dr. Bourla accelerated the company’s transformation to become a more science-driven, innovative company. Under his leadership, Pfizer delivered a safe and effective vaccine for COVID 19 in just eight months—a process that typically takes eight to ten years— without compromising quality or integrity. A year later, Pfizer delivered the first FDA-authorized oral antiviral treatment for COVID 19.
For more information or to reserve tickets, please visit 50.touro.edu/gala.
Touro
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October 27, 2022
125223
Presidential Scholars Lecture Series
From Boro Park to New York State Civil Court: Ruchie Freier’s Trail-Blazing Journey
New York, NY - Boro Park native, mother of six and Touro alum Ruchie Freier was the first Chasidic Jewish woman to be elected as a civil court judge in New York State and the first to serve in public office in United States history.
She will share her remarkable story at Touro’s Lander College for Women, The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School on Monday, November 20 at 7 pm. Freier’s presentation is open to the public and will be followed by a Question and Answer session.
Freier began her law career as a legal secretary to support her husband while he learned in Kollel. After her husband graduated from Touro, Freier decided it was her turn to achieve a college degree. She completed her BA at Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences in Flatbush in 2001 and then began studying for her law degree at Brooklyn Law School, all while raising six children.
"You can be a devoutly religious woman and conform to all the Torah standards and still be successful in the secular world," she said. "Without compromising our standards and our values, Orthodox women can succeed."
A lifelong advocate, Freier launched the first all-female EMT group, Ezras Nashim and became a licensed paramedic. She also built a program to help at-risk children in the Chasidic community.
"The part of the community I would like to speak for is the segment that has no voice," Freier explained. "If someone wants help, I want to be there to help them, whether it was the children who were rejected from the school system or the women who wanted to serve others in pre-hospital emergency care. When you can have an impact on society, that’s what makes life worth living."
From Boro Park to New York State Civil Court: Ruchie Freier’s Trail-Blazing Journey
Monday, November 20, 7PM
Lander College for Women227 West 60 StreetNew York, NY
About the Presidential Scholars Lecture Series
The Presidential Scholars Lecture Series features distinguished scholars who address a wide range of national and global Issues. The series is a forum for public discourse as part of Touro’s commitment to intellectual inquiry and scholarship.
About the Touro College and University System
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 18,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has 30 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and Touro University Nevada; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to www.touro.edu/news
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November 17, 2017
125193
Yamim Noraim Shiurim
Some inspiration for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur
Listen to shiurim from Lander College for Men/Beis Medrash L'Talmud administration and rebbeim, Rabbi Yonason Sacks, Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol, Rabbi Yehuda Shmulewitz, Rabbi Moshe Bamberger, Rabbi Eliyahu Soloveichik, Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, and Rabbi Fischel Schachter on Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and teshuva topics.
RABBI YONASON SACKS
Zichron Teruah: The Essence of Tekiyas Shofar
After identifying the difference between “Yom Teruah” and “Zichron Teruah,” Rabbi Sacks highlights the true meaning of Zichron Teruah.
Click here to listen Rabbi Yonason Sacks
RABBI DR. MOSHE SOKOL
The Ambiguities of Teshuva: The Case of Menashe HaMelech
Menashe Ha-Melech was one of the great sinners of Jewish history, yet Chazal in very surprising ways depict his complex journey towards teshuva. What can we learn from Menashe’s story, as we struggle towards teshuva ourselves during the Yamim Noraim?
Click here to listen to Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol
RABBI YEHUDA SHMULEWITZ
The Mishpat of the Beinoni
Rabbi Shmulewitz analyzes the Rambam in Hilchos Teshuva to better understand the reality of the beinoni.
Click here to listen to Rabbi Yehuda Shmulewitz
RABBI MOSHE BAMBERGER
Rosh Hashanah: Cracking the Code of the Shofar
How are we to maintain the inspiration of the Yomim Noraim throughout the entire year? The notes of the shofar reveal the answer!
Click here to listen to Rabbi Moshe Bamberger
RABBI ELIYAHU SOLOVEICHIK
Yom HaKippurim and Bein Adam L’Chaveiro
What is the significance of the special proclamation of “Baruch Shem Kavod Malchuso L’olam Va’ed?”
Click here to listen to Rabbi Eliyahu Soloveichik
RABBI ARYEH LEBOWITZ
The Aveiros We Can’t Do Teshuva For
Are there any aveiros that teshuva will not atone for? Weren’t we always taught that nothing can stand in the way of teshuva?
Click here to listen to Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz
RABBI FISCHEL SCHACHTER
The Essence of Teshuva
How is a person able to do real teshuva? Rabbi Fischel Schachter offers a new insight on teshuva and what Hashem expects from all of us.
Click here to listen to Rabbi Fischel Schacter
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/yamim-noraim-shiurim.php
September 27, 2016
196301
Coronavirus Tips and Resources
How to Stay Safe and Sane During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Whether you’re a college student struggling with remote learning or a parent trying to figure out how to pay the mortgage, the spread of the coronavirus has presented all of us with an unprecedented challenge. At best, it has disrupted your schedule; at worst, you or someone you love may be in critical condition. We collected the following tips and advice from our mental health professionals for dealing with this situation.
Pressures at Home
School of Health Sciences Dean Frank Gardner, Ph.D.
Clinical psychologist and Touro College School of Health Sciences Associate Dean Frank Gardner enumerates some of the new pressures we are facing while stuck at home because of the coronavirus epidemic. These new pressures include the loss ofroutine, the loss of social contact and social reinforcement, and the changes we facein our environments. Dr. Gardner continues his talk by discussing the differences between pressure and stress and concludes with some tips on dealing with our new situations. “View these pressures as realities and accept them,” advised Dr. Gardner. “In the larger scheme of things, these challenges will pass. They are not permanent and these challenges, like social distancing, exist for a purpose. Try to reframe these challenges in a way that allows you to view them as opportunities to develop new skills, whether it’s discovering how to learn via online learning or developing management skills to keep your children entertained while you continue to work.”
Coronavirus Anxiety and a Mental Health Message from Naomi Klapper
Coronavirus Anxiety and a Mental Health Message from Professor Klapper from Touro College on Vimeo.
Naomi Klapper, Chair of Psychology, Lander College for Women—The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School
Lander College for Women Psychology Department Chair Naomi Klapper offers severed tips to Touro students and family members on dealing with the changes thecoronavirus has made to their daily lives. One tip that Klapper stresses is setting up your own schedule and exercising. “Set up times when you will be learning remotelyand take breaks. This will help improve your learning and make your breaks more productive as well,” said Klapper. “This will also give you a sense of balance.” Klapper advises that while we should all be concerned with the current situation; we should fight the urge to panic. One way to do this? Limit social media. "People are putting their anxieties on Facebook and on Twitter,” said Klapper. “They are doing it to help them release some of their anxiety, but it's only raising your anxiety... Check-in once a day with the news so you feel in touch, and then go about your business and use your time productively."
I’m Going Crazy and My Kids Are Driving Me Crazy
Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, Touro College Graduate School of Education Professor & Lucille Weidman Program Chair of Jewish Education & Special Education
The first point that Dr. Jeffrey Licthman raises in this video is: if you’re feeling anxious about the current situation, it is a totally normal reaction. “It is normal to experience levels of anxiety around the unknown and while it’s clear we’ve learned something about this epidemic, there is much that is still unknown,” explains Dr. Lichtman. “We, as human beings, don’t like what is unknown and unfamiliar and thisnaturally causes us anxiety. In addition, most of us have lost our routines which takes away our feelings of control. This combination of lack of control and the presence of the unknown are very powerful sources of anxiety.” Anxiety isn’t all bad, Dr. Lichtman says. It’s what makes us study for exams and take precautionary measures in situations. However, he advises that to limit anxiety, you should avoid the 24-hour news cycles. “It’s not healthy to be tuned in for every moment-to-moment update,” said Dr. Lichtman. “Tune in the morning and the evening, otherwise it isn’t healthy and will potentially increase your anxiety.” Dr. Lichtman also suggests that another way to ease general anxiety is to refocus your attention on tasks and work that is normally neglected as well as spend time with family members. Finally, he concludes that there is an opportunity in the challenge we face. “We all have a need for meaning; reaching out to those we love or those in need, not only helps them, but helps us by filling our lives with meaning and replacing that anxiety.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/coronavirus-tips-and-resources.php
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April 01, 2020
243680
Combined Forces
Touro Social Work and Clinical Mental Health Counseling Students Are Learning How to Fight Substance Abuse Together
When addiction specialist Carlos Roberts, MPA, MSW, CASAC, gets a new client who is sleeping poorly, having mood swings or engaging in risky behavior, no longer does he assume the cause is substance abuse alone. These days, he may see the behavior in a different light — as possible signs of underlying mental health issues.
“A lot of times, it’s the mental health issue that will drive them to use or abuse the substance,” says Roberts, a social worker who works with individuals suffering from opioid use disorder (OUD) and other substance use disorders (SUD).
Roberts, a 2021 alumnus of Touro’s Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW), gained this insight and more, during his year-long fellowship in a government-funded program. It trained advanced social work and clinical mental health counseling students from the School of Health Sciences together to treat opioid use and substance use disorders.
Now in its third year, the Opioid Workforce Expansion Program (OWEP) engages the students from the two disciplines in inter-professional education — popularly known as IPE — taught by Touro faculty and outside experts in both fields.
Learning Together and From One Another
OWEP is funded by a $1.3 million grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Touro is one of the select schools to participate in the program, which provides stipends to students to help fight the opioid crisis and other SUDs among medically underserved populations.
The students take classes at their individual Touro schools, while learning together and from one another in OWEP webinars and seminars. These working sessions expose them to the different models of treating OUD/SUD and how to apply that knowledge out in the field during their internships.
“OWEP exposes students from both schools to the general framework and content of their respective programs, while acknowledging the different perspectives of social work and clinical mental health counseling. OWEP succeeds in increasing students’ understanding in a common language that helps them work together where they may not have before. When you bring the two together, they gain greater knowledge and insight,” says Eric Levine, DSW, LMSW, Touro’s director of social work alumni engagement, continuing education and development.
When the current cohort completes its studies next spring, the OWEP project will have graduated 66 fellows, working at more than 15 agencies spread out across the five boroughs of New York City as well as Long Island, Rockland County and New Jersey.
During 2020-2021, the fellows attended lectures on such topics as “Motivational Interviewing”, “Mindfulness as a Treatment Tool” and “Addictions, Trauma, Grief and Loss with OUD/SUD”. Through presentations of case studies to their peers and working in small breakout rooms, they learned about new and different ways of approaching addiction in a changing field.
Today, Roberts applies the collaborative learning at his full-time job at Bridging Access to Care in Brooklyn. “It had me noticing certain things clients were saying,” he explains. “I’d go back and see diagnoses of major depression. A lot of times it was mental health that helped them lose their way.”
Roberts credits OWEP with enhancing his ability to make such connections, which he says can lead to adjusting treatment plans or referrals to mental health clinics. “It was one of the main things I learned,” he recalls. “The training puts it on your radar.”
Eliana Simon
Brainstorming with the Group
A highlight for Eliana Simon, CMHC, an OWEP fellow from Touro’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, was researching and presenting a case study to the cohort. She says she learned the value of taking deep dives into a patient’s history, fielding questions from colleagues and brainstorming for others’ perspectives.
“The patient had an SUD with alcohol. I went into her whole history, when she started and for what reasons,” Simon recalls. “The OWEP experience helped me anticipate every question — about her diagnostic criteria, life stages, goals and setbacks.”
Simon says the training has helped her in her current job as a mental health counselor at LSA Recovery, an addiction rehabilitation outpatient facility in Brooklyn. “I should know all of this about all of my patients,” says Simon. “It’s such a great model. At the end of the day, it helps you get a more global context and helps the patient.”
The Touro OWEP is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,338,822, with no percentage financed with non-governmental sources. This story does not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
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October 31, 2022
240443
New Touro Medical School in Montana Opens Application Cycle for Fall 2023
Construction on State-of-the-Art Campus Near Completion, Plans Moving Forward to Enroll 125 Students in First Class
(New York, NY) – Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (TouroCOM) new site campus in Great Falls, Montana has received pre-accreditation status to recruit students and begin operations, Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish announced today. Touro is completing a 100,000-square-foot state-of-the-art medical school campus which will house multiple classrooms, an anatomy lab and simulation center. 125 students are anticipated to enroll in the first class, which is scheduled to start in July 2023.
“We are thrilled to bring Touro University’s educational programming to Great Falls. With the dedication of our TouroCOM Montana Dean Elizabeth Palmarozzi and her colleagues in New York, and the support of local leaders, we look forward to training excellent healthcare providers and offering much-needed medical care to this community,” said Dr. Kadish.
TouroCOM currently operates similar medical school campuses in Harlem, New York and Middletown, New York, which each graduate approximately 135 new physicians each year.
There are 55 Osteopathic Medical Schools in the United States and osteopathic students represent 25% of all medical students in the country. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) are fully-licensed physicians and enter all medical specialties, with a majority entering primary care and many working in underserved communities.
“I am extremely excited about our new additional site campus in Great Falls Montana. This project has been in the works for several years, and will help meet a need in Montana to train primary care physicians who will practice locally with a special focus on underrepresented groups, especially Native Americans.,” said Kenneth J. Steier, DO, MBA, MPH, Executive Dean of TouroCOM.
Founding Dean Elizabeth Palmarozzi DO, FACOFP said, “I am eager to begin recruiting, interviewing and accepting students into our inaugural class. This marks the beginning of our contribution to the healthcare in Montana and surrounding regions. We would like to thank the Great Falls community, the Benefis Health Systems and all of our clinical partners, along with everyone whose support and efforts helped to make this a reality."
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September 20, 2022
239609
Cross River Bank Dedicates New Touro University Campus
CEO Gilles Gade and the Bank Board Make $5 Million Gift to Support Touro and Name The Cross River Campus of Touro University
(New York, NY) – Cross River Bank has donated $5 million to dedicate the new Touro University campus being built at 3 Times Square, Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish announced today.
Touro is naming the campus, where it will lease space for the next 30 years, the Cross River Campus of Touro University to honor the generosity of the bank. Cross River CEO and Founder, Gilles Gade, is a member of the Touro board of directors.
“Touro is incredibly grateful to Mr. Gade and Cross River Bank for this gift that will enable our students to learn in a modern, state-of-the-art environment with a rich campus life,” said President Kadish. “Cross River is a pioneer in the banking industry as Touro continues to be an innovator in higher education. We thank Mr. Gade and the Cross River Board for their commitment to philanthropy, for taking the lead with this visionary gift and most of all, for their friendship. Their support will ensure that Touro’s groundbreaking programs and educational offerings in so many exciting fields continue well into the future.”
Renovations on the campus are expected to be completed in December 2022, and the campus will be home to Touro’s NYSCAS undergraduate program, as well as a number of its graduate schools and the Touro College of Pharmacy. Boasting state-of-the-art labs, student lounges and a kosher café, the ultramodern, urban campus is located at the crossroads of the world, near all major mass transit for NYC and the metro area.
As a leader in interdisciplinary education, Touro will now offer its students opportunities to take advantage of pathway programs from undergraduate to graduate and professional schools. “Our new campus will become a vehicle for student growth and success. With world class faculty in so many fields situated in one central location, there will be more opportunity to exchange ideas, collaborate and learn together,” continued Dr. Kadish.
According to Mr. Gade, “Higher education is critical to career success and we are proud to support Touro’s mission of providing superior quality education in tandem with the Jewish ideals of service to the community. At Cross River, our motto is ‘doing well by doing good,’ and we share those values with Touro.”
Cross River
Cross River is a leading financial services institution that merges the established expertise of a bank, with the innovation and product offering of a technology company. Cross River works to protect clients’ business goals, providing streamlined, end-to-end solutions, so they can grow in the ever-evolving market.
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September 01, 2022
239474
Connecting with the Past: Making Memories in Morocco with Touro
Students Participating in Touro Summer Program Enjoyed Unforgettable Experience During Eight-Day Adventure Through Morocco
This month, Dr. Karen Sutton, professor at Touro’s Lander College for Women, had the privilege of joining 35 Touro students from across all our campuses for a fascinating journey through Morocco. They explored ancient and modern Jewish history and learned about mass Aliyah as well as Morocco’s stance during the Holocaust. Dr. Sutton shares her experiences here.
Education and adventure went hand-in-hand on this exciting Touro summer trip led by Professor Simcha Fishbane. Students earned three college credits while visiting nine cities and numerous villages. We experienced varied cultures in each locale, from a tour of Rabat to a panoramic tour of Casablanca and the historic sights of Fez, including the home of the Rambam and numerous kevarim (grave sites) and shuls. I was joined by my esteemed colleagues, Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish and faculty and lecturers Dr. Israel Singer, Michael Newman and Dr. Stanley and Professor Esther Boylan.
In addition to lectures and tours, the group bonded over camel, ATV and boat rides and BBQs in the desert.
Judaism in Morocco Today
Upon arrival in Rabat, we were welcomed by Andre Azoulay, a leader of the Jewish community and senior financial advisor to King Mohammed VI. Azoulay briefed us on the status of the local Jewish community, which now consists of 1,800 Jews whose average age is 70, and approximately 40 school-age children who are mainly offspring of the Rabbis and mashgichim who live in Morocco. We later learned that Morocco is the only financially viable country in North Africa, largely because of this Jewish finance minister, who is also a regular shul-goer.
The current Jewish community members living in Morocco, such as Rabbi Sebbag and Rabbi Banon, inspired us with their religiosity, spirit and optimism, and their beautiful prayer service. They do not take lightly their role as gatekeepers to the 2000-year-old Jewish traditional life in Morocco, formerly home to over 350,000 Jews, including some of the most revered rabbis and tzaddikim.
Visiting the Past
While much of the Moroccan Jewish community relocated to Israel after the 1967 war, our excursion took us back in time to the first Jewish settlements over 2,000 years ago. Interestingly, Jews came to Morocco even before the Moslems, whose origins date much later, in the seventh and eighth centuries. We felt as though we were walking in the footsteps of our holy ancestors.
Faculty and students, young and old, were deeply impacted upon viewing the abandoned shuls, cities and schools that once brimmed over with Jews at prayer or going about their daily routine.
As we traveled from one city to the next over long rural stretches of dry, stony dusty regions occasionally peppered with withered bushes, I shared Morocco’s Holocaust history. When faced with having to turn over Jews by order of the French Vichy government, the 30-year-old Moroccan sultan, Mohammed V, refused, stating, “There are no Jews in Morocco, there are just Moroccan citizens.” The sultan had to comply with some of the anti-Jewish laws, but Jews were not forced to wear a yellow star nor were they eliminated from professions or forced to give up their property. Not a single Jew was deported. In short, like King Christian X of Denmark, Mohammed V protected the Jews of his country.
Another vital component of our trip was connecting to the great rabbis of Morocco. Through lectures given by Dr. Stanley Boylan, including “The Rambam and the Rif living in Fez,” we were able to gain context and feel deeply rooted to our Jewish past. When we prayed at the grave sites of our most revered leaders, we understood their world views and the lives they led.
Throughout the tour, our Moroccan guide and author of Jews Under Moroccan Skies, Raphael Elmaleh was able to make Moroccan history come alive. Students asked about the lasting legacy of Maimonides as well as the contributions of everyday Jewish laborers, merchants, artisans and craftsmen to Moroccan society and about the mass emigration of Moroccan Jewry. Answers were not given from textbooks, but rather by visiting, seeing and experiencing.
A Modern Monarchy
Dr. Singer shared his analysis of the diversity of Morocco’s political and religious make-up throughout the ages. He explained that as a constitutional monarch, King Mohammed VI extends a strong arm in the governance and policymaking of Morocco. Because he has dedicated resources to improve the lot of the poor and promote women’s rights, he appears to be well loved by the masses. King Mohammed VI also established funds for the restoration of Jewish sites and has mandated Holocaust education. Like his grandfather Mohammed V, Mohammed VI is popular with the small Jewish population who view themselves as protected by his royal authority. Dr. Singer explained that his favorable attitude toward Jews is based on a multitude of factors including economics, especially industry and tourism, given the thousands of Jews who sojourn to Morocco each year.
“King Mohammed VI regards Jews as cultured and educated and looks upon Israel as a successful country with thousands of startups and a booming tech sector. He sees Jews as critical to the relationships he wants to forge and maintain with Israel,” said Singer.
According to Dr. Singer, tolerance rather than persecution accords Morocco a very high place in the Moslem world. Today, Jews enjoy full rights as Moroccan citizens.
The promotion of women’s rights was evident as we visited the Amazigh (Berber) Village in the desert, where women have started a growing business of harnessing argan oil from nuts and procuring a unique, profitable and portable cosmetic industry. While the older Amazigh women produce the oil, their daughters do the marketing and sales.
An Experience of a Lifetime
Esther Boylan, professor of Jewish Studies at Touro summed up the trip as “one of contrasts, striking differences and close associations. From the impoverished Amazigh villages to the opulent edifices in the imperial cities, from the stench of the tannery to the scent of the spices and gardens… from the minarets to the winding allies of medinas, from the majestic mountains to the dry desert, from the holy places to hotels and palaces, Morocco taught us how the ancient and modern coalesce.”
Tamar Levine, a graduating senior who’s majoring in psychology at Touro’s Lander College for Women echoed Professor Boylan’s remarks: “It was fascinating to experience a unique culture and society that I would not otherwise have had the opportunity to explore. It was uplifting to learn about the history of the Moroccan Jewish community. It was also a great opportunity to spend quality time with other Touro students and faculty. This trip was truly an experience of a lifetime.”
As we return to the classroom in the weeks ahead, we will all surely apply the hands-on learning experience we had in Morocco to our studies as teachers, students, lifelong learners and doers. The relationships forged outside the classroom will no doubt connect us and enhance our learning. As one student stated, “we began the trip as a Touro University group and ended it more like a Touro family. “
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August 29, 2022
224606
Touro College and University System to Create New Campus in Times Square
Marking a Vote of Confidence in New York City and Touro’s Commitment to In-Person Learning, College Leaders Sign a 243,305 Square-Foot Lease
New York, NY—New York City’s economy, still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, received a major boost today as Touro College and University System, one of the nation’s leading non-profit institutions of higher and professional education under Jewish auspices, announced plans to build a new 243,305 square-foot campus at 3 Times Square, an iconic Midtown skyscraper owned and operated by the Rudin Family.
In announcing the plan to build its main campus in the heart of Manhattan, Touro reaffirmed its commitment to New York City and the continued importance of in-person learning. Touro will transform eight floors of the building into classrooms, science and technology labs, offices and event space and will have a dedicated entrance and lobby on the southwest corner of 43rd Street and Seventh Avenue. The more than 2,000 staff and students who will work and attend class there daily will provide a major economic boost to local businesses, revitalizing an area traditionally frequented by tourists and office workers.
“Touro College and University System has arrived at its 50th anniversary with confidence and strength under the stellar leadership of Dr. Alan Kadish,” said Zvi Ryzman, Board Chairman of Touro College & University System. “The signing of the lease at 3 Times Square for a new state-of-the-art home for several of Touro’s world class schools and programs indicates a bright and successful future for the institution.”
Seven of Touro’s schools will be housed in the location, including the College of Pharmacy (TCOP), New York School of Career & Applied Studies (NYSCAS), Graduate School of Business (GSB), Graduate School of Education (GSE), Graduate School of Jewish Studies (GSJS), Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) and Graduate School of Technology (GST). Touro plans to officially move into the new space in January 2023.
“Throughout the 2020 and 2021 academic years, our schools and programs adapted and thrived during the transition to online and hybrid education, and we will continue to incorporate what we’ve learned to help our school and approach to education evolve,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, President of the Touro College & University System. “After conducting comprehensive surveys and thorough conversations with faculty, staff and students, we know our community places great value on in-person learning. Touro is now celebrating its 50-year anniversary and by improving our campus experience and upgrading our facilities, Touro will be well-positioned for the next 50 years.”
3 Times Square—originally constructed as the North American headquarters for Reuters Group PLC in the early 2000s—is a Class A office tower that spans 885,000 square feet across 30 stories. In 2020, Rudin engaged architectural firm FXCollaborative to assist on a sweeping capital improvement program at the tower, including the creation of a new, glass-walled triple-height lobby and a sculptural façade screen designed to diffuse the light of Times Square. The building is easily accessible to Grand Central, Port Authority and Penn Station, providing an ideal campus for commuting faculty and students.
The school will build a library, academic facilities, laboratories, student lounges and cafes, according to Mr. Jeffrey Rosengarten, Senior Vice President of Operations for the Touro College & University System, who led the Touro management team in this exciting new initiative.
In addition to expanding its footprint in Midtown Manhattan, Touro has also extended its commitment to the Harlem community and has renewed the lease for its TouroCOM Harlem campus at the 230 W. 125th St. for another decade.
About the Touro College and University System
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 19,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro has 35 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Illinois, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and Touro University Nevada; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For more information, visit www.touro.edu.
About The Rudin Family
The Rudin Family owns and operates one of the largest privately held real estate portfolios in New York City. Among its real estate holdings, which includes the high-tech Dock 72 office tower at Brooklyn Navy Yard, are 16 commercial office buildings containing approximately 10.5 million square feet of space and 17 apartment buildings comprising over four million square feet of residences. For more information about The Rudin Family, please visit www.rudin.com.
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January 03, 2022
238304
Noted Biomedical Research Institute Joins Touro University
Affiliation with Lovelace Institute in New Mexico to Expand Touro’s Research Capacity
Lovelace Research Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has joined Touro University and New York Medical College (NYMC), Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro and NYMC announced today. Founded in 1947, Lovelace is one of the oldest not-for-profit biomedical research institutes in the country. The Institute is noted for excellence in respiratory disease and neuroscience research, toxicology, drug development experience and in protecting the nation against chemical, biological and nuclear threats.
“Touro is thrilled that Lovelace will be joining our university. This affiliation will significantly impact our research capability and expand our capacity to make a difference in the health and lives of Americans. Together with Lovelace, Touro will be able to bring in-depth understanding of potential health risks and optimize the efficacy of pharmaceuticals,” said Dr. Alan Kadish.
“We also plan to leverage the Lovelace clinical trial infrastructure, to run a TOURO/NYMC centralized clinical trials research office. Our NYMC faculty will serve as M.D. advisors for Lovelace clinical trial research and provide basic science support in infectious disease,” continued Kadish.
Lovelace has three campuses in Albuquerque comprising over 375,000 square feet of research lab space and receives more than $70 million per year in grants and contracts. The Institute has published thousands of research papers and employs 400 physicians, scientists and researchers.
“We are looking forward to collaborating with Touro on research projects increasingly over time,” said Dr. Robert Rubin, President and CEO at Lovelace Institute. “This new affiliation will provide long term stability, new opportunities to expand our mission as we join an academic medical center. The leadership is excited at this new opportunity to advance our mission to improve the public health.”
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August 08, 2022
236934
When Hard Work, Smarts, and Luck Come Together
Touro Alum Todd Kahn Leads Coach’s Empire
As the CEO of Coach, Todd Kahn manages one of the world’s most popular luxury fashion houses with almost 5 billion dollars in sales each year. Kahn credits the education he received at Touro with helping him launch his career.
After attending high school at Chicago’s Ida Crown Jewish Academy, he chose to attend Touro because of the school’s Jewish outlook as well as the location in New York City.
“Going to Touro allowed me to work part-time representing my family’s business in New York,” recalled Kahn. “Making a few hundred dollars extra a week was really liberating.”
Becoming a Lifelong Learner in Touro
While Kahn chose Touro for the convenience and familiarity, when he still believed he would work in his family’s business, his education in Touro changed his outlook.
“I was really inspired by some of the grounding that I got at Touro, particularly in the humanitarian areas,” said Kahn who graduated with a degree in business management in 1985. “Touro allowed me to focus on reading the classics and improving my writing ability. As we got close to graduation, I thought about two directions: law school or business school. I wasn’t really clear what business school would allow me to do, but in law school, I figured, the worst-case scenario, I could be a lawyer.”
Coach CEO Todd Kahn stands by a display of bags in one of the company's stores.
“I was not a reader when I was in elementary school or even in high school,” continued Kahn. “I sort of read what you were required to read. In my first two years at Touro, I became a really voracious reader. And I think that set me up to becoming a lifelong learner. That curiosity, that focus on learning and testing has served me well, whether it was a law student, a practicing lawyer, or of course, a business person.”
Kahn took the LSATs after graduating and earned himself a spot in Boston University School of Law. At first, Kahn said he was intimidated by the size and Ivy League-pedigree of his fellow students. Those doubts quickly evaporated.
“I think BU had one of the largest classes in its history, over 430 students and my section had 150 people,” explained Kahn. “And I really had a certain amount of anxiety. How would I perform in that? I was competing with students who had graduated from Harvard and Yale and Boston University and a host of other schools. And fortunately, I do think the small class size, the intimacy of the education that I received at Touro, allowed me to compete very successfully.”
From M&A Lawyer to Corporate Counsel
Kahn’s first position was with Fried Frank, a Wall Street law firm that specialized in mergers and acquisitions. One of their clients was apparel maker Salant Corporation, which owned well-known brands like Perry Ellis. After working on their account for two years and helping them emerge out of bankruptcy, a partner in Kahn’s firm, asked him if he would join the company as counsel.
“I thought, "Wow", to be 29 years old as a general counsel of a public company was incredible, and what an opportunity. That was 1992 and that was my gateway to the accessory apparel industry,” said Kahn.
“Very early on, I demonstrated a different type of general counsel, one that they had not experienced before,” he said. “One who was focused on contributing to the business, focused on being commercial, but obviously protecting the institution and the IP. And we did some really, really innovative things then.”
Kahn’s Beginning at Coach
Kahn stands in the 15-story atrium of Coach’s urban campus at 10 Hudson Yards. The double height conference rooms overlook the High Line.
After several years at Salant, Kahn focused on the business-side, and got back to his long-held business interests with stints at start-ups including one founded by rapper and mogul Sean Combs. When Kahn was approached by a member of Coach’s human resources team to join the company as corporate counsel, it had been a while since Kahn had worked at a company in that capacity but, “I thought long and hard,” recalled Kahn. “And I said, ‘If you get to play for the Yankees, you don't really care what position you play.’”
(He jokes that he was referring to the Yankees of 2008, not the current team.)
The timing was fortuitous for both Kahn and Coach. Together with then-Coach CEO Lew Frankfort, Kahn was instrumental in expanding the company from a $2 billion business to a $5 billion empire.
“When I first started at Coach, I was most excited about the opportunity to work with the best people in our industry,” said Kahn. “It was an incredible team, and just being in that room and then realizing, ‘Hey, wait a minute, I can contribute to this.’”
Kahn especially enjoyed his relationship with Frankfort.
“Lew was a force, and he would test you every day. He was one of those leaders who had been in the company since it was 6 million dollars, and he had done everything one could do in the company,” he explained. “On top of that, he had perfect recall. That was very intimidating, but it definitely made you bring your A game. Coach still makes me bring my A game every day.”
As chief commercial officer, Kahn was responsible for every aspect of the Coach brand, other than marketing, design, and merchandise.
“I’ve had the good fortune of doing almost every job here,” said Kahn. “Whether that was running wholesale, running our supply chain, building our [Hudson Yards] building that we're sitting in now, or managing IT. So, I've really had the experience beyond just being general counsel and the opportunity to learn so many aspects of the brand.”
Leaving a Mark
One of Kahn’s crowning accomplishments was helping to design and build the flagship offices of Coach in the Hudson Yards area of New York City. In charge of real estate and tasked with finding a new campus for Coach, Kahn brought Coach into the development team of 10 Hudson Yards, which helped launch the complex and reinvigorate a forgotten part of New York City.
“We had a little bit of input in the skyline of New York,” said Kahn. “And that's pretty remarkable. We have a date on the calendar in about 20 years where I plan to have corned beef sandwiches and Dr. Brown's sodas on the High Line with our head of architecture and head of facilities. We’ll be three very old men looking at what we were able to accomplish. And that will feel good.”
Becoming CEO During a Pandemic
Two years ago, the company asked Kahn to take over as CEO of Coach, which represents 70 percent of Tapestry sales and 90 percent of the company’s profit.
And while serving as president of Coach would be a fitting capstone to any career, just as Kahn was settling in, COVID hit. Kahn took drastic action and closed all 200 hundred American stores. Despite the hardships COVID caused on a personal and business level, he also saw an opportunity.
“Covid allowed us to reset our business and reset our brand,” said Kahn. “And I really used that opportunity. We leaned in very heavily on digital. And it was interesting, if you would've asked me in April 2020, ‘Would people sitting at home uncertain about their future buy a lot of handbags?’ I would not have thought so, but handbags are an emotional purchase and humans are optimistic. We can be sitting at home for 12 hours on Zoom, not knowing what's going to happen and dealing with all kinds of issues. But generally speaking, we believe in a future, and we sometimes want to reward ourselves.”
We don't just sell a handbag. We sell confidence.
Coach finished 2022 with one of its strongest quarters to date and the company’s sales have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Their latest handbag sold out in two minutes.
“I love that tangible opportunity to change people's lives,” said Kahn. “One of the things we love about Coach is—we have a lot of consumer data on this—that people who buy our product say that it makes them feel good. It makes them feel confident. We don't just sell a handbag. We sell confidence.”
Giving Back and Giving Confidence
Kahn said that giving back is an important part of his mission as CEO of Coach. He is a founding member of the Coach Foundation and helped the charity raise $100 million. The charity’s focus is on providing educational opportunities around the world.
“We really leaned in on education for the Coach Foundation,” said Kahn. “We're doing scholarship programs and we’re not only limited to the US. We have 5,000 scholarships in China, Japan, and the UK. The idea of education is important.”
“My parents strived to allow me to get an education,” he continued. “It's a non-negotiable that my children went to college. And I know it sets them on a different path. I want that opportunity for everyone.”
Additionally, Kahn serves as a board member of the NYC cultural institution, The Shed. He was also active in having Coach work with Delivering Good, a non-profit that provides clothing and merchandise to those suffering from poverty.
Kahn in Coach’s design studio at 10 Hudson Yards, a unique feature of Coach’s NYC campus
“Delivering Good, which uses products we make, has given away over a billion dollars to help people in need,” said Kahn. “Whether that's somebody starting off in the workforce, or somebody coming out of prison who now needs to set their life in a different place—giving that person their first suit, their first briefcase or their first handbag for a job interview is really powerful.”
Looking at the trajectory his own life took, Kahn sees a similar shape to Touro’s mission.
“Touro looks at opportunities throughout our country. Where can we serve a need for education? And it's not just about a narrow goal like building alumni network or financials; it’s about satisfying a need,” he said. “And I think through the lens of the Jewish values, the study of humanities that were really at the core of Touro, those two principles, invoke the Hebrew idea of Tikkun Olam, healing or building a better world, not just for one set of people, but for all people.”
“Touro has helped change the lives of thousands of people with that simple premise of: How do I heal the world?” concluded Kahn. “And I think that's pretty remarkable, and congratulations on 50 years. I look forward to seeing what you're going to be able to do and accomplish from here.”
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July 26, 2022
236728
Young People at Greater Risk of Catching COVID
Reducing Exposure is Key to Preventing Long COVID in Teens and Young Adults
(New York, NY)—At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a general perception that children and teenagers were much less likely to get COVID-19 than adults. It was fueled by early data from across the globe that found very low rates of COVID in adolescents (defined as ages 10-19) and youth (15-24). But the data was mixed and some questioned its validity.
Now new research published this week in JAMA Open has found that adolescents and youth in the U.S. actually had a greater relative risk of getting COVID than older adults in the fall of 2020, before vaccines were available.
The study, conducted by researchers at Touro University and its affiliated New York Medical College, found that in 16 of 19 states examined, the rate of infection was significantly higher in adolescents and youth than in older adults, age 65+ and in some cases, it was twice as high.
The researchers wanted to address some of the shortcomings of the older studies, for example, some were conducted while schools were still closed, when adolescents and youth likely had reduced exposure to the virus compared to adults. Also, there was a bias against testing young people at the start of the pandemic because of the perception that they were not catching it, so data may have underreported rates of infection.
This study looked at data in states that had a surge of the original SARS-CoV-2 strain (a 75% increase in cases) in the fall of 2020, before vaccines were available. “The fact that vaccines were not yet available is important because it means that the findings could not be attributable to the effects of vaccination,” said Dr. Barbara Rumain, associate professor at Touro University and corresponding author on the study.
“The higher rates were probably due to social-behavioral differences such as lack of masking and lack of social distancing in adolescents and young adults,” continued Rumain. On the other hand, older adults likely felt vulnerable and adhered to masking and social distancing guidelines.
The authors believe that the risk in young people may be even greater than was reported here. That’s because adolescents and youth are less likely to show symptoms and be tested, leading to underreporting of COVID in these age groups.
As of May 19, 2020, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported that there were 13,253,639 cases of COVID in children younger than 18 and at least 1,032 deaths.
“Contrary to popular perceptions, adolescents are more likely than older adults to contract COVID,” says Rumain. “And even though the infections could be milder in adolescents, getting long COVID is a real possibility.”
The authors believe that this information can inform decision-making on the personal and state level. For example, the Florida Department of Health recommended against vaccination in children 5 to 17, which the authors said, seemed to go against the data from this study and the documented number of deaths in children (1000+). According to a meta-analysis published in the journal Nature, the prevalence of long-COVID in children up to age 18 years old is about 25%. The greater the number of infections to start with, the greater the number that will end up as long COVID.
In addition, the increased risk of young people, likely because of greater levels of socializing, may inform policies in schools and personal mask-wearing choices.
The authors recommended that efforts should be made to reduce exposure in young people, with masking and social distancing in schools and other social settings. They also recommended public health messaging more targeted at young people.
“People, especially adolescents, need to wear masks and social distance,” says Rumain. “The pandemic is not over.”
Touro
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July 18, 2022
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Touro Awarded Over $4.5 Million in Funding
Gifts and Grants to Provide Scholarships, Research and Training with Emphasis on Helping Underserved
Touro University’s schools and colleges have recently been awarded over $4.5 million in gifts and grants to, among other things, benefit low income and students of color, and to address needs in underserved communities.
The funds, secured by a variety of schools including social work, pharmacy, law, and medicine, will help support scholarships, immigration and other clinics, and student research and training to address unmet needs in local communities.
“As Touro celebrates its 50th anniversary, these grants and philanthropic gifts are critically important to helping our current and future students with affordable quality educational opportunities, and the chance to have an even greater impact in our local communities that so desperately need support during these challenging times,” said Touro University President Dr. Alan Kadish.
The recent awards include:
To the Touro College Graduate School of Social Work in New York City, a $200,000 grant from the New York Community Trust to increase enrollment of students of color and low-income backgrounds in graduate social work degree programs;
To Touro College of Pharmacy in NYC, a $3,000,000 grant over five years from the Health Resources and Services Administration to create a Center of Excellence to recruit and graduate more underrepresented minorities in pharmacy and to provide training and opportunities for faculty and students to address unmet pharmacy needs in underserved communities;
To the proposed Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine – Montana, scheduled to open in fall 2023, a grant of $225,000 from the Montana Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund for job creation resulting from the new medical school, along with a private gift of $1 million secured to launch a student-focused research program;
To Touro Law Center on Long Island, two grants totaling $90,000 from the New York State Legislature for clinics; a $25,000 scholarship from Board of Governors member Robert Abrams; a $5,000 scholarship from the Herman Goldman Foundation to benefit a diverse student, and a gift of $15,000 from the Natalie Bailly Kirschner Foundation for the school’s immigration clinic.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-awarded-over-45-million-in-funding.php
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June 16, 2022
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Touro Celebrates 600+ Graduates at 48th Annual Commencement
Lander College Students Receive Awards, Words of Inspiration, and Messages for Life
Touro’s Lander Colleges graduated more than 600 students last Sunday at the 48th Annual Commencement Exercises, held at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. Families, friends and faculty came out to honor the graduates in the first in-person ceremony in three years.
For a group of students who spent a good part of their college years in lockdown and on Zoom, emotions ran high as they celebrated their collective achievements and shared the crowning moment of their academic careers.
“Today, as we honor the culmination of your hard work, and your commitment to fulfilling your dreams under the most difficult of circumstances, I am confident that you will continue to transform your aspirations into realities,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, Touro President. “At Touro, you have been part of a tight-knit community brought together by our shared values, and by our devotion to Torah and Klal Yisrael. We have challenged you to think deeply, speak clearly and continually grow. We think of ourselves as leaders in what we are trying to accomplish. But the best leaders don’t make followers—they make new leaders. And this is what we are expecting of you.”
Numerous awards were presented for community service as well as high academic achievement in math, accounting, biology, art, education, finance, psychology, political science and more.
Dr. Stanley Boylan, Vice President of Undergraduate Education and Dean of Faculties, received an honorary degree and served as Keynote Speaker. “You are entering into a new world, which continues to evolve before our very eyes, a world in which your own ability to continue to learn and innovate will be essential,” said Dr. Boylan. “As the graduating class of the Lander Colleges, hold fast onto your dreams. Just as our founding President, Dr. Bernard Lander, himself a dreamer, visualized Touro as a burgeoning academic institution to help the Jewish community master all the new skills needed to assure the continuity of Jewish life, you too can aim high and seize the great opportunities each of you will have to realize your dreams for today and for the future.”
One of the valedictorians, Yisroel Fishman, shared his thoughts on greatness with his peers: “Every great person made a choice to go into a field they loved—whether it was medicine, physics, psychology or business—and each made the decision to stick by that choice and persevere. Choice is the vehicle through which all great people are born. Perseverance is the stuff of which they are made,” said Yisroel.
“Each one of us here has proven ourselves and shown our ability to choose and persevere. We are already on the path toward greatness. Whether you are a finance major ready to take your place in the corporate world, a bio major heading off to learn to heal people, or a psych major preparing to help people cope, the fact that you are here in this hall today is a true testament to the consistent choice we all made to keep persevering, despite the tremendous hurdles the Class of 2022 has faced,” continued Yisroel. “Each one of us has worked diligently and relentlessly, day after day, semester after semester, and year after year to finally come to this day. Mazel tov and congratulations to all of us!”
Touro
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May 30, 2022
233745
New Dean Appointed to Touro University School of Health Sciences
Dr. Steven Lorenzet, Former Dean at Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University, Steps into Key Role
(New York, NY)—Dr. Steven Lorenzet was appointed Dean of the Touro University School of Health Sciences, Dr. Alan Kadish, Touro University President, announced today. Dr. Lorenzet was most recently the Associate Dean at the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University, and served previously in the capacity of Dean, Director, and Professor at National, Rider and Kean Universities.
“Dr. Lorenzet is a strategic and collaborative academic leader with extensive experience in health sciences and business,” said Dr. Kadish. “He brings a record of success in many key areas, including new program development, fundraising, board development and strategic planning. He has supported accreditation needs on both the institutional and program levels in multiple disciplines and has collaborated to generate significant new resources through philanthropy, organizational and international partnerships, continuing education and new degree programs, many within the healthcare community.”
“It’s an honor to be selected to lead such an outstanding team of students, faculty and staff,” said Dr. Lorenzet. “I am looking forward to collaborating with the school’s many stakeholders to create an inspiring vision for the future.”
Dr. Lorenzet earned his Ph.D. at the University at Albany, SUNY and his M.A. and B.S. at Towson University. He has vast expertise in teaching, researching and consulting the behavioral sciences. He has published in numerous outlets including the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, Human Resource Development Quarterly and Organizational Research Methods. His research has won multiple awards including the Citation of Excellence from Emerald Publishing.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/new-dean-appointed-to-touro-university-school-of-health-sciences.php
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May 25, 2022
School of Health Sciences
233327
Touro’s Lander Colleges Celebrate 2022 Valedictorians
Future Doctor, Dentist, Psychologist, Lawyer to be Honored at Lincoln Center Ceremony
Touro University today announced the valedictorians of three undergraduate schools; Lander College for Men, Lander College for Women and Lander College of Arts and Sciences in Flatbush. Yonaton Rubin, Chana Schochet, Adelle Perkelvaid and Yisroel Fishman will be honored at Touro’s commencement ceremony, to be held on Sunday, May 29, 2022 at Lincoln Center in Manhattan.
In total, 512 students will graduate from Touro’s Lander College for Women, Lander College of Arts and Sciences in Flatbush and Lander College for Men, while 119 students will graduate from Machon L’Parnasa and The School of Lifelong Education. The 2022 graduating class includes seniors from 13 states across the United States, and 6 foreign countries.
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Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touros-lander-colleges-celebrate-2022-valedictorians.php
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May 18, 2022
233115
Dr. Stanley Boylan to Receive Honorary Degree
VP for Undergraduate Education to Headline Commencement for Touro’s Lander Colleges
(New York, NY)—Dr. Stanley Boylan will receive an honorary degree and serve as commencement speaker for Touro’s Lander Colleges, to be held on May 29 at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. Dr. Boylan serves as Vice President of Undergraduate Education and Dean of Faculties.
Dr. Boylan has a long history with Touro, joining the faculty in 1976 as both a mathematics and Judaic studies professor. As one of Touro’s early leaders who was a close confidante of Founding President Dr. Bernard Lander, he helped craft and create the collegiate academic and scholarship infrastructure of the undergraduate division as well as the professional foundation of the Touro faculty body.
Dr. Boylan has since led myriad committees pivotal to Touro’s mission with distinction, including the Presidential Task Force on Academic Integrity and Project Strive, the Student Success initiative. He also served as a Touro liaison to the New York State Education Department and as a member of an NYSED Task Force.
“Dr. Boylan is a model combination of educator and academic leader. He is committed to supporting colleagues, faculty and students,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, Touro President. “As a respected Talmudic scholar who is an expert in Jewish thought and a noted mathematician, Dr. Boylan has brought expertise and creativity in multiple areas, to his many key roles at Touro.”
Advice for Today’s Graduates
In sharing his personal world view, Boylan said, “I have tried to always be the same person, both in my professional and personal interactions. I have learned to consider the impact of decisions I might make on individuals as well as society, and to structure those decisions to be in the best interest of all.” Boylan urges students to follow the dictum of Rebbe in Pirkei Avot, to pursue a derech yashara, a straight path—one of excellence and one that can provide personal satisfaction and growth while balancing the needs and opinions of society.
“We are confronting a changed world where innovation and creativity is essential, but one in which the values we have learned and incorporated into our lives must be preserved and treasured,” said Boylan. “In the long run, those timeless values are more important than the particular skills you master.”
Dr. Boylan earned a B.A. in Mathematics, with honors, from Yeshiva College; an M.S. and Ph.D. from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Science at New York University, where his awards included being named Woodrow Wilson Scholar, National Science Foundation Fellow, and Sloan Foundation Fellow. Dr. Boylan also received Rabbinic Ordination from Yeshiva University, studying under Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, whom he considers his rebbe and mentor.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/dr-stanley-boylan-to-receive-honorary-degree.php
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May 16, 2022
230872
Dean Named for Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-Montana
Founding Dean Dr. Elizabeth A. Palmarozzi to Oversee All Key Facets of the New College's Curriculum and Campus
Dr. Elizabeth A. Palmarozzi, D.O. F.A.C.O.F.P was appointed founding campus dean of the proposed Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-Montana campus, Touro University President Dr. Alan Kadish announced today.
Dr. Palmarozzi served most recently as founding dean of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine –Auburn, Alabama campus and Clinical Vice-Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
“Dr. Palmarozzi brings an impressive, three-decades-long record of academic leadership as well as real-world experience in the field of osteopathic medicine. She has a track record of success in establishing new programs, developing strategic partnerships and motivating students We are eager to expand the university’s existing national footprint of five top tier medical school campuses with the proposed Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-Montana and Dr. Palmarozzi is an ideal choice to lead this new venture,” said President Kadish.
In her new role as founding campus dean, Dr. Palmarozzi will oversee all facets of the curriculum and campus of the proposed Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-Montana as well as the hiring of faculty and staff, development of local partnerships, recruitment of physicians and students, and research activity.
“I am honored to be selected to serve as founding dean at the proposed Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-Montana,” said Palmarozzi. “Montana is facing a healthcare crisis, with 93% of its counties experiencing a shortage of medical providers. Bringing a new medical school to Central Montana will address the physician shortage and increase access to health care for the state’s large underserved populations. Currently, 60% of Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine graduates enter the field of primary care, and continuing this trend in Montana will truly make a difference in the lives of so many. I’m excited to be part of a pioneering effort to improve healthcare and access to higher education.”
According to Palmarozzi, the medical school is scheduled to open with 125 students in the fall of 2023 and has already secured clinical rotation sites throughout the state: in Great Falls, through its local hospital partner, Benefis Health, and through other collaborations across Montana.
Kenneth J Steier, DO, Executive Dean of the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York, stated that “we are indeed fortunate to have Dr. Palmarozzi as our founding campus dean for our proposed additional site in Great Falls, Montana. I look forwards to working with her and am confident that she will be a great addition to the TouroCOM team.”
Dr. Palmarozzi earned her doctor of Osteopathic Medical Degree from Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. Fort Worth, Texas (University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, TCOM). She served in numerous leadership roles including as a member of the Women’s Health Committee of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), Chair of AOA Constitution and Bylaws. Dr. Palmarozzi also served as the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) Constitution and Bylaws Committee Chair, Resolutions Review Committee and Women’s Health and Leadership Committee member, and is on the boards of the Alabama Rural Health Association (ARHA) and Southeast Alabama Area Health Education Center (SEAAHEC). She has also served as president of the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association, and Texas Society of ACOFP. Currently, she serves as Speaker of the Congress of Delegates of ACOFP and is the first female ever elected to that position.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/dean-named-for-touro-college-of-osteopathic-medicine-montana.php
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March 31, 2022
228486
Touro College Granted University Status by New York State Board of Regents
The Milestone of Full University Status in New York Comes as Touro Celebrates its 50th Anniversary
New York, New York—Touro College in New York State has been granted university status by the New York State Board of Regents, Dr. Alan Kadish, Touro President announced today. This comes after the Board voted to amend the charter to change the College’s name to “Touro University” in recognition of the institution’s advanced academic standing. Touro has already achieved university status at its California and Nevada schools.
“Achieving university status is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication on the part of the entire Touro community—our faculty, deans, program directors, staff and students who have elevated, expanded and advanced our outstanding academic offerings,” said Dr. Kadish. “This exciting announcement represents our commitment to academic excellence and growth through innovative programs and opportunities in higher education. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished over the last 50 years, on the shoulders of our visionary founder, Dr. Bernard Lander of blessed memory, and know that this achievement bodes well for Touro’s future.”
The school will undergo university-wide rebranding, which will unify all its programs and schools under one Touro University umbrella. With 35 schools in five states and four countries serving nearly 19,000 students each year, this shift will strengthen the school’s identity and ability to offer consistent, high-quality programs and opportunities to its students.
This recognition comes as Touro celebrates its 50th anniversary and advances plans to build a new 243,305 square-foot main campus at 3 Times Square. Touro will transform eight floors of the building into classrooms, science and technology labs, offices and event space, creating a state-of-the-art home for several of its world-class schools and programs.
The Touro University
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro University in New York was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 19,200 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro University has 35 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and Touro University Nevada; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro University System. For further information on Touro University, please go to: www.touro.edu/news
Touro
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February 18, 2022
224411
The Many Possible Healthcare Careers for Observant Jewish Women
Touro College Panel Showcases How Women Can Succeed While Balancing Careers in
Medicine and Health Sciences with Jewish Life
Choosing a career in medicine means a lifetime of satisfaction for people who want to make a difference for others. Healthcare fields are growing, so opportunities abound and salaries are lucrative. With so many rewards, why are these choices daunting for women, especially religious Jewish women?
Media depictions of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals focus on crises and long hours away from home. Rarely do we hear about healthcare professionals going home to cook dinner for their families, shop for holiday clothing or attend Torah classes. Women who want to raise large families and participate in communal life must search hard to find role models in medicine and healthcare.
To provide a more realistic sense of how observant Jewish women succeed in careers in the medical and health science fields, Touro College presented a program for young girls and women that featured women who are integrating communal, professional, and personal roles. Six Touro health science students and alumni spoke about their experiences—from undergrad through grad school and beyond. Their professions included medicine, dentistry, physician assistant (PA), physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and nursing. The women discussed all aspects of their careers—why they chose their particular fields, how to ace the schooling, challenges, and opportunities, and potential for work-life balance.
Many spoke of the opportunities Touro provided to ease their paths throughout their educational journeys—from kosher food, an academic schedule based on the Jewish calendar, to a community of religious students on the medical and dental school campus that offers Shabbatons, pre-holiday gatherings, Torah classes and the supportive network of observant students in the therapy programs who developed study partnerships and deep friendships. As religious women, they described how they are able to balance multiple priorities—including marriage, raising children, and communal involvement—and succeed in their training and enjoy their careers all at the same time.
Real Women Share their Stories
Yael Bree Greenberg, a fourth-year medical student at Touro’s New York Medical College, shared that medicine is a “great career for those who love science, love people and aren’t scared of spending many years in school.” She pointed out that medical training is a long-term commitment. Students can expect to spend 12 years earning their undergraduate degrees, medical degrees, and completing residencies. However, she said, "if you have a vision of your long-term goal, you can do it and you’ll be happy doing it.” Greenberg is married with a baby and currently applying to anesthesiology residency programs.
Racheli Sambrowsky, is a third-year dental student at Touro College of Dental Medicine. She described dentistry as a field with enormous opportunities for growth. “You have to make fast decisions, think on your feet, problem solve. At the end of the day, there is nothing more gratifying than a patient thanking you for stopping their pain or fixing their smile,” she said. Listen to Racheli’s presentation.
Dassie Nelkenbaum, an emergency room nurse at Maimonides Medical Center, is passionate about nursing, which she describes as “the art of caring and science.” The job is intense, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Listen to Dassie’s presentation.
Achieving Work-Life Balance
One concern that may hold women back from careers in health sciences is the potential for work-life balance. Several of the panelists countered that misconception, pointing out that their fields offer opportunities to shift between full and part-time work throughout a career.
Bracha Schoenblum, a Doctor of Physical Therapy, owns a private practice in Woodmere and has four children. She said, “you can work in a hospital full time or part-time. You can have your own practice or work for someone else. You can work in places that you probably haven’t considered. Companies hire physical therapists with expertise in ergonomics. Performing arts organizations need PTs also. Your strengths will guide you to the areas you love.” Listen to Bracha’s presentation.
Diana Safier has been a family medicine physician assistant for the last seven years. A mother of five who got married at the start of college, she chose PA because it enabled her to “get where I wanted to go in just two years. I knew I wanted to treat patients but I did not want the stress of running my own practice.” She loves her job and works part-time, allowing her time to care for her family and volunteer in the community, including running a charitable organization. “PA is a flexible field; you can work full time or part-time and change specialties at any time.” Listen to Diana’s presentation.
Yocheved Teitelbaum, an occupational therapist, pointed out the many different settings in which OTs can work, including hospitals, rehab facilities, schools, and sensory gyms. “I love OT because it’s a dynamic field where you have a chance to interact with people all day, helping them at vulnerable times in their lives. It’s a flexible career in that it’s possible to work part-time, switch to different settings mid-career and achieve work-life balance," she explained.
Dr. Miriam “Mimi” Knoll of Cedarhurst, a board-certified radiation oncologist and mom of four children who also co-founded the Jewish Orthodox Women's Medical Association (JOWMA) offered words of advice. “Every woman comes to the decision about how to lead her life in her own unique way. From mentoring scores of young women, I can tell you there isn’t one answer for everyone.” She encouraged young women to explore their passions, find what is most meaningful to them, and believe in themselves. Listen to Miriam’s presentation.
“Your responsibility is to do what speaks TO YOU. Throughout your career, make sure to keep checking in with that little voice in your head. It’s the voice that tells you, I want to develop my talents, to make the world a better place, to give back to the world and make a difference,” said Knoll.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/the-many-possible-healthcare-careers-for-observant-jewish-women.php
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December 28, 2021
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Student Spotlight: Using Social Media to Connect College Students with Israel
As Team Leader for ISRAEL21c, Lander College for Women Senior Shaylee Rosen Manages Digital Influencers on Campuses Across the U.S.
Shaylee Rosen’s voice conveys energy, positivity, and a can-do vibe. ISRAEL21c must have picked up on it when they offered her an internship as a digital ambassador during her junior year at Touro’s Lander College for Women (LCW). After seeing her in action, they asked her to stay on for another paid internship during her senior year.
This year, she is a team leader for Groundbreaking Israel, the organization’s digital marketing program that shares news in a style and format that appeals to millennials and gen z-ers. It is part of ISRAEL21c, a non-partisan, nonprofit media organization that provides news and information about 21st century Israel.
As a business major, Shaylee was looking for an internship that would combine her passion for Israel with solid career experience. “I was drawn to ISRAEL21c because of my connection to Israel, but I knew it would be helpful professionally,” she said. She expects to graduate this spring and hopes to start her career in the Jewish nonprofit world.
As a team leader, Shaylee manages a team of six digital influencers on college campuses across the United States. Her team focuses on Israeli humanitarian aid around the world. They create web content, Instagram and Facebook posts and TikTok videos. Shaylee meets with her team weekly and helps them complete their assignments successfully.
ISRAEL21c selects college students from around the world for paid internships and trains them to be the next generation of digital communication experts. The World Aid Team has covered topics such as Israel sending rescue teams to help fight California wildfires and sending volunteers to Haiti after the devastating earthquakes there. The stories, posts and videos are visual and engaging for young people.
Shaylee credits LCW with not only her business and management skills, but also with strengthening her connection to her Judaism. We can already see her marketing skills in action. “I love Touro so much, that I’ve convinced several other people to enroll,” she said.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/student-spotlight-using-social-media-to-connect-college-students-with-israel.php
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December 22, 2021
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Divrei Chizzuk During the Time of Corona
Inspiration from Members of the Touro Family
As all Americans face the unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus pandemic, the Jewish community has the added stress of the upcoming Pesach holiday, a time normally shared with family and friends that many of us must now celebrate quietly and alone. In this series of videos, noted lecturers and rabbis from across the Touro family provide inspiration, chizuk and Pesach resources to better help you and your family remember hope during this bewildering time.
How to Engage Your Kids in the Seder
Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, Psychologist and Lucille Weidman Chair of the Graduate Program in Jewish General and Special Education at the Touro College Graduate School of Education.
How do we make the most of our seder? Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman offers advice on ensuring that your seder is a positive and meaningful experience. “The seder is quintessentially about the children,” explains Dr. Lichtman. “This is the time for us to transmit to them the pride in our heritage and the history of our people.” Dr. Lichtman encourages you to tailor the seder to your child. “Less is occasionally more. Relate the seder to your children in ways they can understand and rememberthat they have limited attention spans. But Pesach allows you to set the springboardfor learning for the entire year.”
Nissan is Renewal
Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser, Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies at Lander College for Women—the Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School.
In this video, Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser notes that as we deal with the coronavirus weentered the Jewish month of Nissan, which is a time for renewal in the Jewish calendar. “If there’s something the entire world needs right now, it’s renewal,” says Rabbi Goldwasser. “Nissan symbolizes new enthusiasm and new powers; the month means that we are ready to meet the challenges of the future.” Rabbi Goldwasser describes the blessings that are made typically during the month of Nissan on blossoming fruit trees and how the blessings function as a larger acknowledgement of the good and beauty in the world—and how we should appreciate those qualities even during difficult times.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/divrei-chizzuk-during-the-time-of-corona.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2020/jewish-coronavirus-img.png
April 01, 2020
207257
Touro Hosts Brooklyn Borough President
Wide-Ranging Discussion Covers COVID Response, Education and Health Disparities
On November 10, President Kadish and the Touro Board of Governors hosted special guest Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. In addition to more than three decades of important contributions to New York City, Adams has maintained a warm relationship with Touro. Four years ago, the Touro Law Center bestowed upon him an honorary law degree.
Adams was elected to the first of four terms in the New York State Senate in 2006, where he represented a diverse range of neighborhoods across Brooklyn. During his tenure in the State Legislature, he chaired both the Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs Committee and the Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee. In 2013, Brooklyn elected him as the first person of color to serve as their borough president, and he is currently serving his second term as Brooklyn’s chief executive.
“Borough President Adams discussed a myriad of the most important topics that are currently impacting New Yorkers,” said President Kadish. “This discussion was worth listening to and we are sharing it with the entire Touro community. We covered everything from the City’s response to COVID and some vital education issues to Adams’ emphasis, as an elected official, on health and wellness issues impacting the City. It is a true reflection of issues facing elected officials and those leading the COVID response and health care disparities across the country.” Among other things, Adams described how, in 2016, he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes; how diligently he worked to improve not only his own health but also how, subsequently, he has been able to impact the health of numerous New Yorkers facing chronic diseases. “We were thoroughly impressed with President Adams’ insight, foresight, and analysis of the issues, and we look forward to speaking with him again,” said President Kadish.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-hosts-brooklyn-borough-president.php
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December 01, 2020
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Rosh Hashanah: A New Year with New Opportunities
A Message From Dr. Alan Kadish, President of the Touro College & University System
The Jewish High Holiday season is always a time of great excitement and anticipation. As we usher in Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, next week, we engage in both physical and spiritual preparations. These actions remind us of responsibilities to our Creator and to our fellow human beings, as well as the many blessings that we have received. One well-known Rosh Hashanah tradition is dipping an apple in honey at the start of the festive meal. This action is both a symbolic and palpable way to taste the sweetness that we pray for and work towards as we begin the new year.
Discerning sweetness requires effort. We are certainly aware of the bitter events that we have experienced. Nevertheless, we need to always look forward and focus upon all of the positive things that surround us. This does not negate the harsh realities of the previous year. There were members of the vast Touro family — students, faculty, staff and alumni — who we lost and others who experienced hardship, disease and the passing of loved ones. Ailments and tragedies are a sad part of life and this terrible pandemic put an additional burden on everyone. Especially at this time of year we solemnly remember all those whom we have lost. Of course, the loss of any human being is painful and irreversible, but I can say with certainty that the support that exists within the extended Touro family for those who have endured hardship is genuine, extraordinary and heartening.
When we look for it, we will find that the sweetness is authentic. It is evident with our students who more than endured this last year and a half — they thrived despite all obstacles. The success stories that our deans and faculty share are truly heart-warming; our students continue to excel in their studies and pursuit of knowledge. We are pleased to see how our graduates move forward into fulfilling careers, while others continue their education in our own and other graduate and professional schools.
Touro also takes great pride in supporting our faculty and staff financially as well as by investing in research, our academic infrastructure, and faculty and staff development. While we read of other institutions struggling to merely maintain themselves, I am proud that our institution has made great strides during the pandemic. Together we are building a world-class academic institution. Our New Initiatives Committee, alongside our Board of Trustees, has worked on targeted areas of expansion, both in research and in academic programs, all designed to further strengthen and enhance the Touro College and University System. I look forward to updating you further as those initiatives take shape.
By no means is the pandemic over. Touro has been vigilant from the start and we need to maintain that vigilance alongside our high standards of safety and security. Toward that end, I thank all of you who have vaccinated. By doing so, you helped protect yourselves and your families, as well as the health of all those with whom you come in contact at our school.
The Talmud tells us that one of the greatest attributes of a community is unity — unity of purpose, goals and ideals. Men and women of all backgrounds should be able to jointly engage in serious academic efforts and, by doing so, improve themselves, their families and their communities. This is a cornerstone of Touro. This past year, I am sure there were times when it was not so easy to taste and feel the sweetness of the blessings around us — whether it be because of our need to physically distance from one another, or from the darkness that seemed to encapsulate us. But through our diligence, cooperation and unity, we were successful in fulfilling our mission…and, with the help of the Almighty, we will continue to succeed.
On behalf of myself and my family along with the Board of Trustees and Senior Management, I wish each and every one of you a happy and healthy New Year — a year in which it will be easy for us to taste the sweetness of our individual and collective success and share in joyful occasions with one another.
Dr. Alan Kadish
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/rosh-hashanah-a-new-year-with-new-opportunities.php
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September 03, 2021
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Top COVID Variant Questions Answered
Dr. Kathleen DiCaprio of Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Discusses Delta Variant and Whether Vaccines Protect Against It
Kathleen DiCaprio, PhD, is an infectious disease specialist and assistant professor of medical microbiology and immunology at the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. She has previously assisted in laboratory and emergency responses during the H1N1 influenza outbreak and helped develop a vaccine—now being tested by the National Institutes of Health—which is considered the best hope to stem the spread of the Ebola virus. Here, she answers top-of-mind questions about the COVID-19 Delta variant.
What is the Delta variant and is it more contagious?
Delta is the name for the B.1.617.2. variant, a SARS-CoV-2 mutation that originally surfaced in India in late 2020 and early 2021. This variant appears to be very contagious. New research shows that, although rare, vaccinated people can become infected and carry levels of coronavirus that could be contagious.
How do the current vaccines hold up against the Delta variant?
Although the currently available vaccines show strong protective data against COVID-19, no vaccine is 100% protective. Although the Delta variant continues to show that it is more infectious, data on both the mRNA vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, show that the currently available vaccines provide promising protection against the Delta variant; some data shows approximately 88% efficacy with 2 doses. A report from Johnson and Johnson on their single shot vaccine also stated that the vaccine showed promising protection.
Are breakthrough cases after vaccination more common with this variant?
Most data show that the majority of those hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Breakthrough cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients fully vaccinated have been identified for several variants, including the Delta variant. However, these numbers are small (well below 1% in all reporting states). Additionally, it may be that many breakthrough infections are not being reported because symptoms are mild and short-lived. Also, for most breakthrough infections, new data show that they clear the virus faster compared to unvaccinated patients.
Are people who have had COVID protected against the Delta variant?
This is still unknown, especially because individual immunity can vary. Given this unknown, and the data that shows the efficacy of currently available vaccines against the Delta variant, most experts and public health officials are encouraging vaccination.
Should I wear a mask?
If the number of cases increases in certain populations, there may be recommendations to wear masks. Indeed, we are now seeing this as an active topic in many parts of the U.S. Although most agree that outdoors, masks are not necessary with appropriate social distancing, many places are strongly recommending that masks be worn indoors, especially if not vaccinated.
Is there reason to believe that a new variant can emerge with the ability to evade our current vaccines?
Currently, the existing vaccines show promising protective efficacy. As variants emerge, current and new vaccines will need to be assessed on their efficacy against them.
What do you think is next in the pandemic? Are we finally coming out of it or do the new variants change the trajectory?
It is promising that 67% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The cases are at some of the lowest levels we have seen, even as most parts of the U.S. have lifted mask and social distancing requirements. Now is a good time to explore past epidemiological and public health processes that were engaged throughout the pandemic and learn from what worked and what didn’t work. Activities focused on generating plans for possible future outbreaks (even small ones) in various populations are ongoing and will likely integrate into standard public health practices related to communicable diseases. Although there are variants of SARS-CoV-2 that are circulating, the pandemic is at a much different place than it was a year ago.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-covid-variant-questions-answered.php
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August 03, 2021
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Touro Receives HRSA Grant to Help At-Risk Youth
Social Work, Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Occupational Therapy Students to Collaborate on Improving Mental and Behavioral Health Care to Medically Underserved Youth
Touro College has been awarded a four-year $1.7 million grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to offer master’s students from the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) and School of Health Sciences (SHS) interprofessional training and paid fieldwork targeted to help at-risk youth.
Program applications are now open for fall 2021 for advanced students earning their master’s degrees in social work, clinical mental health counseling and occupational therapy.
At-risk youth are children, teens and young adults whose lives are impacted adversely by such conditions as poverty, homelessness, unstable family and school environments and are therefore seen by experts as less likely to successfully transition to adulthood. Early interventions are considered crucial for them to meet the challenges they face.
The grant is geared to provide help especially in medically underserved areas, where the risks are multiplied and community resources are often scant or non-existent.
“This program will motivate and educate new professionals specifically trained to deliver concrete quality services to those at risk for behavioral health challenges,” said Dr. Eric Levine, director of continuing education and development at the GSSW, who spearheaded the grant proposal. “Youth at risk are among this nation’s most vulnerable populations. The program importantly emphasizes interdisciplinary and team-based training and the recruitment of a future workforce that is devoted to serving high need and high demand areas.”
Over $9 Million in Five Years
Touro is one of a number of schools in the United States and in New York State to participate in the $66 million Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program (BHWET) grant. The award is the fourth from HRSA obtained by the GSSW in the past five years, bringing the total amount of Touro’s HRSA funding to over $9 million since 2016.
Eligible students chosen for the BHWET program will take specialized courses and work with underserved youth aged 12 to 24 through internships in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island and Westchester County, where the GSSW and SHS have established field placements. Stipends will be provided each year to 13 advanced year MSW, nine SHS Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) and five SHS Occupational Therapy (OT) students.
All three groups will learn to provide care in teams, collaborating with one another in classes, seminars and in their fieldwork.
“We are honored to participate in this program,” said Touro College and University System (TCUS) president Dr. Alan Kadish. “We have made interprofessional education a priority across all schools, departments and programs. As one of the largest healthcare educators in the country, Touro is uniquely positioned to train students to tackle together the serious problems of youth suffering from – or at risk of developing – mental and behavioral health disorders and disabilities caused by violence, abuse, trauma, drugs, and other harmful events.”
Expanded Collaboration for Schools of Social Work and Health Sciences
The BHWET grant is the second in which the GSSW is collaborating with the SHS. In 2019, Touro received $1.3 million from HRSA as part of the government’s new Federal Opioid Workforce Expansion Program (OWEP), which it currently shares with SHS’ CMHC program. Social work and clinical mental health counseling students are being trained together to provide prevention, treatment, and recovery services for those suffering from opioid use and other substance use disorders in high need and high demand areas.
Applicants for the BHWET program must meet the minimum set of academic standards and submit a statement that describes how they plan to contribute to the field of at-risk youth and any experience they have had in the field. After graduation, they should seek to work in a high need, high demand community that provides services to at-risk youth.
Social work applicants interested in the BHWET program should contact Dr. Eric Levine at eric.levine@touro.edu. Clinical Mental Health Counseling applicants should contact Dr. Kimberly Asner-Self at kimberly.asner-self@touro.edu. Occupational therapy applicants may contact Dr. Virginia (Ginny) Koenig at virginia.koenig@touro.edu.
This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1.774 million with no percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
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July 12, 2021
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Former Bahrain Ambassador to the United States: While Antisemitism is On the Rise in the West, it is Not an Issue in the Arabian Gulf
Hundreds Attend Virtual Event Hosted by Touro College and University System to Hear from The First and Only Jewish Ambassador from an Arab Country
In a conversation with Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish, Ambassador Houda Nonoo, Bahrain’s former ambassador to the United States, shared that while antisemitism is on the rise in the West, it is not an issue in the Arabian Gulf. Hundreds participated in the virtual event hailing from Bahrain, Brazil, Israel, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Egypt, South America and Spain.
In a wide-ranging, hour-long discussion as part of the Touro Talks program, Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish and Ambassador Houda Nonoo recounted her experience as the Arab world’s first Jewish Ambassador, the Abraham Accords and the Bahrain Jewish community’s experience when it was announced that the Kingdom would be participating in the historic Accords. Ambassador Nonoo spoke about visiting Israel for the first time in November 2020, when she joined the Foreign Minister’s delegation. The conversation concluded with a lengthy discussion about the growth of Jewish life in the Arabian Gulf and the role that the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities is playing in providing resources and services to the Jewish communities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Jews Living Alongside Muslims in Peaceful Coexistence
According to Ambassador Nonoo, the Kingdom of Bahrain has a longstanding commitment to interfaith dialogue and coexistence. Jewish life has flourished there, with Jewish families living alongside Muslim families, sharing their cultures, celebrating holidays and attending each other’s weddings. Bahrain is home to the only indigenous Jewish community in the Gulf, the oldest synagogue in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the only operational Jewish cemetery. Today, the local community numbers around 50, in addition to many expats and U.S. military personnel stationed there. The community recently renovated its synagogue and is beginning regular in-person Shabbat services as the pandemic recedes.
While non-Bahrainis were surprised when Nonoo was appointed ambassador, her fellow citizens were not. “When I arrived in the United States as ambassador, a lot of people could not fathom that I was both Arab and Jewish,” she said.
The Abraham Accords—Building Relationships, Not Walls
On September 11, 2020, Bahrain announced that it would be the second Arab country to sign the Abraham Accords, after the United Arab Emirates.
“One of the drivers for the Accords was to create a better future for our children. We are setting an example for them that focuses on building relationships, not walls. Bahrain was primed for this,” Nonoo said.
Nonoo sees many economic opportunities for collaboration between Bahrain and Israel, including oil and gas, cybersecurity technology, manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, education and travel and tourism. Already, hotels in Bahrain have begun providing kosher meals for Jewish visitors.
As the conversation came to a close, Dr. Kadish expressed optimism about future opportunities to collaborate and help support each other’s efforts. “As part of an international Jewish community, I hope we can further peace, economic prosperity and build a better life for all of us,” said Kadish.
Ambassador Nonoo invited Dr. Kadish and the Touro leadership to bring a delegation to visit the Kingdom—and plans are underway to bring a Touro delegation soon.
Touro
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June 23, 2021
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Touro College Division of Graduate Studies Class of 2021
Graduate Schools of Business, Education, Jewish Studies, Social Work, Technology, and Health Sciences Celebrate Commencement and Honor 1300 Graduates
Touro College Division of Graduate Studies (DGS) celebrated the achievements of 1,300 graduates from its six schools at the division’s second virtual commencement Thursday.
The ceremony was a mix of celebration and optimism combined with recollections of adversity overcome and reminders of the value of helping one another, and the world, heal.
Over 1,000 tuned in, and nearly as many comments were posted on a live chat by friends, family and faculty - from as far away as Bangladesh and as close as Hicksville, Long Island where a 5th grade class joined the celebration.
Speakers included Touro leadership and the deans and top students from each of the division’s graduate schools: Business, Education, Health Sciences, Jewish Studies, Technology, and Social Work. U.S. Senator Charles Schumer delivered a congratulatory message as well.
“Be a Healer”
In his congratulatory remarks, Touro College and University System (TCUS) President Dr. Alan Kadish said, “For the rest of your lives, I am certain that you will be presented with personal and professional challenges. And I am equally certain that you will draw upon the skills and experiences you gained from Touro and harness the same engines of perseverance and dedication that brought you to this moment, to make a marked difference in the lives of those around you. Everyone has an opportunity to be a healer in a world that truly needs healing. Never has that been true more than today.”
Top Students Deliver Reflections
The students thanked family, friends, and their professors for their support and kindness, and shared their thoughts about their journeys:
Miriam Kleiner, M.S., Industrial Organizational Psychology, School of Health Sciences, obtained her B.S. in psychology at Lander College of Arts & Sciences and currently is Director of Investor Relations and Human Resources at a real estate investment syndication and management company. A 4.0 honors student at SHS, where she tutored advanced courses, Kleiner is admired for her passion for growth and helping people make positive changes in their lives. At work, she manages over 300 investors and over 20 employees. “IO is the perfect combination of the psychology world, which I love, and the business world, which is fast-paced and constantly evolving,” says Kleiner.
Ian Baum, MSW, Graduate School of Social Work, earned a B.A. at Touro’s School for Lifelong Education and a M.S. in General and Special Education before pursuing social work. A 4.0 honors student, Baum was chosen by classmates to speak because of his positive attitude and commitment to help others in need. His interest in social work began as a counselor and then administrator at a treatment center for children with behavioral disorders. During school he worked three jobs: as a private school administrator, a high school teacher, and administrator of a behavior modification program. “Our world, our nation, our communities and our families have experienced such pain and tragedy, with the burdens overwhelming, that to give up would be both acceptable and expected. But we did not. We lifted ourselves up and we pushed through. Because that is who we are,” he said.
Aharon Friedler, M.A., Graduate School of Jewish Studies, is a Torah scholar and a member of the faculty of the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County, where he has taught high school, middle school and elementary school. In his remarks, Rabbi Friedler noted that using zoom and other remote media during the pandemic forced him and his classmates to experience what their own students experience as learners. “For many in the world, and especially for us graduate students, the world as we knew it…and the world we live in now has changed dramatically,” he said. “But while the platform for delivery has been one untested…the goal has never changed,” he said. Paraphrasing the Talmud, the goal of an educator must be to “ignite that candle in their students until the flame within their students will rise by itself.”
Tina Williams, M.S., Teaching Students with Disabilities Generalists, Graduate School of Education, is a mother, entrepreneur, researcher, and advocate for children with diverse abilities - and education. Ms. Williams has been a special education teacher for nine years and before the pandemic, owned a dance studio where she taught at-risk students in NYC schools. She shared her struggles, including growing up in a single-parent home in a housing project, giving birth to twins on the autism spectrum, and losing one of her three sons to brain cancer. “It took four years to get back into Touro after many of my classes went from 'incompletes' to F’s but I still kept pushing,” she said. “I always tell my students to never give up no matter how much they have to struggle. There is always something to learn from each chapter in our lives. We all need to keep pushing. Our next chapter is just waiting to be written."
Adeel Ahmed, M.S., Information Systems, Graduate School of Technology, came to Touro with ten years of experience designing and developing technology systems and an MBA from a technology institute in Pakistan. He was chosen student speaker because of his academic achievements (3.9 GPA) and service to the GST. Ahmed managed the school’s website and became an expert in the school’s customer relationship management system used for marketing and recruiting. In his remarks, Ahmed emphasized service to humanity. “Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we can all be proud of our scholastic achievements, which will have a profound significance on the rest of our lives…but graduation is not an end goal by itself. Rather, it is part of life’s journey, which should ultimately be dedicated to serve humanity without any bias,” he said.
Ilknur Taylor Clement, M.S. in Accounting, Graduate School of Business, also graduated with a GPA of 4.0. Clement came to the United States from Turkey to visit family and decided to make New York her new home. She taught herself English, and enrolled at the New York School of Applied Studies for her associate’s and then bachelor’s degrees. She held several jobs, including as a bookkeeper and owner/operator of a café in upstate New York, before returning to Touro for her master’s. Back at Touro, she landed an internship at the Jersey City Department of Finance, where she is now working full-time while studying for her CPA exam. “Everything takes hard work, creativity, confidence, experience and being open to new ideas and opportunities. If you fail, do not get frustrated. Be strong and stand up because you will allow yourself to grow. Do not give up.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-college-division-of-graduate-studies-class-of-2021.php
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June 18, 2021
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Touro College Salutes 2021 Valedictorians
Future Doctors, Lawyer and Information Security Engineer Honored at Commencement
Touro College today announced the valedictorians of three schools: Lander College for Men, Lander College for Women—The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School, and Lander College of Arts and Sciences in Flatbush. Yaakov Saxon, Elisheva (Marcus) Kaminetsky, Rena Schreier, and Jacob (Coby) Fliegelman will be honored at Touro’s commencement ceremony, which will be held virtually at 3:30pm on Sunday, May 30, 2021.
“These young men and women all have cultivated a love of learning, a desire to help others and a commitment to Torah values,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro College and University System.
In total, 583 students will graduate from Touro’s Lander College for Women, Lander College for Men, and Lander College of Arts and Sciences in Flatbush, while 167 students will graduate from Machon L’Parnasa and The School of Lifelong Education. The 2021 graduating class includes seniors from 19 states across the United States, and five foreign countries (Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, and Israel).
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https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-college-salutes-2021-valedictorians.php
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May 14, 2021
215094
COVID-19: A “Pandemic Mental Health Tsunami”
Touro College Clinical Psychologist and Behavioral Health Expert Dr. Jeff Gardere Addresses Pandemic’s Impact at Annual Research Day
Anxiety, depression, health disparities and a full panoply of related issues caused by COVID-19 took center stage at Touro College Research Day Thursday in a special presentation titled, “The Pandemic Mental Health Tsunami.”
Touro College Distinguished Research Speaker Dr. Jeffrey Gardere, a clinical psychologist and professor of behavioral medicine at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, shared how COVID-19 has wreaked havoc throughout communities - in schools, healthcare, the workforce, and beyond – with effects expected to be long-lasting.
“This little virus threw a wrench into the world economy and turned the lives of billions of people upside down in many ways,” said Dr. Gardere.
He opened with sobering statistics that continue to climb: 151 million cases and 3.17 million deaths worldwide, and 32.4 million cases and close to 670,000 deaths in the United States.
“That is staggering, especially when we look at where this began, and with India we know that these numbers will certainly increase. We’ve seen tens of millions of people at risk of falling into extreme poverty, nearly half the global workforce has been affected. The entire food system has been affected. Certain nations still don’t have the vaccine and of course, that’s an existential threat to the rest of the planet.”
Psychological Defense Mechanisms
The pandemic has triggered psychological defense mechanisms, like denial and excessive worrying over health, and three million students nationwide stopped going to classes, resulting in an “academic collapse” disproportionately impacting low income minority students who do not have internet access and are working or caring for siblings or are homeless.
“Some have gone missing. We don’t know where they are,” he said. He cited findings of the national education nonprofit Curriculum Associates showing declines in elementary school student performance in math and reading.
“We know school is not just about learning math and social science but also about interpersonal skills and building self-esteem. For years we will see the impact,” he said.
COVID-19 turned the spotlight on health disparities. Black communities were hit hard with disproportionate numbers of infections and deaths, and complications perhaps driven by a confluence of health conditions like hypertension and diabetes. Communities saw inequitable access to testing, less funding for testing and protective equipment at hospitals, and did not get the care they needed, he said.
These stressors, Dr. Gardere added, coupled with existing mistrust in the health care system due to lack of cultural competency on the part of physicians, a shortage of minority doctors, and fatal police shootings, became the “perfect storm” that helped contribute to distrust of the vaccine when it became available.
“Brokenness”
“Brokenness is what many Black and Brown people complained of during COVID-19. They felt that being disproportionately affected in numbers by the virus was a psychological and physical onslaught that they had never experienced before, and then to see what was happening with regard to racism and social injustice – it was just too much to bear,” said Dr. Gardere.
For the general population, COVID-19 has had serious effects on mental health. Unemployment, increasing healthcare costs, and political tension resulted in psychological burdens that have had significant health impacts – causing sleep disturbances, social isolation and loneliness, he noted.
Cited were statistics from the Kaiser Family Foundation: consideration of suicide has risen since 2019; and from July 2020, 36% reported difficulty with sleep and 32% with eating, 12% with increased alcohol or other substance use, 12% experienced worsening chronic conditions due to worry and stress over the coronavirus, and 56% of young adults reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder.
Reporting on data from the CDC, Dr. Gardere said 13% of Americans reported starting or increasing substance use to cope with stress or emotions related to COVID-19. Additionally, overdoses spiked by 18%; and 40 states have seen increases in opioid-related mortality along with ongoing concerns for those with substance use disorders, according to the American Medical Association.
COVID-19 patients also developed severe psychotic symptoms after contracting the virus, and survivors developed new mental illnesses, like anxiety and depression.
Going forward, Dr. Gardere recommended brief mental health screenings at schools, workplaces and vaccination sites. Psychological screenings and therapy are needed for anyone who contracts the virus, because of possible PTSD, he said. In addition, long-term interventions should be sought, since psychological distress can extend for years.
He also advocated for enhanced substance abuse treatments through telemedicine, along with adding more social workers, psychiatric nurse practitioners, pharmacists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other counselors to the workforce, and recruitment and retention of more underrepresented minority physicians.
He concluded, “The most important thing we’ve learned during COVID-19 is that to get through this pandemic we all have to come together.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/covid-19-a-pandemic-mental-health-tsunami.php
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May 10, 2021
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From Deadly Virus to Vaccine: The COVID Pandemic One Year Later
An Infectious Disease Expert and Professor at New York Medical College Explains Treatments, Immunity, and Vaccines During Touro Research Day Keynote Address
Over the past year, the medical community marshaled its full array of resources to combat COVID-19, the virus that has resulted in millions of deaths worldwide. With New York, and Westchester in particular, at the epicenter of the major outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States last March, Abhay Dhand, M.D., director of transplant infectious diseases and the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Westchester Medical Center (WMC) and associate professor of clinical medicine at New York Medical College (NYMC), quickly found himself in a frontline role treating COVID-19 patients.
As this year’s keynote speaker at Touro College’s Annual Research Day, Dr. Dhand shared how the medical community harnessed their ever-evolving knowledge of COVID-19 to best care for patients.
During his talk, Dr. Dhand touched on the history of coronaviruses, with an emphasis on the varieties that jumped from animals to humans and are associated with pandemics, including Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and most recently COVID-19.
“The amount of learning that we have been able to do in the last year is a big win for science and our knowledge has exponentially increased, which has translated to better care of our patients,” said Dr. Dhand.
Dr. Dhand discussed the factors contributing to the severity of the disease in some patients, including age, comorbidities, with obesity posing the greatest risks for reasons not completely understood, and genetic factors, which could help identify those at greater higher risk in the future. He also described various treatment options, from convalescent plasma therapy, using donated plasma from those who had recovered from COVID-19, to the use of monoclonal antibodies and, most recently, the COVID-19 vaccines, which have shown a high degree of efficacy.
Dr. Dhand explained that it is vital everyone who can get the vaccine do so—even those who have previously recovered from the virus. Dr. Dhand shared data from a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, comparing those with natural immunity to those who had been vaccinated. “The study showed that after natural infection only 44 percent of patients retained the antibodies beyond the 100th day, compared to vaccine recipients who six months later still had a high level of antibody persistence across all age groups, from the young to the elderly,” he said. Studies have also shown that antibody response was stronger against new strains of the virus among those with natural exposure who had also been vaccinated as compared to those who had just natural exposure.
Dr. Dhand concluded his fascinating and timely presentation by focusing on the possible consequences of the emerging variants of COVID-19, which have the potential to spread faster, evade detection by diagnostic tests and be less susceptible to therapeutic agents and vaccine-induced immunity.
“When we reflect back on where we started in March 2020, treatments have completely changed,” he said. “We realize that whatever we learn may not be true in one month or two months and so with this and any infectious disease, we always have to be willing to unlearn and relearn again.”
Trained in infectious diseases and geographic medicine at Tufts University-School of Medicine, Dr. Dhand has served as a faculty member in at NYMC since 2007. During the current pandemic, he helped devise and was involved in: devising and implementing COVID-19 clinical pathways at WMC; clinical trials regarding use of COVID convalescent plasma; risk factors associated with severity of COVID; use of COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies; organ transplantation & COVID-19; and clinical outcomes research in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/from-deadly-virus-to-vaccine-the-covid-pandemic-one-year-later-.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2021/AbhayDhand.png
May 07, 2021
214111
Cross River CEO Talks About Moving From the Yeshiva to the C-Suite
Touro Board of Directors member Yaakov Gade shares career tips for students entering the business sector
Yaakov Gade, CEO and founder of Cross River Bank, has built a successful enterprise while upholding and supporting his Torah values. In fact, Gade believes that his upbringing and yeshiva background have shaped his character and forged his core values.
Recently, he spoke with Touro students about transitioning from the Beit Midrash to the business world. The virtual program was organized jointly by Touro College in Israel and Touro’s Lander Colleges. The yeshiva experience teaches discipline and tenacity and like a successful career, “it is all about consistency, rigor and taking seriously what you do day in and day out,” said Gade.
Yaakov Gade, a member of the Touro College Board of Directors, was born and raised in Paris, France. After earning his MBA, he found his first job at Citibank in Europe. Working for the American bank inspired him to move to the United States where he was eventually hired by Bear Stearns. He settled in the United States, got married and took a couple of years off to study in Kollel. He then restarted his career, a process that included 250 job rejection letters before he was hired again. “The difference between a stumbling block and a stepping-stone is how you use it,” he explained.
Gade obtained a banking charter and went on to establish Cross River in 2008 with a model that combines finance and technology. Thirteen years later, the bank is one of the country’s most innovative financial institutions. “Doing well by doing good” is Cross River’s motto, and it infuses Gade’s approach to his job. “We are in the business of financial transactions. That means we are affecting lives; we help people put food on the table, start small businesses, afford life and invest in their passions.”
He shared advice for students who want to transition from yeshiva to the business world without compromising on their values.
“First, get a solid education,” he said. Students will need both professional skills and respectable credentials as they enter the job market, according to Gade. “You may pursue a four-year college degree, continue on to graduate or professional school.”
"Second, challenge yourself; don’t take the path of least resistance. Transition from being a student to behaving and thinking like a professional. Don’t just look for companies that are run like Heimish organizations, because those won’t give you a chance to flex your muscles as a professional,” he continued. Gade also stressed the importance of maintaining a deep connection with a Rav or mentor as one enters the professional world and journeys through a career. “Your Rav will serve as a moral compass and help guide you in upholding strong Torah values in the workplace, no matter where that may be,” he added.
“Third, take time at the beginning and end of the day to connect with your core values,” said Gade. “If you start the day by going to shul and learning, you will be in the right frame of mind all day. If you do chesed in the evening, you will be successful no matter how much money you make.”
Gade cautioned students not to confuse happiness and financial success. Being successful does not necessarily make someone happy. “Being happy means you are successful in achieving life’s goals, regardless of how much money you earn,” said Gade.
Gade recommended that students take the first step to finding a career that suits their particular strengths by taking the Gallup strength-finding survey, an online tool. Then, he went one step further by offering to meet with each student to discuss the results.
For more information on Touro’s Lander Colleges visit www.touro.edu/more. Listen to a recording of Gade’s presentation on the "How to Succeed in Business" event page.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/cross-river-ceo-talks-about-moving-from-the-yeshiva-to-the-c-suite.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2021/Screenshot2021-04-15111216.png
April 15, 2021
212528
Higher Rate of COVID-19 in Teenagers Than Older Adults
New Study, Led by Touro Researcher Finds Young People Played a Role in Virus Transmission
Adolescents are more likely to get infected with the coronavirus than older adults, providing evidence that young people played a role in the transmission and spread of COVID-19, according to a new study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on March 10.
The study, led by Barbara Rumain, Ph.D. of Touro College and New York Medical College, a member of Touro College & University System, runs counter to earlier research from China and European countries that found low rates of COVID-19 in adolescents and youth. Those studies may have led teenagers and young adults to feel they were invulnerable to the disease.
The researchers examined rates of infection in six states this past summer, when COVID-19 cases spiked and then followed a plateau. The states were Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, Utah, Kansas and South Dakota.
In all six states, the prevalence of COVID-19 in teens and youth (ages 10 to 24) was greater than the prevalence in older adults (ages 60+). In addition, young people made up a disproportionately larger amount of people with COVID-19, compared to their proportion of the entire state population.
For example, in Florida and Utah, 2.2% of the population of 15-24-year-olds were infected with COVID-19, whereas only 1.1% of the adults 65 and older were infected.
Despite reports early in the pandemic that children and young people were less susceptible to contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus, it became clear by the summer of 2020 that they could be affected. It wasn’t until August 2020, more than six months into the pandemic in the U.S., that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated, “children of all ages are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and, contrary to early reports, might play an important role in transmission.”
By September, the number of cases in adolescents 10 to 19 years of age had climbed to 387,000 in the U.S.
Rumain and her coauthors, Moshe Schneiderman, B.A., of SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Allan Geliebter, Ph.D., of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, believe a number of factors might be responsible for the higher rates in young people. They theorize that adolescents have more social contacts than older adults and that older adults, feeling vulnerable, were more likely to follow masking and social distancing.
“Teenagers may not fully appreciate the health consequences of not wearing a mask,” said Rumain. “And even if they knew they might get infected, the desire to socialize may have been more compelling than fears of getting sick.”
Other studies, including a large South Korean study, have found a high rate of transmission among teenagers. Given the higher prevalence and potentially higher rates of transmission, the authors recommend more targeted public health messaging to address these factors.
“A meaningful campaign would acknowledge the challenges young people face of the pandemic, and offer tips for socializing on Zoom and suggestions on how to foster long-term relationships even when socializing virtually,” continued Rumain.
In addition, these results should be considered when making decisions about re-opening middle schools, high schools and colleges, and the importance of wearing masks and social distancing in school settings.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/higher-rate-of-covid-19-in-teenagers-than-older-adults.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2021/Younggirlwithmask.jpg
March 10, 2021
210490
How to Avoid Technology Addiction
Touro Professor Addresses Risks of Too Much Screen Time and Shares Tips for Parents
Ask almost any parent about their child’s screen time and you will hear concern that it has skyrocketed over the past ten months. While technology can help children (and adults) maintain their friendships and connections during the pandemic, too much digital time can pose risks. Overuse can lead to cyberbullying and harassment for children, depression, anxiety and too little physical exercise for all.
To help keep children healthy and safe, Touro College Graduate School of Social Work professor Dr. Steven Pirutinsky offers advice. “Parents need to work together with their children to manage technology. Every situation is different. Take the time to understand both your child and the technology,” he said. Dr. Pirutinsky’s tips for parents include:
In conversations, acknowledge the benefits your children get from technology but help them understand the risks involved. Teach them how to maintain their privacy online and avoid sharing personal information. Be a model for this in your own online behavior. Be available to your children in case they encounter harassment or inappropriate content.
Pay attention. Monitor how much time your child spends online, what they do and how frequently they log on. Monitor your own usage as well and try to cut down if you notice overuse or constant urge to check social media feeds, texts and emails.
Work with your child to set guidelines for technology use. Establish limits for when and where technology should be used. Consider making mealtimes screen-free times and bedrooms tech-free zones. Set an example by placing your own device in another room before dinner and plugging your device into a charger in the kitchen before going to bed.
Get your hands dirty. Become familiar with your children’s favorite games, social media and websites. Learn what they enjoy about it but also review the privacy settings and filters.
Do your homework. Research the parental control and safe search systems that are built into many software programs. Look up age recommendations and use them to set guidelines for your child. Consider putting filters on your own computer and show your children you are practicing what you preach if you decide to do this.
Help your child develop more diverse social and recreational activities. This may be challenging right now but it is also a chance to creatively strengthen connections. Try a family nature walk, game night or take a group tennis or music lesson. Organize a socially distant outdoor playdate. Get together with your own friends for a socially distant cup of coffee and talk about it with your children.
Watch for warning signs in your children. Seek professional help if you see any of these:
Increasing and persistent use of technology, leading to social withdrawal
Intense temper tantrums when technology is taken away
Disengagement from other activities particularly those they previously enjoyed
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/how-to-avoid-technology-addiction.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2021/childrenontheirsmartphones.png
January 26, 2021
211014
Chief Internal Audit Officer at Touro College Recognized for Outstanding Performance
Sabine Charles Leads Highly Trained Team In Strengthening the Operational Infrastructure of the Entire Touro College and University System
Sabine Charles, Chief Internal Auditor at the Touro College and University System, was recognized by the College Board of Trustees for her outstanding performance and dedication to excellence.
Ms. Charles is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) who leads a team of highly trained business, technical and risk management professionals. The Internal Audit team provides result-oriented advisory and consultative services to Touro in the areas of governance, risk and compliance. The Internal Audit Department works closely with Touro’s auditees—Senior Management, Vice Presidents and Directors—and members of the Board of Trustees Audit Committee.
“The Internal Auditors at Touro are trusted advisors,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, president. “They have built long-term relationships, demonstrating that they have everyone’s best interests at heart. This long-term perspective has established their credibility when performing audits, consultative projects and inquiries.”
In March 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic, Touro College pivoted from face-to-face to remote learning and work. The Internal Audit Department refocused its audit plan to the newly identified risk areas—Information Security, Information Technology and Purchasing. The team began to perform laser-focused assessments on critical and high control areas that affected the institution. They were able to perform audits in a 1-2 week period of time, and these audits were used to facilitate key decision-making by the Senior Management Team.”
“My goal is to assess key issues facing Touro, provide recommendations that mitigate risk factors and support the College’s initiatives. I’m honored to be recognized and valued as a trusted advisor and partner to senior management and the governance structure,” said Ms. Charles.
“The Internal Audit team, under Ms. Charles’ capable, highly professional and dedicated leadership, works closely with outside auditors and continues to identify, analyze and apply best practices that strengthen the operational infrastructure of the entire Touro College and University System. This combination has fostered a mutual understanding of audit and business needs that has made the Internal Audit Department an indispensable partner,” said Israel Senderovic, Audit Committee chair at Touro College and University System.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/chief-internal-audit-officer-at-touro-college-recognized-for-outstanding-performance.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2021/sabinecharles.jpg
February 08, 2021
210911
What You Need to Know as COVID-19 Vaccines Roll Out
TouroCOM Professor, Dr. Kathleen DiCaprio, Answers Questions on COVID-19 Variant Strains, Duration of Vaccine Protection and Side Effects
Do the coronavirus vaccines mean the pandemic is finally coming to an end? While the vaccines were in trial Kathleen DiCaprio, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Immunology and Microbiology at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, discussed front-runners, roll-out timing and safety. Now that vaccines have been released, she explains what kind of protection we can expect and why the vaccines do not mean an immediate return to normalcy.
Will the current vaccines protect against the new variant strains of COVID-19? How will the vaccines be adapted to address the new variants?
This is the million-dollar question right now. Current views suggest that the available vaccines will provide protection against the new variant strains of COVID-19; however, it still isn’t completely known how much protection. Recent studies have yielded some data, but more work is being done to understand this more. One particular variant that is being thoroughly examined is the B.1.351 variant identified in South Africa, which carries mutations that may only slightly dampen the potency of virus-neutralizing antibodies.
How vaccines will be adapted, if necessary, will depend on the vaccine. As new vaccines are approved, customized adaptations may be necessary. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines produce the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from the mRNA instructions they include. These currently available instructions are mostly related to the variant first identified in Wuhan, China, which is the target and focus of the protective immune response they induce. Although more information is needed about the efficacy of the currently available vaccines against variants, some possibilities for adaptations may involve exchanging or even adding mRNA instructions into the vaccines that are more specific to spike proteins of the variants. These activities are early in the exploration phases.
How often will we need a booster if new variants keep appearing?
This is a very important question; however, it is one that we just don’t know the answer to yet. Many in the field will suggest the likelihood for booster vaccines at some point, whether it be for simply a “boost” in already existing immunity or a booster dose that is more specific for a variant. Discussions related to COVID-19 vaccine updates are just beginning, and these are active areas of inquiry, research and development.
Once people have had both doses of the vaccine, how long does the protection last?
We don’t yet know how long protection lasts follow receipt of 2nd doses of mRNA vaccines. Hopefully, in the next couple of months, such data will be available as early participants in the clinical trials for these vaccines reach their one-year period since receiving them.
Can people who are vaccinated spread the virus to others, if exposed, even though they themselves are protected?
It is still strongly recommended that all people, vaccinated or not vaccinated, continue to wear masks and practice social distancing when possible. Much of the data generated from clinical trials on the existing COVID-19 vaccine demonstrate that they are very effective at preventing disease in most people. However, how that translates into preventing spread is still not completely known. Furthermore, it is possible that not everyone’s immune response will generate such high levels of protections or that some people may not respond much to the vaccine at all. Such variability in individual responses can happen with vaccines, so these same possibilities are considered for COVID-19 vaccines.
Now that the vaccine has been given to millions of people worldwide, have there been any negative effects doctors have noticed? Is it as safe as they thought previously?
Safety of vaccines are always put at the highest level of priority, and the COVID-19 vaccines are no exception to this standard. As such, the side effects of these vaccines are continuously being monitored and reported. The most commonly reported side effects currently still match those that were reported in the clinical trial data. These include fever, headache, fatigue and soreness at the site of injection. There have been some rare side effects related to allergic reactions to the vaccines. Although this has mostly been seen in people with prior experiences with other vaccine reactions or to components of the COVID-19 vaccine, many centers giving vaccines now include 10- to 30-minute observation periods following receipt of the vaccine. In cases where someone has a history of vaccine reactions, they are advised to discuss first with a health care provider before receiving the vaccine.
How long after a bout with COVID-19 should people be vaccinated?
It is strongly recommended that those actively sick with COVID-19 or those just recovered take time to fully recover and no longer be in isolation before receiving the vaccine. Currently, it is recommended that these individuals wait 90 days before receiving the vaccine. Such a timeline for delaying receipt of the vaccine is because there is data to support that natural immunity from infection is generated and that reinfection is unlikely in most people for at least 90 days. Given this information, in addition to the limited vaccine supply for everyone including those who lack any immunity to the virus, a wait time of 90 days is often suggested in those recovered from COVID-19.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/what-you-need-to-know-as-covid-19-vaccines-roll-out.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2020/KateDiCaprio.jpg
February 02, 2021
209476
Ambassador Daniel Shapiro and Touro President Alan Kadish in Dialogue on the U.S., Israel and the New Middle East
Virtual Conversation Covers Policies Shaping Recent U.S. Israel Relations, from the Iran Deal to the Abraham Accords
In the midst of political turmoil in the United States, an election campaign in Israel and a worldwide pandemic, Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish hosted a virtual dialogue Sunday with Daniel Shapiro, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel. The conversation took place on Zoom with an audience of more than 600 people.
The dialogue covered many of the policies that have shaped recent U.S.-Israel relations, from the JOCPA (“Iran Deal”) to the U.S. Embassy move to Jerusalem and the Abraham Accords. Ambassador Shapiro noted that President-elect Biden has already pledged to keep the Embassy in Jerusalem and build on the Abraham Accords.
Daniel Shapiro served with distinction for a quarter of a century on the staff of the White House and several members of Congress and on the National Security Council before becoming the United States Ambassador to Israel in 2010. He is now a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University. While he has advised and supported President-Elect Biden through the years, he stressed that the views he shared were his own.
The Iran Nuclear Deal
Dr. Kadish opened the conversation by asking about the controversial Iran nuclear deal. Signed in 2015 by Iran and several world powers including the United States, the deal placed significant restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. President Trump withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018. Iran began ignoring limitations on its nuclear program a year later. President-elect Biden has pledged to return the United States to the deal if Iran resumes compliance.
Mr. Shapiro said that the deal, while not perfect, was designed to buy time to deal with what had been identified as the totally unacceptable risk of Iran having a nuclear weapon. Through the deal, Iran could not obtain a nuclear weapon in less than one year, allowing the United States and its allies time to incentivize and pressure Iran to stop nuclear weapon development.
After the Trump administration withdrew from the deal, Shapiro explained that the United States was isolated. Other nations, including Russia, China and the European Union did not withdraw from the deal. The United States ramped up sanctions, but Iran responded by enriching uranium.
“We are back to where we were. Iran is closer to having nuclear weapons,” Ambassador Shapiro said.
As for the future, Mr. Shapiro said that President-elect Biden has stated that he is agreeable to re-entering the deal in the context of mutual compliance, with ultimate goal of a longer, more strategic agreement. Iran would need to relinquish enriched uranium and de-install centrifuges. The Biden administration still has leverage. Mr. Shapiro explained, “Biden has learned that unilateral sanctions can be effective, and Iran knows that they can be reapplied any time.”
The Abraham Accords
Mr. Shapiro also said that President-Elect Biden welcomed the Abraham Accords, the peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. What is notable now, he said, is how different this deal is from the cold peace between Israel and Jordan or Israel and Egypt, which affected governments much more than the citizens of Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
“In the UAE we already seeing a rush of partnerships between banks, hospitals, universities, tech and tourism. The UAE population is very open and welcoming,” he said.
Bipartisan support for Israel has always been a tenet of American diplomacy. Recent political rancor and partisanship in United States politics has directed attention to some Democrats who articulate a different view. However, Ambassador Shapiro stressed, the vast majority of Congress and the Democratic party leaders have continued to consistently support Israel.
He noted that a Biden administration will continue to reflect this strong bipartisan support for Israel’s security, a strong commitment to fight challenges to Israel at the United Nations, overwhelming opposition the the BDS movement, recognition of the threats Israel faces and support for a two-state solution.
“These are still the mainstream positions of the Democratic party and I think bipartisan,” he said.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/ambassador-daniel-shapiro-and-touro-president-alan-kadish-in-dialogue-on-the-us-israel-and-the-new-middle-east-.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2021/DrKadishandDanShapiro.jpg
January 11, 2021
209353
The Jewish Intellectual Tradition
Touro President and Jewish Studies Dean Chronicle a History of Learning and Achievement in New Book Release
The Jewish intellectual tradition has a long and complex history that has resulted in significant and influential works of scholarship. The Jewish Intellectual Tradition is a newly-released book published by Academic Studies Press and authored by Dr. Alan Kadish, president of Touro College and University System and Rabbi Dr. Michael Shmidman, dean of the Touro College Graduate School of Jewish Studies, in collaboration with Dr. Simcha Fishbane, professor at Touro.
The authors suggest that there is a series of common principles that can be extracted from the Jewish intellectual tradition that have broad, even life-changing, implications for individual and societal achievement. These principles include respect for tradition while encouraging independent, often disruptive thinking; a precise system of logical reasoning in pursuit of the truth; universal education continuing through adulthood; living a purposeful life.
“Maimonides is a historical figure who truly embodied this tradition,” said Dr. Shmidman. “An expert in many different disciplines, from Jewish law to philosophy and medicine, he venerated the tradition of scholarship and learning that he inherited. He then advanced it further in his own creative and innovative ways by composing a Jewish legal code of unprecedented scope as well as attempting to synthesize the philosophic and Jewish traditions.”
Exploring the history and influence of the Jewish intellectual tradition, this volume unpacks the underlying values and principles of the tradition, and informs how those values and principles may be applied universally to produce significant advances in education, productivity and personal happiness.
“Mentorship, collaborative learning, and living life with a higher purpose are principles rooted in this tradition that anyone can apply today,” said Dr. Kadish. “If you look at intellectual achievement in general global society, the real advances usually happen in cultures that have significant power and economic and social stability. The unique feature of Jewish intellectual achievement is that it continues even at times of poverty, pogroms and great challenges…The striving for a higher purpose means that you're able to overcome the day-to-day stresses and recognize that working to attain intellectual achievement has inherent value. Jewish scholars have been able to continue their studies despite COVID and the isolation, because they believe their work has eternal value and meaning.”
About the Authors
Alan Kadish, M.D., is president of the Touro College and University System, the largest Jewish sponsored educational institution in the United States. Before succeeding Dr. Bernard Lander as Touro's second president in March 2010, Dr. Kadish distinguished himself as a prominent cardiologist, dedicated teacher and researcher, and experienced administrator.
Rabbi Michael A. Shmidman, Ph.D., is the dean and Victor J. Selmanowitz Professor of Jewish History at Touro College Graduate School of Jewish Studies and editor of Touro University Press.
Simcha Fishbane, Ph.D., is a professor of Jewish Studies in the Graduate School of Jewish Studies at Touro College, New York. He has published extensively on Jewish subjects and texts.
The Jewish Intellectual Tradition is available from Academic Studies Press and wherever books are sold.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/the-jewish-intellectual-tradition.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2020/thejewishintellectualtradition.png
January 04, 2021
209342
How to Apply the Jewish Intellectual Tradition to Achieve Success
Q&A with Dr. Alan Kadish and Dr. Michael Shmidman
Touro president, Dr. Alan Kadish and Graduate School of Jewish Studies dean, Dr. Michael Shmidman, discuss their new book, The Jewish Intellectual Tradition, published by Academic Studies Press. They explain how a series of common principles extracted from the Jewish intellectual tradition can have life-changing implications for individual and societal achievement today.
Can you define the Jewish intellectual tradition?
Dr. Kadish: It is a tradition of learning and achievement that was initially derived from Torah study, but has become more universal. This tradition is transmitted overtly or inadvertently by a system of education and by cultural milieu and has been effective at promoting achievement.
How did it arise and how is it sustained throughout history?
Dr. Shmidman: The tradition goes back to antiquity, to Biblical and Talmudic times, where we see an emphasis on the primacy of education, the importance of study and writing and respect for scholars, the pursuit of truth and living a purposeful existence. This begins with the classic writings of the Jewish tradition and continues throughout the later periods—medieval and modern.
Dr. Kadish: In a nutshell, I would say that the Jewish intellectual tradition arises from the Torah and Talmudic tradition, which requires and venerates education, learning, and achievement.
Can you give examples of people or systems throughout history who employ this tradition successfully?
Dr. Kadish: Let’s start backwards with a great quote from Einstein. Although he had a unique conception of G-d, he recognized the value of the Jewish intellectual tradition. In his book Ideas and Opinions, he says, “The essence of the Jewish conception of life seems to me to lie in an affirmative attitude to the life of all creation. The life of the individual only has meaning in so far as it aids in making the life of every living thing nobler and more beautiful. Life is sacred, that is to say, it is the supreme value, to which all other values are subordinate. The individual life brings in its train a reverence for everything spiritual, a particularly characteristic feature of the Jewish tradition.”
Would you have an example of someone from an earlier period in history who employed this tradition?
Dr. Shmidman: From the medieval period, one such figure is Maimonides. There is no question that he exemplifies the versatility of many medieval Jewish scholars, an expert in a variety of different disciplines, a kind of Renaissance man prior to the Renaissance. He was a halachist or expert in Jewish law, a philosopher, and a physician. He clearly venerated the tradition of scholarship and learning that he inherited and tried to advance it further in his own creative and innovative ways.
Dr. Kadish: In terms of Rambam’s innovation and creativity beyond what existed previously, I would cite two examples. One is that he provided a logically organized Encyclopedia of Jewish Law or halacha, that begins with the relationship between man and G-d and progresses to how Jewish law embodies that relationship. That's something that no one had ever done before. And secondly, he tried to create a synthesis between Aristotelian and other philosophy and the Jewish tradition.
Dr. Shmidman: I would add that not only was that reordering and logical arrangement of all halacha, of Jewish law, unprecedented, it's also unparalleled to this day and its fusion of law and religious philosophy for Maimonides is a given. The two are inseparable; you cannot divorce one from the other in his world view.
How can people in 2020 apply this tradition to achieve success academically, professionally, personally—is there a way that we can relate it?
Dr. Shmidman: We offer 11 specific recommendations for application of these principles of the Jewish intellectual tradition, and all of them potentially have universal import and impact.
Dr. Kadish: Mentorship, collaborative learning, and living life with a higher purpose.
Is there something you'd want to say about how this tradition might be employed during the pandemic?
Dr. Kadish: If you look at intellectual achievement in the general global society, the real advances usually happen in cultures that have significant power and economic and social stability. The unique feature of Jewish intellectual achievement is that it continues even at times of poverty, pogroms, and great challenges. We believe that the reason for that is that the striving for a higher purpose and the recognition that one lives life for an eternal higher purpose means that you're able to overcome the day-to-day stresses and recognize that working to learn something or attain intellectual achievement has inherent value. So, Jewish scholars have been able to say—I'm not going to let COVID and the isolation get me down, I'm going to continue my work because my work is more important than what happens day-to-day because it has eternal value and meaning.
Could it be that unlike other traditions of scholarship, the Jewish intellectual tradition continues even during painful or difficult eras in history because its goal extends beyond the achievement of scholarship to a meaningful way to live?
Dr. Shmidman: Indeed, and one of our recommendations is this—do not be distracted from your determination to advance and accomplish despite impediments, major or minor, that stand in your way. So that's one of the universal applications of the tradition and this really relates to the current world situation. As we grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and pressing social issues in America, the increased stress currently facing all of us underscores the vital need for better grounding of our lives in these core principles.
Dr. Kadish: Another example of people embracing this tradition that we refer to in the book is those in the Warsaw Ghetto who created a rich cultural and educational life despite the terrible situation they faced during the Holocaust.
How has the age of the Internet impacted this intellectual tradition?
Dr. Kadish: It has made the unfiltered exchange of knowledge easier. The internet can advance intellectual achievement and accomplishment, as well as intellectual curiosity, but of course, it comes at a bit of a price. The democratization of access to information in some ways can decrease the value of expertise and can potentially lead to less critical analysis of thinking and data. It doesn't really fundamentally change the principles of the Jewish intellectual tradition. It simply makes the transmission of information easier.
Dr. Shmidman: The principles remain constant. One of the challenges as a result of the digital age is the challenge to authority, for example, rabbinic authority and communal leadership. This happens because of this democratization of knowledge, of information. So, people feel they know just as well, and the authority of a certain position is not quite as immutable.
How did this tradition get the Jewish community to where we are today?
Dr. Shmidman: Both in terms of the religiously observant Jewish community and in terms of the more secular Jewish community, the principles that are inherent in this tradition are manifested in the accomplishments and achievements of all these people in all of these groups. When they do achieve and accomplish, it's generally because they’re remaining loyal to the principles of primacy of education, respect for precedent combined with innovation, a quest to find purpose in existence, and pursuing truth with logic and intellectual honesty.
How has this tradition been transmitted through the generations?
Dr. Shmidman: It goes back to the oral law itself, the Torah she-be-al Peh, and on to handwritten manuscripts, the printing press and digital media. These are the outer vehicles for the transmission of this tradition, along with the constant oral transmission.
Dr. Kadish: I think it’s transmitted through an educational system that's been well developed. We talk about how universal literacy was common in Jewish communities at times when most of the world was illiterate, because of the legal requirement to study and to teach, and that literacy throughout history translated into a tradition of achievement. In the book, we look at achievement in different genres, and so it includes literature, philosophy—it's not all traditional academic achievement.
Dr. Shmidman: Jewish legal literature, Hebrew philology, creative writing, philosophy, scientific knowledge and mysticism are all genres discussed in the book in which the tradition manifests itself and which have been furthered by Jews throughout the centuries as a result of their adherence to the principles of the tradition.
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January 06, 2021
209289
For Next Generation of Leaders, Touro Looks Inside
Exclusive Pipeline Program Trains Faculty for New Roles
It’s a perplexing question faced by nearly every large organization and corporation: How do you develop leaders from within?
For the Touro College and University System (TCUS), the answer came through the work of two dedicated members of the Touro Graduate School of Education (GSE)— Laurie Bobley, Ed.D. and Alan Sebel, Ed.D.—and their project, the Touro College Academy of Leadership and Management (TCALM). The program, now concluding its third year, assembles a twelve-member cohort each year from across Touro’s New York-based undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools.
Participants in the program meet for nine monthly sessions and attend leadership seminars led by Touro College’s senior management and outside lecturers. Mirroring an MBA program, each session focuses on a single case study from relevant business and academic journals tied to the theme of the session--topics include the challenges of academic leadership, conflict management, motivating staff members, finance and budgeting, and effective leadership techniques. As part of the program, each cohort is divided into three interdisciplinary teams for the duration of the year, each team with members from different schools and disciplines, and tasked with identifying a need inside the institution and then developing a solution.
At the culmination of the program, the groups present their idea, along with a budget and expected outcomes, to Touro College President Alan Kadish who decides whether to greenlight the project. (Nearly every project has been funded.) Projects developed by the initial three cohorts have included an interdisciplinary symposium on healthy aging, single school-wide center for teacher development, a mentorship program for one of our undergraduate schools, and an online interprofessional education program for students from various Touro health schools to learn and work together on interdisciplinary teams.
Dr. Bobley said the idea for the program occurred to her during her work as the coordinator of online education for GSE. “I felt that a lot of faculty and staff had great ideas, but didn’t have a means of bringing these ideas to the attention of the university’s leadership,” said Dr. Bobley who is GSE’s Program Chair of Teaching Students with Disabilities, Grades 7-12. “We wanted to develop a forum where staff members could make their ideas heard. We also wanted to provide an opportunity for faculty members who had the desire and potential to move up into higher level positions to develop the necessary leadership skills.”
“We have so many good faculty members who simply don’t have the necessary background for leadership roles,” added Dr. Sebel.
After coming up with the idea, Dr. Bobley reached out to Dr. Sebel and the two elaborated on the idea with added help from the chair of the undergraduate business and accounting department, Dr. Sabra Brock, and retired Associate Dean of Faculties, Dr. Donne Kampel. They brought the idea to Touro’s senior leadership who provided their input and expertise before the program’s launch in 2018.
Sessions in the program range from a lecture on ethical leadership from Rabbi Moshe Krupka, TCUS Executive Vice President and Touro College Ombudsmen; the scope and reach of the Touro system by Touro College Provost Patricia Salkin; a panel with several Touro deans about the challenge of leading schools; and a session devoted to academic freedom given by Thane Rosenbaum, Distinguished University Professor at Touro College. Outside speakers have included NYU President Emeritus John Sexton, former Brooklyn Law School President Nicholas Allard, and former George Washington University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg.
Graduates of the program have credited it with both enlarging their understanding of the university along with developing their own capabilities.
“We learned leadership skills,” explained cohort member Dr. Joyce Brown of TouroCOM Middletown. “It was didactive leadership training with the opportunity to learn about Touro as an institution.”
“Touro is an amazing place to work and we were able to learn a lot about what the school’s mission is,” said cohort member Dr. Aaron Yancoskie of Touro College of Dental Medicine. “The system is so vast and broad and the benefits it brings to society are quite impressive. We are serving the global community. Part of our mission is providing opportunities for people who are on the fringes of society and we’re number one at it.”
In addition to the benefits participants gain from the seminars themselves, Dr. Bobley said that having different faculty members inside Touro meet each other was a net positive. “Collaboration leads to innovation,” said Dr. Bobley. “When our cohort collaborates with colleagues in other schools and disciplines in the college, they come up with new ideas that are more inclusive of a wider scope of the system.”
“We’ve broken down barriers,” said Dr. Sebel. “TCALM has allowed our faculty to form relationships across schools and feel more confident in proposing new ideas that will help move the Touro College & University System forward.”
Drs. Bobley and Sebel said that the program was able to continue remotely during the coronavirus. The newest cohort will begin on schedule at the end of January.
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January 05, 2021
206791
Beyond the Classroom
Touro Recognizes 2020 Presidential Faculty Award Recipients for Outstanding Teaching, Scholarship, and Service
Six professors from across the Touro College schools were recognized for their contributions to the College in this year’s Presidential Awards for Faculty Excellence. The awards, initiated in 2017, recognize excellence in faculty members across Touro College undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools in three areas: teaching, scholarship, and service. In a year when the traditional classroom adjusted to meet safety concerns amidst COVID-19, the faculty recognized this spring for contributions to the school standout for their dedication to their students and the university that extends far beyond the classroom.
Faculty members were nominated by members of the Touro community and were judged by a cross-disciplinary selection team of faculty from different Touro schools. Final decisions were made by Touro’s academic leadership and Touro College and University System President, Dr. Alan Kadish.
"The faculty recognized this year for excellence demonstrate the highest level of quality student-centered teaching that Touro College is known for, as well as outstanding excellence in scholarship and exemplary service to the college and to the professions," said Patricia Salkin, Provost for the Graduate and Professional Divisions.
Each recipient received an engraved medal that can be worn on their academic regalia and a monetary award in recognition of their outstanding accomplishments. We spoke with the awardees about the honor, and given everything that is going on, what they think about the long-term ramifications of covid-19 on the educational field.
This year’s awardees are:
Teaching
Perella Perlstein, Psy.D.— Lander College for Women—The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School
Fernando Bruno, MD, MPH—Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Middletown
Rabbi Moshe Y. Miller, MA, Ph.D.—Lander College for Women—The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School
Research and Scholarship
Harold Abramson, BBA, JD, LL.M, MPA—Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center
Service
Myra Berman, MSW, JD, LLM—Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center
Tamie Proscia-Lieto, MD, MBA, CHSE, CHCQM, FACP—Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Middletown
Howard Feldman, MA, Ph.D.—Lander College for Women—The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School
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Touro
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November 13, 2020
207216
Staying Safe
Touro Leads with its Strengths: Proactive COVID-19 Surveillance Monitoring Helps Keep Infection Rates "Remarkably Low"
Touro College and University System (TCUS) has begun a mandatory proactive screening program of surveillance testing at its New York schools to help ensure that its campus communities are, and remain, COVID-19-free.
The “Proactive Surveillance Testing for COVID-19 of Asymptomatic Individuals” effort began in September 2020. Anyone who traveled over the holiday to a state non-contiguous with New York must show negative results before returning to campus and can be tested this week to make sure they can return.
The screening is being conducted by Touro College of Pharmacy (TCOP) faculty and administration, who are visiting approximately a dozen school sites to administer the tests. As of November 17, 2020, more than 1,300 asymptomatic students and employees were screened using saliva samples or nasal swabs, with a remarkably low rate of positivity, 0.63 percent.
A Farsighted Approach
“In September many colleges and universities were debating as to the value of campus surveillance testing, but we decided to take the initiative,” said Rabbi Moshe Krupka, TCUS executive vice president and university ombudsman. “We realized the more often we would test, the more knowledgeable we would become about infection on campus, hence the more prepared we will be to mitigate spikes by catching asymptomatic positive cases early on.”
According to a report published in October by National Public Radio that analyzed data from more than 1,400 colleges, most colleges with in-person classes this fall either had no clear testing plan or were testing mainly symptomatic students or those who had contact with someone who tested positive.
The need for surveillance testing was recently underscored by a study published in a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Report vetting the testing of asymptomatic individuals in university settings. The practice is becoming more common in higher education in New York to keep infection rates down and avoid closure under state regulations. Monitoring, coupled with standard safety precautions like masks, hand washing and physical distancing, is endorsed to maintain safe and secure environments for all.
Meeting with the President
Touro’s program was launched after a meeting on September 9, 2020 between TCUS President Alan Kadish, M.D., and Salomon Amar, D.D.S., Ph.D., provost for biomedical research at TCUS and vice president for research at New York Medical College. Dr. Amar is the architect of Touro’s surveillance program evaluating the level of COVID-19 positive cases by geographic region using a saliva sample technique. The goal of the program is to periodically test about a quarter of everyone coming to any of the Touro New York campuses.
“This is a milestone for Touro in preventing and managing COVID-19 among our students and employees,” said Dr. Amar. “From a surveillance perspective, this program offers an assessment at a given time of the level of infection in a community. We don’t test everyone but after multiple continuous testing, we will have covered the whole community.”
Surveillance monitoring involves periodic mandatory screening for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. As Thanksgiving break approached, 1,342 samples had been collected—900 from saliva and 442 from nasal swabs. Saliva samples are sent to labs for molecular PCR testing, which detects genetic material from the virus in 12-18 hours; rapid tests are processed with nasal swabs, with results available within minutes, yet suffer significant false positives.
Those using saliva tests draw samples using sterilized straws and tubes, and specimens are then pooled into groups of 24 and analyzed together. In the rare cases where pooled results indicate infection, everyone in the pool takes diagnostic tests with nasal swabs off-campus, and self-quarantines until cleared to return. Results are reported to government and regulatory agencies, which begin contact tracing.
Using Our Resources: Touro College of Pharmacy
TCOP’s testing team is led by Henry Cohen, PharmD, M.S., dean of TCOP, and Michael Liu, PharmD, BCCP, BCNSP, assistant dean and associate professor of pharmacy practice, with five pharmacist faculty members.
“Leveraging our own strengths makes it easier than calling in a pharmacist or sending people to an urgent care facility. We can test safely and appropriately and at lower cost,” said Dean Cohen. “Tests are free for our community, no one has to wait long, and we bring the tests to you. It doesn’t get more convenient.”
Through October, COVID-19 testing was done using saliva samples; recently rapid tests were made available to Touro and now both tests are used, but there are advantages and drawbacks to each test. “Rapid nasal swab tests may be useful,” said Dean Cohen, “especially in the ‘hot spot’ areas [red and yellow zones] because it’s faster and also you get immediate results. If you are COVID-19 positive you can see your physician within the next day.” Saliva tests hold an advantage, Dr. Amar said, in that they can be used for both surveillance of a large community and for the more acccurate PCR diagnostic testing of individuals.
Now that Thanksgiving has passed, Dr. Amar and the TCOP pharmacists are preparing for “round two” and to continuing to keep Touro’s campuses safe.
Touro
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November 30, 2020
206788
Rabbi Asher Weiss to Deliver Inaugural Rabbi Zalman Levine Memorial Lecture
Timeless Faith: Eternal Torah Perspectives and the Coronavirus Will Be Addressed
HaGaon HaRav Asher Weiss Shlita will address “Timeless Faith: Eternal Torah Perspectives and the Coronavirus” on Sunday December 6, 2020 at 1:00 pm ET, as he receives the Inaugural Rabbi Raphael Zalman Levine HaCohen Endowed Distinguished Talmudic Scholar Award, presented by Touro. To register for the lecture visit www.touro.edu/ravweiss.
“Rav Asher Weiss is one of our generation’s leading Halachic authorities and Torah Scholars,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro College. “He has played an historic role in providing clear and decisive Halachic guidance from the onset of the COVID crisis. He is a most appropriate inaugural selection for this award, generously endowed by Mr. Joel Margolis of Albany to honor ‘individuals who have made exceptional contributions in the field of Torah Scholarship and Torah dissemination.’”
HaRav Weiss will be introduced by HaRav Yonasan Sacks Shlita, Rosh HaYeshiva of Beis Medrash L’Talmud of Touro’s Lander College for Men, who noted that “through his Torah and personal example, HaRav Weiss has inspired a generation of talmidim throughout the Torah world. He honors us by receiving this award.”
Mr. Margolis added that “Rabbi Levine, of blessed memory, used to painfully describe his frustration during the great Spanish Flu pandemic of 1919-20 when he had no way to receive halachic guidance from his beloved teachers while recuperating in a Polish infirmary. How very appropriate that this award, in his honor, goes to an extraordinary scholar who provided lucid and timely guidance to so many people in the current pandemic a century later.”
Rav Asher Weiss, a revered American-born Israeli Posek, Rosh Kollel and Dayan, is a towering figure in the world of timeless Torah scholarship and its impact on contemporary society. A devoted disciple of the Klausenberger Rebbe zt"l, his classic commentary, Minchas Asher on the Torah, is found in homes across the spectrum of the Orthodox community. His remarkable range of knowledge, soaring oratory and Ahavas Yisrael have made him one of the leading poskim to whom Jewish communities around the world turn for halachik guidance. HaRav Weiss is the author of 30 volumes of acclaimed Rabbinic Responsa, including hundreds of cutting edge tshuvot dealing with the interface of modern medicine and Halacha. His unique expertise in this area led to his central role in providing crucial halachic guidance to Jews throughout the world from the earliest days of the COVID-19 crisis.
Zalman Levine, a Musmach of Rabbi Chaim Soloveichick of Brisk and Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, and devoted student of Rabbi Baruch Ber Lebowitz, came to the United States in 1923. After a brief teaching career at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, he moved, after his marriage in 1929, to Albany. Eschewing any Rabbinic titles, he spent the next six decades deeply involved in studying and teaching Torah, while first supporting his family as an insurance salesman and then for several decades, as a deeply respected staff member of the New York State Controller’s Office.
When Rabbi Levine arrived in Albany, the very concept of a Torah scholar serving as a lay communal leader was unheard of. While it certainly was not his intention, his pioneering role set an example for others to emulate. Not only was Zalman Levine a devoted communal lay leader and an accomplished Torah scholar, but he also enjoyed the deep friendship of several generations of North American Torah luminaries.
For more information about Rabbi Weiss’ lecture or the Rabbi Levine Award please contact Rabbi Moshe Krupka at: moshe.krupka@touro.edu and to register visit www.touro.edu/ravweiss.
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November 13, 2020
205888
Natan Sharansky, Dr. Alan Kadish and Gil Troy Dissect Jewish Oppression and Salvation
The Strength of the Jewish Spirit, the Israeli Peace Process and Human Rights Are Examined With the World-Famous Refusenik in “Touro Talks,” an Online Lecture Series Presented by Touro College
On Wednesday, October 14, Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish hosted Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy in an engaging and eye-opening discussion on the current situation in Israel and the consequences of missteps in the political arena. A Jewish political prisoner who spend decades fighting for individual freedom in the face of overt tyranny, Sharansky was the leading activist in the democratic dissident movement in the Soviet Union and the movement for free Jewish emigration. He later served in four successive Israeli governments and received the highest Israeli award, the Israel Prize, as well as the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. Troy is a Distinguished Scholar in North American History at McGill University currently living in Jerusalem, an award-winning American presidential historian and a leading Zionist activist who has authored numerous books and appeared as a featured commentator on CNN.
Sharansky and Troy co-authored the recently released Never Alone: Prison, Politics and My People which explores Sharansky’s extraordinary journey from the Soviet gulag as a refusenik to the Israeli political scene.
“Natan Sharanksy is a great hero, a living legend,” said Dr. Kadish, a noted educator, researcher and administrator who presides over the training of the next generation of communal, business and health care leaders. “It was a great honor to host Sharansky and Gil Troy after reading their extraordinary book on Sharansky’s important life story.”
“There was nothing Jewish in my life except anti-Semitism,” Sharansky told Kadish of his early life in Russia during their public discussion. “But then I began reading about the State of Israel in 1967 and I realized that I could be part of this unique nation.”
Sharansky went on to detail his life as a refusenik and prisoner of the Soviets, how he was finally released and went to Israel to fight for human rights, and came together with Gil Troy to tell his story. He explained how vital the work of his wife Avital was; how the two were newlyweds when she left for Israel and he was imprisoned.
“I recommend to everyone: before you go to prison, you have to marry as I married,” said Sharansky. Avital was a shy woman when the two met during the days of the Yom Kippur War. “Twelve years later, when we met again, she was leading demonstrations of hundreds of thousands of people; she had opened the doors of every President and Prime Minister in the western world.”
On the matter of Palestinians, an issue that even divides the American Jewish community, Sharansky pulled no punches. “I am sympathetic to Palestinians who suffer from the lack of human rights and dictatorships in their own society,” he said. “I have said from the beginning that they should share all the rights that I have, but not have the ability to destroy me… The Oslo process was not a peace process at all. Oslo created a Palestinian dictator and we made him strong without the restrictions of a democracy.”
But Sharansky did more than criticize; the former Member of Knesset has cogent advice for today’s Israeli leaders, and high hopes for the current peace process. “Peace has to come from the bottom up,” he explained. “The Abraham accords have a much better chance to succeed. While we are negotiating with existing dictatorships, we are also encouraging civil society—people to people, businessman to businessman—to work together.”
“Natan Sharansky’s incredibly strong Jewish spirit is truly inspiring,” said Dr. Kadish. “I encourage everyone to watch our discussion and absorb what this exceptional man has to offer.” Watch the recording of the hour-long discussion between Sharansky, Troy and Dr. Kadish.
Touro
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October 20, 2020
205406
COVID-19: Myths vs. Facts
Infectious Disease Specialist Clears Up Some Common Misconceptions
The headlines surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic change daily. If you’re finding it hard to separate fact from fiction, Dr. Marisa Montecalvo, infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine and director for health services at Touro’s New York Medical College, clears up some common COVID-19 myths and sets the record straight based on what we’ve learned about the nature of the disease over the past eight months.
MYTH: If you’ve had COVID-19, you can expect to have antibodies for up to three months after infection. After that, you may be at risk of contracting the infection a second time.FACT: The duration of antibodies and whether those antibodies will protect against subsequent infection is still under study.
MYTH: COVID-19 doesn’t get transmitted through surfaces so if someone in your house has it, you can touch a counter or doorknob that they have touched.FACT: Compared with transmission from respiratory exposure, SARS-CoV2 is not transmitted as effectively from surfaces to people. It is transmitted more effectively through respiratory means.
MYTH: Those who are contracting COVID-19 during the current second wave are getting more severe cases.FACT: No one knows how disease severity in the second wave will compare with the first wave. One might suspect disease severity to be somewhat less due to earlier detection plus some available treatment options.
MYTH: The long-term impact of COVID-19 is heart disease.FACT: The heart can be involved during SARS-CoV2 infection. It is unclear to what extent heart disease may be a long-term outcome of COVID-19. This infection has only been with us eight months, so it will take time to determine any lasting effects and complications.
MYTH: Someone who has antibodies won’t contract the virus themselves, but they can spread it to others if exposed.FACT: It is unknown how protective antibodies will against subsequent infection. It is also unknown if someone with antibodies could be asymptomatic but carry SARS-CoV2 which then could be transmitted to others.
MYTH: Infants and young children are less likely to contract COVID-19. If they do get it, they will get less severe cases.FACT: This is, in general, true but there are children who experience the SARS-CoV2 complication of multi-system inflammatory syndrome associated with SARS-CoV2 infection.
MYTH: If you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you’re most likely to contract the virus and see symptoms within two days of exposure.FACT: The median onset of symptoms is 5-6 days.
MYTH: If you test negative five days after exposure to someone with COVID-19, it is not necessary to quarantine for a full 14 days.FACT: The incubation period is up to 14 days, so it is very important to quarantine for the full 14 days.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/covid-19-myths-vs-facts.php
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October 08, 2020
205128
Top COVID Vaccine Questions Answered
Dr. Kathleen DiCaprio of Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Discusses Front-runners, Timing and Safety
Kathleen DiCaprio, PhD, is an infectious disease specialist and assistant professor of medical microbiology and immunology at the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. She has previously assisted in laboratory and emergency responses during the H1N1 influenza outbreak and helped develop a vaccine—now being tested by the National Institutes of Health—which is considered the best hope to stem the spread of the Ebola virus. Here, she answers top-of-mind questions about the vaccines currently being developed for COVID.
1. There are hundreds of vaccines in development. Can you tell us which ones we should be keeping an eye on? Who are the front-runners?
Currently there are about 40 vaccines listed on the World Health Organization’s DRAFT landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines. In the U.S., there are a few top candidates that are in Phase 3 clinical trials or are close to beginning them. There are currently five front runner vaccines in the Phase 3 clinical trials in the US:
Moderna has a mRNA vaccine
Pfizer has a mRNA vaccine
AztraZeneca has an adenoviral vector vaccine
Sinovac has an inactivated vaccine
Johnson and Johnson have an adenoviral vector vaccine
2. What are the major differences in the vaccines that are being created?
Most of the vaccines differ in the vaccine platforms from which they are made, although some have the same platform but different constructs. Interestingly, several of these vaccines utilize vaccine platforms that are new to vaccines, in general. The mRNA vaccines are based on a new technology that has not been used as an FDA-approved vaccine before and are based on nucleic acids, like DNA and RNA. There are also inactivated adenoviral vector vaccines. These vaccines use a non-replicating virus called adenovirus as a vehicle to immunize us with a small piece of non-infectious SARS-CoV-2. Although these vaccines also have yet to be used as an FDA-approved vaccine, they have been tested in early phase trials with the Ebola vaccine. Inactivated vaccines have been treated so that they don’t replicate or make copies of themselves and are usually just pieces of the virus that do not grow. Inactivated and subunit vaccines involve platforms that have been used in the past, however, with new viruses these platforms types still need to go through the phases of clinical trials to ensure safety, immunogenicity and efficacy. Immunogenicity means that the vaccine is able to induce a good immune response against the virus, which helps us with protection and recovery. Another difference in these vaccines is that many require two injections of the vaccine that are spaced out by a few weeks to a month. In contrast to most of these top vaccine candidates, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine involves only a single injection.
3. Why was the AstraZeneca trial put on hold? Is this something we should be very concerned about?
The AstraZeneca vaccine, an adenoviral vector vaccine, was put on hold in both the U.S. and the U.K. when a participant in the U.K. trial developed transverse myelitis, or inflammation of the spinal cord. With the identification of a serious adverse event, any clinical trial will pause and investigate safety concerns. In this case, the trial resumed about a week later in the U.K. following investigation, but the trials in the U.S. are stilled paused and the investigation is still ongoing. At this point, given that the U.S. trials are still investigating, it is too early to say for sure if this type of reaction is something to worry about.
4. A vaccine made in a year is unheard of. Should people be worried that a vaccine is being created too quickly?
Review and FDA approval of a new, safe, and effective vaccine for a new virus in a year is a huge scientific and medical achievement. Although such a process is new, it can be helpful to put this in context with the current global public health landscape, which is also something very new and concerning. A safe and effective vaccine is needed. Although several of the vaccines currently in Phase 3 clinical trials involve new platforms, several of the platforms have been investigated for other pathogens such as Ebola as well as other SARS viruses such as MERS-CoV (the viral cause of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). With the discovery of SARS-CoV-2, the current viral cause of COVID-19 and the quick publication of the viral genome sequence, many of these already existing technologies were quickly modified and tested in pre-clinical studies with very promising results. This really helped meet the requirements for FDA approval to initiate clinical trial phases. Another point to consider is the financial support that has been allocated so quickly to the science and medical review for these needed vaccines, which is something not typical for vaccine development. With the development and review of any new vaccine or therapy, safety and efficacy are necessary. These vaccine characteristics are what we need to watch for as this data continues to become available throughout the next months.
5. Will a vaccine mean life can return to normal? How effective do we think a vaccine will be?
This is a very tough question to answer. A vaccine will hopefully benefit many, especially those who are high-risk for severe COVID-19 disease or complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections. At this point, we are still waiting to see the data on how effective the current vaccines are in preventing infection and/or preventing disease. Most data so far show that the vaccines induce virus-specific immune markers and/or responses that are comparable, some even greater, then what we see in patients who have recovered from infection. Although this data is promising, we do need to wait and see what the efficacy data is from Phase 3 clinical trials.
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October 01, 2020
203061
Touro Library Receives Grant from Network of the National Library of Medicine-Middle Atlantic Region
$18K Grant Will Fund Open Educational Resources Projects
Touro Libraries has been awarded an $18,000 grant from the Network of the National Library of Medicine-Middle Atlantic Region to develop and advocate for Open Education Resources (OER).
OER is the catchall term for any resources or research material in the public domain or licensed in a way that can be accessed, edited, and shared for free. As part of the grant, the library will establish an OER Fellowship for allied health and health sciences on the undergraduate and graduate levels. Up to six faculty members will be eligible for the fellowship for the 2020-2021 academic year and receive a stipend of $500 for the publication of an open educational resource. Faculty members are also eligible for the fellowship if they plan to adopt or edit an existing OER.
“Even before the pandemic it was a priority for Touro Libraries to get OER into the classroom,” explained Georgia Westbrook, MSLIS, Touro College’s Open Educational Resources & Instruction Librarian. “We’ll be supporting our fellows on an individual level as they work on their project, while simultaneously developing an overarching strategic plan for the OER initiative.”
The grant is a continuation of the Touro College Libraries Open Touro Initiative that began in 2018 with the goal of raising awareness and assisting faculty members in adopting and adapting OER for their classrooms.
Westbrook and Sara Tabaei, MLS, MA, Touro College Library Information Literacy Director, spoke of the manifold benefits of OER material, both as a means of making higher education more affordable and as a way of addressing new developments in the world.
“Open textbooks are free and of high quality,” said Tabaei. “Textbooks are otherwise prohibitively expensive for many of our students and this is one way we can reduce the overall cost of university. At the same time, OER textbooks can be really customized as opposed to typical commercial textbooks. For example, if someone in our medical faculty wanted to address Black Lives Matter or the COVID-19 pandemic in the syllabus, they would be able to do that easily using an OER textbook.”
Westbrook stressed the value of OER materials given the recent pandemic.
“OER provide flexibility,” added Westbrook. “The faculty members who use OER textbooks had no disruption in terms of students having access to course materials, but for faculty members that use the physical library reserve system there was a scramble to ensure digital material was available. OER is a great resource for teaching during uncertain times.”
Westbrook and Tabaei are also hoping for a snowball effect for other OER across the Touro College system.
“Our biggest goal is having tangible OER for our faculty members,” said Westbrook. “We want our faculty and schools to be energized about OER and spread the word about it. We also want our faculty to feel a sense of ownership over the OER they develop.”
“Our OER fellows will become advocates and ambassadors for OER,” said Tabaei. “They will encourage collaboration and encourage their peers to begin taking advantage of OER.”
Faculty who are affiliated with behavioral analysis, biology, chemistry and clinical mental health, among other, related disciples, are eligible to apply.
Developed resources reported in this story are supported by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH) under cooperative agreement number UG4LM012342 with the University of Pittsburgh, Health Sciences Library System. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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August 13, 2020
201571
Five Months In: Dr. Robert Amler Shares The Latest Info
NYMC’s Public Health Expert Answers The Top Corona Questions On Everyone’s Mind
Dr. Robert Amler, Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College and former medical epidemiologist at CDC, has spoken to numerous media outlets since the coronavirus outbreak began. He’s addressed everything from safe air travel to dining out and personal safety. Here, he answers top-of-mind questions about the new flu, herd immunity and COVID-19 treatment.
Three vaccines entered phase three trials at the end of July. What are the next steps on that—what it will take to find one that works and get it to distributed to the public?
The goal is a vaccine that is safe and effective for use in most population groups, one that has few side effects and achieves a satisfactory level of acceptance by the public. That’s easier said than done! The timeline so far is actually remarkable. Three vaccines are already in phase-three trials after only a few months of work. But nothing is certain until the right vaccine characteristics are demonstrated objectively to a wide audience of observers.
As we go into cold and flu season what does this mean for COVID? How will people know the difference between COVID and the flu? Will the flu shot help?
Get that flu shot, without a doubt, to avoid the “diagnostic confusion” when the “regular” flu could give you COVID-like symptoms that worry everyone around you. With COVID still out there, the flu shot is a must. During the SARS epidemic 10 years ago, many millions lined up for their first flu shots, for the same reason.
Do you expect to see the much-talked about second wave this winter?
The virus is continuing to spread so we can expect that a second wave will be an ongoing threat. How much more damage it causes will depend largely on our actions to block COVID exposures, and better treat COVID infections when they occur. Fortunately, both types of actions are gradually becoming more effective. We can and will get through this.
Does you think by mid to end of 2021 life will start to look more normal?
This depends on the virus, but also on all of us. The virus will infect as many people as it can. But our actions to block exposure will continue to reduce risks, and our growing familiarity and comfort with all the novel preventive measures will become more routine and make life seem more tolerable as time passes.
What about back-to-school for school-age kids—how do we stay safe, should schools be open, in your opinion?
School-age children are worth every extra effort that we can muster. They are literally our future and must continue to grow academically as well as socially and emotionally. Their working parents need support as well, so life can proceed as “normally” as possible. It’s plain reality that reopening schools safely is the BIG JOB that we MUST DO. Sending our children safely back to school, while protecting teachers and staff as much as possible, should be one of our highest priorities in fighting COVID. We should employ every ounce of our innovative abilities to do this and do it well.
It seems like corona cases are rising but deaths are decreasing. How far has treatment of corona come since the pandemic started?
A number of important lessons have been learned but the COVID-19 virus continues to surprise us. Although it presents as respiratory, it affects more than just the lungs. In many cases, people who die after contracting coronavirus are dying from its effects, such as blood clots in the brain. Coronavirus weakens the heart muscle. We now know that treatment is not just about putting people on ventilators.
Also, if you look at the numbers, statistically there are more cases but we now have a much broader base of testing, so many more people are getting tested. The more you look, the more you find. At one point, the CDC estimated that there were actually 10X more cases than what was being reported.
We do have more efficient reporting for deaths and hospitalizations due to COVID-19, as those events are much easier to track. We know the number of deaths has risen more slowly than number of cases. We have come farther along in treating and in recognizing complications before they become irreversible. Also, people at greater risk of COVID-19 understand what’s at play and probably many are being more careful. Everyone who is older, obese, has high blood pressure or diabetes needs to follow all recommended precautions. Regardless of your personal situation, bear in mind that COVID-19 spreads like a cold. If you protect against exposure, you can reduce risk.
One third of Americans said they wouldn’t take the new vaccine. How then will we reach immunity?
It’s going to be a question of how much people want to protect against disease vs. not wanting to take a vaccine. When SARS first hit in ’02-’04, more people got flu shots than ever before. If the threat is perceived as real enough, people will get vaccinated. The pathway to getting the COVID vaccine is going to be longer because it has to be safety–tested. No one knows when a safe and effective vaccine will become available.
Before we give vaccines to healthy people, we must make sure that the benefit outweighs the risk—when the chickenpox vaccine first came out, there was hesitancy of using it except for family members of children with cancer because their kids could otherwise die of chickenpox if exposed. These family members didn’t want to get infected and transmit it to their kids. The vaccine proved to be very effective and safe, and after a few years it was given to the general population of kids.
Most scientists are saying that herd immunity is not really possible, as it seems antibodies only last for a few months. So, if immunity can't be achieved then how do we move on? Will a vaccine even work?
We simply don’t know. If immunity is short-lived, we will not be able to depend on herd immunity. Right now, we don’t know how long immunity lasts, or if the level of immunity is different based on the severity of infection you had. Whatever immunity you are shown to have when we test you, we don’t know how protective that is. However, there are some very large scale studies looking at immunity of thousands of people who’ve had the virus—whether they hardly knew they were sick or had a very tough case. The study is testing the antibodies themselves to see if they’re effective in neutralizing the virus in the lab. There are great scientific minds working on this and large drug companies putting lots of funds into developing treatments.
What do you recommend for the average person to minimize risk?
While I remain hopeful that these efforts will yield results, right now I recommend that each of us should continue to minimize risk by blocking exposure. I recommend the 4 W’s—wash your hands, wear a mask, watch your distance and walk away—don’t stay in the same space for too long. If you’re shopping, even with the first three W’s in place to protect you, get what you need and then walk out as soon as possible.
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August 10, 2020
201609
How to Enjoy Summer During a Pandemic
Lander College for Men Student Government President Avi Menaged Offers His Top Tips
Avi Menaged, incoming president of the Student Government Organization at Touro’s Lander College for Men, is gearing up for the leadership challenges that await this fall and is stepping up now to help other students with some creative ways to maximize summer vacation during COVID-19.
We are all thinking, “It’s been a few weeks since I had my finals and I can’t stay home doing nothing anymore!” This is not your regular break where you can visit your friends, go to the mall or throw a party, but don’t worry, there is still a lot you can do. Yes, you can enjoy summer vacation during a pandemic!
The first thing to remember is that we do need to follow some rules to maintain a healthy environment and avoid spreading the virus. This includes wearing face masks in public, washing your hands and avoiding crowded places. The good news is that you can enjoy many activities outdoors without worrying and there are still fun things to do at home. Here are five suggestions if you’re looking for ways to keep busy during the summer of COVID.
Go to the park. The park is a great place to exercise. You can go regularly to walk, jog or ride a bike. Use this time to appreciate nature and the warm weather. Don’t forget to bring your water bottle!
Read a book. We all have that list of books we never have time to read during the year. Well, now is the time! When reading you can visit different realities, improve yourself and learn new things. Reading can be very relaxing and can help with the long days of boredom. There’s nothing better than a good read and a cup of cold lemonade on a hot day.
Learn how to play an instrument. If you like music but still think you’ll never be able to play anything, now is the time to review your favorite songs and learn how to play an instrument. You can choose anything from a guitar or piano to a ukulele or an Appalachian dulcimer (google it, it’s a really cool string instrument) and if you put some effort in it, you’ll be able to play it for your friends when quarantine is over.
Game night. You can always gather your friends (remotely) for a game night. We all miss our friends and sometimes we forget that we can still have fun with them. Choose your favorite game. You can play Monopoly, Pictionary or Cattan online with your friends. Don’t forget to order snacks!
Find a new hobby. It could be writing, painting, photography or gardening. There are many things you can learn and have fun with during the summer. Stop and think about what makes you happy and you’ll find the right hobby for you. Use your free time to get better at it and don’t forget to have fun.
While the COVID-19 pandemic is here it is very important to take care of yourself and everyone around you. Taking the right precautions is important and you can still appreciate your summer break. Use this time to enjoy your family, stress less and have fun!
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August 11, 2020
202503
Touro College & University System Announces Plan to Add New York College of Podiatric Medicine
Podiatry School to Join Existing Touro Network of Medical and Health Science Programs Currently Educating 7,700 Students
New York College of Podiatric Medicine (NYCPM) will join the Touro College & University System and New York Medical College, the institutions announced today. Touro president Dr. Alan Kadish and NYCPM president Mr. Louis Levine signed a Membership Agreement in an online ceremony to mark the occasion.
Founded in 1911, the New York College of Podiatric Medicine (NYCPM) was the nation’s first medical college devoted to educating and training doctors of podiatric medicine. It combines outstanding classroom instruction with clinical training in one of the world’s largest foot care clinics. Mr. Levine said, “This bodes well for both institutions. I believe that with Touro’s help we can bring New York College of Podiatric Medicine to even greater heights.”
Dr. Kadish said, “As healthcare moves towards a team approach, podiatrists will become increasingly important. Touro healthcare educational systems and our clinical healthcare delivery systems can integrate New York College of Podiatric Medicine in a way that improves patient care and transforms the experience for students and faculty.”
Touro serves over 18,000 students across 35 schools. Touro’s highly regarded health sciences, dental, pharmacy as well as osteopathic and allopathic medical schools make it a national leader in comprehensive health education and care.
“Touro is known for its ability and willingness to innovate rapidly and we are adept at finding the best educational techniques and solutions to meet the needs we identify. Some of the best job opportunities currently exist in the healthcare field, and our goal is to offer an array of choices and prime our students for success. Educating approximately 7,700 students annually in the health sciences, Touro is fast becoming one of the largest healthcare educational systems in the U.S. Adding podiatric medicine to our existing network of medical and health science schools and programs will serve to augment and strengthen our academic offerings,” said Dr. Kadish.
The transaction is expected to close on July 1, 2021, once it is approved by the U.S. Department of Education, the New York State Department of Education, other regulators and relevant accreditors.
The Touro College & University System
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 18,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro has 35 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Illinois, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and Touro University Nevada; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System.
The New York College of Podiatric Medicine
The New York College of Podiatric Medicine (NYCPM), founded in 1911, is the oldest podiatric medical school in the United States. As the nation’s preeminent podiatric medical school, NYCPM has graduated more than 25% of all active podiatrists in the nation. NYCPM has established affiliations with many world-class hospital and health providers, including Mt. Sinai Hospital, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation. NYCPM, though its Foot Center of New York (Foot Center) clinical affiliate, operates the largest clinic of its kind in the United States and treating nearly 25,000 patient visits a year. NYCPM is located just blocks from Touro’s Harlem campus.
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August 06, 2020
201658
How to Get Through the Pandemic: Family Edition
Top Tips for Nurturing Critical Relationships and Maintaining Harmony in the Home
Despite the tragic devastation of COVID-19 to many in our population, especially our front-line and essential workers, as well as the immunocompromised and the elderly, for many of us who have unfortunately been forced to stay at home, the pandemic has unexpectedly meant more family time than ever before. We have been home for months and we are now noticing idiosyncrasies we ignored when we were all running in different directions and spending 15 minutes or less together on a daily basis. With disruptions in routine, more responsibilities and less help, many of us are struggling to maintain peace and harmony our homes. We must now re-learn how to be a family unit and work together.
Dr. Jeff Gardere, psychologist and professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, offers these tips to help keep the peace and nurture our relationships during these difficult times.
Avoid stereotypes. Try not to fall into old stereotypes, i.e. women handling childcare and household responsibilities. Men and older children should pitch in with cooking and cleaning up around the house. Families should work together as a unit to share household chores, cleaning and grocery shopping. Each family member can choose a job that works for him or her, but no one should be doing the lion’s share alone.
Share your feelings. Try and keep open communication with your spouse, family and friends about what you’re feeling in terms of work and family stress. In some homes, the children are attending Zoom classes in different rooms, the parents are working in different parts of the house and while everyone is physically in the same location, they are not connecting emotionally. Don’t let that happen. Use the physical closeness to inspire emotional closeness and sharing, especially during meals or when watching television together in the evening.
Do fun family activities together. This can include taking walks or hikes, biking or running as a family. Other ideas include working together on a puzzle, planning a paint night or starting a book club where everyone reads the same book that has been voted on by all family members and then discussed during a pizza party.
Schedule a couple’s date night. Even if it’s just watching a movie on Netflix at home with some popcorn or a simple evening walk, carve out some time for the two of you and make sure to stick with it. It will help if you have something to look forward to and a time you know is reserved just to reconnect.
Plan alone time. Each partner should carve out some alone time as well. If there are young children in the home, choose a time when the kids should be the complete responsibility of one partner so the other gets a break. Taking shifts so each partner has some free time will go a long way toward nurturing the relationship. If you’re tending to yourself and feeling fulfilled and energized, you’ll have more to give to your significant other and your family.
Keep up with friends. Friends are a vital lifeline offering much-needed support. To nurture these relationships, schedule a regular weekly phone or Zoom meeting or find time to meet up in a park or restaurant where you can eat outdoors with proper social distancing.
Take care of your health. Exercise and proper sleep will keep you rejuvenated and energized to fulfill extra roles and be kind to your significant other and family members. Don’t overeat or use alcohol to ease stress. Meditation, yoga, breathing exercises or prayer will do a better job of stress relief and put you in a frame of mind to interact in a healthy way with your spouse and children.
As we keep hearing and experiencing, these are uncertain times. Still, we should not think of the pandemic only in terms of what we have lost, but more importantly what we have gained or even re-gained! With just a little effort, we can learn to enjoy and appreciate this extraordinary time with our families and loved ones. We may not get another opportunity like this again.
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July 21, 2020
201095
Creatures of Habit
Touro College is Leading the Way to Uncover New Treatments and Cures for the Opioid Crisis
The increased availability of opioids through over-prescription by physicians, as well as the accessibility of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, has made addiction a central issue for today’s and tomorrow’s healthcare professionals. At Touro, one of the largest health educators in the nation, the school’s faculty, administrators and students across several graduate schools are focused on tackling this problem.
According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioids are the main driver of drug overdose deaths in the U.S., which totaled 70,236 in 2017. Of those, 47,600—or 67.8 percent of the total—involved opioids.
Within the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW), the Touro College of Pharmacy (TCOP) and the School of Health Sciences (SHS), a range of program offerings have been developed to help ease the crisis and prepare future healthcare professionals, who will be on the front lines of treating and preventing addiction. This effort involves specialized training for working with addicted patient populations, learning about community outreach programs that encourage healthy practices around opioid use and safety and the training of health professionals in alternative therapies for pain mitigation.
Social Workers on the Front Lines
In 2019, Touro College and its Graduate School of Social Work secured two grants totaling $1.36 million to train students, faculty and staff in fighting the nation’s opioid crisis.
A $1.3 million award from the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the larger of the two awards, is part of the department’s new, three-year “Federal Opioid Workforce Expansion Program” and is shared with Touro’s School of Health Sciences’ Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program (CMHC). The second and smaller of the two awards of $60,000 is funded by the National Council for Behavioral Health, a not-for-profit group of over 3,000 member organizations that help millions with mental illness and addictions. The funds will be directed toward a new 20-month program entitled, “Social Workers on the Front Line of the Opioid Epidemic Learning Collaborative.”
Touro is one of the select schools in the U.S. and in New York State to participate in the $57.4 million HRSA grant. Eligible students chosen for the program will take specialized courses and work with medically underserved populations in communities throughout NYC.
Rethinking Addiction
Although many students enter GSSW believing that they will be treating clients with problems that lie outside of addiction, such as marital issues, work issues, anxiety and others, this isn’t always the case. According to Dr. Steven Krantz, associate professor of Clinical Social Work at GSSW, their work will inevitably bring them face-to-face with addiction. “Chemical dependence issues impact all ethnic and economic groups and are touching many aspects of family and professional life.”
“Current thinking among experts in the field,” explains Professor Krantz, “which reflects a big change in the approach to addiction, is that we stopped differentiating alcohol from other drugs. Now they are all treated the same and our teaching at Touro reflects this.”
At Touro, students are taught ways to uncover a client’s connection to their chemical or chemicals of choice and to think about the client in these terms. Explains Professor Krantz, “We want them to ask, ‘What is your relationship with the chemical and how does it impact your life?’” In assisting a client, effective intervention often requires helping them to create a daily or near-daily program of recovery, including connecting to rehabilitation centers, day programs, intense outpatient programs or ones that specialize in immersing someone in interventional support, including self-help programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.
Pharmacy Students and Community Outreach
In the Touro College of Pharmacy, there is a robust curriculum covering opioid treatments, their side effects, how to recognize addiction/abuse and ways to reverse the effects of these medications. Several student organizations are working on developing and implementing risk mitigation and harm reduction campaigns.
Connecting with Patients
For most people, their local pharmacist is the healthcare provider they see most regularly, feel the most comfortable with and the one that is the most available. Part of the training of pharmacy students is preparing them for this role and understanding that the various programs available through pharmacies and communities may save a life or help someone to enter treatment.
Needle Exchange Programs
At TCOP, students learn about needle exchange programs, which have been developed as a way for people who use injectable drugs to obtain clean needles and dispose of used needles safely. These programs do not increase illegal drug use or crime, and can help to curb the spread of HIV, Hepatitis C, and other bloodborne illnesses. At needle exchange sites, often located in pharmacies, adults can purchase a limited quantity of clean needles. “By providing additional access to sterile syringes, we can help protect people from bloodborne illnesses and ultimately prevent deaths,” explains Dr. Rebecca K. Kavanagh, assistant professor of ambulatory care. According to the CDC, research shows that people who use injection drugs who have access to needle/syringe exchange programs are five times more likely to enter treatment and abstain from illicit drug use than those who don’t.
Drug Take-Back Events
Students also learn about and participate in drug take-back events, where expired, unwanted, or unused prescription drugs are collected for proper disposal. These programs are part of an anonymous, no-questions-asked national effort to curb drug abuse and safely dispose of unneeded medicine. During such events, members of a local community are encouraged to drop off their unused drugs so they can be properly incinerated. “These events help to minimize the availability of leftover drugs that someone could potentially abuse,” explains Dr. Kavanagh.
Naloxone Kit Distribution
A key part of the community outreach effort is reversing the effects of an overdose before it takes a life. TCOP students are trained in ways to respond to patients and family members living with opioid abuse, such as encouraging calls to 911 if they, or their loved one, find themselves in trouble, offering information about drug rehabilitation and furnishing naloxone injection kits, a life-saving emergency treatment for opioid overdose.
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July 07, 2020
200737
Touro College and Orthodox Union Announce 2020 Joint Scholarship Winners
Sarah Rivkah and Dr. Bernard Lander Scholarships Awarded to Outstanding NCSY Graduates
NEW YORK – Touro College, the nation’s largest institution of higher education under Jewish auspices, and the Orthodox Union (OU), the nation’s oldest and largest umbrella organization for the North American Orthodox Jewish community, have awarded the 2020 prestigious Sarah Rivkah and Dr. Bernard Lander zt”l Scholarships.
This year’s scholarship recipients are: Shifra Dimbert; Yael Gonzalez; Indigo (Nishama) Paris; and Hannah Thiede. All were active NCSY members during high school and have plans to attend seminary in Israel this coming year before enrolling in college.
The scholarships are awarded annually by Touro College and the Orthodox Union to outstanding NCSY graduates, the OU’s international youth movement, who choose to attend one of Touro’s Lander Colleges in New York City: Lander College for Men in Queens (LCM), Lander College for Women/The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School in Manhattan (LCW) and Lander College of Arts & Sciences (LAS) in Brooklyn.
The scholarships, in memory of Touro’s Founding President Dr. Bernard Lander, zt”l and his wife Sarah Rivkah, a"h, were announced by Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish and Orthodox Union President Moishe Bane, a Lawrence resident.
“Dr. Lander always supported Touro’s offer of scholarship opportunities to outstanding NCSY leaders,” Dr. Kadish said. “We have presented over $3 million dollars in such scholarships over the years, and it is only appropriate that these scholarships bear Dr. Lander’s name and the name of his beloved wife, Sarah Rivkah. We look forward to our continued partnership with the Orthodox Union and NCSY in helping to create a vibrant and committed Jewish tomorrow.”
“These young adults represent the future leaders of the Jewish community,” said Moishe Bane. “Throughout their experience in NCSY, they have exemplified leadership and we are proud to help invest in their futures.”
Bernard Lander served as president of Touro for almost 40 years, until his passing on February 8, 2010, at the age of 94. He built Touro from a fledgling institution with only 35 students in 1971 to an educational powerhouse with more than 18,000 undergraduate and graduate students across the United States and in Israel, Germany and Russia, making Touro the largest not-for-profit independent institution of higher and professional education under Jewish auspices. Dr. Lander also was a major figure in Jewish communal life, serving on the Board of the Orthodox Union for almost 70 years. About the Touro College and University System
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Touro College has 34 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and Touro University Nevada; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, visit: www.touro.edu.
About the Orthodox Union
Founded in 1898, the Orthodox Union, (OU), serves as the voice of American Orthodox Jewry, with over 400 congregations in its synagogue network. As the umbrella organization for American Orthodox Jewry, the OU is at the forefront of advocacy work on both state and federal levels, outreach to Jewish teens and young professionals through NCSY, Israel Free Spirit Birthright, Yachad and OU Press, among many other divisions and programs. For more information, visit www.ou.org.
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June 25, 2020
200664
What We Need to Know About Reopening Society
Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish Answers Questions About the Next Phase of the Coronavirus Pandemic
People are getting anxious staying at home and starting to go out, especially as the weather warms. How can people reduce their risk as they venture out?
It’s really simple—social distancing and wearing masks are critical. If you’re exercising, wear a mask, since data shows that this is effective in reducing risk of infection. If you’re walking outside, and we all should do this to get fresh air and exercise, be careful with people who are not part of your family group. It’s natural to start talking and moving closer to one another when you see friends on the street, but try to maintain proper social distance as recommended by CDC guidelines.
Should everyone take the antibody test?
What does it mean if you have antibodies or if you don’t have them? Having antibodies significantly decreases your risk of infection, but we are not yet sure if it reduces the risk completely. I don’t think everyone needs to take it unless the screening is being done as a measure to determine who can return to a work environment.
The question is what will you do with the information?
If you test positive for antibodies, you can be a little less stringent with social distancing and other precautions. If that makes a difference to you in the way you live and interact, then it’s worth it. If you have antibodies, you can be less concerned about getting into an uber or taking public transportation. I would still recommend social distancing and a mask, but if you are antibody positive, you can be more comfortable getting around in public transportation, restaurants, interacting with friends. Because so much is still unknown, I would not suggest removing all restrictions.
It’s also important to know that not all antibody tests are equally accurate. The home tests have not been validated, but the blood tests are pretty accurate.
What do you see as necessary changes in order for people to safely return to workplace, school, houses of worship? How about on commuter rails, buses, subways and the beach?
Incidence of the virus has to continue to go down even lower than it has so far. Right now it’s gone down 10-20%, but in order to return freely, we need it to decrease even more. We will need to continue to social distance as we go out and certainly can’t consider going to theaters or crowded restaurants until there’s a vaccine or a very effective treatment. Sitting with family members at a restaurant or at a reasonable distance with others is okay to do.
When you consider students going back to school, there have to be fewer students in each class so that there’s room to observe social distancing. Teachers and students will have to wear masks, as there is more of a risk of spreading infection when people speak. Teachers and students must take care not to be too close to each other.
While on beaches, wear a mask and stay six feet away from people who aren’t family members. Be particularly careful when you’re walking on and off the beach or boardwalk not to get caught up in a crowd and to maintain your distance.
Is it okay to visit elderly relatives and friends? What precautions should be taken?
If you’re visiting someone who is at high risk, you need to be very careful. In addition to wearing masks, I would recommend maintaining a 10-foot (not 6 foot) distance.
How long will it be before things go back to the way they were?
No one knows that for certain, but things cannot really go back to normal until there’s a vaccine or effective treatment. If things go well, the earliest we could see a vaccine would be late fall.
Do you think there will be a second wave in the fall? Is there any way to prevent that or minimize the damage?
No one knows for sure whether there will be a second wave, since COVID-19 is unprecedented and we are learning more about it as things play out. We can potentially mitigate the impact of a second wave if we are careful not to become overly lax as we open up society in the next few weeks and months. Just because we’ve opened up doesn’t mean we can throw away the rules or that there’s no risk. In Israel, when schools and stores opened up, infection started increasing and a super spreader event occurred. To minimize risk and potential damage from a second wave, we need to resume activity in line with recommendations. There is no roadmap here, but it’s more likely that a second wave can be more dangerous. This is what happened during the 1918 flu pandemic and we don’t know whether COVID-19 will follow that trajectory.
Are we close to achieving herd immunity in the U.S.?
The answer is no. Historically, 80% of people must have antibodies before a society can achieve herd immunity. We would have to be at a lower level of infection than we have now. Right now we are only at approximately 25% immunity. If we achieved herd immunity, we would not need social distancing, but we are not near that at this time. Once we have a vaccine or effective treatment, we will achieve herd immunity. To try and do this by exposing many people to the virus in the hopes of them contracting it and ultimately achieving immunity is not a good idea as many will end up dying as a result.
Bottom line—this situation is trying everyone’s patience, but for our safety and health, we need to follow the guidelines, as ultimately, that will enable us to re-open and re-enter society.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/what-we-need-to-know-about-reopening-society.php
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June 23, 2020
198993
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
A Message From Touro President, Dr. Alan Kadish
The re-opening of businesses, religious institutions, parks and schools is more than welcome news—it is a thaw after a brutal winter. But we are still a great distance from day-to-day life being the same as it was before the current pandemic. We are in a time of great upheaval and the ability to change and adapt will continue to be vital.
Touro’s highest priority—the safety and well-being of our students—demands that we proceed with cautious optimism. The good news is that we have already weathered the worst part of the storm by employing creative and intelligent solutions to the need for distance learning. Moreover, our students, faculty and staff across the entire Touro College and University System have displayed a nimbleness that allows for optimal learning, and a compassion for others that is impressive.
No one knows precisely what the future holds, but we can help shape our destiny—and the destiny of others—by recognizing the need to make a difference. In that vein, I urge all of you to continue to harness your inner hero as society begins to reopen. I can assure you that opportunities to help others, and to help society, will continue to present themselves. Everyone from health care professionals to students has already stretched beyond what we considered our limits, but in so doing, discovered how far our capabilities, strength, creativity and perseverance truly extend. Let us infuse an even greater sense of communal responsibility into “the new normal” as it is being defined.
The Jewish holiday of Shavuos, which arrives this weekend, celebrates the receiving of the Torah, God’s divine plan for mankind. In commemoration of this turning point for humanity, may we all merit to experience renewed strength and the blessings that are elicited from compassionate service to mankind.
Sincerely,
Dr. Alan Kadish
Touro
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May 25, 2020
199061
Be Part of the Solution
An Open Letter to the Touro College and University System Community From Touro President, Dr. Alan Kadish
The situation in America was already dire these last few months. The pandemic that has shattered lives and put a frightening number of Americans out of work had already taken more than 100,000 lives. But then we turned on the news and watched a man beg for breath; watched in horror as his life was casually taken.
The tragic death of George Floyd was not an isolated incident. Racism and disturbing police clashes are all too familiar throughout U.S. history and unfortunately, still continue in 2020. Touro stands in solidarity with our communities of color against all forms of discrimination, and with all those who experience marginalization and injustice as a result of institutionalized and systemic racism. There is no excuse for the blatant disregard for humanity that was shown to George Floyd. Acts of racism and violence contradict our nation’s core commitment to social justice and underscore the need for all of us to join together in addressing matters of institutionalized racism and injustice.
And now the fires rage. The elements for this perfect storm were all there. As vital as social distancing has been these last three months, people paid an inestimable price for the loss of human contact. Healthy human beings are, after all, social beings. As hard as the destruction of jobs and ravages of illness can be, together, we Americans have always proven resilient. By way of example, speak with any veteran of World War II and you’ll more likely hear stories of camaraderie than of heroics. It wasn’t randomly that psychologist Abraham Maslow included the essential requisites of love, support and belonging in his famous hierarchy of human needs. People need people.
But all relationships between human beings are doomed to fail when the requisite respect is removed from the equation. A vital lesson from the current pandemic is how important a single individual can be. It only takes one to infect dozens… or to nurture many. Each individual’s impact can be profound. The police officer should have considered this as a helpless man lay prone on the ground. The consequences of his callous lack of respect did not end with the tragic death of George Floyd. Just as respect begets respect, contempt begets contempt. We see that contempt erupting into flames with the destruction of property and the taking of additional innocent lives. We have no control over the forces of nature, we can only control our responses. When a virus, flood, earthquake or hurricane arrives to disrupt our lives, we know what to do. The first responders and front-line health care workers that everyone has come to admire are heroic not because they face danger but rather because of the reasons they are willing to do so. People need people. The cultivation of respect and human dignity is the highest aspiration for which we can strive. No one can breathe easily while watching the video of George Floyd or recalling his parting words. But the tragedy grows exponentially when catapulted as the basis for violent mobs to burn and loot—to vent frustrations on other innocent people. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. aptly pointed out, “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.” Instead, as the tragic assassination of Medgar Evers helped inspire the important civil rights movement, we must allow George’s tragic death to inspire greater compassion, not only in police business but in all matters. At Touro, respect and compassion are values with which we imbue all of our programs. Working constantly for human rights and dignity is part of our proud tradition—indeed, I cannot imagine our schools without these essential human components, which stand at the core of our mission. In a world that clearly needs healing, may our individual and collective efforts continue to be part of the solution. Touro students and faculty, let us be the people others turn to in this time of crisis and need. Let us model tolerance, justice and compassion. Let us reach out to our friends, neighbors and communities with messages of peace and understanding for all. Dr. Alan Kadish President
Touro
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June 01, 2020
198741
What Parents Need to Know About COVID-19 and Kids
Pediatric expert at Touro’s New York Medical College breaks down Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a COVID-related condition that now has parents everywhere concerned about the health and safety of their children. Dr. Michael Gewitz, pediatric expert at Touro’s New York Medical College, answers the most commonly-asked questions about this syndrome.
What are symptoms of MIS-C?
The symptoms are multi-faceted. Children show signs of intense body inflammation involving multiple organ systems. There may be evidence of cardiac illness, kidney disease, neurological issues or unfortunately, all of these.
Affected children have either already had COVID-19 or been exposed to it. They also experience fever in addition to: either severe organ involvement or shock or, if not critically ill, at least two of the following symptoms—abdominal pain and vomiting, skin rash, cracking of skin on hands and feet, red (”strawberry”) tongue or dry pink eye.
Parents should contact their family doctor or pediatrician if a child has persistent or recurrent fever especially if any of the other symptoms are present.
Who can contract MIS-C?
MIS-C can affect all age groups, from babies through teenagers. In NY state the largest number of children with the syndrome have been in the 6- to 12-year-old age group.
What is the connection between MIS-C and COVID-19?
The current cases are affecting children with a history of close exposure to someone who has or had COVID-19 infection or have evidence of having had COVID-19 themselves as documented by blood antibody testing or molecular testing with a swab.
MIS-C occurs several weeks after having coronavirus or being exposed to it. It is an antibody-induced inflammatory response to the infection, a “post-infection” syndrome .
Children have, in fact, been contracting acute COVID-19, but most haven’t been getting sick. In New York State alone, over 16,000 children under age 21 had evidence of infection and only 5% have been hospitalized. Many, many have been asymptomatic.
Which children are most at risk?
MIS-C has been occurring in children without prior existing conditions. It appears that Hispanic and African-American children may have a higher incidence of MIS-C but, as of now there isn't enough data yet to be sure.
How is it diagnosed and treated?
MIS-C is diagnosed by a combination of presenting features– fever, headache, abdominal pain, rash, breathing problems, cardiac and neurological issues—and lab tests (bloodwork) that shows acute inflammation and blood clotting abnormality.
The treatment is evolving but it seems that immunoglobulin (IVIG) is helpful as well as anticoagulation, or blood thinners, with a form of heparin. Steroids may also have a role in treatment.
Treatment must also support the other organ dysfunction issues, so physicians will prescribe heart medications to improve cardiac function and support the child’s need for oxygen. Often, intensive care is needed.
The goal is to treat the inflammation, treat coagulation problems and treat underlying organ dysfunction.
What can parents do to protect children?
Prevent them from being exposed to COVID-19 and try to keep them away from anyone with the virus, following the general rules established for social distancing, frequent hand hygiene, and when older than age 2, even mask-wearing.
Although MIS-C is a relatively rare complication of COVID-19 that has so far affected a few hundred children across the country (compared to the many, many thousands who had the virus or were exposed to it), children can get quite ill from MIS-C and parents should be on the alert for the above listed medical issues and call their pediatrician or family health care professional with any concerns.
What is recovery rate from MIS-C?
The recovery rate is high. With appropriate treatment, most children recover and do well. There have been very few deaths and very few kids who have not been discharged even if they needed the ICU. Long-term follow-up is only just beginning as we continue to learn about this new complication to the COVID-19 story.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/what-parents-need-to-know-about-covid-19-and-kids.php
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May 19, 2020
197744
Touro’s Lander Colleges Plan Virtual Graduation Ceremony
Four Top Students Named Valedictorians
New York, NY - A record breaking 582 students will graduate from Touro’s Lander Colleges this month with baccalaureate degrees, and 116 students will graduate from Machon L’Parnasa/The Institute for Professional Studies and The School of Lifelong Education with associate degrees. The graduates will be awarded their degrees in a virtual ceremony on Sunday, May 24.
The ceremony will be presided over by Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish and the Lander deans including Dr. Robert Goldschmidt, dean of Touro’s Lander College of Arts and Sciences; Dr. Moshe Sokol, dean of Touro’s Lander College for Men; and Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike, dean of Touro’s Lander College for Women-The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School.
The 2020 graduates will pursue a wide range of professions including health sciences, medicine, dentistry, law, psychology, computer science, engineering, accounting and speech-language pathology.
Student valedictorians are planning careers in medicine, dentistry and marketing communications.
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Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touros-lander-colleges-plan-virtual-graduation-ceremony.php
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May 12, 2020
196770
Top Tips for Time Management
Touro Expert Offers Ways to Create Structure, Reduce Stress and Increase Productivity
As the weeks stretch on and employees and families are tasked with working, parenting and running a home all at the same time, many are experiencing stress and anxiety. Without commuting to the office, the line between work and home is getting blurred. Work hours can stretch long beyond what is normal and home responsibilities and relationships are hard to manage when all members of a household are trying to live, work and go to school under the same roof, 24/7.
Dr. Faye Walkenfeld, psychologist and Chair of the Mental Health Counseling Program at Touro College, says it’s important to accept that we are living in a different reality right now and to adjust our expectations of ourselves and our families. Accepting what we cannot change and what we have no control over will improve our mental health and reduce anxiety. Our time, however, is something we can control, and we should work on managing it to impose structure in our day. This will result in less stress while increasing successful functioning.
Here are top time management tips from Dr. Walkenfeld:
Create a structure for your day. Decide when your workday begins and ends and when you will stop and take a break for coffee, lunch with family members, etc… and stick with it. Your structure should include plans with timelines for everything on your to-do list. Whether it’s related to work or home, if you don’t designate a specific day and time to do it, it won’t happen. Leave some time every day to get out for a walk and talk to your kids. Decide in the beginning of each day what time that will be. Otherwise, the day can run away and you may be holed up in your home office without getting the exercise you need or connecting with those you love.
Set breaks between zoom meetings or videoconferences --just because we all have the ability to go from meeting to meeting with no time needed in between for travel or walking to another office or building does not mean that we should do this. Our brains and bodies need a break and we should impose at least a 10-minute break between these online meetings.
Make a schedule for device use. If you’re in a household where two parents are working and a number of children are zooming into class, figure out the hours when devices are needed and create a schedule that works for all. It’s important to show the children that you value their time and their online classes and that their efforts and success are also a priority for you.
Create a system for sharing household responsibilities. Since most people don’t have household help due to virus health concerns, the family needs to pick up the slack. At the beginning of the week, write up a master list of all the chores that need to be done (laundry, meal preparation, cooking, shopping, cleaning) and let each family member select what they would like to do. Once a job has been selected, let each family member know when it’s expected to be completed and try to give positive reinforcement for jobs well done.
Build skills that your family members might not otherwise learn. If your children are doing chores for the first time, teach them how to do them correctly. Make these “lessons” relaxed (to where are we rushing?) and expect them to need some reminders before getting the job done “right”.
Prioritize –when making your daily or weekly schedule, don’t put down a whole laundry list of items. Analyze the tasks, decide what’s most important and what must happen today and prioritize accordingly. At the end of the day, redo the schedule and see how much time you allotted and whether it worked. Notice what took longer and adjust the next day’s schedule accordingly. If something important didn’t get done, move it to the top of tomorrow’s list.
Include something fun or interesting in the schedule. If you’ve wanted to practice piano more, see if you can use some of the time you would have spent commuting doing that. Order books you’ve been meaning to read and set aside some time before bedtime for pleasure reading. If you wanted to design photo books of your last trip or work on planning the next vacation, carve out time to do that. Activities that are unrelated to the coronavirus can be uplifting and stress-relieving.
Use these tips to manage your time since it’s one thing you still have control over, in a world that is filled with uncertainty. If the schedule or the need to learn new hobbies is making you stressed out, however, give yourself a break. Acknowledge that we are all under stress – people we know are sick and dying and that can make us feel sad and depressed. Do the activities that make you happy and that feel realistic to achieve at this time.
Learn more about becoming a mental health counselor.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-tips-for-time-management.php
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April 21, 2020
197107
Tips to Avoid the Groundhog Day Effect
NYMC/Touro Expert Offers Ways to Avoid Obsessive Thinking and Feelings of Helplessness
In the weeks since sheltering at home began, we seem to be living in an eternal present. Because our most recent memories of anything different – or “out of the new ordinary” – are weeks old, there are no experiential memories to track time mentally. Each day feels the same as the previous one to the point where it is difficult to remember if a new day has even begun or not.
This is a dangerous mindset to maintain, since we not only experience stress and anxiety, but it can cause us to fall into obsessive thinking and feelings of helplessness. It can shrink our perceived range of possibilities as well as our ability to connect with others.
But! There is a way to stop the repetitiveness from getting you down.
Rabbi Dr. Ira Bedzow, Director of Biomedical Ethics & Humanities Program and UNESCO Chair of Bioethics at New York Medical College, says it’s important to hold onto the bigger picture one has for oneself and not lose sight of it due to the overload of the everyday.
Here are top reflection practice tips from Dr. Bedzow:
1. Schedule time to think about something different.
Don’t just take this time haphazardly; if you do, you will never actually do it. Establish a moment or two every day that is set aside without distractions. Many of us are living with spouses and children, so this may seem impossible, but it is not. Bedzow says his time is early in the morning before everyone in the house wakes up. He also takes a shorter scheduled break after the workday as a reward for finishing the day, where he resets his priorities and mood before having dinner and spending time with his family.
2. During this time, don’t focus on “to-do” tasks.
We all have heard about taking a “mental health day” which is specifically meant to relieve stress and prevent burnout. Mental health days are not simply days off. They are meant to help clear and heal a person’s mind so that he or she can return to work more relaxed and productive. But to do that, you can’t simply stop working but keep mentally engaged in the stresses of the workplace. In order to use a day to reset your perspective, you need to change what you do, how you talk, and even what you think about that day. Apply the same idea to your daily scheduled time.
3. Ask yourself “big picture” questions about your life goals and what they mean right now.
Whatever questions you ask yourself, the important thing is to expand the ever-narrowing worldview we risk acquiring when our movements and options become limited. The bigger you make the life around you, the less the pandemic’s social and psychological consequences will bear on you. In this time, Dr. Bedzow says he asks himself the following questions:
Do I still want to become the person I thought I did before the pandemic?
Do my actions (both small and large) in this moment demonstrate that desire?
Have my values changed, and, if not, am I still acting on them?
Am I making room in my life for the people and beliefs that I cherish or am I closing myself off by allowing new – and bad habits – to form?
What small thing can I do today to make my life, and the lives of those around me, a bit different?
Can I add some fun into the day?
These questions will allow you to look forward to positive, transformative change. They also empower you to see that change is possible (even if those changes are small) in a time when you are stuck at home. It is not always the size of the change that makes a difference, but the willingness to turn new actions into new habits is oftentimes what makes change stick. The feeling that we have some control over what we do every day goes a long way to stop stress, anxiety, and feelings of helplessness from creeping in.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/tips-to-avoid-the-groundhog-day-effect.php
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April 28, 2020
196566
Touro Students, Faculty are Saving Lives Physically and Spiritually During Corona Crisis
A Message from President Kadish
In observing how the current pandemic is being addressed by scientists and educators, a quote from the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. comes to mind: “Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase.” Since the onset of the coronavirus, Touro has continued to take such steps toward making a difference and maintaining a leadership role in addressing the current crisis. Everyone at Touro—students, faculty and staff—continues to be encouraged and supported in our quest to bring healing to the world. Toward this end, some of our medical students just opted to graduate early. We expect they will have a number of opportunities to join the frontlines of the pandemic battle.
As the world races for the cure, we were proud to see our own Dr. Salomon Amar, Provost for Biomedical Research at Touro College and University System and Vice President for Research at New York Medical College, participate with other institutions in a study sponsored by Regeneron. The research study on the use of Sarilumab as a treatment therapy for COVID-19 sprang into action on March 22, when a record-defying FDA authorization came through. Typically, a large-scale trial of this nature requires Institutional Review Board (IRB) informed consent forms from patients, long discussions with an institution in order to hammer out details, a budget, and of course the proverbial mountain of paperwork that is the cornerstone of any and all research. With the help of the FDA, the processes necessary to approve and complete the study were finished in record time. The study has finished enrollment and we anxiously await the results.
On the West Coast, students from Touro University California helped translate a set of guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which were initially issued March 16 and intended to help people institute “best practices” for reducing the spread of coronavirus. The effort, organized by the school’s chapter of the National Hispanic Pharmacists Association, translated the guidelines into 23 different languages so non-native English speakers could more easily heed the CDC’s recommendations.
As we celebrate the holidays, I am comforted to see how many members of the Touro family—many right in the epicenter of the pandemic—are working together to be part of the solution. I look forward to sharing additional progress with you in the weeks to come.
The Mishna, the foundation stone of rabbinical literature, teaches that when one saves a life, it is as if they saved an entire world. At Touro, we are working toward not only saving lives physically, but also enhancing them spiritually, giving direction, experience and values to our students that will serve as guideposts throughout their lives.
Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season of redemption.
Sincerely,
Dr. Alan Kadish
Touro
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April 08, 2020
196420
Top 8 Corona Questions for NYMC’s Public Health Expert
Dr. Robert Amler Discusses Immunity, Hitting the Peak and More
Dr. Robert Amler, Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College, has given dozens of media interviews since the coronavirus outbreak began. He’s addressed virus “super-spreaders,” the effectiveness of face masks, how to safely shop for groceries and more. Here, he answers top-of-mind questions about who’s immune, what’s next and healthy holiday cooking in the current environment.
1) We’ve been hearing that we are “hitting our peak.” What does this mean and what happens next?
This means we will get to a certain point where the number of new cases per day is less than the day before. This needs to be a trend that holds, beyond some expected day-to-day variations in reporting efficiency, i.e. that there is possibly more testing done during the week or on the weekend. But if we see that with each new day, we have a smaller amount of new cases and it’s beginning to decline (even though cumulative numbers will not decline), this will mean that we have reached the peak. That will be a sign that the intensity of the outbreak is slowing and we are beginning to recover.
The same could be said for the number of deaths each day. When the number of new deaths declines each day, that means we are making headway in the fight against disease.
2) Can you get coronavirus again? Are you immune if you contracted it once?
It’s really not clear if you can get it again. Many other coronaviruses can affect you more than once and we don’t know about this one – COVID-19. We are seeing antibodies in some people who have had it, which means that they have some immunity, but we don’t know how long these antibodies will last in their systems and whether they will be protective for a long time. Some antibodies are more protective than others and this is so new that no one can say with certainty if the antibodies will be protective and long lasting. We will likely know the answer in several months or a year but right now, it’s part of the uncertainty.
3) Is it only older people and those with compromised immune systems or underlying conditions who are at risk of contracting severe, fatal cases?
No, there are case reports of fairly young and healthy people who contracted the virus and got very sick and some have died as a result. The nature of the risk for young, healthy people is low but if it hits you severely, it can be very bad, so young people should be mindful of all the safety and health guidelines.
4) Will the virus come back in the fall?
The prevailing wisdom is that it probably will come back in the fall but by the time that happens, we will have gone through this cycle so we will have more answers and people will know the drill. We will likely have antiviral treatment (like a penicillin) in the fall and possibly immune plasma treatment. We will also have a better understanding of who is really at risk for severe complications so we will be prepared and better equipped to handle a fall surge.
In terms of treatment, there is a race to the top, which is wonderful news. Researchers are testing drugs that work for rheumatoid arthritis and for Ebola and they are working on it as quickly as possible. There are lots of intelligent, entrepreneurial people working on this and everyone wants to be the Louis Pasteur of COVID-19, which is obviously a good thing. Therefore, I am hopeful that we will have some kind of treatment if there’s a fall outbreak.
5) People are cooking for the holidays and while families won’t be together, is it safe to cook and send over food to adult children and other family members?
High heat is protective so it is okay to send cooked food to others. Also, the virus can be transmitted from the surface of a sealed package for 2-3 days so if a packaged item has been in your house for that time, handling it should be fine. Grocery items can be wiped down on the outside with hand sanitizer when you bring them home and obviously, hands should be washed very well while cooking. Produce should be scrubbed vigorously with water as well.
6) How long will we be sheltering at home? Will we go back to normal when we are able to go out in the world again?
We cannot predict when this will end, but the first sign that we are making headway is when the number of cases per day and the number of deaths per day go down.
Prudent people will still take common sense precautions – hand washing, social distancing of six feet, sitting father apart in classrooms, in meetings and restaurants. People have already adjusted to these measures so continuing with them in a modified manner shouldn’t be difficult and it will help protect all of us.
7) Does a mask protect the wearer?
Not directly, but indirectly. If everyone wears masks, the wearer is protected by other people wearing them. When you go out in public, you should wear a mask to protect everyone else but everyone else is also protecting you.
8) Anything you want to leave us with?
Yes, of course. My three public health principles – block exposure as much as you can by limiting contact in every way, use common sense and do the best you can. Using common sense means letting a plumber in if you need one and doing your best means following the rules and not beating yourself up or getting stressed out if you make a few small errors along the way. There usually are… we are all human.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-8-corona-questions-for-nymcs-public-health-expert.php
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April 06, 2020
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Covering COVID-19
The Experts at Touro and the Center for Disaster Medicine at NYMC Addressed Coronavirus From All Angles
The impact of the pandemic continues to grow as the coronavirus now threatens people across the globe and in every state in the U.S. Worldwide cases are now more than 800,000 with more than 175,000 of those cases in the U.S.
Addressing the crisis, medical and professional leadership from the Touro College & University System and New York Medical College hosted “Coronavirus: What We Know, What We Don’t Know, What You Need to Know, Part 2” to educate clinical healthcare professionals, healthcare administrators, public health professionals, the media and the public about the coronavirus. The webinar was Touro’s second such event since the advent of the virus.
Touro’s webinar, which was followed by people across the U.S., focused on transmission, symptoms and how to manage the outbreak.
“It seems hard to believe that only two months ago we were presenting our initial coronavirus educational seminar,” said Alan Kadish, M.D., President of Touro College and New York Medical College. “Who then could truly envision what life would feel like under lockdown and quarantine? As my friend and colleague Dr. Edward Halperin pointed out at our first summit, pandemics tend to bring out the worst and best in people… I’m proud to say that it’s brought out the best in members of the wide Touro family who are rising to the occasion across the globe.”
“New York Medical College is actively working on the problem and actively involved in the development of clinical studies," said NYMC Chancellor and CEO Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., who discussed the history of medicine and bigotry during the program, stating that “viruses don’t have nationalities and we shouldn’t be naming diseases after a people or a country.”
The full roster of speakers and topics included:
Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice, NYMC, former Regional Health Administrator, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and former Medical Epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – The epidemiology of COVID-19—what we know so far and what we are likely to learn
Marisa Montecalvo, M.D., Infectious Disease Specialist – The clinical management of suspected and confirmed cases
Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., Chancellor/CEO of NYMC – A medical historian’s perspective on bigotry and xenophobia during a pandemic
Sherlita Amler, M.D., M.S., Adjunct Professor of Public Health at NYMC and Commissioner of Health, Westchester County, New York – Preventing COVID-19; public health measures
Rodger Citron, Associate Dean and Professor of Law – Legal and policy issues during a pandemic
Jeff Lichtman, Ph. D., Assistant Professor, Jewish Childhood Education and Special Education – Managing and minimizing normal anxiety amidst the virus quarantine
“People have compared what we’re all going through with the pandemic of 1918,” said Dr. Kadish. “The most glaring difference is that science and medicine have vastly improved since then. I have great confidence that in the weeks to come, in addition to the frightening news of rising cases, we will also be encouraged by testing and treatment breakthroughs. That has been the history of science and healthcare. Every country has been racing for the cure and, G-d willing, this pandemic will be behind us much sooner than previous generations had to wait for cures. In the meantime, we must be patient and we must do the right thing, which includes staying home, practicing social distancing seriously and following basic hygiene precautions, such as good hand washing before touching our faces.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/covering-covid-19.php
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April 02, 2020
195555
Are You Prepared for Online Learning?
Touro Dean Offers Top Tips To Help Students Adapt to Distance Learning
As colleges and universities move to online classes in the wake of COVID-19, both students and faculty are challenged to adapt. And quickly. Many students have never taken any online classes and are now struggling with a full load. Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike, vice president for online education at Touro College and dean of Touro’s Lander College for Women, has tips to help students to ease the process.
Use a laptop or desktop instead of a phone. You may need to join several hours of classes online each day. It will be much easier to stay focused if you have a bigger screen.
Arrive on time to your class, as you would in person. Log in from a quiet place, where family members and others will not interrupt. This will make it easier for both you and your professor to concentrate.
Test the technology in advance so you know how to use it. Get a backup phone number to use if you have problems with the web video function. Make sure you have enough bandwidth from your home. (That may require asking your siblings to stay offline during your class.)
Always watch the class live rather than relying on the recorded version. It is a more dynamic and engaging experience. It also will give you a chance to ask questions and contribute to the discussion. Save the recorded versions for review afterwards.
Learn to use the chat function to ask questions or make comments.Keep your video function on so your professor can see that you are watching and engaged.
Ask your professor for novel assignments that take advantage of online classrooms.For example, you could create an infographic or video rather than an in-class presentation or paper.
If you had to leave campus quickly, you may not have all of the materials you need. Ask your professor to share course material, particularly texts and articles, through your school’s learning management system. Also ask if there are Open Educational Resources you can use if you can’t access the text. These are free and accessible over the internet. If you have recitation sections for math or science, familiarize yourself with the whiteboard function on your learning management system. You can use it to do problems and contribute to class. Ask the TA to record the session and share the link so you can review the problems.
Set up an online group with some fellow students.Us WhatsApp, Facebook and Slack, or similar technologies so you can chat about the course and help each other with homework.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/are-you-prepared-for-online-learning.php
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March 19, 2020
196323
COVID-19 Research Spotlight: Dr. Salomon Amar
Touro Biomedical Research Provost Sets up Clinical Trial To Test Drug for COVID-19 in Record Time
Dr. Salomon Amar, Provost for Biomedical Research at Touro College & University System, is working on a clinical trial to test the efficacy of a drug to treat COVID-19. Touro/New York Medical College (NYMC) was selected as one of the trial sites in the U.S.
How did you and Touro/New York Medical College get involved?
The CEO of Regeneron, the company that makes this drug, reached out to Touro President Dr. Kadish a very short while ago to see if we would be interested in running this trial in the U.S., along with another company, Sanofi. Without hesitation, we agreed and because of the way COVID-19 is affecting and upending the lives of everyone on the planet right now, all the players in our University System stood in line to make it happen.
It was literally only eight days from the time we received the call to the time we got the trial up and running. This process involves paperwork, regulations and compliance that usually takes months to get approved, so eight days is in fact a record. I’m extremely proud of our team at Touro, NYMC and Westchester Medical Center, the hospital that is partnering with us as the clinical trial site. Throughout this process, no one closed their door or said, “no I can’t do this.” We told people that we were looking to assemble an organization of YES people.
This Clinical Trial is testing the drug Sarilumab, usually used for rheumatoid arthritis, in the fight against COVID-19. Why do you think it might be effective?
Before I address why I think this drug deserves testing in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, let me tell you how it works in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Patients with RA exhibit unnecessary inflammation in their joints and this drugs acts to reduce the excess inflammation. The consequence of over-inflammation is cell destruction, so we use this drug to capture the excess and reduce it.
This concept was extended to other conditions affected by over-inflammation. If this drug reduces inflammation in joints for RA, then it could potentially work on any area in the body where there is over-inflammation. In a way, the drug works by partially vacuum cleaning the excess inflammation.
With the outbreak of COVID-19, a Chinese group reported a massive over-inflammation into and around the lungs during COVID-19 infection, in a small, uncontrolled study conducted in February. Treatment of COVID patients with a drug that has similar action to Sarilumab showed significant improvement of COVID patient’s disease parameters. In light of this study, Regeneron decided to run a controlled clinical trial to evaluate Sarilumab to reduce excess inflammation in the lungs in a larger sample size.
Can you describe a day in your life in this trial?
My team and I interface with the clinical trial sponsor daily and we work to ensure that doctors are provided with the drugs and materials they need and that they are entering the data properly. The data is live so sponsors can see what is being done on a moment to moment basis. It’s really lots and lots of logistics. We need to make sure that everything is under control at the hospital—that there is enough of the drug, tubes and all logistics associated with the trial are progressing properly. We can’t see how patients are reacting to the drug because this is a blinded study and we don’t know who is in which group yet.
When do you think you will have results?
We are working as quickly as we can and hoping to have results as soon as possible.
How does it feel to work on a research project that has the potential to improve or save millions of lives?
All of us physicians and researchers enter this profession specifically to improve the human condition and healthcare. It is the essence of who we are, and it is our job every day to come up with novel treatments to help those who are suffering. For me, this project is very humbling. I have spent 30 years working on inflammation so one would think I would have a handle on it, but we do not have the answers to how coronavirus operates… not yet. As a deeply religious person, I pray every morning that G-d will help us provide successful therapies to heal our patients.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/covid-19-research-spotlight-dr-salomon-amar.php
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April 02, 2020
196316
Keeping Our Heads When All About Us Are Losing Theirs
A Message From Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish
The writer Rudyard Kipling opens his famous poem “If” with “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…” and goes on to extol the virtues of integrity and the ideals of humankind. At Touro, we define our University System as employing these very same virtues, and we are continuing to stake a leadership role in addressing the current crisis.
We believe that everyone here has something that he or she can contribute right now, and we continue to encourage and support our faculty, staff and students as they step up to the challenge. That is why, in addition to their online studies, students from many of our 34 schools are engaged in important volunteer work based on their individual skill sets and educational focus. Our faculty and staff remain dedicated not only to our students but also to their communities—many right in the epicenter of the pandemic.
As a University system, Touro and our affiliates at the Center for Disaster Medicine at New York Medical College, just staged our second coronavirus educational summit. Unlike our first free event, which was presented to the public at our 31st Street campus in the heart of Manhattan, this second event was a two-hour webinar broadcast live to all who were interested in attending. In addition to our team of assembled medical and science experts, we added presentations from experts on the legal aspects of the pandemic, as well as on the psychological ramifications of disease, social distancing and sheltering in place. Our goal as educators, in this presentation, was to strike a balance, and I’m proud to say that our assembled subject-matter experts did precisely that.
In the weeks ahead, Touro will continue to seek opportunities to make a difference as we address one of this generation’s unique challenges. I encourage you to do the same. In this way, and in fulfillment of Touro’s mission, we will be triumphant together in bringing repair and well-being to mankind.
Sincerely,
Dr. Alan Kadish
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/keeping-our-heads-when-all-about-us-are-losing-theirs.php
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April 02, 2020
195951
Helping Hands from Home
Around Touro, Students, Faculty Use their Skills to Make a Difference During Corona Outbreak
Finding themselves at home, students and faculty from around the Touro universe heed the call to help, bringing their professionals skills to the frontlines.
Mental Health
Responding to the pandemic, Touro’s mental health faculty and students are donating their time to the Long Beach Therapy Network, a project founded by Dr. Kimberly Johnson, a professor at Touro’s Clinical Mental Health Program at the School of Health Sciences and a Long Beach colleague Kelly Chapman LCSW. The project has expanded to provide free short-term counseling, psychoeducation, resource and referral services to community members from NYC and Long Island via telephone, email, text and video. Services provided are accessible in English, Yiddish and ASL. Dr. Johnson is currently working on messaging and community response while advising local mental health practices on transitioning between in-person and distance practice. In addition, Menachem Kiwak, LMHC, CASAC-T (doctoral student) is part of a team working with the Office of Emergency Management helping New Yorkers in strategic crisis control.
Dentistry
The Touro Dental Health clinic at Touro College of Dental Medicine has also joined the fight, providing essential emergency care for patients—effectively removing patients from the ER and conserving personal protective equipment for hospitals while preventing the virus’ spread. The clinic is also donating much-needed equipment while dental faculty continues to provide patient care.
Law
Touro Law Center students, staff and alumni are once again leading Long Island’s legal community in disaster response. Thomas Maligno, the Executive Director of Touro's Public Advocacy Center, is coordinating Touro’s efforts with The Long Island Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster; through this effort, all Nassau and Suffolk major providers of legal services have been brought together to plan for anticipated legal needs. Touro’s students and alumni are developing a hotline and research project to answer questions, assistant residents with housing, income, health care, consumer and family law matters. As with our Superstorm Sandy response, Touro is partnering with the private bar, government and the not-for profit communities.
Pharmacy
Touro College of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Dr. Emily (Yae-Ji) Kim, who works as HIV Clinical Pharmacist at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, received special certification last week that allows her to prescribe and order lab tests more independently. The “Collaborative Drug Therapy Management” (CDTM) certification has been used successfully by clinical pharmacists throughout New York to improve patient outcomes, medication adherence and lower health costs. Dr. Kim is the sole pharmacist at the Clinic right now, which has about 1,200 patients. Her caseload is mainly HIV-related; however, the doctors she works with are infectious disease specialists who treat COVID-19, both at the Clinic and hospital. The hope, she says, is that she will be able to assist with the pandemic as well. “It’s very, very exciting. I’ve been trying to get this (certification) through since I started here and with the COVID crisis they’ve been able to fast-track it,” said Dr. Kim. “I am hopeful I can help out with the phone calls, refill HIV meds or counsel on COVID symptoms and what to do.”
Education
The need to keep children home from school came upon the Jewish Day School community very rapidly. Schools were tasked with providing instruction at home via online learning overnight, and even our strongest teachers were challenged to change their methods of instruction. Just last year Touro launched its new Department of Graduate Jewish Education/Special Education within the Graduate School of Education to meet our community schools' need for well trained teachers. Already a highly sought after resource in the Jewish Day School community, the department fielded calls for help with teacher training in online instruction and quickly developed a teacher training program entitled "Making Online Instruction Meaningful Through Engaging Activities and Assessment.” This program enabled teachers to utilize their online platforms in more diverse and interesting ways to meet the needs of all of our students, from preschool through high school. Nearly 100 teachers participated and dozens more requested the post-event recording.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/helping-hands-from-home.php
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March 25, 2020
196015
Touro Saw Coronavirus Threat
We Mobilized Our Center for Disaster Medicine Without Wasting Time
When the threat of the coronavirus first presented in January, Touro immediately responded. Spearheaded by President Alan Kadish and New York Medical College Chancellor Dr. Edward Halperin, The Center for Disaster Medicine at New York Medical College, a member of the Touro College and University System, presented a free public educational seminar with CME credits at our 31st Street campus in the heart of Manhattan that reached a wide, previously uninformed audience.
Long before anyone in the U.S. imagined a pandemic, Touro’s up-to-the-minute briefing about coronavirus on January 31 was well attended and covered by major media. More, our experts were spot on. At the time, the spreading coronavirus was still regarded as a limited risk to residents of the United States, but the situation was changing rapidly, as Touro’s presenters made clear. Conference speakers included Chandra Shekhar Bakshi, DVM, Ph. D., Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at NYMC; Westchester County Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler; and Robert W. Amler, M.D., Dean, NYMC’s School of Health Sciences and Practice. Presenters explained the origins and characteristics of the virus, while making clear the steps that the public should take to stay safe.
“The Center for Disaster Medicine focuses on precision responses to disasters and bioterrorism,” said President Kadish. “Part of our mission is to react quickly to emerging issues as they arise.”
“No health crisis has generated more fear than this one,” added Touro’s guest, New York City Councilman Mark Levine, chair of the NYC Committee on Health. “We are enormously grateful to Touro for assembling these experts and sharing vital information to help prepare everyone regarding the novel coronavirus.”
Touro’s experts discussed the correct social responses, including the vital steps that people should take to avoid infection:
Dr. Alan Kadish speaking at the first Coronavirus symposium in January
“Get a flu shot,” said Dr. Sherlita Amler. “If you are protected from the flu, it will help us diagnose and treat you appropriately and also help avoid unnecessary testing.”
“Wash hands and teach children how to use soap and scrub for 30 seconds,” Dr. Amler noted. “The friction gets bacteria off of your hands. Hand sanitizers are better than nothing, but not as effective as soap and water.”
“Keeping your distance is a standard public health intervention,” noted Dr. Robert Amler, who also explained that public health data would be effected by the number of incidents testing. Dr Rob Amler has been continually called upon by communities and the media to help educate the public regarding COVID-19.
Touro’s experts also emphasized the importance of calling doctors or hospitals ahead if someone thinks they were infected with coronavirus, thus allowing staff to take appropriate precautions.
Dr. Halperin added a medical historian’s perspective on bigotry and xenophobia during a pandemic that was prescient in warning about social responses. “Infectious disease brings out the best in people and the worst in people,” he said. “Be calm. Be thoughtful. Rely on what is known. In an emergency, always take your own pulse first.”
Following Touro’s educational seminar, Dr. Sherlita Amler, who works in the epicenter of New York’s coronavirus outbreak, emerged as the leading public health voice on COVID-19. The advice she shared with Touro’s audience was precisely what the rest of the country would learn from her in weeks to come.
A second on-line educational conference is being prepared by Touro.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-saw-coronavirus-threat.php
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March 16, 2020
195949
NYMC Students Step Up to Care for the Community
On the Front Lines and Behind the Scenes During this Coronavirus Outbreak
Two weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, a virtual roomful of New York Medical College medical students momentarily shed their white coats to become project managers—organizing nearly 200 of their peers volunteering across three major metropolitan hospitals at the center of our nation’s pandemic. From providing assistance at affiliate hospitals, to delivering food and setting up childcare and dog-walking services for faculty at the front line, the students stepped up to do their parts in small and large ways.
“A growing swell of medical students across all four classes are working together to fill the unmet needs at NYMC’s affiliate hospitals and within our own College community,” explains Jennifer Koestler, M.D., senior associate dean for medical education. “Our students have stepped into the role of project managers, organizing volunteers to work at our major clinical sites. They are also finding ways to take care of our own community—dropping off care packages to their peers who have been quarantined, sending letters to their mentors to say thank you, and sharing inspirational poems and wellness tips to keep our community together during these challenging times.”
As advisors of the volunteer initiative, Dr. Koestler, Mill Etienne, M.D. ’02, M.P.H., associate dean for student affairs, associate professor of neurology and School of Medicine house advisory dean, and Anthony S. Sozzo, M.A., M.S., E.D., associate dean for student affairs and director of student financial planning and student activities say they were not surprised when the volunteer initiative emerged. “A hallmark of our student body is that they are tremendously humanistic and whole-hearted,” says Dr. Koestler.
“Beyond what you learn from our formal curriculum, humanism and compassion is what makes a true healer,” said Jerry Nadler, M.D., MACP, FAHA, FACE, dean of the School of Medicine and professor of medicine and pharmacology. “These two traits are hallmarks of our dedicated students at NYMC, and the tremendous effort they are putting forth in support of the community in this time of great need is a wonderful illustration of that.”
According to Sozzo, the non-clinical volunteer work is equally important, with students organizing to support healthcare workers who are on the front lines, arranging tutoring or childcare for healthcare providers whose kids who are home from school indefinitely and delivering groceries to the elderly.
Amidst an unprecedented health crisis, “Our students are putting their best selves forward,” says Dr. Koestler. “Their actions show that they also understand that physicians cannot be compassionate caregivers to patients if they do not learn how to also take care of themselves.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/nymc-students-step-up-to-care-for-the-community.php
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March 25, 2020
195948
Touro Stands Strong in Response to Coronavirus Pandemic
A Message from Touro President, Dr. Alan Kadish
Higher education—and truly, the entire world—has never experienced anything like the crisis that we now find ourselves in. While the nature of the coronavirus itself may present unknowns, the solution, from the vantage point of action, is clear: We must work hard, and we must prevail. The great scientist Louis Pasteur aptly noted, fortune favors the prepared mind.
As educators accountable for the safety, well-being and future of more than 18,000 students worldwide, Touro appreciates the weight of responsibility that falls on our shoulders during these historic moments. As I write these words, I am proud to report that, as a University System, we are more than rising to this immense challenge. Indeed, Touro has taken a leadership role on numerous fronts in this battle. Since the introduction of the novel coronavirus, a day has not gone by where I have not proudly witnessed the dedication and creativity of the extraordinary men and women who comprise our faculty and staff as we adapt to our new educational paradigm. While the shift to online courses demands strong efforts and a fresh approach to instruction, the outcomes have been equally rewarding.
Fortune favors the prepared mind and Touro was prepared. Our contingency plans were well in place. Our department of online education had already garnered expertise in distance learning, and our infrastructure was functioning and ready to expand. As such, we transitioned almost seamlessly to fully on-line education. On any given day, we now have hundreds of online classes taking place, and our students continue to gain a valuable education, not only in their course work and academic pursuits, but also in the process of adapting to extraordinary circumstances. They are learning and they are thriving.
Beyond our academic work, Touro’s commitment to humanity is being demonstrated across the board by our faculty, staff and students. Efforts are underway—from clinical work at New York Medical College and our Center for Disaster Medicine to student volunteers from all of our schools—to help victims of the virus and to assist those on the frontlines in any and every way possible.
Touro has emerged from its routine into a nimble powerhouse that understands the measures that are necessary to address this and any crisis: a prepared mind; a prepared faculty and staff. As we reach out and help others during this pandemic, our message to all is the philosophy to which we ourselves have always adhered. This is a time to draw from experience, to hunker down and to apply ingenuity to our changing circumstances: to move forward, as clever and compassionate individuals, and great societies have done before. When this crisis has passed, we will look back on these days with extraordinary pride, for we will have done more than weather a dangerous storm—we will have mobilized for everyone’s betterment. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, this will have been our finest hour.
Dr. Alan Kadish
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-stands-strong-in-response-to-coronavirus-pandemic.php
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March 25, 2020
193380
Redefining Free Speech
Spotlight on Touro College Distinguished University Professor Thane Rosenbaum
SAVING FREE SPEECH … from ITSELF is the title of a just published book by Touro College Distinguished University Professor Thane Rosenbaum. In it, he confronts the confusions and contradictions around free speech and examines what is at the heart of this pressing 21st century debate. In this Q&A, Rosenbaum discusses some of the key issues surrounding free speech and offers a preview of what’s to come in the book.
Why is the First Amendment, protecting free speech, the most popular one among Americans?
It’s the only one that receives popular support, regardless of whether you’re conservative or liberal. There’s something in the nature of free speech that people believe is fundamentally American. No other country has people believing that they can say whatever they want. Americans are fond of saying, “It’s a free country!” Yet, even in European liberal democracies, people don’t speak so boldly about their right to speak. Other liberal democracies don’t treat speech the way we do, like it’s unfettered and without restriction.
These “fundamental” rights to speak and act are uniquely American. Neo-Nazis marching in front of Holocaust survivors could not happen anywhere else, under the guise of free speech. In Austria, they’d march straight to prison if they tried that. For other democracies, free speech doesn’t come at the expense of the dignity of others.
How would you define freedom of speech?
The common definition since the 1960s is that when people speak about a matter of public concern, the government cannot restrict their right to speak or hold any views. This right protects citizens from government intervention in their expression of their views. So the government cannot restrict a citizen from obtaining a permit to protest if the citizen’s purpose is to express his view on matters that affect the public and are of a political nature.
Almost anything that is political in nature is protected from governmental intervention. It doesn’t protect you from being treated poorly by those who oppose your views but it won’t allow the government to stop you from expressing those views.
There are proscriptions on the First Amendment –libel, slander, defamation, “fighting words.” Citizens don’t have the right to defame someone else under the guise of free speech. In my book, I argue about what it means to say something of political concern. We have made the mistake of assuming that nearly anything that comes out of the mouth of a hateful lunatic is treated as a worthy idea of public concern. Ideas compete against each other in the marketplace of ideas. Free speech is granted so that more ideas will be shared and the best ones will prevail. But we should able to tell the difference between an actual idea, and the nonsense words intended only to incite violence.
If neo-Nazis have something to say, they should write opinion pieces, but for them to be allowed to threaten Holocaust survivors by marching right in front of them is not an idea that the First Amendment should protect because it is not intended to be an idea. It is intended to threaten, intimidate and traumatize.
What are its limitations?
The book argues that If speech causes harm, it loses its protection as free speech. While some think harmful speech is okay and should be allowed to compete in the marketplace of ideas because people can always reject it, I contend that hate speech and speech that causes harm should not be an American right, and was never intended to be by the Founding Fathers. Forcing Jews or African-Americans to defend their very existence is not what the First Amendment should require. Free speech should not be permitted to be weaponizing against vulnerable groups of people.
We are all familiar with the old nursery rhyme: “sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never harm me.” Everyone knows that this was never true, and now neuroscientists can prove it. Threating and humiliating speech that tramples upon human dignity causes actual psychological and physical harm. Words can bring about physical symptoms and cause sickness.
We’ve been building a constitutional amendment around a nursery rhyme. This kind of speech shouldn’t be protected and never was until the 1960s when all the rights exploded –abortion, women’s, civil. But the right to free speech exploded in a way it never existed previously.
Speech that tramples on the dignity of others and harmful speech that is threatening or deprives people of feeling like citizens should not be protected. To quote Lyndon Johnson, “Every man has the right to go into public and not be humiliated.”
The rabbis in the Talmud understood this concept thousands of years ago when they said that humiliation causes people first to turn red in shame and then white as they are drained of blood. They compare humiliation to a death.
What is the role of colleges and universities in advancing free speech?
In the current climate, colleges come at it differently than I’ve been describing. I believe that if you’re harmed or threatened, that‘s not free speech. On college campuses, they say if you hurt my feelings or you have different political orientation than I do, I will shut you down.
Right now, on college campuses there are two things undermining free speech. One, they are treating any hurt feelings as something impermissible. Two, if a political idea is unpopular on campus, they ban it.
Colleges should reclaim their overriding institutional purpose which is to be bastions of ideas, not a place where ideas are routinely shut down. Campuses should be about learning and the life of mind. They need to take back that right and stop coddling our students and allowing them to dictate what they get to hear.
How does the free speech of today differ from the vision of America’s Founding Fathers?
The Founding Fathers never understood speech to be individuals attacking other individuals and undermining their citizenship and right to exist as part of the marketplace of ideas. They understood it as being able to protest without being thrown into jail when the king taxed them on stamps and tobacco.
For the Founding Fathers, freedom of the press and religion were of paramount importance and the central focus of the first amendment. Later on, it became about speech when the states pushed it.
We should be able to judge what’s worthy of being called an idea and what is simply hate. The Founding Fathers never thought speech would trump all other values and today in the U.S., it’s the one that beats all cards.
Dignity was not on the minds of our Founding Fathers, but we should always ask ourselves the question: What would George Washington think about that? Would he think free speech protects the right to protest at the funeral of dead U.S. marines or burn flags?
People need to realize that no one is protected if everything is okay. In the 1970s, when the neo-Nazis marched in Skokie, Illinois, where Holocaust survivors lived, the Supreme Court said we know that this causes incredible damage to refugees and survivors but the answer is for them to stay home and close the blinds. To protect themselves, they were told not to go outside because in effect, the Nazis’ free speech rights superseded the Jews’. What kind of citizenship is that? Survivors should not have to have the traumatic experience of seeing Nazis marching through a small town overridden by hate-filled anti-Semites. That Jews should be killed is advocating genocide, and it is not an idea worthy of being in marketplace or being protected.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/redefining-free-speech.php
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February 18, 2020
190126
Hoping for a Job Offer When Your Rotation is Done?
Do’s and Don’ts to Turn Your Pharmacy Rotation Experience Into a Job
In the third year of pharmacy school, students have the opportunity to experience what it’s like to work in a variety of real-life pharmacy settings—hospital, retail and more. These rotations are a chance to learn what the daily life of a pharmacist is all about, network with potential employers with the hope of a job offer.
According to Nelly Adel, PharmD, BCOP, BCPS, Chair, Pharmacy Practice at Touro College of Pharmacy in Harlem, "students on rotation get job offers all the time." Adel offers her top do's and don'ts to help ensure a successful outcome.
Do’s
Read the syllabus of each rotation in advance of your first day. This will ensure that you understand the responsibilities and know what’s expected of you, enabling you to be prepared and show your preceptor/supervisor that you are taking the rotation seriously.
Gather information about the people you’ll be working with--the preceptor or hospital faculty. Check to see if they’ve published and what their research interests are and then engage them in a sincere way. You will impress them that you took the time to find out what they care about. Ask relevant questions and find common ground on topics of interest.
Work on developing a successful and positive relationship with your preceptor.
You only have one chance to make a first impression - the first day is key and even the first few minutes are critical. Try to connect on a personal level and discuss expectations right away.
Go beyond the basic requirements of the rotation. Do more than you are asked. Consider the 6-week rotation one long job interview. If the preceptor asks you to do a number of tasks in quick succession, he or she is checking to see how dedicated you are and whether you are employable in the long term.
Appearances count. Make sure your lab coat is ironed and clean and you are always neat and professional.
Always show up on time. Give plenty of notice to your supervisor if you have another commitment, such as a doctor’s appointment, that will necessitate your being late for work on a given day. Unexplained lateness or absences will take you out of consideration for a full-time position.
Address issues that come up immediately.
Don’ts
Avoid strongly disagreeing with the preceptor. It’s okay to have a difference of opinion but express yourself in a positive manner and always present data. You can say based on X, Y, Z data, it seems this would be the course of action to follow. Never be disrespectful in your communication.
Don’t get into conversations with co-workers that are unprofessional. Be courteous and respectful to all staff. Don’t gossip or complain to others about your supervisor. This type of talk is almost always damaging to your reputation and potential future in that setting.
Don’t criticize people or processes on the rotation. Remember, you’re there to learn so make sure you understand your place as a student.
Touro
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January 24, 2020
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“A Community of Scholars”
University Celebrates Faculty at Ninth Annual Author Luncheon
Faculty authors from across Touro College gathered to celebrate their accomplishments at the university’s ninth annual author luncheon on November 14. Taking place at the university’s executive offices in Midtown Manhattan, the event was a veritable who’s-who of impressive Touro faculty from across the university’s dozen schools in the New York area.
Each guest was offered a Touro emblazoned metal water bottle along with a dense compendium listing the hundreds of works published by Touro faculty members this year.
Bashe Simon, director of the Touro Libraries, opened the event.
"The library has become the nexus of sharing knowledge and research,” she began. “Since 2009 when the library initiated the Faculty Publications Database, the number of publications has grown tremendously. Presently, all submissions are archived in Touro Scholar, Touro's institutional repository. Touro Scholar provides the world with access to our faculty's research and scholarly achievements. The annual Faculty Publications book is the final product of a year's worth of teamwork, including Sara Tabaei, Library Information Literacy Director, Donneer Missouri, Scholarly Communication Librarian, and Esther Greenfield, Director of Publications. We thank Dr. Alan Kadish for his continuous support of the library and its initiatives.”
Touro College and University System President Dr. Alan Kadish discussed the Jewish tradition of scholarship and the codification of the Jewish oral tradition into the Talmud.
“Those texts have had a profound effect on Jewish history, and, in some cases, world history as well,” Dr. Kadish stated. “No one in this room can say at this moment how what they publish will impact the future. But we know for certain that not recording our scholarly activities is a mistake. Perpetuating and transmitting knowledge on all topics and all subjects is an integral part of the Touro College and University System’s mission.”
Touro College Provost Patricia Salkin spoke about one of her earliest research experiences.
“Still to this day, more than 20 years later, I remember where my research took me,” recalled Provost Salkin. “Touro is not a publish-or-perish institution, yet we know that it is critical to our mission and existence as an institution of higher education to contribute to the body of knowledge so society in all disciplines can advance. You, in this room, are the leaders and you set an example for your colleagues.”
Provost Salkin also spoke about Touro Scholar, the online repository of Touro-authored research. “Our online scholarly archive has been around for three years and has already amassed 5,559 publications. People in 189 countries have downloaded these publications 64,260 times. Further, since the inception of Touro Scholar, 4891 institutions world-wide have accessed our publications. Truly, this shows what Touro has to offer to the academic community at large.”
Keynote speaker Dr. Sonu Sahni, of TouroCOM Harlem, spoke about his success working with students and encouraging them to engage in research and publish their finding. Informally known as Sahni’s gang, the loose collective of Dr. Sahni’s students has published more than 35 abstracts in reputable journals as well as 20 full-length manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, students in the group have delivered presentations at conferences throughout the US including at events held by the American Thoracic Society, The American College of Cardiology, the American Osteopathic Associations, and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.
Explaining his strategies, Dr. Sahni elaborated: “You can’t force a student to do research, but you can reach out to them. The most important thing is to create a nurturing environment that makes students comfortable. We have to be approachable to students.”
He recalled an instance where he guided a student who had never done research. The student was interested in cardiology and the two worked to find a suitable topic.
“Each week, we met one-on-one,” he said. “We took baby-steps and I encouraged her each step of the way.” Eventually, the student and Dr. Sahni co-authored an article that was published by the American Journal of Cardiology. “We can’t have our students conform to us,” said Dr. Sahni. “We have to be able to dynamically adapt to what they want.”
Dr. Soloman Amar, Touro’s Provost for Biomedical Research and Chief Biomedical Research Officer of Touro College and University System, concluded the event with a few brief remarks.
“Being an author can seem like a thankless job,” said Dr. Amar. “Most of the time you’re sitting by a computer and you rarely see the reward. But I can tell you there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a student’s name on pub-med.”
After the presentation concluded, the faculty authors mingled with each other and discussed their work.
“Events like this are opportunities for us to meet people,” said TouroCOM Middletown’s Dr. Joyce Brown who spoke to Dr. Sahni about the research her students were performing. “It also creates more opportunities for our students as well.”
“The more we network, the more we see what our colleagues are working on,” said Zvi Kaplan, department chair of history and social studies at Lander College for Women—the Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School and a professor at the Graduate School for Jewish Studies. “It creates a community of scholars.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/a-community-of-scholars.php
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November 25, 2019
125153
Honoring the Graduate School of Technology Class of 2015
At the annual awards ceremony and banquet, GST recognizes top graduates in Web and Multimedia Design, Information Systems, and Information Technology Programs.
On June 2, the Graduate School of Technology (GST) honored the achievements of this year’s Masters of Arts and Science candidates in Web and Multimedia Design, Information Systems, and Information Technology Programs with family, faculty, and friends at the annual awards ceremony and dinner celebration.
Emceed by Professor Jesse Epstein, the banquet included welcoming remarks by Dr. Nadja Graff, vice president of the Division of Graduate Studies, and Dr. Isaac Herskowitz, dean of GST.
Canadian-native Cindy Christensen was awarded the honor of class speaker, and will represent the Graduate School of Technology in her address at the Touro College Graduate Division commencement exercises on June 23. Ms. Christensen—who enrolled in Touro after working for companies such as Microsoft, Chanel, Toyota, Samsung, and Guerlain— designed, developed, and maintains a popular blog, “Travel Till Dawn,” that chronicles her travels around the world.
This year, the President’s Award went to Tatyana Borowski and Marach Treekunprapa, both graduating from the Web and Multimedia Program.
Originally from Thailand, Mr. Treekunprapa developed an edutainment application for children for his thesis project, and was recently hired as a junior front-end developer at TAG in Soho. Ms. Borowski, who has experience in marketing, advertising and front-end web development, redesigned the GST website with Mr. Treekunprapa this year.
In wishing the graduates success, Dean Herskowitz urged the graduates to network, calling it “the one key to success.” “As you advance in your career and transition between the dozen or so jobs a tech employee will have in his or her lifetime, hold onto the contacts you’ve made here at GST. It’s only to your advantage to keep in touch with former colleagues, friends, and even acquaintances,” he reminded them. Dean Herskowitz also thanked each of the staff individually for the hard work and efforts they invested over the past year, and presented Distinguished Service Awards to Professor Joseph Herbst, Professor Miriam Plonczak, and Dr. Shmuel Fink.
Included in this year’s awardees was mother-and-daughter duo Cynthia McGinty and Kathryn Malara, who both won Information Technology Program Academic Excellence Awards. Cynthia, an elementary school science teacher working for the Department of Education, was inspired to pursue her master’s degree after her daughter, Kathryn, also a teacher, decided to transfer to Touro from her former master’s program (which “mandated that I quit my job to participate in an internship,” she remembers).
“When I heard about the Information Technology program at GST, and its flexible class schedule, I knew it was the perfect program for me. I remember thinking: ‘Yes, this is it.’”
Both mother and daughter were motivated to pursue their Master’s degrees in hopes of securing technology jobs within the elementary schools they currently teach at.
“Because once you have your foot in technology, you’re in,” said McGinty.
Congratulations to the graduates and awardees!
WMM (Master of Arts in Web and Multimedia Program) Service Award
Tatyana BorowskiGaluge Mario Shanil Randimal FernandoJing QianOksana SaulnekoNamrata ShresthaMarach Treekunprapa
MSIS (Master of Science in Information Systems Program) Service Award
Melvin Marcus
ITP (Master of Science in Instructional Technology Program) Service Award
Chaya Klugmann
WMM Academic Excellence Award
Tatyana Borowski*Cindy ChristensenGaluge Mario Shanil Randimal FernandoAlisha MondesirNora PaskalevaJing Qian*Namrata ShresthaMarach Treekunprapa*
MSIS Academic Excellence Award
Shreeja DangolYutak KwokMichael LallAmit Patel
ITP Academic Excellence Award
Juliana HerreraNechoma Kendall*Kathryn Malara*Cynthia McGintyMarsha WilliamsInka Zimmer*
WMM Career Advancement Award
Joseph Cardenas
MSIS Career Advancement Award
Cesar Almanza
GST Class Speaker
Cindy Christensen
President’s Award
Marach TreekunprapaTatyana Borowski*
*Asterik represents GPA of 4.0
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/honoring-the-graduate-school-of-technology-class-of-2015.php
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June 08, 2015
125094
Chanukah Shiurim
Some Torah to light up your Chanukah
From Lander College for Men/Beis Medrash L'Talmud's Rabbis Sacks and Soloveichik.
Neiros Chanukah
Speaker: Rabbi Eliyahu Soloveichik
Recording Date: November 24, 2013
Download Neiros Chanuka (mp3)
Viewing today's current events through the prism of the mezuzah and the menorah
//
Chanukah - Beyond the Letter of the Law
Speaker: Rabbi Yonason Sacks
Recording Date: November 25, 2013
Download Chanuka - Beyond the Letter of the Law (mp3)
The mitzvah of neiros chanukah is the opportunity to serve Hashem in a way beyond basic expectations
//
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/chanukah-shiurim.php
November 25, 2013
179058
You Graduated or Will Soon… What’s Next?
Touro Students Highlight Their Exciting Plans After and Ahead of Graduation
As the summer approaches and classes begin to wind down, many Touro students will be opening a new chapter in their lives. We reached out to four of our students in different programs to see what their plans were for the next year. One student spoke about fulfilling her dream of giving back to her community as a pharmacist, while another, a third-year student at TouroCOM Harlem, spoke about her eagerness to put her two years of didactic knowledge to use during her rotations in Staten Island University Hospital.
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Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/you-graduated-or-will-soon-whats-next.php
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June 06, 2019
176062
Five Careers that Only Require an Associate’s Degree
A Two Year Degree Can Prove Invaluable.
You already know getting a degree is a great way to improve your career opportunities, potentially earn a higher salary, and learn new skills–but the time and money it takes to earn a bachelor’s degree may be intimidating. An associate's degree can be a viable option! An associate’s degree takes two years or less, and often opens the door to exciting new job opportunities. Many associate’s degree holders go on to complete a bachelor’s degree and beyond. Here are five fields to consider as you think about your educational and career goals.
1. Digital Multimedia Designer
If you have an interest in designing websites, books, or newspapers, or always have creative ideas for advertisements or marketing campaigns, a career in multimedia design could be for you. After you successfully complete your associate’s degree program, you may qualify for entry-level positions in graphic design and web publishing. Whether you’d like to become an assistant art director, assistant web designer, digital photo processor, freelance media designer, production assistant, digital illustrator, and/or digital retoucher, the creative world is at your fingertips!
2. Human Services
With an associate in science in human services, you’ll have learned all about people: how they think, why they act the way they do, and how they grow and develop through life. At the completion of your program, you may apply for a position such as assistant clinical counselor, mental health/caseworker aide, or paraprofessional for agencies that provide social services (such as mental health services agencies, family support service community centers, rehabilitation centers, or day treatment program centers). continuing on to a bachelor’s or graduate degree will open doors for you to work in a fulfilling career as a psychologist, social worker, counselor, or private therapist in adult and family services, services for those with developmental disabilities, addiction services, or child-and-youth services.
3. Business Management
Always wanted to start your own business? Interested in a career in accounting, finance, management, or marketing? an associate’s degree will give you a solid understanding of the american business enterprise: you’ll hone your communication, teamwork, and research skills; will learn basic theories of economics like supply and demand; and will be trained in several computer business applications.
You’ll be prepared to move on to a bachelor’s in business management & administration and/or move on to pursue a career as a junior accountant, banker, nonprofit administrator, marketer, advertiser, or financial analyst.
4. Information Technology (IT)
Someone who works in Information Technology (IT) ensures that all the computers in a network are secure, connected and working properly. your courses will teach you about installing and upgrading computer programs, fixing technical computer issues (troubleshooting), managing the users who have access to the computer network, and incorporating programs that will keep these computers secure.
After completing your associate’s degree, you’ll be prepared to continue your education at the bachelor’s level or begin working as a computer technician, consultant, or network administrator in the it department of a company, school, office, or other institution.
Want to become qualified for a higher-paying, more advanced position in it? after receiving your bachelor’s, you may also continue your education to earn a master’s degree in it.
5. Web Programmer
Learn how to speak the language of the internet. java is a popular computer programming language. you’ll be trained in basic and advanced java techniques, data structures, front-end languages, and web programming and development. Upon completion of your degree, will be eligible for positions as java programmers and developers, with starting salaries from $35,000-45,000 going up to $80,000-90,000 after five years.
Earning your associate’s degree can lead to an exciting career, new opportunities, and professional and personal growth. Ready to get started? At Machon L’Parnasa, classes are small and individualized and provide personalized support every step of the way. Depending on the program you choose—certificate, associate’s degree, or both—our courses will train you to enter the workforce right away or prepare you for a more advanced degree.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/five-careers-that-only-require-an-associates-degree-.php
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April 08, 2019
144715
Touro College Machon L’Parnasa Helps Dov Ber Hecht Break into the Medical Field
Encouragement and Attention from Touro Professors Sparked Hecht’s Medical Journey
Dov Ber Hecht maintains that without Touro College Machon L’Parnasa Institute for Professional Studies in his past, there would be no Lewis Katz Medical School at Temple University in his present. “Machon L’Parnasa is a school for religious Jews who haven’t had a robust secular education,” says Hecht, 29, a third-year medical student. “I had minimal secular education through eighth grade and no formal secular education until I attended Machon L’Parnasa — at 24 years old!”
Already behind in academics, it was crucial, Hecht explains, that he got the attention he needed to succeed. “I learned how to write clearly and received a tremendous amount of positive reinforcement and encouragement from my teachers,” he says. “The result was that after my first two semesters at Machon, I felt ready to go through a rigorous post bac program at Temple. That Touro Machon foundation gave me the fortitude to survive a year that consisted of eight science classes. I absolutely could not have gotten into medical school without that education.”
Hecht will specialize in infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. In medicine, like religion, there is a tradition in the Hecht household: “My father is a doctor and a practicing, observant Jew. Those are not mutually exclusive. They’re complementary.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-college-machon-lparnasa-helps-dov-ber-hecht-break-into-the-medical-field.php
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October 26, 2018
145538
“I felt so prepared for whatever aspect of pharmacy I wanted to pursue”
Jackie Ho '15 on her experiences at Touro University California College of Pharmacy
During Jackie Ho’s undergraduate studies, she volunteered at San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital, where she shadowed doctors, nurses and other health professionals. It was there that Ho found her passion: pharmacy. She graduated from Touro University California School of Pharmacy in 2015 and was honored to receive the U.S. Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Practice Award and win a prestigious national student research award.
“I’m so grateful to the professors,” says Ho, who today is Clinical Coordinator at a hospital near San Francisco. “They were excellent teachers and clinicians, but even more important, they were mentors.” Ho wanted to be the sort of pharmacist who would have a direct impact on her patients. “Touro encourages its pharmacy students to think outside of the box when it comes to their career; we are challenged to think creatively on how to solve problems, care for patients and advance our practice,” she says. “I felt so prepared for whatever aspect of pharmacy I wanted to pursue.”
What she decided to do involves a head for administration and research and a heart for people. Among her undertakings, Ho is developing clinical pharmacy programs at her hospital. One is studying the proper balance of using antibiotics when necessary, but not so much as to create resistance and ineffectiveness. “Touro is a great place to learn, with many opportunities to grow personally and professionally,” she says.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/i-felt-so-prepared-for-whatever-aspect-of-pharmacy-i-wanted-to-pursue.php
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November 02, 2018
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Touro College Academy of Leadership and Management Graduates First Cohort
Innovative Program Fosters Management Talent in Faculty and Administrators
Touro College Academy of Leadership and Management (TCALM) graduated its inaugural cohort on Dec. 6 in a ceremony at Lander College for Women—The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School. Over a nine-month period, the select cohort assembled from across Touro’s New York schools met monthly to learn about Touro and general management practice from Touro’s senior leaders and several outside lecturers.
“The goal of the leadership academy is to provide an internal training program for faculty and academic administrators who would like to improve their management and leadership skills for their own professional development,” stated Touro Provost Patricia Salkin, whose office ran the program.
“We learned leadership skills,” explained cohort member Dr. Joyce Brown of TouroCOM Middletown. “It was didactive leadership training with the opportunity to learn about Touro as an institution.”
In addition, the cohort was divided into three groups and asked to identify a need in the Touro College system and propose programmatic solutions. Each proposal was presented to Touro College President Dr. Alan Kadish during the final session of the program. The completion ceremony was attended by Dr. Nadja Graff, vice president of Touro’s Division of Graduate Studies, and Dr. Stanley Boylan, vice president of Touro’s undergraduate education and Dean of Faculties.
“One of the highlights of the program was the ability to watch participants pitch innovative program ideas to Touro President Alan Kadish that would make a difference for faculty development and student learning,” explained Provost Salkin. “This was a culmination of learning together and learning more about the Touro College & University System and exploring what was possible and what was needed.”
The program was developed over several years by Drs. Laurie Bobley and Dr. Alan Sebel of Touro’s Graduate School of Education. “We wanted to identify faculty and other staff members who could be put into a pipeline program for leadership positions,” said Dr. Bobley. “We also wanted Touro employees to become more aware of how vast the Touro system is. In academia, there’s always a danger of becoming trapped in your educational silos and this was an attempt to combat that.”
“We wanted to provide members of the staff with the ability to develop their own leadership abilities,” added Dr. Sebel.
Dr. Bobley, Dr. Sebel and Dr. Sabra Brock of Touro Graduate School of Business acted as facilitators for the program.
Events included:
A session on ethical leadership by Rabbi Moshe Krupka, executive vice president of Touro College and the university’s ombudsman.
A joint presentation by Deans Louis Primavera (SHS), Judah Weinberger (NYSCAS) and Jacob Easley II (GSE) about different stages in the career of a dean.
A lecture on conducting effective research by Dr. Salomon Amar, Provost for Biomedical Research and Chief Biomedical Research Officer at Touro College.
The program also offered the cohort the chance to learn more about their employer.
“Touro is an amazing place to work and we were able to learn a lot about what the school’s mission is,” said cohort member Dr. Aaron Yancoskie of Touro College of Dental Medicine. “The system is so vast and broad and the benefits it brings to society are quite impressive. We are serving the global community. Part of our mission is providing opportunities for people who are on the fringes of society and we’re number one at it.”
“We had a lot of interesting perspectives and we met with a number of Touro officials that was beneficial in terms of understanding how the university is structured,” said Thomas Rozinski, a political science professor at Touro College Lander College of Arts and Sciences.
The three proposals developed by the cohort included a single center for teacher development across Touro schools, an online interprofessional education program for students, and a faculty mentoring program.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-college-academy-of-leadership-and-management-graduates-first-cohort.php
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January 02, 2019
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Diplomats Discuss Israel’s Role at the UN
Touro Law Hosts Program Featuring Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, former VP of Israeli Supreme Court and Professor Irwin Cotler, former Attorney General of Canada
Touro Law Center invited global diplomats to explore Israel’s relationship with the United Nations at a recent discussion at The Jewish Center on the West Side of Manhattan. Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, former Vice President of the Supreme Court, and Professor Irwin Cotler, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, discussed Israel’s history with the United Nations and shared their views on how to move forward. The program was moderated by Touro Law Center Dean Harry Ballan and sponsored by the Touro College and University System.
Dean Ballan opened the program with a quotation from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s famous “four freedoms” speech of January 1941, delivered eleven months before the United States entered World War II. Ballan outlined FDR’s description of freedom of speech and worship, and freedom from want and fear as what we would now call the “human rights” that were at stake in the War.
“The ‘four freedoms’ formed the basis of the preamble to the first draft and every draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the world’s definitive human rights document. This was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (GA) in 1948, three years after the U.N. charter in 1945 and seven years after FDR’s speech,” says Ballan.
The question of the evening was whether the U.N. has lived up to the lofty goals of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, particularly in regard to Israel, and what Israel’s relationship with the U.N. should be.
Rubinstein reminded attendees of the significance of the date November 29, 1947--the day the state of Israel was recognized by a resolution of the U.N. General Assembly. “There was dancing in the streets,” he said. Israel’s acceptance as a member of the U.N. in 1949 was also a cause for celebration. However the relationship deteriorated, reaching its nadir in 1975 when the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution equating Zionism with racism. While the climate has improved in recent years with strong support from the United States, building pro-Israel support at the U.N. General Assembly remains a herculean challenge.
The speakers expounded that the Secretary General and Security Council, which is the rule-making body of the United Nations, have taken a balanced approach toward Israel, for example in Security Council Resolution 242, while the General Assembly and U.N. Specialized Agencies have not. The climate in the General Assembly has improved somewhat. The “Zionism is racism” resolution was reversed in 1991, and a majority of GA members voted in favor of the recent resolution declaring Hamas a terrorist organization. Nevertheless, building support for Israel at the General Assembly and Specialized Agencies remains a challenge.
With that in mind, speakers turned their attention to a question from the audience—why doesn’t Israel give up on the U.N.? Ballan pointed to multilateral alternatives such as NATO and the G8 whose members are primarily democratic, as opposed to the U.N. The question was then asked whether these organizations offer greater potential for positive action.
Cotler and Rubenstein shared their belief that staying engaged with the U.N., from the Secretariat and the Security Council to the General Assembly and the Specialized Agencies, is the best way to encourage the U.N. to live up to the high ideals of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Speaking about one of the UN’s Specialized Agencies, the United Nations Human Rights Council, Cotler said, “When you prepare to adopt 20 resolutions condemning one state but give cover to major human rights violators like Syria, Libya and North Korea, you undermine the authority of international law,” he said.
Quoting Woody Allen, Cotler pointed out, “Eighty percent of moving forward is showing up.” Israel needs to push for recognition as a defender of human rights in order to protect itself but also to safeguard global human rights.
Rubinstein concurred, sharing examples of Israel’s international relations accomplishments in countries like India. Israel opened a consulate in Mumbai in 1953, but did not have an embassy in Delhi until 1992. “Engagement doesn’t mean accepting. It also means fighting. We can’t be afraid to bang our fist on the table, to raise our voices. We need to engage and advocate for what is right,” concurred Rubinstein.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/diplomats-discuss-israels-role-at-the-un.php
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December 27, 2018
149659
“We Must Maintain Our Integrity”
Eighth Annual Faculty Author Luncheon Brings Together Authors from Touro’s New York Schools
The breadth of the scholarship conducted by Touro faculty members—from lessons in business leadership to comorbidities in childhood obesity—was on display as the college celebrated its authors at the school’s eighth annual faculty author luncheon on November 15.
Touro College President Dr. Alan Kadish addressed the crowd at the school’s midtown office.
“The research presented today shows the quality and diversity of research being done at Touro, including work on children’s education, the interaction between law and social policy, and scientific work on obesity, heart disease and cancer,” said Dr. Kadish.
Patricia Salkin, Touro College Provost of Graduate and Professional Divisions, explained, "Touro College is proud of the research and scholarship of our faculty not just for what it contributes to our collective body of knowledge, but for how it also helps to inform our teaching and engage the curiosity of our colleagues and students."
Dr. Allan Geliebter, professor of psychology at Lander College of Arts and Sciences, delivered the keynote address, providing attendees with an in-depth look at how he and Daniele Ben Neriah, a second-year student (OMS II) at TouroCOM Harlem, conducted research on a weight loss app. The two evaluated whether a photo feature on the app, which allowed users to record information on the food they ate, led to further weight loss. Results of the study indicated that the feature led to a small increase in the amount of weight participants lost.
“Perhaps it was the two seconds extra that made participants think more about what they were eating,” speculated Dr. Geliebter. The study was funded by a grant from the Obesity Society.
Ben Neriah began the research while she was pursuing a master’s in nutrition from Columbia University (where Dr. Geliebter served as a faculty member). She continued the research during her first year at TouroCOM Harlem. Ben Neriah said there was also another effect of the photo feature that might have contributed to the weight loss.
“Overall, people who used the photo feature lost more weight than those who did not, and those who used the photo feature also used the app for longer,” said Ben Neriah. The paper, “Weight Loss Following Use of a Smartphone Food Photo Feature: Retrospective Cohort Study,” has been accepted provisionally in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
“It’s fascinating to see how Touro has research in so many areas,” said Ben Neriah about the luncheon. “It’s an honor to be here as a student.”
Among other medical professionals who published this year was Dr. Barry Panzer, an assistant professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at New York Medical College. He published the first-ever continuing education text on the role of a mental health professional in dealing with childhood obesity.
“The text outlines issues that involve the epidemiology and comorbidity and consequences of childhood obesity and an array of treatment-based options that have been proven to be effective,” said Dr. Panzer. He appreciated the chance to meet with fellow scholars. “The networking is important and it’s good to hear the level of scholarship taking place in the Touro system,” said Dr. Panzer.
Other authors whose works were featured during the event included Lander College of Arts and Sciences assistant dean, Dr. Henry Abramson, whose history of Ukrainian Jewry was recently translated into Ukrainian as well as the publication of a Spanish version of another of his books. Graduate School of Business dean, Sabra Brock’s At the Intersection of Education, Marketing, and Transformation was published by Touro University Press. Touro Law’s Samuel Levine completed his two-volume comparative study of Jewish law and American law. Touro Librarian Dr. David Levy edited a five-volume work on medical humanities.
Dr. Saloman Amar, Touro’s Provost for Biomedical Research and Chief Biomedical Research Officer, delivered brief remarks at the end of the event. Dr. Amar noted the somewhat fraught culture of research in the wake of recent retractions from prominent medical journals. “We need to congratulate and support each other,” he said. “However, we also need to recognize that while we’re under tremendous pressure to move our fields forward, we must maintain our integrity.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/we-must-maintain-our-integrity.php
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November 30, 2018
143147
Veteran Spotlight: Ken Rosenblum
Ken Rosenblum is Associate Dean of Touro Law Center
Reason he enlisted: Retired Captain, Judge Advocate General's Corps’ (JAGC), Ken Rosenblum enlisted in the army because he wanted to experience the Vietnam War directly since it was the major event of the time.
“I felt I owed so much to this country and that military service was the best way to pay it back in some small way,” he said.
Active duty assignments: Defense Counsel representing military prisoners at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in Ft. Leavenworth, KS; Court-Martial Prosecutor and Foreign Claims Commissioner where he adjudicated civil claims made by Vietnamese nationals against the U.S in the Fourth Infantry Division in the Central Highlands of Vietnam; Chief of Military Justice and Military Judge with the Military District of Washington at Ft. Lesley J. McNair in Washington, DC
Military awards: Rosenblum’s military awards encompass the Bronze Star for Meritorious Achievement in a Combat Zone; the Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding meritorious service to the United States during his tour at the Military District of Washington; two Army Commendation Medals; the first for meritorious service in Vietnam and the second for meritorious achievement in handling a sensitive high-level investigation in the Military District of Washington; as well as the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Commendation Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.
Military skills he applies at Touro: In the Military District of Washington, one of his assignments was serving as Senior Court-Martial Prosecutor, where he was responsible for and exposed to supervising and training new prosecutors for the first time. As Associate Dean of Touro Law Center, Rosenblum finds it very satisfying and rewarding to be able to pass on his knowledge and experience to others, and learned patience, organizational expertise, how to remain calm in higher pressure situations, meet deadlines and supervise while also motivating subordinates; all of which are skills he fine-tuned while serving in the military.
“I’ve worked at both Touro Law Center and the College of Pharmacy and what I have appreciated at both schools is the strong public service orientation, which Touro emphasizes and to which students are committed,” said Rosenblum.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/veteran-spotlight-ken-rosenblum.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2018/KenRosenblum.PNG
October 17, 2018
138436
Playing for Keeps
Classroom–turned-startup gives students a leg up in the Gaming Industry
Technology students expect to learn about design cycles, teamwork and product testing. But learn those skills while playing video games? In Professor Al Doyle’s classroom turned quasi startup, that’s exactly what happens.
The course, Education and Entertainment Design, is a hands-on introduction to the design, product testing and iteration (improving versions) of a game-designing platform used by a number of large technology companies. Professor Doyle’s class introduces Graduate School of Technology students to the product testing cycle by allowing them to evaluate and test this platform and supply feedback to the maker.
DESIGN, PLAY TESTING, ITERATION
In the 14 years that Professor Doyle has been a member of the Touro faculty, students in his classroom have helped companies launch three different game design platforms. “These are programs that are used by designers to create video games,” explains Professor Doyle. “In doing so, they learn the basics of game design – design, play testing, new iterations. It makes learning fun.”
PREPARING FOR THE GIG ECONOMY
For many people, a career in the technology field means working within the “gig economy,” where workers often do their jobs off-site and for only as long as the project lasts. “Knowing how to collaborate and communicate,” explains Professor Doyle, “often cross-culturally and remotely through an interface such as Skype, is extremely important. The skills learned in this course, prepare them for this kind of work.”
DOODLEMATIC COMES TO TOURO
The game platform program that students are testing this academic year, Doodlematic, is an automatic game creation tool for kids, parents, teachers and designers. This platform is a “low threshold and high ceiling” game design engine, meaning that it can be used in a simple and basic way by a child as young as five and in a complex way by a game or app creator. A grade school game designer can create a drawing, snap a photo of it, and turn it into a simple game. For teachers, the same platform can be used to create interactive worksheets, while developers can utilize Doodlematic’s features to develop fully functional apps and games. Touro students beta-test the product by “playing with the platform,” deciding what would improve the product, and then delivering this information in a set format back to the company. “Learning to review a product for its strengths and weaknesses is a key part of game creation,” explains Professor Doyle, “and a valuable skill for someone entering this field.”
ADVENTURES IN VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY
In addition to game platform testing, students are exposed to some of the most state-of-the-art technology being used today in education and entertainment, including augmented reality and virtual reality. Field trips have taken students to one-day workshops at Microsoft. On other trips, students have visited a virtual reality studio where they learned about programs that help architects and designers walk through a building or theatre to test for sight lines, egresses and make changes before a structure is erected. Recently, they assisted Google in testing an augmented reality platform for kids at an elementary school. When they aren’t testing products or out in the field, game designers visit their classroom either in person or virtually via Skype, to talk about their work and careers.
When students are asked to rate Professor Doyle’s course with a number between one and ten, the reply is often an enthusiastic “11!” However, above and beyond the obvious fun the class provides, it helps prepare students for the work world. Recently, a student who had been interviewing for internships was asked what he knew about virtual and augmented reality. Having taken Professor Doyle’s course, he was able to speak about it with some authority and landed an internship in theme park and game design utilizing virtual and augmented reality at Universal Studios in Florida.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/playing-for-keeps.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2018/professor-al-doyle.jpg
August 30, 2018
133820
A Life-Changing Journey Through Berlin and Budapest
How a Present-Day Trip to Europe Helped Me Understand My Past
Written by Chaim Kalish, an evening Pre-Med student at Touro’s Lander College for Men. He is majoring in Political Science and attended the Touro Summer program to Berlin and Budapest.
Half a year ago, a friend invited me to join Touro’s traveling Holocaust course in Berlin and Hungary. I signed up immediately. Like most Jews my age, I am a descendant of survivors and have a deep curiosity regarding the Holocaust’s development and implementation. More specifically, I desired to learn how a society could embrace or even tolerate mass genocide and whether such a society could ever truly reform. The best way to accomplish this: visiting the locations important to the “Final Solution” and observing locals to see if they had changed as a people over the past 70 years.
To that end, over the course of two weeks in August, I joined a group of Touro students and staff, traversing the streets of Berlin, Budapest, and Màd. In these cities, we toured many areas related to the Holocaust as well as some pertaining to their history. Interspersed between outings, we had the privilege of learning from some of the top minds in the Touro College & University System. Professors Israel Singer, Peter Klein, Stephan Lehnstae, and Esther Boylan as well as her husband, Dean Stanley Boylan, taught us not only the factual events of the Holocaust, but provided political, sociological, economic, and literary perspectives on the events leading up to, during, and following the Holocaust.
In Berlin, we learned how a fringe party on the political right managed to hijack a well-educated, liberal society. As Professor Klein explained on our first evening, Hitler accomplished this by tapping into social and economic anxiety to drive Germany away from unity and towards white nationalism. The next day, we visited the House of the Wannsee Conference and stood in the room where the Nazis completed their plans for the Final Solution of European Jewry. For me, one of the biggest takeaways was that most Jews in Germany tried to escape but were unable to do so because anti-Semitism wasn’t limited to Germany and Eastern Europe. No other no country--including our own--was willing to accept the Jewish refugees.
Overall, the trip gave me a new appreciation for unity within the Jewish community, the importance of fighting back against hateful groups before they can cause further suffering, and the idea that when people are getting hurt, anything but resistance is collaboration.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/a-life-changing-journey-through-berlin-and-budapest.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2018/budapest-group-2018.jpg
August 20, 2018
125225
2017 Year in Review - Community Service at Touro
Lending a Helping Hand
Serving the community is at the heart of Touro’s mission and this year, our students at the undergraduate, grad and professional levels made their passion for contributing known across the country. From helping the needy fill out their taxes to educating middle schoolers about drugs, stepping in as hurricanes ravaged the country, helping the homeless and supporting the fight against cancer, Touro students did their share to repair the world. Here’s a glance at just a few of our mission-driven activities of 2017.
Pharmacists for Public Health (PPH), a student-led group at Touro College of Pharmacy, visited the Hyde Leadership Charter School in the south Bronx to educate 7th graders about the warning signs, symptoms and dangers of abusing prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs and opioids.
Students of Touro’s Graduate School of Social Work walked around Penn Station counting the number of homeless people, conducting surveys and offering information about shelters, as part of the Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE). This estimate, provided annually to NYC of how many people live in public spaces, helps the city to allocate better resources for shelters and emergency housing.
Touro’s School of Physician Assistant Studies (PA) in Nevada has been an operating partner with the Stallman Touro Clinic at The Shade Tree shelter since 2009, providing adult health care, preventative health measures, sick call services and pediatric services to residents at the shelter, who are either homeless or have left an aggressive relationship. Four ultrasounds have recently been purchased by Touro for pregnant women staying at the shelter, bringing them comfort, relief and the care they need.
Participating in the Pie-A-Professor fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Hematology- Oncology and Internal Medicine Student Organization (IMSO) raised money for breast cancer treatment and research. All of the proceeds went to the American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Walk.
Through fundraising events, the Community Outreach Club and Disaster Relief Committee at the Touro College of Dental Medicine has raised nearly $1500 for hurricane disaster relief. Student volunteers assembled 400 hygiene kits for victims in Puerto Rico, who are still without daily necessities. Included in these care packages are toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap and shampoo, denture cream and wet wipes.
22 undergraduate students from Touro College School of Health Sciences (SHS) spent a week volunteering on a Medlife medical mission in rural parts of Ecuador to ensure that residents received basic medical care. They helped the doctors administer tests, taught simple hygiene and even helped build a staircase for one of the villages, since many women have miscarriages due to the mountainous terrain.
Displaced students from the University of Puerto Rico Law School, based in San Juan and shuttered by Hurricane Maria, were welcomed by Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law School in Central Islip, to take newly-created courses, tuition free, that can transfer back to the students’ school in Puerto Rico when it reopens, as well as providing housing for the semester. The Puerto Rican Bar Association (PRBA) Mentorship committee is ensuring that the students are embraced, mentored and assisted in this crucial time in their legal education career.
Touro College's Lander College of Arts & Sciences in Brooklyn brings IRS-trained and tested accounting students together with the elderly, low-income, racially diverse and immigrant Brooklyn population at free tax preparation clinics. There are 166 VITA (Touro’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program) sites in the city, supervised by the IRS, in which tax preparers, site coordinators and file reviewers offer their free services.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/2017-year-in-review---community-service-at-touro.php
December 04, 2017
125182
Is Your Communication Style Impacting your Relationship?
By Louis H. Primavera, Ph.D. & Rob Pascale, Ph.D.
Effective communication often comes down to style, and by that we mean the way we express ourselves. For couples who have communication problems, sometimes the topic itself can be so charged that it’s hard for partners to control their emotions when they talk about it.
However, for some couples, the specific things they argue about can be less important than the way they act and talk to each other. The impact of how we express ourselves is so powerful that it’s extremely difficult for unhappy couples to improve their relationship without changing their communication styles. It is in fact one of the primary areas therapists will focus on when treating marriages that have chronic problems.
The Benefits of a Positive Communication Style
Broadly speaking, communication styles are either positive or negative. Positive styles allow couples to find solutions to their problems, but they can also have other benefits for the marriage. When the communication style is positive, we believe our partners are approachable and care about our issues, and we don’t have to avoid conflicts because we believe they’re constructive. When a disagreement ends, emotions de-escalate and partners come to an understanding with which they both can live. They’re likely to feel they’ve accomplished something together and that gives them a reason to feel good about their relationship. On the opposite side, negative styles do not yield solutions. Instead, they often cause an argument to escalate and get out of control. Both partners usually feel less satisfied after an argument because they haven’t made any progress, and so they feel more distanced from each other.
The specific words we use when we argue are one way to determine whether our communication styles are positive or negative. Words are a measurable quantity, and so it is possible to identify a couple’s communication style by counting the number of positive and negative messages partners send to each other. Couples in good relationships have as many as five times more positive to negative comments passed back and forth, and negative comments will usually be counter-balanced by jokes, laughter, and other forms of positive interaction. In contrast, the ratio of negative to positive messages may be as high as three to one in favor of the negative among couples who have ineffective styles.
Keep Track of Your Positive to Negative Word Count
We should point out that a positive to negative word count is not only indicative of communication style. It can also be used as a measure of a marriage’s overall quality. In fact, there is evidence that couples who have a highly negative pattern run the risk of ending up divorced. It is for this reason that some therapists suggest that couples keep a tally of their messages to find out if they contain mostly positive or mostly hurtful and antagonistic messages.
Of course, we’re not suggesting that any expression of negativity is dangerous. Each of us will express some aggression or hostility during a fight because we can’t always control our emotions. Most marriages can withstand that. However, if there are consistently many fewer positives to offset the negatives from one argument to the next, and if negative feelings persist afterwards, the marriage probably has communication problems.
A major distinction between positive and negative styles is the kinds of emotions each produces. When we argue, we present our case in a few statements, but at the same time we’re also letting our partner know how we feel about the issue. We can choose from a large pool of words to make our point, and these words can be more or less emotionally charged. Along with our words, we send out a lot of emotional information non-verbally, through our posture, facial expressions, tone of voice, eye contact, and various gestures. The emotions we send out through our body language and our words are as important as the statements themselves, and have as much, if not more, to do with how our message is interpreted and reacted to by our partner.
When we use a negative style, we convey negative emotions along with the verbal messages we’re sending out. Additionally, we may inadvertently communicate more than our feelings about the problem we’re addressing. We may also convey how we feel about our partner. We may not intend to communicate these broader feelings, but that’s how our partner is likely to interpret what we’re saying. How they receive our words can then affect our partner’s feelings about us.
Negative Communication Becomes a Cycle
That’s why arguments for which a negative style is used tend to escalate into bigger fights. Such a style leads to reciprocity. The negative emotions that we send out provoke negative emotions as a response from our partner. The words we say and the emotions we express can make our partner feel hurt and humiliated. The emotions they then experience will lead them to say and do things that will make us feel just as badly. If our tone is condescending or sarcastic, there’s a good chance our partner will give that back in return. Unfortunately, it usually doesn’t end there, because the negativity we receive often leads us to retaliate with more negative messages. As such, many issues that could be resolved won’t be because our communication style prevents us from having a meaningful dialogue.
Styles can also be habit-forming. The one we adopt is often dictated by our past experiences. We tend to remember the prevailing attitude and tone of our prior conflicts, and we assume that our future arguments will follow along the same path. From our expectations as to how our partner will behave, we pre-select a tone we plan to use.
Because our styles can become habits, they can have a long term effect on our relationship in general. When we use a negative style, the bad things that we say are remembered by our partner, and that’s long after we’ve forgotten what was argued about in the first place. These memories can then carry over into other parts of the relationship. Partners may prefer to avoid each other’s company, may lose interest in being intimate, or may take on negative attitudes even when they’re not arguing. The result is to hurt the relationship beyond and out of proportion to the problems they were originally fighting about.
Your Style Says A Lot About How You Rate Your Relationship
Whether we use a positive or negative style may in fact reflect how we feel about our relationship at the time. If we’re feeling connected with our partner and reasonably happy, we’ll probably use a more positive style during a conflict. However, a partner who isn’t happy in his or her relationship might approach an argument with hostility and a negative attitude. So the style that each partner brings to a conflict can be a pretty good indicator of whether the relationship has problems.
Dr. Louis Primavera is the Dean of Touro’s Graduate School of Health Sciences and author of three books, including Making Marriage Work: Avoiding the Pitfalls and Achieving Success published by Rowan and Littlefield, which he co-wrote with Dr. Robert Pascale.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/is-your-communication-style-impacting-your-relationship-.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2016/angry-man-274175__180.jpg
March 29, 2016
125135
Celebrating Academic Publications
Touro Libraries Host 2014 Annual Faculty-Author Appreciation Reception
The Touro College Libraries recently held their annual Faculty-Author Appreciation Reception, honoring the faculty throughout the Touro College and University System (including New York Medical College) who authored publications in 2013.
Addressing the gathering of faculty authors, staff, and invited guests, Touro College Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Krupka—speaking on behalf of Dr. Alan Kadish—applauded the scholars on their research and publications.
In his remarks, he connected the current season and the holiday of Chanukah to the theme of education, comparing the menorah—which “represents scholarship, light, and enlightenment”—to faculty research. “Our faculty publications enlighten the world of education and brighten the future of higher learning,” said Rabbi Krupka. “We are incredibly proud to be able to boast such a catalogue, and we encourage those assembled here – and those throughout the Touro College and University System – to continue to contribute academic works, so that our scholarship can truly be a light onto the world.”
The event also marked the printing of the new edition of the Faculty Publications book, which included the citations of all Touro College academic works from 2013. The Touro College Libraries, under the leadership of Director Bashe Simon, M.L.S. and Library Information Literacy Director Sara Tabaei, M.L.S., have published this book annually since 2010.
For a full list of this year's published faculty, read our 2013 Faculty Publications book. All Touro faculty publications can be found online in the Faculty Publications Database.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/celebrating-academic-publications.php
January 05, 2015
130363
Learning from Everyone
Touro Holds Annual College-Wide Research Day
The breadth and scope of the research performed across Touro’s colleges was on display at the second annual Research Day on May 1.
The event, held at TouroCOM Harlem and sponsored by Colgate and Designed for Vision, was devoted to diabetes research, though faculty members and students delivered a wide-array of almost 140 poster presentations on topics from using stem cells to treat Epidermolysis Bullos to fall prevention in elderly adults to a study of children’s toys in WW2. Participating Touro schools included Lander College of Arts and Sciences (LAS), Lander College for Women—the Ann Ruth and Mark Hasten School, Lander College for Men, School of Health Sciences, New York School of Career and Applied Studies, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Touro College of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Business, Touro College of Dental Medicine, Graduate School of Education, Graduate School of Nursing, Graduate School of Jewish Studies and Graduate School of Social Work.
Dr. Joseph Indelicato, chair of the Touro College Research Collaborative, welcomed the audience and introduced Dr. Alan Kadish, president of the Touro College and University System.
“The theme of today’s talks is translational research,” stated Dr. Kadish. “Today’s speakers are investigators who have been able to take a better understanding of basic science and convert it to clinically important interventions.”
Dr. Kadish shared a story of how a physician at a Touro-academic affiliate diagnosed a hither-unknown variation of a terminal disease and then found a treatment for it, all in a year.
“In a twelve-month-period doctors were able to make a diagnosis of a novel mechanism of a disease that had never been described before, figure out how to treat it, expedite approval of the drug and have therapy delivered to the patient 54 weeks after contact,” Dr. Kadish said. “Science is moving quickly.”
Saloman Amar, D.D.S, Ph.D., Chief Biomedical Research Officer for Touro College, introduced the recipients of this year’s Presidential Research Grants, which included funding for seven staff-led projects. Dr. Amar recognized the work of Touro’s students in pushing research forward.
“I’d like to thank all the students,” said Dr. Amar. “The work you’ve produced moves us and challenges us and we are extremely grateful.”
Keynote speaker Steven Shoelson, M.D., Ph.D., a faculty member at Harvard Medical school and associate director of research at the Joslin Diabetes Center, led participants on an illuminating journey through the ages as he described his research into salicylate, one of the world’s oldest anti-inflammatory drugs. (How old? His presentation included hieroglyphics.) The lecture, entitled, “How to Teach Old Drugs New Tricks,” focused on how his team began using the drug in a new way to lower blood glucose level in patients with T2D.
“Old things can be repurposed…” Dr. Shoelson explained. “If you have any drugs that have interesting properties, that is what we’re looking for.”
Jean-Marc Schwarz, Ph.D., was the distinguished research speaker and delivered a lecture entitled, “Fructose: A Sweet Way to Make ‘Foie Gras’ and Increase Your Risk for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease,” focused on the danger of fructose, a common sugar. Dr. Schwarz is a professor of biochemistry at Touro University California and the Director of the Metabolic Research Center at the school, as well as an adjunct professor of medicine at the University of California.
The Poster Presentations
Throughout the event, the mood was collaborative and festive as faculty members and students wandered the fourth and fifth floor hallways of TouroCOM Harlem where poster presentations with research by faculty members and students filled nearly all the empty wall-space. Posters describing whether dinosaurs lived in the metropolitan area were juxtaposed next to analysis of youth behavior on the internet.
Touro College School of Health Sciences (SHS) Doctor of Physical Therapy Program (DPT) candidate Alyssa Dormey was one of several dozen students who journeyed in from the Bayshore campus for the research day. She delivered a poster presentation on her group’s study of prosthetics curriculum in physical therapy programs across the country.
“We found that there are a lot of differences on how much times schools focus on prosthetics and what they’re focusing on and whether professors believe their students are ready when they enter into the clinics,” she said. “We’re hoping our study will spur the creation of a universal curriculum for teaching about prosthetics.”
Dorney said she hoped to learn from the other presenters.
“Research is a big part of the PT profession,” she explained. “So it’s really important that we keep up with what other health practitioners are doing.”
LCW student Aliza Friedman stood with her professor Dr. Randy Sherman in front of a poster describing their research into the Staggered Spondaic Word (SSW), an auditory processing test.
“I wanted to present my research for the first time and I wanted to see how everyone else put in their work and find out what they discovered,” said Friedman.
TouroCOM OMS I Nora Martini stopped in for the event before her lab classes began. “I want to write a research article—I’m studying the effects of telemedicine on strokes—so I’m trying to see what I can learn from everyone else.” (TouroCOM had the greatest number of research presentations, almost 40.)
OMS II Megan Winters presented her research on obesity bias in medical students and said that she received feedback on how to improve her study.
“I'm glad Touro provided us the opportunity to not only present our own work to our classmates and professors, but also to other professionals from greater Touro organizations including the pharmacy school,” she said. “Being able to speak with my professors about some of the things they were passionate about researching felt more like collaborating with colleagues than the usual professors lecturing me as a student from behind the podium. Meeting other students, educators, administrators from greater Touro was wonderful. I loved seeing some of the ideas that students from the business school and pharmacy school were pursuing, especially those that extended to research worldwide.”
LCW professor Dr. Deborah Blau brought in several LCW students to support their classmate as well as to give them a sense of the possibilities for their own future careers. “Events like this pave the way forward for our students in their own pursuits,” she said.
Lander College of Arts and Sciences (LAS) student Leah Frimerman presented her research on directing gene expression in stem cell to treat Epidermolysis Bullosa (otherwise known as the butterfly disease). She performed her research under Dr. Brian Chiswell of New York School of Career and Applied Studies (NYSCAS) at the TouroCOM Harlem lab.
“Research Day is an opportunity for us to see the other research being conducted,” she said.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/learning-from-everyone.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/news-and-communication-assets/featured-story-assets/42652757701_792dccbbbe_o.jpg
May 21, 2018
130249
2018 Presidential Faculty Awards
The 2018 Faculty Honored For Their Excellence in Teaching, Service, and Research
Six Touro College faculty members were selected for this year’s Presidential Excellence Awards. The awards, initiated in 2017, recognize excellence in faculty members across all Touro College schools in three areas: teaching, research and scholarship, and service. Faculty members can be nominated by any member of the Touro community and are judged by a cross-disciplinary selection team from faculty across Touro. Final decisions are made by Touro’s academic leadership and Touro College and University System President Alan Kadish.
“Teaching, research and scholarship, and service are the core values of our institution,” stated Dr. Kadish. “These awards allow us to acknowledge the exemplary achievements of our faculty.”
“Reading the nominations reminds us of how much of an impact our faculty members have on their students, their community and in their field,” said Touro College Provost Patricia Salkin.
Each recipient received an engraved medal that can be worn on their academic regalia and a monetary award in recognition of their outstanding accomplishments during a luncheon on May 18.
This year’s awardees are:
Teaching
Steven Krantz, MSW, Ph.D.—Touro College Graduate School of Social Work Naomi Klapper, MA, LMHC—Lander College for Women—The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School Judith Binstock, MA, Ph.D.—Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine—Harlem Campus Rena Seplowitz, J.D.—Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center
Research and Scholarship
Howard Feldman, MA, Ph.D.—Lander College for Women—The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School
Service
Stephanie Zeszutek, DO, FACOG, RPh—Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine—Middletown Campus
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Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/2018-presidential-faculty-awards.php
May 29, 2018
130352
Class of 2018 Celebrates Commencement Day
New York Medical College Holds 159th Commencement
After years of dedication, sacrifice and unyielding efforts, the New York Medical College (NYMC) Class of 2018 enjoyed the fruits of their labor at 159th Commencement exercises on May 23 at Carnegie Hall, where families and friends packed the house for the momentous occasion. The College awarded 213 doctor of medicine degrees (M.D.), 40 doctor of physical therapy (D.P.T.) degrees, 16 doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees, 81 master of science (M.S.) degrees, 91 master of public health (M.P.H.) degrees and 4 doctor of public health (Dr.P.H.) degrees. The pomp and circumstance of Commencement was preceded by an eventful day of award ceremonies for the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences and the School of Health Sciences and Practice.
Mace bearer Denise C. Tahara, M.B.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., associate professor and director of M.P.H. studies, led the traditional processional of academic leaders, faculty and distinguished guests on to the stage. Grand Marshal Mitchell S. Cairo, M.D., professor of pediatrics, medicine, pathology, microbiology and immunology, and cell biology and anatomy, presided over the ceremony and declared, “The New York Medical College Commencement is now in session.” Then NYMC’s student a capella group, The Arrhythmias, led the singing of the National Anthem.
Student speaker Timmy O’Connell, who earned his Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, shared his personal story of unrelenting dedication which was inspired by his father’s sudden and untimely death due to an aggressive form of cancer. “That changed the course of my life and it became a mission of mine to learn everything about what happened to him, how it happened, and what I could do to prevent it from happening to others,” he told his fellow graduates. “This room is filled with stories of triumph, of overcoming obstacles, of exceeding expectations, of living out dreams, of accomplishing great milestones. Everyone graduating today has a unique story of persistence, of beating the odds…I can't help but think that each of you now has the power to make change in someone else's life and has the ability to impact somebody's health in a positive way.”
Commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient, Jeremy Sugarman, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., an internationally recognized leader in the field of biomedical ethics, who is the Harvey M. Meyerhoff Professor of Bioethics and Medicine, professor of medicine, professor of health policy and management, and deputy director for medicine of the Berman Institute of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University, told the students, “You don’t have to specialize in bioethics to find yourself doing bioethics… ethics will be inextricably intertwined with your work. Doing your work well will require thinking about the ethics of what you are doing, and being sensitive to, and respectful of, those who may be very different from yourself.”
A musical interlude followed. Stephen Moshman, M.D., professor of medicine, thrilled the audience with an original brass quintet piece, called Celebration, which he composed expressly for this Commencement.
As the commencement ceremony drew to a close, Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., chancellor and chief executive officer, concluded the ceremony with the “Charge to the Class of 2018.” "We arrive at this day together; in partnership. We are proud of what we have jointly achieved,” he said.
View the NYMC 159th Commencement photo galleries.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/class-of-2018-celebrates-commencement-day.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2018/42350958471_18fa187fd8_z.jpg
May 24, 2018
130324
Touro University Nevada Honors Newest Group of Graduates at Spring Commencement
TUN Graduates the Class of 2018 in Osteopathic Medicine, Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Education, and Medical Health Sciences
Touro University Nevada celebrated the graduation of more than 225 of its newest alumni during Spring Commencement on May 14 at The Rio.
Graduating students from Osteopathic Medicine, Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Education, and Medical Health Sciences walked across the stage in front of their friends and family in a truly wonderful ceremony.
“It is a testament to the hard work of our students and faculty for helping them get to this place in their flourishing careers,” said Shelley Berkley, CEO and Senior Provost of Touro University Western Division, of the newest graduates. “I am so proud of their accomplishments and can’t wait to see what the future holds. They will always be a part of the Touro family and I know they will make us proud.”
“While today is a day of celebration, it is also a day to thank those who helped us get here,” said Vanessa Halvorsen, the student speaker from the College of Osteopathic Medicine. “People who nurtured us, taught us, cheered us on and dried our tears. Thank you to administrative staff, faculty, and those family and friends who have been on this journey with us. We wouldn’t be where we are without you.”
Shalee Belnap, a nursing student who spoke as the representative from the College of Health and Human Services, compared life and the journey of nursing school to running a marathon.
“Our reactions, our grit, and our ability to keep going during these difficult times will define our character, and may be the only things powerful enough to get us through the finish line, or wake us up for another day,” she told the audience. “But we know we have it in us. We prepared for this, and I must say, that runner’s high is pretty great. Congratulations, graduates. It feels truly great to say we did it.”
Touro University Nevada will honor its newest graduates from the School of Physical Therapy in a special Commencement at Congregation Ner Tamid on June 18.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-university-nevada-honors-newest-group-of-graduates-at-spring-commencement.php
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May 30, 2018
125146
New York Medical College Receives Corporate Citizenship Award
The Business Council of Westchester honored the medical college with its Corporate Citizenship Award at its annual Business Hall of Fame Dinner on April 21.
New York Medical College (NYMC) was recently honored with the prestigious Corporate Citizen of the Year Award at their annual Business Hall of Fame Dinner on April 21. As one of six groups honored by The Business Council of Westchester, the College was recognized for its commitment to bringing students, research, and skills to the Westchester region.
“As a university of excellence, being a good corporate citizen means being more than a school: it means being an active and engaged member of the community,” said NYMC Chancellor and CEO Edward C. Halperin, who accepted the award on behalf of the College at the banquet. “It is an honor to be acknowledged by the Council for our work in the community and we are excited to expand our reach throughout the region in the future.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/new-york-medical-college-receives-corporate-citizenship-award.php
April 27, 2015
125142
Touro Contributes to Nepal Disaster Relief
A Message From Dr. Kadish
The Administration, Faculty, and Staff of the Touro College and University System mourn together with those who have lost friends and family to the devastating earthquake in Nepal. As an educational community with students hailing from Nepal, this tragedy feels close to home for all of us at Touro. Our hopes and prayers are with those who are now tasked with rebuilding their homes and lives in the aftermath of this disaster.
To support those efforts, the Touro College and University System intends to make a charitable donation to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund. This contribution will help advance the emergency relief efforts in Nepal and we encourage everyone in our community to make contributions to the verified disaster relief charity of his or her choice. Together, we can make a substantial impact on the recovery effort.
Sincerely,
Dr. Alan KadishPresident & CEO
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-contributes-to-nepal-disaster-relief.php
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April 29, 2015
125178
Appreciating Our Researchers
Touro Libraries Host Annual Faculty-Author Appreciation Reception
This November, the Touro College Libraries held the 4th annual Faculty-Author Appreciation Reception, honoring faculty throughout the Touro College and University System (including New York Medical College) who authored publications in 2014.
Addressing the gathering of faculty authors, staff, and invited guests, Dr. Alan Kadish, Touro College and University System President, and Mrs. Bashe Simon, Director of Touro Libraries, applauded the scholars on their research and publications. Interim Provost and Dean of the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, Patricia Salkin, spoke about open access and increasing Touro’s online research presence. Dr. Meira Orentlicher, occupational therapy professor and coordinator of OT Research and Development at Touro's School of Health Sciecnes, discussed some of her current research.
The event also marked the printing of the new edition of the Faculty Publications book, which included the citations of all Touro College academic works from 2014. The edition was compiled by Carrie Levinson, the Scholarly Communication librarian.
The Touro College Libraries, under the leadership of Director Bashe Simon, and Library Information Literacy Director Sara Tabaei, M.L.S., have published this book annually since 2010. Most Touro faculty publications since 1970 can be found online in the Faculty Publications Database.
Watch a sampling of attendees at the event speak about their research interests, scholarly works, and thoughts on publishing.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/appreciating-our-researchers.php
November 09, 2015
125210
Touro College Celebrates Sixth Annual Research Day
Faculty and Students Builds Bridges Across Academic Disciplines
“Touro College is a school without silos,” explained Dr. Joseph Indelicato, chair of Touro College Research Collaborative and director of the undergraduate psychology department at Touro’s School of Health Sciences. “We work together to expand knowledge.”
With those opening remarks, Touro College’s sixth annual school-wide Research Day, sponsored by Colgate, began on April 25 at the TouroCOM Harlem campus. Students and faculty members from all of Touro’s schools delivered more than 90 poster presentations ranging from the neuroaesthetics of art to new discoveries of paleontology to the effects of testosterone in osteosarcoma tumorigenesis.
Schools that participated included Lander College of Arts and Sciences in Flatbush (LAS), Lander College for Men (LCM), Lander College for Women (LCW), School of Health Sciences (SHS), TouroCOM Harlem, TouroCOM Middletown, Touro College of Pharmacy (TCOP), Touro College Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW), Touro College of Dental Medicine, The School for Lifelong Learning, Touro College Graduate School of Education and Touro College Graduate School of Business (GSB),
Touro College and University System President Dr. Alan Kadish explained that while Touro is not a faith-based institution, the university is in under Jewish auspices and that research and evidence-based practice are a tenet of the Jewish community.
“There is a long Jewish intellectual tradition that values scientific investigation,” explained Dr. Kadish.
Dr. Kadish spoke of his forthcoming book which will focus on Jewish contributions to medicine including the story of Ernst Boris Chain, who shared the Nobel Prize with Sir Alexander Fleming for their development of penicillin to combat bacteria.
The two keynote speakers were Dr. Martha J. Somerman, DDS, the director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institute of Health (NIH), and Dr. Salomon Amar, Touro College’s Provost of Biomedical Research.
Dr. Somerman discussed the areas of interest for the NIH and funding opportunities for research in a captivating discussion that also laid out the future goals of the organization. Dr. Amar spoke about how he became a researcher during his time in Strausberg, Germany and the need for collaborative research.
“On our own, the complexity of diseases are too immense for an individual,” he asserted.
Dr. Timothy Bellavia, a professor at Touro’s Graduate School of Education, who helped organize the event, explained:
“We’re such a unique college with so many different schools, Research Day allows us to share ideas and collaborate,” said Dr. Bellavia, noting his own work with the SHS OT department.
Sitting next to each other were professors Atara Grenadir, chair of the art department at LAS and an instructor in the School for Lifelong Learning, and Rabbi Aharon Grenadir, a mathematics instructor at LAS.
“It’s important for Touro to facilitate the collaboration of our skills,” Rabbi Grenadir said, though in their case, the collaboration was a bit easier, as the two are married and took the train together that morning from their home in Kensington, Brooklyn.
More than a dozen Touro students from the newly opened Touro College of Dental Medicine also attended the conference. Jennifer Mehrens, a first-year student at the dental school, was excited to hear both Dr. Amar and Dr. Somerman. She said that the school had switched around some classes to enable the dental students to attend the conference. While the research deadline had been too early for the students to submit their own research, they were looking forward to presenting next year.
“I’m excited to be a part of this,” said Mehrens.
Peter Benjamin, a doctoral student in the School of Health Sciences’ Doctor of Physical Therapy program, said he felt that events like this were necessary.
“We get to network and see what everyone else is doing,” he said. “We’re so focused on our own studies that we don’t really have a chance to see what everyone else is up to.”
Aside from a chance to network with their peers in Touro’s other schools, the event offered Touro students a chance to work on their presentations before they present at several national conferences, said Dr. Chad Woodard of SHS DPT.
“This experience enables them to feel more comfortable talking about their research before they reach the national stage,” said Dr. Woodard who worked with students on research about athlete training for triathlons.
This was definitely the case for Emily Lisanti, an enterprising undergraduate at the School of Health Science, who presented on her own study about the correlation between vitamin D insufficiency and depression.
“I was super excited to talk about what I was working on,” she said. “Since I’ve gotten involved in research, I wanted to broaden my experience.”
The event culminated in a lively meet and greet on the fourth floor, where faculty and students, in the spirit of the day, networked, formed friendships and learned about what grants and assistance Touro provides for its researchers.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-college-celebrates-sixth-annual-research-day.php
May 01, 2017
128798
NYMC and Touro Launch Shark Tank-Inspired Forum to Invest in Israeli Biotechnology
Cutting-edge Israeli biomedical startups present to entrepreneurs and prospective investors at TruMada event.
In a unique forum loosely based on the hit television show, Shark Tank, executives from three Israeli biotech companies pitched their medical products to an exclusive group of entrepreneurs interested in helping the companies develop and market their products in the U.S. The presentations were sponsored by TruMada, a Touro College initiative that supports Israeli biomedical start-ups by providing business mentoring, regulatory council, and executive consulting, while partnering with BioInc@NYMC, the biotechnology incubator at New York Medical College that offers development services for startups, from laboratory research space to finance.
The TruMada companies seeking investors were:
POP Medical Solutions: An improved surgical system, which received FDA approval that corrects pelvic organ prolapse, a common and painful condition experienced by women.
Magenta Medical: A catheter-based treatment for acute heart failure. Currently in clinical studies, the product is entering a market which, to date, has been dominated by only one other company.
ViruCure Therapeutics: Currently in clinical trials, ViruCure is a pharmaceutical approach that harnesses the cancer-fighting properties of specific viruses.
Israel has experienced exponential growth in medical innovation, but some companies there lack the knowledge and experience to successfully expand in the U.S., according to Deborah Novick, director of BioInc@NYMC and the TruMada Initiative. “That’s the gap we are trying to bridge with the TruMada Iniative. With a home, with business-development services and access to capital.”
Alan Kadish, M.D., at podium, president of the Touro College and University System, agreed. “With access to business development services, scientists with FDA experience, and lab space, we think there is tremendous synergy between services available at New York Medical College and what biotechnology startups require,” he said.
David Raab, executive vice president of Touro College and University System hosted the event and introduced the presentations. He said collaborating with the Israeli-based biomedical startups benefits Touro and NYMC as well. “We want to enhance our reputation as an innovative, prominent healthcare research institution. Attracting state-of-the-art, Israeli biotech companies to its NYMC campus is one part of a plan to do that,” said Mr. Raab. “As those companies succeed, we hope that their reputational and financial success will accrue in part to Touro, NYCM and BioInc.”
“We had significant interest expressed in the three companies by the potential investors who attended the shark tank. We are following up with them and believe that at least one financing deal will be forthcoming,” said Lawrence Krule, CEO of TruMada Management Company, LLC. “This event was the first in an ongoing series and we will continue to host and provide additional opportunities for investors to meet with leading companies coming out of Israeli’s startup community.”
"The three companies that presented reflect some of the great innovations happening in the Israeli healthcare space," said Salomon Amar, D.D.S., Ph.D., provost for biomedical research and chief biomedical research officer, Touro College and University System. "With the TruMada Initiative, we will help bring these pioneering ideas to a global audience."
The event was the first in an ongoing quarterly shark tank-like series that will provide additional opportunities for investors to meet with leading companies coming out of Israeli’s startup community.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/nymc-and-touro-launch-shark-tank-inspired-forum-to-invest-in-israeli-biotechnology.php
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February 15, 2018
125127
2nd Annual Orthodox Jewish Nurses Conference
Alumni of Touro College's Nursing Program Attend
The 2nd Annual Orthodox Jewish Nurses Conference, entitled At the Crossroads of Jewish Law (Halacha), Nursing, and Patient Care, was hosted by Touro College on June 12, 2014. The conference, sponsored by Sigma Theta Tau International, Alpha Phi Chapter, Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, and The Graduate Center Doctoral Nursing Alumni Association of the City University of New York, had a number of objectives. Key among them was to help Jewish and non-Jewish personnel in the healthcare field "to understand the influence of Orthodox Jewish law (halacha) on infertility, organ donation and end of life decision making."
Over 85 nurses attended; each earning Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and enjoying the chance to network and share experiences over lunch. They heard from a variety of speakers including Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, founder of Hineni, an international outreach organization.
Alumni from Touro's nursing program were in attendance, including members of the first graduating class. They were joined by Nursing Department Chairperson Sandra Russo as well as other Touro faculty members and staff.
“The Touro College Nursing Program was extremely honored to host this conference,” said Russo. “It was a great educational and social event, not only for our students, but for all who were able to attend.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/2nd-annual-orthodox-jewish-nurses-conference.php
August 22, 2014
125188
Class of 2016 Gets a Rousing Sendoff at Carnegie Hall
NYMC graduates their 157th class
A beautiful spring day and a host of pomp and circumstance graced the Class of 2016 when they bid farewell to New York Medical College at the 157th Commencement exercises on May 23 in Carnegie Hall. The College awarded 193 doctor of medicine (M.D.) degrees, 34 doctor of physical therapy (D.P.T.) degrees, six doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees, 77 master of science (M.S.) degrees, 76 master of public health (M.P.H.) degrees and three doctor of public health (Dr.P.H.) degrees and sent forth another stellar graduating class of physicians, scientists and public health professionals into the world.
Mace bearer Ira Schwartz, Ph.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, led the vibrant processional of academic leaders, faculty and distinguished guests into the grand hall and on stage Grand Marshal David E. Asprinio, M.D., professor of clinical orthopaedic surgery and chairman of the Department of Surgery, declared, “The New York Medical College Commencement is now in session.”
Before the graduates took center stage to receive their degrees, student greetings were given by Nassau County Health Commissioner Lawrence Eisenstein, M.D., Fifth Pathway ’01, who received his M.P.H. in health policy and management from the School of Health Sciences and Practice. Dr. Eisenstein addressed the transformation in health care today. “I think every one of us graduating today has a chance to plant their flag on the future territory of health care. And how do we do that? We go into our new roles, with our new degrees, and we make ourselves indispensable. We advocate for ourselves, we participate on committees and in governance, and we do our work so well that the future system needs us. And whenever possible, we do it together,” said Dr. Eisenstein. “Today’s graduates of the three schools at New York Medical College have an amazing potential to impact the future of health care in the United States.”
An honorary doctor of science degree was bestowed on Steven A. Wartman, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of the Association of Academic Health Centers and the Association of Academic Health Centers International, who delivered the Commencement address. Dr. Wartman is a leader in academic medicine and is recognized internationally for his work in the organization and management of academic health centers, the degree-granting institutions of higher education that educate the next generation of health care professionals, offer comprehensive basic and advanced patient care, and conduct a broad spectrum of biomedical and health services research.
Dr. Wartman described the “Power of the 5th C,” and explained the “new physics of patient care” formula, E=mc4th power: C1, care anywhere, C2, care by teams, C3, care by large data sets and C4, care by machines. “My formula, E = mc4 has added a fifth power, the fifth C, perhaps its most powerful component…The fifth C – and the most important one – is compassion,” said Dr. Wartman. “…I ask you to be guided by the importance of sympathy and concern for the sufferings and misfortunes of others, and to be steered by the principle that your patients are your best teachers. This will serve you well in your profession and your life. I wish all of you, on the threshold of such a promising future, a world filled by achievement, fulfillment, peace and above all, compassion.”
A standing ovation was warranted when six graduates of the School of Medicine were commissioned as medical officers of the U.S. Army and Air Force. They were inducted by Colonel Jeffrey A. Lawson, M.D., deputy commander, Clinical Services of Keller Army Community Hospital in West Point, N.Y.
Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., chancellor and chief executive officer, concluded the ceremony with the “Charge to the Class of 2016.” “We confidently send you forth as graduates of New York Medical College, well prepared for the challenges posed by your respective disciplines. While you have been with us, we have strived to impart values and knowledge. As you go forward, I charge you to commit yourselves to the highest professional and ethical standards, to render to each person the dignity that is rightfully theirs, to be compassionate to those in need, and to remember with pride New York Medical College – as we will proudly remember you,” Dr. Halperin told the graduates. “Godspeed on your journey, ladies and gentlemen.”
A week of celebratory and recognition events preceded Commencement. The Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences hosted a Commencement Reception and Awards Ceremony that included valedictory remarks by Galadu Subah, who received his M.S. in basic medical sciences and Robert Stobezki, Ph.D., who received his Ph.D. in cell biology. The School of Health Sciences and Practice held a Commencement Awards Dinner. Remarks were given by Nassau County Health Commissioner Lawrence Eisenstein, M.D., Fifth Pathway ’01, who received his M.P.H. in health policy and management and Jason Tenzor, M.P.H. ’03, welcomed the soon-to be-graduates to the new School of Health Sciences and Practice Alumni Council. The School of Medicine hosted its Senior Convocation featuring student and faculty awards and addresses by members of the Class of 2016, Joshua Sterling, student senate president, and Kelvin Luu.
View photos from the 157th Commencement Week Activities -
Carnegie Hall RecessionalGSBMS & SHSP HoodingsSOM HoodingStage ProceedingsCarnegie Hall ProcessionSOM Robing RoomGSBMS Robing RoomSHSP Robing Room
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/class-of-2016-gets-a-rousing-sendoff-at-carnegie-hall.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2016/26640975493_5c03979334_k.jpg
June 16, 2016
125224
Judge Rachel Freier Inspired Attendees at Touro’s Presidential Lecture
First Hasidic woman judge finds success without compromise
“This was amazing. She has shown me that it is entirely possible to have a career in law while being an Orthodox woman. She changed the way I think about my future."
This was just one comment from a student at Touro’s Lander College for Women—The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School, who heard from the Honorable Rachel Freier, the first Hasidic woman judge—and a Touro graduate. It was an eye-opening experience.
Judge Freier—Ruchie to her friends and family—shared her remarkable journey from Hasidic Borough Park to the multicultural hallways of Brooklyn’s Criminal Court. She emphasized a message that Touro students were eager to absorb: you can succeed without compromising your standards. “In fact, it’s the opposite,” she said. “When you show that you are committed and you don’t compromise your beliefs, you will earn the trust of your employers and your colleagues.”
The petite Judge Freier commands a room. She started her college education at Touro’s Lander College of Arts and Sciences in Flatbush Brooklyn. She was thirty years old and the mother of three young children. She spent six years completing her Bachelors Degree in Political Science, graduating summa cum laude. “If it wasn’t for Touro, I couldn’t have done it,” she said. She went on to Brooklyn Law School, finishing in 2005 to become one of the first Hasidic woman lawyers in New York. Along the way, she had three more children.
“Ruchie was an honors student with outstanding leadership skills and lots of extracurricular activities, and with all of this, she always put family first,” said Robert Goldschmidt, dean of Lander College of Arts and Sciences.
Blending, Rather Than Balancing Work and Family
Rather than looking for ways to balance work and family, Judge Freier blended them, bringing her young children to school and to work so they could “see where mommy goes.” Her family became her biggest boosters. When she ran for judge, her sons translated her marketing materials into Yiddish and collected petition signatures and endorsements for her at synagogues throughout Borough Park while her daughters collected them on street corners. “
Judge Freier’s husband, David, was her first ally. People give me all the credit as a trailblazer, but my husband deserves a round of applause. He is the first Hasid to allow his wife to run for public office,” she said.
The journey wasn’t always easy. “I made my deal with G-d to help me make it through law school and when His children come to me for help, I will help them,” she said. After graduating law school, she held up her end of that deal.
Judge Freier founded Chasdei Devorah, Inc. a non-profit charity, that helps low income Jewish families. She also formed B’Derech, an organization the supports adolescents at risk in the Hasidic community. When a group of Chassidic female Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) in Borough Park asked her to assist them in their desire to serve other women during emergencies, she became an EMT and helped them build an all-women’s volunteer agency known as Ezras Nashim.
“We are delighted to count Ruchie among our graduates. A trailblazer for Hasidic women, she has given voice to underprivileged youth and kids with disabilities and is a vocal supporter of educational opportunities for Hasidim,” said Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish.
These days, Judge Freier hears cases on the bench in Brooklyn, using all of her experiences to guide her decision-making. And she brings in rugalech on Fridays to share the joy of Shabbat with her colleagues before she leaves early to observe Shabbat.
Lander College for Women Dean Marian Stoltz-Loike, who hosted the event, summed up the evening. "We help students reach their dreams and integrate that with their values. Judge Freier is a wonderful example of how to make it work."
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/judge-rachel-freier-inspired-attendees-at-touros-presidential-lecture.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2017/judgef002.jpg
December 01, 2017
125093
Touro remembers the “night of broken glass”
Survivors share history lessons to mark 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht
In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the day that marks the commencement of Hitler’s war against the Jews, Touro College marked the occasion with a program highlighting the personal stories of men who survived the Shoah.
To commemorate Kristallnacht, the Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust (IHRH), Lander College for Women-The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School (LCW) and the Graduate School of Social Work sponsored the event. Featured speakers included Dr. Mark Hasten, chairman of Touro’s board of trustees, who served in the Polish army and at age 17 was part of the liberation of the concentration camp Majdanek; and David Greenbaum, a Kristallnacht survivor, who was born in Nuremburg, Germany.
Greenbaum told of going to sleep on the night of Nov. 9, 1938 and dreaming of the doorbell ringing incessantly, then waking from the dream only to realize that it really was ringing and that armed men were at the door.
“To this day, that high pitched sound is ringing in my ear,” said Greenbaum, who was only 10-and-a-half at the time.
“After the event, I didn’t go outside for a day or two, and I didn’t go to the synagogue until about 10 days later,” he added. “It was kind of like 9/11.” People saw the burned wreckage of their shul, and for them, it was like seeing the space where the twin towers had been, he said.
Greenbaum said his family was assisted along the way by Germans who did not like what was going on, including one who insisted his father check himself into a local hospital prior to Kristallnacht. Because his father wasn’t home when the Gestapo arrived, he was not deported to a concentration camp, as were most male heads of Jewish families that night. He was able to escape to London, joining family already there, just three months after Kristallnacht.
Although restrictions against Jews had already been put in place, Kristallnacht unleashed a state-sponsored pogrom in which Germans turned on their Jewish neighbors, beating and terrorizing them, burning synagogues and homes, and destroying businesses and property. At the end of the rampage 91 Jews had been killed, and 30,000 Jewish men were deported to concentration camps, where many would eventually perish. Almost 2,000 synagogues were ransacked, and 267 set ablaze.
Hasten, who grew up in a Polish shtetl, was 11 on Kristallnacht. He recounted the events that led up to, and served as a pretext for, the German pogrom. Polish Jews living in Germany were made stateless, he said, then deported to the border of Germany and Poland and abandoned there, when Poland refused them entry.
One family wrote to their son, Herschel Grynszpan, who was living in Paris, telling him of the deplorable situation. Grynszpan purchased a gun, went to the German consulate in Paris, and shot an official, Ernst vom Rath. The Germans used the assassination to rally the mob for Kristallnacht.
Hasten, who later served in a Polish brigade of the Soviet Union’s army on the Eastern Front, spoke of those events leading up to Kristallnacht. He joined the Irgun while in a DP camp after the war, and went to Israel on the ill-fated Altalena, a freighter carrying weapons to the new nation of Israel. On the Altalena, which Israel’s Prime Minister David Ben Gurion ordered sunk, Hasten met Grynszpan’s first cousin, and later served with him in the fledgling Israel Defense Force.
During a question and answer session following the presentations, which included a short film clip about Grynszpan, a woman asked how to teach about the Holocaust to her young child.
“This is a very good question,” Hasten said. “The answer is very simple: You tell her the truth. There are persecutors all over the world today, and the only way you can prevent persecution is that you have to tell about the past.”
The evening was moderated by Anne Bayefsky, director of the Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust. Other participants in the program included Karen Sutton, an assistant professor of history at LCW, Dr. Steven Huberman, dean of the Graduate School of Social Work, and Dr. Alan Kadish, president and CEO of Touro College and University System.
Kadish struck a reflective note, focusing on the importance of remembering the destruction that accompanied Kristallnacht and how it changed the course of history. The existence of Touro as one of the largest Jewish institutions of higher education stands as a victory over that darkness, he said.
“Our very presence here is our greatest revenge against our aggressors,” he said. “The health and stability of Touro College and University Systems signifies the prosperity of our tradition. Every voice engaged at Touro echoes with the words ‘Am Yisrroel chai.’”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-remembers-the-night-of-broken-glass.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/hasten.JPG
November 11, 2013
128799
Touro is a National Leader in Healthcare Education [Infographic]
Students pursue careers as doctors, dentists, physical, speech and occupational therapists, physician assistants, nurses and more.
Touro is fast becoming one of the leading and largest healthcare educational systems in the U.S. According to Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish, some of the best job opportunities available now are in the healthcare field and Touro students are primed for success.
“We are redefining health science education and preparing students for the new healthcare workplace,” said Kadish. “Healthcare workers of the future will work collaboratively and so we are initiating inter-professional education programs to ensure that students get used to the concept of delivering health care as part of team, while still in school.”
In addition, the various medical specialty programs Touro sponsors are working together to conduct top-level research on major medical issues. Innovative medical education techniques at Touro include lecture-less teaching and the use of 3D holographic technology for anatomy classes at one of Touro’s five medical schools.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-is-a-national-leader-in-healthcare-education-infographic.php
February 13, 2018
125145
Remembering the Holocaust, Seventy Years Later
Touro College commemorates Yom HaShoah with reflections from multiple generations.
“The scene was surreal: a line of black shadows trudging through the snowy darkness,” began Orly Gross, LCW ’15, to a hushed audience as she described her experience visiting Auschwitz with her grandfather, a survivor. “It was eerily reminiscent of an earlier march, 70 years prior,” continued Orly, “but last time they were surrounded by Germans, clubs, barking dogs. This time, each person held a flickering candle.”
Touro College’s Lander College for Women—The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School (LCW), and Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, hosted “Commemorating Yom HaShoah: A 70-Year Perspective.” Emceed by Professor Anne Bayefsky, director of the Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, the program featured a line-up of presentations from six speakers who each reflected on another aspect of World War II.
Ruth Zimbler set the stage as she spoke about her life in Vienna before the war, describing how government rights were gradually stripped away from Jews. “When my library privileges were taken from me, as a ten-year-old…to this day, it still hurts,” she said. Her voice was somber as she spoke about watching the majestic synagogue she attended burn down in front of her eyes on Kristallnacht. Eventually, Ruth travelled to den Haag, Holland on the first Kindertransport out of Vienna.
Survivor Baruch Gross, from Slovakia, recounted his experience hiding in an attic with his father and brothers. The day he cautiously left the hiding place to see whether it was safe for all of them to reemerge, he was caught by an SS officer and sent to a concentration camp and eventually transferred to Auschwitz. Gross described being marched out of the cattle car, running, the thousands of people, the Mengele selection. “When we were taken out of the cattle cars, I saw an old-timer there, with a striped uniform. I asked him where we were. He used an expression from the Hagadah: ‘Dam, va’eish, v’simrot ashan—blood, fire and smoke.’”
After enduring starvation and beatings for a year, Gross was liberated from Buchenwald in April 1945. He spent seven weeks waiting in Buchenwald after liberation until he got a ride with an American military truck back to Czechoslovakia. From there, it was a six-day-long trek to his hometown, during which he alternated between walking and hitchhiking. Upon returning home, he faced tragedy: The majority of his immediate and extended family had been killed, including his father and brother who had died on a death march just weeks before.
Following her grandfather’s speech, Orly Gross illustrated the significance of, and urgency in, hearing survivors’ testimonies firsthand—comparing it to the experience of driving down the highway, trying to follow a car two vehicles ahead of you.
“Despite the static—the vehicle between you and the first car—you have to struggle to maintain the right direction,” she said. “That’s the experience of third-generation Holocaust survivors.”
Members of Touro College leadership also shared their reflections. Dr. Mark Hasten, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, recounted his dramatic story of fighting with the Polish Brigade against the Nazis and liberating Majdanek. After the war, he joined the IDF and fought for Israel as a soldier in the War of Independence. President and CEO Dr. Alan Kadish demonstrated how important it is to remember the words “never again” in passing on the lessons of the Holocaust to the next generation.
For the last talk of the evening, Morton A. Klein, the son of Holocaust survivors and the president of the Zionist Organization of America, passionately connected the past to contemporary politics.
“In the years leading up to the Holocaust, the world ignored Hitler's public threats to the Jews,” said Klein, who was born in a DP camp. “Today, the world is essentially ignoring the weekly threats by Iran to annihilate the Jewish state. We were ignoring threats in the 30s, and we're ignoring them again in 2015. It’s a frightening catastrophe in the making…Khomeini is the Hitler of our time.”
In closing, LCW Dean Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike left attendees a message for moving forward. “The Holocaust teaches us to think critically at what educated humans did to other humans, and to reflect on what that means for us. So I challenge everyone in the room to think: When you leave this room, what will each of you do to make this world a better place?”
The event was sponsored by Professor Anne Bayefsky, Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike, Dean of LCW, Dean Donne Kampel of the Women’s Leadership Council, and the Upper West Side Carlebach Shul.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/remembering-the-holocaust-seventy-years-later.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/17235229781_3cf9912a4c_k.jpg
April 20, 2015
125183
Q&A with Ari Zoldan, CEO of Quantum Networks
The media personality shares the secrets of his success and why he comes back to Touro again and again to recruit new talent
What made you start Quantum Networks?
We identified a need in the e-commerce marketplace for a company that could provide a much better user experience than what was already available. We knew that e-commerce was going to hit and we got in front of the curve.
What inspired you to go into this field?
I have always had a passion for technology. But more so, my experience in the start-up field and building companies came first and foremost. The product and concept was almost secondary.
What has been the high point of your career so far?
Whenever we identify top talent, that is always a high point for our company. Our high points come when we go into a new market or opportunity and we build a stellar team of talent.
What do you think is the secret to your success?
Success is different for everyone. First you must ask yourself: "how do I define success?" It’s a very personal question with complex answers. For me, it’s about finding something that I love to do and doing it well.
What do you find most rewarding about your career?
Getting up in the morning and looking forward to starting the day. In this business, no two days are alike, and there are challenges at every corner. Overcoming that with a sense of mindfulness is rewarding for me.
What is the best business advice you ever received?
Surround yourself with smarter people than yourself and take risks.
You attend the Touro Career Fair twice each year. What attracts you to Touro students and how many have you hired?
I don't know the exact count. But over the past 10 years, we have hired many students from Touro, part time, full time and summer interns. We have done very well with Touro. The combination of professionalism and dedication is what we have picked up on with the students attending Touro.
What do you look for in a potential candidate? How can a candidate make themselves stand out?
I don't care as much about past work experiences or GPA. Although these criteria are important, my main objective is finding people that are dedicated, passionate and with solid character.
What are the skills necessary to make it in today’s competitive world? How can employees make sure they are staying current?
This is a very non-academic answer, but I would say great energy. People want to work with people that emit good, positive energy. An energetic work culture is so important, and very few people get that.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/qa-with-ari-zoldan-ceo-of-quantum-networks.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2016/zoldan2.jpg
March 29, 2016
125136
We Stand with France
We stand together
The Touro College and University System, along with its Paris campus, mourns the loss of those brutally murdered in Paris. We stand together with the people of France, the global Jewish community and all those affected by these heinous acts of terror. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the victims and with those who carry on bravely in their name. May their memories be blessed and may we only have cause to stand together in celebration in the future.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/we-stand-with-france.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2014/CT-ct-french-solidarity-rally-met-0112-11-860x573-475x316.jpg
January 12, 2015
125149
Touro University Nevada Spring Commencement
New medical and educational professionals graduated
On Sunday, May 17 the university graduated 280 medical and educational professionals at its Spring Commencement ceremony. Touro graduates included physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, and osteopathic physicians.
Nearly 20% of the osteopathic medical graduates matched locally to a residency, more than twice the rate for any other medical school in Nevada. Touro is helping to meet the need for physicians here in Nevada. In all, 99% of Touro’s spring osteopathic medical graduates have residency positions.
“I am so proud of these graduates and what they have accomplished,” stated Shelley Berkley, CEO and Senior Provost of Touro University Nevada. “I know they will have successful careers in healthcare and education and be the leaders and mentors for future generations of Touro students.”
For the first time in their ten year history, during the ceremony Touro bestowed honorary doctorates on Sharon Sigesmund Pierce and Stephen C. Pierce who have demonstrated a dedication and commitment to the Jewish community of Southern Nevada and provided Touro generous support for the expansion of the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. Through their gift, the university will double the capacity of the Autism Center and better meet the increasing needs of families in the community.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-university-nevada-spring-commencement.php
June 01, 2015
125170
History Can Wait
Touro University Nevada DO student Riutzel aims to heal patients before they get sick
Kevin Riutzel isn’t majoring in history. He is making it. An osteopathic medical student at Touro University Nevada (TUN), Riutzel is the national president of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA), the first time in the group’s 19 year history that its leader is an osteopathic medical student. And he has just been re-elected to a second term. But Riutzel hasn’t got time for celebratory toasts.
As a third year student who will graduate in 2016, Riutzel is busy with clerkships in a variety of medical specialties, among them, family medicine and infectious diseases. He chose to pursue a career in osteopathic medicine after spending two years in the real world as an Emergency Medical Technician in San Diego, California. He understood the need for emergency medications, but wanted to practice the kind of medicine that included a heavy dose of holistic health.
The clincher came when Riutzel attended a medical conference, which included an osteopathic workshop. He was hooked personally and professionally. Turns out, he had been suffering for a year with severe pain from temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ). From an osteopathic physician, he learned how to perform manipulations on his jaw for relief. “A few days later, my pain was resolved and I’ve never had it since,” he says. “I knew this was the path for me."
Riutzel's passion is preventative medicine. “I would love to end up in a place in this profession where I can render one-on-one patient care while at the same time develop policies that will affect thousands of people, saving our healthcare system billions of dollars and saving families a lot of suffering,” he says.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/history-can-wait.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/resizedKevinRuitzel.jpg
August 24, 2015
125171
Entertaining Opportunity
Damon Romine succeeded in Hollywood, expanded his horizons at Touro University Worldwide
Reared in rural Carbondale, Kansas, Damon Romine knew early on that the Midwest was not his soul’s home: “I’d been bitten by the entertainment bug,” he says. “The day after graduation from the University of Missouri, I packed up the car and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment-related communications.”
He has done very well, indeed, in La La Land. Romine is National Director of Communications & Marketing for SAG-AFTRA, the union representing some 160,000 actors, broadcasters and recording artists. He helped shepherd the historic merger campaign that brought together SAG and AFTRA in 2012, and he manages the union’s external communications, including crisis management, member relations and an award-winning magazine. An author of two books, Romine also is considered an expert on the impact that popular culture has on attitudes and values.
Not one to rest on his bouquet of laurels, Romine decided he wanted a Master’s Degree, and discovered the perfect program for him was Touro’s Master of Arts degree in Media and Communications Psychology. Surprising to absolutely no one who knows him, Romine not only earned his degree in 2013, he was class Valedictorian.
Able to take all his courses online was the tipping point in Touro’s favor, he reveals. “That solidified my decision,” Romine says. “Even though I was already working in the field, the program provided me an important understanding of the theories and strategy behind the work I do, so much so that I was able to immediately apply this critical thinking to my work.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/entertaining-opportunity.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/resizedDamon_Romine_2015.jpg
August 24, 2015
125180
Women’s History Day 2016
Women’s Leadership Council Presents
Roles of Women in Academic Leadership, a panel discussion
In celebration of Women’s History Day, the Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) at Touro College will present “Roles of Women in Academic Leadership,” a panel discussion, Tuesday, March 8 from 12-2 p.m.
Dr. Donne Kampel, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, will moderate a lively forum featuring Touro College New York’s top women executives: Nadja Graff, Vice President of the Division of Graduate Studies; Eva Spinelli-Sexter, Executive Administrative Dean and Vice President of NYSCAS (New York School of Career and Applied Studies); Marian Stoltz-Loike, Dean of Lander College for Women and Vice President of Online Education; and Sabra Brock, Interim Dean of the Graduate School of Business.
“This is a big event for us and I am thrilled about our program,” said Dean Kampel, founder of the WLC, and author of the book, Learning Leadership: Women Presidents of Colleges and Universities. “The WLC is honored to have four academic administrators from diverse backgrounds −some have started in the corporate world, others have spent their entire careers in academia− making them particularly well-suited for a broad discussion of women in leadership in higher education,” said Dean Kampel.
The women will present overviews of their careers, touching on such topics as: advantages of role models and mentors, barriers to progress, and positive changes that have helped women move forward.
“From their unique career and life perspectives, our panelists will share their different beginnings and paths, and what they believe women of today –both Gen X’ers and Millennials− can expect on their journey through the academic pipeline,” said Dean Kampel.
The program will also examine ongoing challenges in academia, asking why, for example, women represent 50 percent of student enrollment but only 24 percent of college presidencies.
Launched in 2011, the goals of the WLC are to encourage and empower women to lead lives that are successful, personally satisfying, and rewarding. The WLC has sponsored a dozen events over the last three years that have addressed issues such as women and safety, finance, and the Holocaust, and have featured esteemed faculty and thought leaders from Touro’s Lander College for Women and the Graduate School of Business.
“These women are amazing,” said Dean Kampel of the guest speakers to appear at the March 8 event. They are our own leaders, people whom other women want to hear from,” she said, adding, “I don’t know of a woman who wouldn’t benefit from this special opportunity.”
The discussion is open to the entire Touro College campus community and will take place at 500 7th Ave. 4th floor, rooms 415/419. A light lunch will be served following the discussion. Space is limited and reservations are strongly encouraged. Please RSVP by Thursday, Feb. 25 to marlen.perdomo@touro.edu, or call 212-463-0400 x5358.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/womens-history-day-2016.php
February 18, 2016
125100
TUC Welcomes new CEO & Senior Provost, Shelley Berkley
Former Congresswoman to Oversee Touro's Western Division
Touro University California graciously welcomed Shelley Berkley, the new CEO and Senior Provost of Touro’s Western Division, to the campus on January 13th, where faculty, staff, students, and community members had an opportunity to meet the former Nevada Congresswoman.
Dr. Alan Kadish, President of the Touro College and University System, together with Dr. Marilyn Hopkins, COO and Provost of TUC, led the introductions during a mid-day meeting inside Lander Hall A.
During Berkley’s speech, she expressed her views on Touro and her expectation of the California campus.
“Touro is a very well-kept secret and I plan on changing that,” Berkley said. “With outstanding faculty and deans committed to delivering the best education and with talented students anxious to learn and serve, we can achieve greatness in making Touro a household name.”
Berkley will oversee both the California and Nevada campuses, spending two days a week on Mare Island.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/tuc-welcomes-new-ceo--senior-provost-shelley-berkley--.php
January 16, 2014
125110
Tribute to Vice President Anthony J. Polemeni
February 1, 1935 - May 22, 2014
In the movie classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George Bailey learns how his life touched so many others. Such was true of Dr. Anthony J. Polemeni, former vice-president of the Touro College Division of Graduate Studies, who regrettably passed away on May 22, 2014.
Dr. Polemeni led by example. His love of people was demonstrated by his open door policy. He welcomed any and all students, faculty, and staff and generously offered his advice and guidance.
“Dr. Polemeni was an outstanding educator, leader, colleague and friend. His legacy, in addition to his wonderful family whom he cherished, will be the exceptional academic programs, which he built and nurtured during his distinguished career…especially at Touro,” said Touro President and CEO Dr. Alan Kadish.
Dr. Polemeni’s story began in Brooklyn as a son of Italian immigrants. He received his baccalaureate degree (Summa Cum Laude) from St. Francis College, and a master’s degree from Columbia University. He earned his Ph.D. from St. John’s University.
Over the years, Dr. Polemeni held many positions within the world of education, from teacher of French to director of research evaluation for the New York City Board of Education. Under his leadership, New York City developed the first secure standardized test and the Language Assessment Battery (LAB), which is still being used in schools today.
After leaving public education in the late 1970s, Dr. Polemeni embarked on a successful career in international business. His travels would take him around the world and back again. In 1997, he returned to education as the director of the Graduate School of Education at Mercy College’s Bronx campus. In 2001, Dr. Polemeni joined the Touro College family as dean of the Graduate School of Education & Psychology. When he assumed this position, the school had an enrollment of approximately 500 students. During his administrative tenure, the student population swelled to more than 5,000, making Touro the largest graduate school of education in New York State.
In 2008, in recognition of his outstanding leadership and many accomplishments Touro’s Founding President Dr. Bernard Lander selected Dr. Polemeni to be the inaugural vice president of the newly-formed Division of Graduate Studies, which includes all seven of Touro’s graduate schools. It is only fitting that the words used by Dr. Polemeni of his mentor, Dr. Bernard Lander, can be said of him: “We applaud his willingness to allow new ideas and programs to develop in order to provide Touro students with high quality instruction and a variety of experiences that can be translated into the best teaching and administrative practices in the schools.”
Dr. Polemeni was awarded the prestigious “Educator of the Year” award in 2007 from Columbia University Teacher’s College, Phi Delta Kappa Chapter. The event was held at Columbia, where Dr. Lander remarked, “Dr. Polemeni is a very special person at Touro, one for whom I have utmost admiration.”
In 2010, Dr. Polemeni was honored by the Association of Orthodox Jewish Teachers and received its Higher Education Distinguished Leadership Award. In the New York State Legislative Resolution of April 25, 2010, the legislation described Dr. Polemeni as one whose life has been “committed to the pursuit of excellence in the education of the youth of the Empire State.”
Dr. Polemeni is survived by his devoted wife of 49 years, Martha, and their four successful children and 10 grandchildren.
Indeed, Dr. Polemeni touched the lives of thousands and gave them the opportunity to have “a wonderful life.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/tribute-to-vice-president-anthony-j-polemeni.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2014/InMemoriam_Polemeni.jpg.jpeg
May 23, 2014
125169
Showing the Flag
Touro University California student Landau rallies to restore historic landmark
Zachary Landau is as bullish on Touro University California as he is on America. And that’s no small devotion. The future osteopathic physician not only works hard in his academic studies but uses any spare moments rallying students and the local community, and raising money to re-establish a campus landmark: the flagpole at Mare Island Hospital.
Built in 1869, the hospital campus and shipyard has served tens of thousands of sailors throughout every world war and conflict until 1996. Atop the 100-foot Mare Island flagpole, made of steel and built to resemble the masts of the great ships of the U.S. Navy, proudly flew the American flag. In need of renovations, the flag was last raised on September 11, 2002.
Thanks to Landau’s steadfastness, on May 15, from that flagpole Old Glory will once soar anew. Fittingly, Landau is not only a student. He also happens to be an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
“Patriotism is something that should be felt on our campus,” says Landau, who will graduate in 2016. "It is pride. It is purpose. With our history on Mare Island, and our many graduates serving the country here and abroad, we need the flag flown. From kindergarten to college, every school I have attended has raised a flag.”
Landau is proud to proclaim that Touro California continues that tradition.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/showing-the-flag.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/resizedLandauZachary(3).jpg
August 24, 2015
125189
TouroOne Builder Day
June 30 marked as an appreciation day to thank all those who helped make the project a success.
In recognition of the dedication of hundreds of Touro employees who spent the better part of two years working on Touro's "Project Enterprise," Dr. Alan Kadish has designated June 30 as "TouroOne Builder Day."
###### Slideshow #####
TouroOne is the outgrowth of Project Enterprise, a successful effort to unite Touro College and University Systems' (TCUS) numerous campuses administratively, so they are operating – as the name suggests – as an integrated unit and in a consistent manner. TouroOne encompasses finance, student services, financial aid, human resources and related systems throughout the TCUS.
"Touro has committed considerable financial and human resources toward this monumental project and I want to express my deep appreciation for the tremendous efforts of the many who went far beyond the call of duty to bring it to fruition," said Alan Kadish, M.D., President of TCUS . "The collaboration across so many schools and departments is what led to this extraordinary success, and our ability to implement this major and much-needed change."
Employees who contributed to the TouroOne initiative will receive a gift card for lunch, a certificate and a TouroOne "Builder" pin, as well as an extra vacation day* on July 1, for all Touro campuses except Touro University Nevada (TUN). In addition, we're pleased to announce that these Touro campuses will close at noon on Friday, July 1 for all employees, in recognition of the hard work and institution-wide cooperation that was put forth for this project. Since student orientation at TUN is scheduled for July 1, TouroOne Builders and other staff on that campus will receive comparable time added to their personal leave bank.
"We are encouraging those staff members who have been designated ‘TouroOne Builders' to wear their pins on all campuses on June 30," said Dr. Mark Hasten, Chairman of the Board of TCUS, "and urging all employees to reach out and thank their colleagues for making this program a reality. They have all worked to build an even stronger Touro College and University System, and we are all grateful for their efforts."
* This time off is provided to employees with the approval of their Dean or Director, as long as they do not have any student or onsite responsibilities.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touroone-builder-day-.php
June 26, 2016
125212
Touro University California Celebrates its 17th Commencement
401 Students Graduate From the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Education and Health Sciences, and the College of Pharmacy.
Graduates and their families flocked to the Zellerbach Theater in Berkeley, CA, May 22nd and 23rd for the 17th commencement of Touro University California (TUC). A total of 401 students representing each of the three colleges graduated, ready to embrace promising futures as medical care providers, practitioners of public health, and educators. These ceremonies were held over two days, representing the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Education and Health Sciences, and the College of Pharmacy.
“Today is truly a celebration of their hard work and dedication to their education and goals,” said Shelley Berkley, CEO and Senior Provost of the Touro Western Division. “At Touro, we are extremely committed to our local communities receiving the very best healthcare providers and educators.”
Shortly into the program, students were given a heartfelt speech by Dr. Alan Kadish, President of the Touro College and University System, who flew across the country to congratulate the future alums. “We know we have set the standard very high for you, and we know you will meet it as those before you have,” he said to a filled auditorium.
This year also marks the final commencement for TUC’s Provost and COO, Dr. Marilyn Hopkins. Dr. Hopkins was conferred with emeritus status by the university for her stalwart leadership and commitment to the advancement of Touro students. Dr. Hopkins will retire with more than 39 years administrative and teaching experience in higher education.
“During her seven and a half years at Touro University California, she has changed the landscape of the campus by creating a vision centered on students and their learning experience at this great University,” remarked Senior Provost Berkley.
Dr. Jim O’Connor was also honored with emeritus status for his more than 10 years of service. Dr. O’Connor will step down as Dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences to return to teaching. Under Dr. O’Connor’s leadership, the college grew to four units: the joint Physician Assistant and Public Health program, the Public Health Program, the Graduate School of Education, and the School of Nursing
“Dr. O’Connor has created a welcoming environment and values the strengths of every faculty, staff, and student, and he sees the College of Education and Health Sciences as a family,” commended Dr. Hopkins.
Guest speakers at the ceremonies included Dr. Ronald Blanck, Lieutenant General U.S. Army, Retired, and Dr. Jessica Nunez de Ybarra, who serves as the Chronic Disease Control Branch Chief in the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
Dr. Blank imparted, “As you work in the ever changing practice environment, remember that medicine rests on values which are fundamental and do not change. These values are: respect for patients and colleagues, honesty in all of your dealings, and selfless service. Patient above self.”
Student speakers included Robin Martin of the College of Osteopathic Medicine; Lisa Gottfried of the Graduate School of Education; Madelyn Garcia of the Public Health Program; Jimmy Bui of the Joint Physician Assistant/Public Health Program; Jason Hebard of the School of Nursing; and Franklin Gough of the College of Pharmacy.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-university-california-celebrates-its-17th-commencement.php
May 26, 2017
125096
Creating Jewish Synergy
Touro fosters strong bonds with NCSY through students’ continued involvement
New York, N.Y. – Eli Weinstein attended his first National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) program when he was in seventh grade. The program made a big impact on his life, “creating a love and excitement about Judaism,” according to the Lander College for Men (LCM) senior.
The program made such an impact that he wanted to give back.
Today, he is an advisor to high school students, chaperoning and creating programs at regional Shabbatons. A student at Touro College, he credits the youth program with giving his father a more religious grounding, and hence, changing his family’s direction.
“My family wouldn’t be religious without NCSY, and I felt I should give back,” says the psychology major. “It’s important to help the next generation to have an understanding and an excitement about Judaism.”
Weinstein is not alone among his fellow Touro students. Hundreds of NCSYers matriculate throughout the university system. And many feel a need to give their time and energy to the organization. Their continued involvement is a natural one in the longstanding relationship between the college and the Orthodox Union’s youth program.
The roots of that connection are deep. Dr. Bernard Lander, the founder of Touro College, was a driving force behind NCSY, which was founded in 1954. The organization has been giving scholarships since 1974 to promising NCSY participants to attend the college.
Dr. David Luchins, the chair and founding dean of the political science department at Lander College for Women-The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School (LCW), is also a senior national vice-president of the Orthodox Union and annually chairs the NCSY Ben Zakkai Honor Society reception with his wife, Vivian. Rabbi Moshe Krupka, the executive vice president and ombudsman at Touro, served as regional director of NCSY and in other high-level positions with the organization for two decades, including as national executive director of the Orthodox Union ,the parent organization of NCSY.
It’s a mutually beneficial relationship that helps put Touro on the radar of prospective students who see the college-age advisors as role models to emulate, according to Luchins, “It makes it more likely a student will apply, and that’s a side benefit to Touro.”
The main benefit, however, is to the student advisors, who “hone their leadership skills and get a sense of being part of a larger community,” says Luchins. “They derive a sense of responsibility to give back by mentoring other NCSYers.”
Rabbi Micah Greenland, the interim international director of NCSY, would agree. Students gain powerful leadership experience by serving as advisors, he says, while providing younger students with role models to emulate.
“It’s a natural partnership,” he said of the bond between Touro and NCSY. “The Lander colleges can be an outstanding destination for our graduates, where the inspiration they feel in NCSY can be actualized through a university environment where they pursue a quality academic program in a Jewishly growth-oriented atmosphere.
“And it goes the other way, as well.”
As Luchins points out, NCSYers fill the leadership ranks at the Lander colleges, which include LCM, LCW, and Lander College of Arts and Sciences, where Bari Fuchs, a psychology major attends. A recipient of a Touro scholarship through NCSY’s Ben Zakkai Honor Society, Fuchs was president of the organization’s New York region when she was in high school. Today she serves as an advisor to NCSY participants in Portland, Ore., where there isn’t any yeshiva and most of the students attend the public schools.
“All the teens genuinely want to learn about Judaism, which is pretty cool,” says Fuchs. “I love it, honestly.”
Fuchs says she draws as much from her experience as an advisor as she gives to it. Seeing students from less observant backgrounds grow more religious is gratifying to her and something she understands from personal experience.
Watching high schools students come into their own Jewishly has been very gratifying for Shira Prero, a senior at LCW from Chicago. Prero did not spend her high school years in NCSY, but she has made up for it since, serving as an advisor on NCSY Give, a summer travel program for girls, and as an assistant director for NCSY’s Jolt – Jewish Overseas Leadership Training – program. Now she serves as regional advisor to the Midwest region.
During her stints in the NCSY summer programs, she has seen that if a participant likes his or her advisor, they are usually curious about the advisor’s college. The next thing they want to do is come to an open house, she says.
“It’s a loving, caring community,” she says. “Being a part of it helps me give back to Touro.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/creating-jewish-synergy--.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/press-releases/2013-pr/shiraprero2.jpg
December 12, 2013
125209
High Tech: Take 5 with Shikander Hoque, IBM Award Winner
"Technology is Changing the Way Lives are Lived"
1) How did you become interested in technology and when did you know this would be your career path?
I became interested in technology while I was an undergraduate economics student at ShahJalal University of Science and Technology in Bangladesh. In my second semester, I took Introduction to Computer Application as a first elective course. I enjoyed it and realized that computers and evolving technology are changing the way lives are lived. I also took another elective course, database management and programming for social sciences. This course also made me realize that in the future, database systems will be widely used by many sectors, especially finance and telecommunications. I felt that my interests in technology and database systems would greatly help me achieve professional success.
When I moved to the United States, I found the Graduate School of Technology (GST) at Touro, which offered a Master of Science degree in Information systems with a concentration in database systems. While I successfully completed my “bridge” prerequisite courses related to database systems, I confirmed I was on the right track in my career path. I’m now on pace to graduate in May 2018.
2) What is the IBM Academic Initiative and how has it furthered your interest in the field?
The IBM Academic Initiative program partners with academic institutions worldwide to build a pipeline of skilled students for the IT jobs of tomorrow. It introduces the mainframe world (z Systems) to students at colleges and universities around the globe. The company supplies teaching materials, curricula, and virtual access to z Systems machines so students can get real experience. At Touro, for example, the Graduate School of Technology teaches mainframe courses such as DB2 Systems Administration I and DB2 System Administration II as an elective course in information systems.
The IBM Academic Initiative has furthered my interest in the field. It will allow academic members to identify my internship and job potential. Joining a company as an intern builds my experience and gives me the opportunity to work hands on in a professional environment. It will help me find new job opportunities since I know employers are much more likely to hire someone with internships and work experience in the field.
3) What does the IBM Scholarship recognize?
The scholarship was awarded to top technology students who expressed a desire for a career in the mainframe world (z-Systems). Students needed to demonstrate an understanding and aptitude for z-Systems and a desire to grow professionally in the z-Systems world. The professors at GST encouraged me to apply for this scholarship and I was thrilled to be one of five students nationwide who received it.
4) What are your career plans? What type of setting do you see yourself working in?
Right now, I am working as a Traffic Enforcement Agent in the New York City Police Department. After completing my masters in information systems, my plan is to work as a Database Administrator in any government agency. I am excited to utilize my knowledge and performance in enterprise systems.
My goal is to be responsible for working with project managers and end users in developing technology solutions for business needs. I enjoy working with people who are committed to moving the needle and who are passionate about their work. I like to work in an environment where productivity is high, and the employees have a sense of commitment.
5) How has Touro helped prepare you for the workplace?
First, an M.S. degree in information systems with concentration in database systems is designed to enhance my technical skills. GST faculty members are committed to teaching excellence, as reflected in their comprehensive and engaging curriculum. Touro GST professors are eager to share their years of hands on experience and real world knowledge in the classroom. In addition, the career services director is an experienced professional who develops and sustain relationships with employers, connecting them with students and helping us pursue our career path.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/high-tech-take-5-with-shikander-hoque-ibm-award-winner.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2017/Shikanderresized.jpg
March 31, 2017
125131
Touro College Mourns the Murders of HaRav Moshe Twersky, HaRav Avraham Shmuel Goldberg, HaRav Kalman Zeev Levine and HaRav Aryeh Kupinsky
Message from Touro College
May their memories be for a blessing.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-college-mourns-the-murders-of-harav-moshe-twersky-harav-avraham-shmuel-goldberg-harav-kalman-zeev-levine-and-harav-aryeh-kupinsky.php
November 18, 2014
125216
Touro Law Students Named Catalyst Fellows
3 top achievers to work in civil law, criminal justice and services for people with disabilities
Central Islip, NY – Three Touro Law Center students are beginning their careers in public service this summer with the support of prestigious Catalyst Public Service Fellowships.
Madeleine Laser, of Holbrook, is working with the Long Island Advocacy Center, a non-profit that protects the rights of students with disabilities; Kristen Lomando, of Sayville, is working at the Civil Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, in Central Islip; and Megan Mulholland, of Bayport, is working at the Criminal Division of that office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District is one of the nation’s premier litigation offices, representing the United States in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Nassau and Suffolk.
Law Center Dean Harry Ballan stated, “The Touro family is proud of these three students who were chosen for their academic excellence and commitment to public service. The Catalyst Fellowships provide a great opportunity for them to gain valuable practical training while experiencing the satisfactions of public service. I know each of these students will excel.”
Catalyst Fellowships are funded by New York State Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, with surplus campaign funds from her service as Westchester District Attorney. The fellowships provide funding to encourage outstanding first-year law students to take public interest and public service legal jobs that would otherwise be unpaid.
Some details about the new fellows:
Ms. Laser has a background in Human Services and was influenced to earn a law degree so she could become an advocate for students with special needs and their families. She has seen first-hand the difficulty that individuals with special needs experience when trying to have their educational needs met. “My family advocated for my sister who has autism and diabetes. I have witnessed advocacy at its best and have been inspired to help others in similar situations.”
Ms. Lomando’s desire to help others was instilled by her family, who taught her that serving the community is a privilege. She looks forward to learning more about the role of a U.S. Attorney and to furthering both her experience and her dedication to the community. She said, “I believe public service is deeply rewarding and I would be honored to be able to work with my community after graduation.” She hopes to one day work in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Megan Mulholland’s desire to serve the public as a government attorney is inspired by her father, who served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. She said, “I believe public interest work holds the promise of intrinsic reward and increased career fulfillment. I aspire to serve one day as a federal prosecutor. I am eager to learn more about the U.S. Attorney’s mission and role in our government as well as what it is like to be part of the U.S. Attorney’s team.”
Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law is located adjacent to both a state and a federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York. Touro Law’s proximity to the courthouses, coupled with programming developed to integrate the courtroom into the classroom, provide a one-of-a kind learning experience for law students, combining a rigorous curriculum taught by expert faculty with a practical courtroom experience. Touro Law is dedicated to providing hands-on learning that enables students to gain experience while offering much-needed legal services in the community.
Touro Law, which has an alumni base of more than 6,000, offers full- and part-time J.D. programs where students can earn a degree in 2, 3, 4 or 5 years and provides four areas of concentration. Touro Law offers several dual degree programs and graduate law programs for US and foreign law graduates, including a new online LL.M. in Aging & Longevity Law. Touro Law Center is part of the Touro College system.
About the Touro College and University System
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 18,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has 30 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: www.touro.edu/news.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-law-students-named-catalyst-fellows.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/press-releases/2017/TouroLawFellows.jpg
June 16, 2017
125140
Touro Law: Doing Well by Doing Good
Thanks to TLC’s new law incubator, graduates are building their own firms while providing low-cost legal services to the underserved.
Incubator programs are gaining popularity both nationally and internationally as a practical resource for new lawyers and a means to bridge the justice gap in underserved communities. At the head of this new trend is Touro Law Center (TLC)’s new incubator, the Community Justice Center of Long Island, which helps Touro graduates build their own law firms while serving the community in Suffolk County.
Incubator programs are gaining popularity both nationally and internationally as a practical resource for new lawyers and a means to bridge the justice gap in underserved communities. At the head of this new trend is Touro Law Center (TLC)’s new incubator, the Community Justice Center of Long Island, which helps Touro graduates build their own law firms while serving the community in Suffolk County.
“When students graduate from law school, they need a helping hand,” says Professor Fred Rooney, a longtime advocate of incubator programs and Director of Touro’s International Justice Center for Post-Graduate Development. “Incubator programs provide very concrete and practical ways for lawyers to develop their skills.”
Statistics show that 70% of lawyers in private practice operate in small or solo firms. “More than just the substance of the law, our graduates need to understand how to operate, manage, and build a law practice,” says Professor Meredith Miller, Associate Professor of Law and Director of Solo and Small Practice Initiatives at Touro Law.
And the incubator allows them to do both. While developing their business and legal skills as newly minted lawyers, TLC graduates take on pro-bono or low-bono cases for underserved individuals—without worrying about high overhead costs. The incubator offers affordable office space, mentorship, training—and a sense of camaraderie.
“Without the incubator, I’m not sure I would have been brave enough to start my own practice right off the bat, even though that’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” says Keri Mahoney, Esq. ’14.
Tiffany Moseley, Esq. ’12, agrees. Having the basics taken care of is a huge bonus, she says. “When you become part of the incubator, you hit the ground running.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-law-doing-well-by-doing-good.php
April 14, 2015
125186
Darren Stakey: A Sense of Purpose
Meet Touro Law alumnus Darren Stakey, Class of 2015 salutatorian
Born and raised on his family’s farm, Long Island native Darren Stakey (Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center ‘15) first explored several other industries before settling on law. After graduating from college, he became involved in private aviation, interacting with dozens of celebrities and upper-crust officials as he handled their flights into JFK Airport. At the same time, he pursued music—singing at Carnegie Hall at age seventeen and recording his first album by 2007. As both his aviation and music careers were winding down, Darren, unsure of where he was headed, decided to apply to law school.
Taking a leap of faith, Darren studied for, and passed, the LSAT. He applied to many law schools, but chose Touro Law Center (TLC) for the “feeling of home” it possessed.
“It’s been the career of Benjamin Button,” he says, laughing. “I’ve been very lucky.”
As soon as he enrolled in Touro’s Law Center, Darren became active in volunteer work, rushing to join Touro’s efforts in Hurricane Sandy relief. “I was inspired to join the civic mindedness that Touro Law is all about,” he says. “I realized how important it is to take up the mantle for those who are underserved – both in my local community and nationwide. There’s an access to justice crisis in America. For me, going to law school was a way for me to fix that crisis.”
Before even being admitted as a lawyer, Darren fulfilled over 700 hours of pro-bono work for TLC programs like the Billy Joel and the Law Symposium and the HEART hotline. The summer after he graduated, he raised $10,000 for Autism Speaks by performing a four-day song and piano marathon—which broke two Guinness World Records.
While Darren was initially considering entertainment law, the alumnus shifted focus after graduation—where he presented the class address as salutatorian. Now dreaming of becoming a judge or politician, he recently accepted a clerkship position at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
“You can't leave Touro without having that feeling instilled in you to help the public. It’s just so much a part of the culture.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/darren-stakey-a-sense-of-purpose.php
May 23, 2016
125083
Rabbi Yonason Sacks on Parsha: Logical Mitzvos
Rabbi Sacks, Rosh HaYeshiva at Lander College for Men/Beis Medrash L'Talmud, on Parshas Noach
Rabbi Sacks discusses the nature of a Ben Noach's obligation to observe certain mitzvos.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/rabbi-yonason-sacks-on-parsha-logical-mitzvos.php
October 03, 2013
125084
Rabbi Shmulewitz on Parsha: The Proper Environment
Rabbi Yehuda Shmulewitz, Menahel at Lander College for Men/Beis Medrash L'Talmud, on Parshas Noach
Noach's ark represents the ideal environment for maintaining a pure relationship with Hashem
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/rabbi-shmulewitz-on-parsha-the-proper-environment.php
October 03, 2013
125088
Dressed for success at Touro’s career fair
With resumes and high hopes, students get their foot in the door
Buttoned downed and suited up, they stood in lines. Some came to speak with representatives of the accounting firms, others sought to match their skills to marketing needs.
Whatever they were seeking, as they neared the front of their respective queues, participants in Touro College’s semi-annual career fair nervously double checked their resumes. This was their big chance to interview face-to-face, learn about the 32 participating companies and non-profits, and make that all-important first impression without leaving the gymnasium at Lander College for Women-The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School (LCW).
“It’s a chance to learn about different companies and different opportunities,” said Avraham Young, an accounting major in his junior year at Lander College for Men. “I’m looking forward to making connections, meeting people and possibly, hopefully, landing a summer internship.”
He wasn’t alone in his hopes. Approximately 145 students turned up at the event, which is held twice a year, with similar aspirations.
S. Ronald Ansel, director of career services at Touro, has been overseeing the career fair for the past eight years, has seen it grow, providing a beneficial forum for students. While the event offers actual interviews with representatives of a variety of companies, governmental and non-profit organizations, the lead up to it is just as important he says. His office helps prepare students for what to expect, coaching them on everything from writing a resume to how to dress the part with a 55-minute prep class.
“It forces them to create a professional resume,” said Ansel, who runs a tight ship, and requires students to adhere to the college’s interviewing standards. “It encourages them to dress right and they experience what it’s like to be interviewed.”
Although Ansel and his staff primarily serve Lander College for Men (LCM), Lander College for Arts and Sciences (LAS) and LCW, the fair is open to students from all the Touro schools. This year’s fair included participants from Machon LParnasa, New York School for Career and Applied Studies, and the School for Lifelong Education.
Many of the interviewers themselves are Touro graduates, staffing the tables at Deloitte, KPMG and EisnerAmper LLP. The event tips somewhat toward accounting because Touro’s program is well-respected, and the firms have had success at the career fair, Ansel said. Within two days of the event 28 of the accounting students who interviewed received invitations for follow up interviews, he said.
Nonetheless, other organizations, such as non-profits like the Jewish Community Relations Council and Areyvut; Escalate, a marketing firm; and the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services, come seeking young up-and-comers. Even JSpace, an online Jewish portal and Juice Generation, had tables.
Seeing Touro graduates on the other side of the table helps put the interviewing students at ease, according to Shammai Beienenstock, a professor of accounting at the Flatbush campus. For him, it was a chance to “shep nachas,” seeing current students interviewing with former students, who have succeeded.
“To see our students sitting there, it’s indescribable,” he said. “And it’s a tremendous benefit to the ones interviewing. They see that they are able to walk the walk and talk the talk.”
LCW senior Alana Cohen was hoping her degree in psychology combined with her sales experience would work to her advantage. She credited Sarri Singer, LCW’s assistant director of career services with being a “lifesaver.”
“I was up until 10, working on my resume last night and she was there, helping. It was very impressive,” Cohen said.
Cohen is hoping those last minute touches will pay off when she interviews. The career fair “seems to be a really good thing. People are very forthcoming about what they do and what’s available.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/dressed-for-success-at-touros-career-fair.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/lander-college-for-women/TouroCareerFair2013027.JPG
October 24, 2013
125102
Touro Professors 'Excite and Ignite'
Faculty Panel Focuses on Bringing Out the Best in Our Students
Want your students to sit up and take notice? Try music and laughter.
Such was a key takeaway from a Touro College faculty panel entitled, “Lighting the Spark to Bring Out Our Students' Best,” which focused on effective techniques to engage students and transform classrooms into proactive, productive learning environments. Consisting of Gena Bardwell and Richard Green, both of Touro’s department of Speech and Communication, and Thomas Rozinski of the department of Political Science, the panel produced a lively discussion that explored the power and importance of language, audience and music.
Noting that she’s encountered a fair share of nervous students who are hesitant to participate in classroom discussions, Bardwell advised teachers to help build up student's confidence by making them fall in love with the sound of their own voices.
“Language is there to excite and ignite,” she said.
When preparing students for public speaking, Green said he tries to make students comfortable by having them tell personal stories and letting them generate their own ideas for speeches.
Rozinski stressed that music is a particularly powerful tool for engagement. To demonstrate how he helps his political science students understand the complex concept of justice described in Plato’s "Republic," Rozinskig played the catchy “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” a song from the musical “Guys and Dolls.”
“Music has a specific set of vivid memory cues,” he said.
As the music and laughter spilled out of the assembly room, there was no doubt this panel put its best practices to use by engaging the rapt audience of faculty members—all of whom appeared eager to try out the panelists’ advice in their own classrooms.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-professors-excite-and-ignite.php
March 19, 2014
125122
Touro College mourns the murder of Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach
Message from Touro College
May their memories be for a blessing.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-college-mourns-the-murder-of-naftali-fraenkel-gilad-shaar-and-eyal-yifrach.php
July 01, 2014
125124
Touro College in Russia Essential to Jewish Continuity
Touro Representatives Visit Moscow
Touro College is a global network of institutions of higher education, and on June 9, 2014, Dr. Robert Goldschmidt, vice president for planning and assessment, and Rabbi Dr. Simcha Fishbane, executive assistant to the president, touched down in Moscow to visit the local Touro campuses. While brief, their two-day trip to the Russian capital included many important meetings at Touro’s Lander Institute of Jewish Studies and Moscow University Touro, an independent institution. During the visit, they assessed the schools’ compliance with the accreditation standards of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and they met Rabbi Berel Lazar, the Chief Rabbi of Russia. While the primary focus was academic oversight, the most gratifying aspect of the visit was hearing about the great impact Touro has within the Russian Jewish community.
Rabbi Lazar, during an official dinner meeting, confirmed the wide-ranging impact of Touro’s programs. He expressed his strong support for the mission of Touro College, which he considers essential and central to Jewish continuity in the Russian Federation. “Touro’s presence helps advance Jewish education in the former Soviet Union, which, in effect, fosters awareness of the Jewish heritage to many unaffiliated Jews,” said the Chief Rabbi.
Dean Goldschmidt, in his role as Middle States accreditation liaison, and Dr. Fishbane, as liaison to Moscow, went to assist the leadership, faculty, staff and students in Moscow. “We went,” said Dr. Fishbane, “to review and improve the standards required of Touro College and offer guidance on reaching those goals.”
Touro has had a presence in Russia, then the Soviet Union, since the early 1990s. “We were, I believe,” said Dean Goldschmidt, “the first and only American institution to give students in Moscow the opportunity to pursue and earn a U.S. accredited college degree, credentials which empower students in the local job market.”
The Lander Institute of Jewish Studies offers a bachelor degree with a major in Jewish Studies, as well as many courses in business and computer science, and Moscow University Touro (MUT) offers a bachelor in business management and an MBA.
Of all the meetings, Dean Goldschmidt found those held with the students were the most rewarding. They spoke of their dreams and goals, which included positions in Jewish education and communal service, as well as establishing their own businesses or working for foreign companies with branches in Moscow. With American degrees, they believe that they can present themselves as the best candidates. The students were extremely enthusiastic about their programs of study, and praised their educational experience.
One young lady’s dedication to her education at the Lander Institute of Jewish Studies made a particular impression. Returning home for break entails a 27-hour train ride. “I marveled at the fact that she was seeking out the education that we offer,” said Dean Goldschmidt, “and that she’s traveling this long distance of 27 hours by train. To me it’s an indication that Touro is doing something of value in Russia.”
“The contribution we are making is a very significant one to the continued survival and, hopefully, the blooming of the Jewish community,” said Dean Goldschmidt.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-college-in-russia-essential-to-jewish-continuity.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2014/GoldschmidtLazarJune2014photo.jpg
July 24, 2014
125220
Touro College Stands with Las Vegas
Message from Touro President, Dr. Alan Kadish
In the wake of this week’s horrific tragedy, Touro College and University System stands with the people of Las Vegas and our students and faculty at the Touro University Nevada campus whose lives were impacted by the violence.
We mourn the senseless loss of life and our thoughts are with all of the victims and their families. We pray for the safety of everyone touched by this event and urge the Touro community to come together to support all those who are suffering in the aftermath.
As a nation, we must begin to engage in constructive discussion and serious analysis to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-college-stands-with-las-vegas.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2017/LasVegasMosaic_600x600_10.3.17.jpg
October 03, 2017
125115
Touro Manhattan Physicians Assistants Don “White Coats” as they Enter the PA Profession
30 Students complete PA program
The Touro Manhattan Physician Assistant (PA) Program held its traditional “White Coat” ceremony recently, with members of the graduating PA Class of 2014 and their families and friends gathering for the milestone event that marks the completion of the students’ studies and their official entrance into the PA profession. Thirty students, with varied educational and professional backgrounds, completed the PA program, donned their new “long” medical white coats, and recited the PA professional oath while proud faculty and family members looked on (during the clinical phase of the program, the students are required to wear “short” student lab coats that designate them as being active in the learning process).
When the students recite the PA professional oath, they pledge to put the health, safety and privacy of their patients first and adhere to the profession’s Code of Ethics. The graduates, who earned the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, are going on to work in a variety of settings under the supervision of licensed physicians, ranging from primary care providers to specialists. Many will be working with diverse patient populations, one of the missions of the program, which teaches about the impact of socioeconomic factors on health care and its availability.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-manhattan-physicians-assistants-don-white-coats-as-they-enter-the-pa-profession.php
June 03, 2014
125116
State of the System
Touro College and University System leadership attend annual conference
As the academic year comes to a close, deans and leadership gather from around the Touro College & University System for our annual internal conference to review where each school is at and where we are going. There are exciting things going on throughout our system, with more to come!
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/state-of-the-system.php
June 23, 2014
125120
Grateful Graduates
TCLA Graduates Their Ninth Class
Touro College Los Angeles held their 9th graduation on June 19, 2014 at Sapper Hall, graduating 21 students, including Chaim Lowy, the valedictorian; Moishe Cohen, recipient of the business award; Rina Kamravapour recipient of the psychology award; and Ilana Drubach, recipient of the Spirit of Touro Award.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/grateful-graduates.php
June 27, 2014
125123
Statement of Support
The Touro College and University System stands with Touro College Israel and the people of Israel.
The students, faculty and staff of Touro College Israel are currently facing difficult times. Many are exposed to daily rocket attacks clearly directed against a civilian population. The Touro College and University System stands firmly behind the State of Israel as it defends its people from terror attacks and the constant barrage of rocket fire perpetrated by Hamas, a terrorist organization bent on Israel’s destruction. We applaud the Israeli army’s unprecedented measures, taken at its own risk, to minimize civilian casualties. We send our deepest condolences to the families of the soldiers and others who have died in this conflict and wish a speedy recovery to all those who have been wounded. We pray for a swift resolution of the conflict in a way that will enable our students and faculty, as well as all those in the region, to live in peace and security.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/statement-of-support.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/mosaic/general/OperationProtectiveEdgeSupport.jpg
July 21, 2014
125167
A Matter of Ethics
Touro College Los Angeles student learned how to succeed, and how to act
When Shuli Lowy attended Touro College Los Angeles (TCLA) she expected to get the top-notch education and professional training in business, her major. What she didn’t expect was that the university would start a business ethics program that would deeply inspire her.
In 2010, the administration took note that students were troubled by so-called professionals in the area who were committing unethical business practices. In response, Dean Esther Lowy, collaborated with members of the community to incorporate a Business Ethics Certificate into the curriculum. Interested students are required to take classes in business ethics. One of the classes, taught by a judge, delves into such topics as child labor abroad and affirmative action.
“It made me think about what other people are going through and become more attentive to the full effects of our professional lifestyle,” says Lowy, the 2010 class Valedictorian, who is now the marketing director of Ping Mobile, a marketing firm. “Too often we consume products or follow workplace instruction without thinking about what it took to create those products or what the repercussions of those instructions may look like down the road.”
Lowy is grateful to TCLA for providing the fuel which inspires a lot of her work today. She’s an active member of Entwine, a subset of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), a humanitarian organization that operates in over 70 countries. She recently traveled to Ethiopia to provide humanitarian aid, and co-chaired a trip to assist the Jewish community in Turkey. Lowy is also a leader in promoting women in the tech industry and was awarded a spot in the prestigious Women in Mobile to Watch list. “My career is important,” said Lowy, “But it’s also important to be involved in meaningful pursuits and contribute to making the world a better place.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/a-matter-of-ethics.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/ShuliLowy.jpg
August 24, 2015
125197
Top 5 Career Lessons from the Chicago Cubs
By Chaim Shapiro, M.Ed
Life-long Cubs fans (like myself) will NEVER forget the 2016 Season. In case you are somehow unaware, the Chicago Cubs just won the World Series for the first time in 108 years!
To put that in perspective, Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address during the Civil War was given 87 years after the Declaration Of Independence in 1776. Add 21 years to that, and that is how long the Cubs futility lasted!
People often don’t remember, but the Cubs were the first team to play in three consecutive World Series (1906-1908) and the first to win back to back in 1907 and 1908…and then there was nothing for 108 years (including 71 years between World Series appearances).
As a Career Services professional, I have been thinking a lot about the Cubs and Career Success.
Here are the Top 5 Career Lessons we can learn from the Chicago Cubs.
1) NEVER give up: Cubs fans are famous for their optimism. 108 years is obviously a long time, but true Cubs fans approached each new season with anticipation, hoping, beyond hope, that this would be the year.
Career success doesn’t come easy for some people. But even when the down times seem to last forever, never give up. There is always hope.
2) Put your heart and soul into your work-even when you fail: When I used to go on job interviews, I would mention the fact that I am a Cubs fan (if given the chance). Usually, that was met with laughter, but I always countered with the fact that Cubs fans like me make excellent employees.
I pointed out that not many people can put their heart and soul into something to be met with regular, even gut-wrenching failure, and then pick themselves up and put the same passion into it, again and again. That is a great trait for dealing with the regular ups-and-downs of the work world.
3) Be empathetic: The other part of the World Series story line is that the Cubs opponent, the Cleveland Indians, haven’t won the World Series since 1948. As ecstatic as I was that the Cubs finally won it all this year, I felt terrible for the Cleveland fans. I know their sports pain all too well, and I hope they get their chance to celebrate as well.
Be aware of the people around you at work. Some of your most joyous career moments may occur at difficult times for your colleagues. As great as things may seem, never lose sight of the tribulations or suffering of others. Empathy makes you a much better employee and colleague.
4) It is NOT OVER until it is over: Cubs fans just felt that this year was different. This was the most optimistic I have ever seen the fan base, and yet there were times when the Cubs Season was in serious jeopardy. When the Cubs were up 3 runs in the 8th Inning of Game 7, with 4 outs to go for the Championship, and the Cubs best pitcher in the game, a Twitter friend tweeted me that she felt the game was over.
I immediately told her that it takes 27 out to wins the game and there is nothing to celebrate, unless and until, the Cubs win. No sooner had I said that, the Cubs gave up 3 quick runs and the game was tied going into the 9th.
A work project or a business deal may seem like a sure thing but nothing is really sure until after it is done. There is plenty of time to celebrate accomplishments, but never celebrate prematurely.
5) NEVER be satisfied with your success: As happy as I am that the Cubs finally won, I am not satisfied, and I hope that I can celebrate multiple championships over the next few years (like the Chicago Blackhawks).
Even when you are at the top of your professional game, there is always room for continued and greater success. The day you are satisfied with your accomplishments is the day you stop achieving. Keep winning those championships. You can never be too successful…and you also never know when a 108 year drought may begin.
Chaim Shapiro, M.Ed is Director of the Office for Student Success at Touro College
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-5-career-lessons-from-the-chicago-cubs.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2016/Cubsresized.jpg
November 03, 2016
125203
A Team Up For Technology
Touro GST Grad Wins 50K Grant for Brooklyn School
Thanks to the work of an alumna of Touro’s Graduate School of Technology and a generous grant from the Jimmy Johnson Foundation, a public school in Brooklyn will be getting a much-needed technological make-over.
Seventy-five percent of the students at P.S. 194 Raoul Wallenberg School in Brooklyn are in public housing and the majority of students live below the poverty line. The class has six older laptops for each grade.
“We wanted to give our students a fighting chance in the 21st century,” explained teacher Kathryn Malara, a 2015 graduate of Touro’s Graduate School of Technology. “Fifteen minutes on the laptop once a week won’t turn our students into effective learners.”
With that in mind, Malara spent part of her summer looking into purchasing used computers. But then she stumbled on the website of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation. The foundation, created by NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson, provides an array of grants for schools in America. One particular grant caught Malara’s eye: The Team Up For Technology grant, that gives schools funding for technology upgrades.
“I want to have all of my students delve into a myriad of technology opportunities to find their own answers to their own questions,” Malara wrote in her application. “I visualize them becoming innovative, making a difference, changing mindsets, changing hearts… starting conversations and joining them too. I want them to learn to use technology to raise awareness for causes that are important to them.”
The entire application, which Malara likens to a large “term paper,” included a detailed plan of what equipment the school would buy and how they would incorporate it into their curriculum. Out of 850 applications, Malara’s proposal was chosen as a semi-finalist.
For the semi-finalist competition, Malara decided to get the entire school involved and filmed students discussing why their school needed a technology update.
Malara received a call from the foundation last week letting her know that her PS 194 would be receiving $48,000 for new technology.
“It was one of those moments that you can’t even believe this is real,” she said. “There were a lot of tears of happiness. My principal and I were dancing around the office. This grant is going to change the lives of kids in my school.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/a-team-up-for-technology.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2017/Teach4Teachphotosquare.jpeg
January 12, 2017
125103
Physical Therapy Faculty and Students Convene in Las Vegas
Eleven Research Presentations Delivered at Record-Breaking National Conference
Students and faculty from the School of Health Sciences’ Physical Therapy Program attended the American Physical Therapy Association Annual Meeting in Las Vegas where they presented their poster presentations in February.
The largest national physical therapy conference drew a record 11,331 attendees, speakers and guests, and more than 2,000 exhibitors. Attendees visited hundreds of educational sessions, networked and exchanged ideas. Eighteen specialty sections of the APTA representing different aspects of physical therapy, such as orthopedics and neurology, presented programming at the conference. Thirteen faculty members from Touro’s Department of Physical Therapy submitted 11 poster presentations and all 11 were accepted. The research studies were completed by the faculty members and students from the Class of 2013 who graduated this past September.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/physical-therapy-faculty-and-students-convene-in-las-vegas.php
March 25, 2014
125112
Touro School of Health Sciences "Fit" Cars
Students Prepare Seniors' Cars for Safe Driving
The Touro College School of Health Sciences in Bay Shore brought together senior citizens and student volunteers recently for a day of car “fitting” and fun. The annual Occupational Therapy “CarFit” event attracted senior citizens from the Bay Shore community interested in having their cars professionally “fitted” --- making sure that when they are inside them, they are seated properly with all their mirrors aligned for optimal safety.
CarFits are held nationwide in partnership with the American Automobile Association, which had staff on hand at the event, and American AARP, which also co-sponsored the event with Touro’s Occupational Therapy Department.
This year, the OT department decided to take the three-year-old event to the next level by adding services for the seniors via an inter-professional approach that brought together the entire School of Health Sciences. The main focus of the services provided was on preventing falls and on health screenings, services that Touro students themselves could perform under faculty supervision.
“This achieved a secondary goal of service learning. In addition to the students providing a valuable community service, they were practicing and learning their skills.” said Dr. Robert Troiano from the SHS Department of Physical Therapy.
Volunteers from the Elder Law Clinic of Touro’s Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center were also on hand to promote their array of free services to seniors. It was the SHS’ true honor to work with their sister school. Additional vendors included Bay Shore’s YMCA and Response Crisis Hotline, a valuable resource to seniors and students alike.
The student volunteer students were rewarded with lunch from Kosher Emporium and said they truly enjoyed some “downtime” on a beautiful Sunday in Bay Shore. Approximately 40 students participated in all.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-school-of-health-sciences--fit-cars.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2014/PTStudentsatCarFit.resized.jpg
June 03, 2014
125118
Listening and Learning
Speech-Language Pathology Graduate students and professor represent Touro College at a prestigious world recognized international conference in voice
Voices from across the voice care field – surgeons, scientists, speech-language pathologists, voice teachers and performing artists – rang out from Philadelphia during the Voice Foundation's 42nd annual symposium, which focused on the Care of the Professional Voice.
Touro College School of Health Sciences students from the graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology and their mentor, Professor Gisele Oliveira, Ph.D., presented Voice and Communication Characteristics in Voicemails: A Comparison between Males and Females. Students Rina Hoch, Zisel Maxwell, and Dina Braunstein drummed up interest in their work and ideas, and they did an outstanding job representing the program and the college at the symposium.
Since 2003, Professor Gisele Oliveira has been a participant and presenter at The Voice Foundation Annual Symposium. Professor Oliveira presented five papers this year, including two international collaborative works. She also participated as a judge in the symposium's poster contest.
PRESENTATIONS:
Title: The Use of iPad for Digital Recording of the Human Voice in the Clinical and Research Settings Authors: Gisele Oliveira, Gaetano Fava, Rachel Pekarsky
Title: Voice and Communication Characteristics in Voicemails: A Comparison between Males and Females Authors: Rina Hoch, Zisel Maxwell, Dina Braunstein, Sharon Sutton, Gisele Oliveira
Title: Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Validation and Cutoff Value of the Italian Version of the Voice Activity and Participation Profile – VAPP Authors: Gaetano Fava, Nico Paolo Paolillo, Gisele Oliveira, Mara Behlau
Title: The Use of Sound Pressure Level (SPL) Meter Apps in the Clinical Setting Authors: Gaetano Fava, Jaclyn B. Spitzer, Gisele Oliveira
Title: Linguistic and Cultural Adaptation of the Vocal Fatigue Handicap Questionnaire(VFHQ)into English Authors: Nico Paolo Paolillo, Gaetano Fava, Gisele Oliveira, Giuseppe Pantaleo, Mara Behlau
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/listening-and-learning.php
June 23, 2014
125129
Touro Speech Pathology Students Raise the Bar for Autism Speaks
Team “Touro Speechies” help fund autism research at the annual "Walk Now for Autism Speaks"
July 20th, 2014 was not just another ordinary Sunday. Hundreds of people gathered at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, N. Y., strongly united in their support for the organization “Autism Speaks”, and waited with great anticipation to participate in the “Walk Now for Autism Speaks” walkathon. Amongst the supporters was our very own group of Touro students from the Graduate Program in Speech Pathology, team “Touro Speechies."
Our newly elected Student Council chose to participate in this important fundraiser to raise funds for research to improve the future lives of all those who are affected by autism. Autism is one of the fastest growing developmental disorders in the United States. Currently, 1 out of 68 children is diagnosed with autism in this country. The “Walk Now for Autism Speaks” not only proved to be a fun-filled event, but the spokesman for “Autism Speaks” noted that the walkathon has become the “single most powerful force to fund vital research” for autism. Due to the tireless efforts of Team “Touro Speechies”, they more than tripled their fundraising goal of $450 by raising more than $1,500 for the organization. In addition to research, the money raised will help fund early detection screenings, autism tutorials to educate families and the public, resource guides, an “Autism Speaks” blog, and provide many therapies for children on the autistic spectrum. The administration, faculty and staff at Touro College applaud our students for their noble and charitable participation and efforts on behalf of this worthy cause.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-speech-pathology-students-raise-the-bar-for-autism-speaks.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/schools-and-colleges/shs/images/AutismSpeaksplaqueBronzeAward.jpg
September 04, 2014
125138
Touro College Occupational Therapy Assistant Students Advocate for COTA Licensure in Albany
By Julie Kardachi, Co-Chair and Director of the Touro College School of Health Sciences Occupational Therapy Assistant Department
Earlier this month Touro College Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) students participated with enthusiasm in New York state Occupational Therapy Association’s (NYSOTA) annual Advocacy Day.
As has been the case in the years since the revised Occupational Therapy Practice Act was passed in 2010 and subsequent bills in 2012 addressed issues related to licensure, continuing education, fieldwork and supervision, the OTA students focused specifically on the issue of COTA licensure in New York state.
This important piece of legislation would reflect the value of OTA practitioners and provide for effective monitoring of practice; currently, OTA’s are required to take and pass the certification exam given by the National Board for the Certification of Occupational Therapists (NBCOT), which certifies them as eligible to practice (COTA), but are not granted a NYS license. They are “permitted to practice” and required to engage in appropriate supervision and continuing education, but our COTAs wish to legitimately use the credential COTA/L, reflecting the recognition and accountability provided by licensure.
Touro College OTA 2nd year students study advocacy issues during their Professional Development course. As part of their assignments, they choose to either take the long and exciting trip to Albany, or to provide 1st year students with background about the advocacy issues. As a result of the students’ passion in their presentations, many 1st year students also attend the day, even though it is not associated with an assignment for them. Our students are committed to their future as COTAs, and want their efforts to enter a profession they value to be acknowledged by licensure.
Like many other attendees at the NYSOTA Advocacy Day, Touro College OTA students, along with students and faculty from the OT program, start the day very early (some are picked up by our bus at 5:30 am), professionally dressed and ready for action! We make the long trip to Albany, and return home well over 12 hours later. It is a day filled with new sights and experiences, and for many, the first glimpse of government “close up”. Upon our arrival at the Capitol, students and faculty join other NYSOTA members to review the issues in the Legislative Office Building Lobby. We then disperse to either attend scheduled meetings with legislators, or to visit legislative offices to educate legislators and their staff about the issues.
Here are two examples of successful advocacy efforts by the Occupational Therapy Assistant Students from Touro College: 1). A very exciting and productive meeting with the staff of Assemblywoman Barbara Clark, who represents the area where 2 of our students live. Each student spoke passionately about the effect that COTA licensure will have on them and the profession as a whole. The staff was very interested in the issue, took detailed notes to present to the Assemblywoman, and indicated that it is likely she will support the COTA licensure legislation, as she strongly supports her constituents who will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this bill. 2). We also had a photo taken with Assemblyman David Weprin, who, as a result of meeting with our students last year, is a co-sponsor of the COTA licensure bill A.1798.
Current status: The OTA Licensure bill, S.1567, was reported out of the Senate Higher Education Committee for the past 2 years and referred to the Senate Finance Committee. We are still hoping for action on bill A.1798 in the Assembly. Touro College OTA students and faculty will continue our professional advocacy efforts in this area.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-college-occupational-therapy-assistant-students-advocate-for-cota-licensure-in-albany-.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/OTACOTA54.1.15.jpg
April 01, 2015
125159
Spotlight on Shimon Farber
Aspiring M.D.
Shimon Farber of Lawrence, New York, recently began his third year at New York Medical College. When he was applying to med school, he had heard about NYMC’s reputation of producing excellent physicians and clinicians. He also knew that NYMC’s students had a proven track record of board scores above the national average. On a personal note, he appreciates that NYMC provides an environment that is conducive to Jewish observance as well as academic and professional growth. In addition to the synagogue on campus and kosher food, Farber and his fellow students recently initiated a monthly lecture series on various timely topics in medical halakha, or Jewish law.
What inspired you to pursue a career in medicine?
I've been drawn to medicine for as long as I can remember. I wanted a career that would enable me to have a positive impact on people's lives while also maintaining a feeling of excitement for what I do every day. Medicine encompasses both and consistently provides mental and emotional challenges as well as tremendous gratification. The knowledge and experience I gain from all the late nights and hard work are enabling me to help make a patient's life better.
What field do you want to enter?
I just began my third year, which is when clinical rotations begin, and I plan to approach each rotation with an open mind. I am currently fascinated by the field of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI). I find it extremely fulfilling to have the opportunity to actualize the dreams of couples and individuals who are experiencing difficulty having children. Additionally, REI has tremendous potential for research, growth and evolving technologies, which makes it a very exciting field.
What do you do in your spare time?
I didn't know there was spare time in medical school! In my relatively limited spare time, I do enjoy spending time with family, relaxing with friends, exercising and exploring sights, attractions and activities in and around New York City.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/spotlight-on-shimon-farber.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/ShimonFarber.jpg
July 30, 2015
125105
A Disparate Mix, A Single Nation
Holiday message from the President Alan Kadish, for Passover 2014
With Passover fast approaching, I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for your continued hard work and dedication to the Touro College and University System. We have accomplished much with our combined efforts to nurture and develop our educational community for the benefit of our students. The success of Touro’s mission is dependent on everyone’s collaboration and support.
Passover, the holiday most recognized for celebrating the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, also begins the story of how a disparate mix of people united into a single nation. In the biblical desert every member of every tribe of the Jewish people was empowered to utilize their unique talents to benefit the entire nation. It was only when everyone united under the common banner of a unified purpose that the nation of Israel thrived.
The Touro College and University System thrives under our shared purpose. Along our journey to becoming a superlative multinational institution of higher education, we have cultivated an impressive team of administrators, faculty, and staff who contribute a remarkable array of talents and abilities to our institution. Our dispersed campuses stretch across America and extend to Europe and Israel, but we unite and support each other in our mission to provide world-class education and to serve underserved communities.
I am grateful for the opportunity to witness our combined efforts help ignite and support the boundless creativity, ingenuity, and initiative of our accomplished students. We continue to grow and expand into our newest campus, which will open in Middletown, New York in August. Planning relocation of our headquarters has been challenging but hopefully nearing a successful conclusion.
I am proud to celebrate our large family at Touro. I ask everyone to further strengthen the bonds that make our institution meaningful by supporting and promoting national collaboration across all Touro campuses. We have much to learn and gain from one another. Through the talents that all of you have demonstrated, I am positive we will continue to innovate and improve our institution for our students and our communities.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees and administration, I wish each of you and your families, good health, continued success, and a happy holiday.
Sincerely,Dr. Alan Kadish
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/a-disparate-mix-a-single-nation.php
April 09, 2014
125106
Remembering and Celebrating
On Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut we remember our fallen soldiers and celebrate the State of Israel, respectively.
On Monday May 5, the 5th of Iyar, Yom HaZikaron, we commemorate the 23,169 soldiers of Israel who have given their lives so we can have a Jewish homeland. And on Tuesday May 6, the 6th of Iyar, Yom Ha'atzmaut, we celebrate 66 years of the State of Israel.
Nefesh B'Nefesh summed up our thoughts in this moving video.
Am Yisrael Chai!
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/remembering-and-celebrating.php
May 05, 2014
125130
Best Wishes for the Coming New Year
Rosh Hashana greetings from Dr. Alan Kadish
Rosh Hashanah, the holiday celebrating the Jewish New Year, creates a rhythm of continuity for Jewish history and allows us the opportunity to chronicle the triumphs and trials of our time. It is a time of reflection, a time of hope and prayer, and a time for family. The day affords us ample opportunity to reflect on the past year of remarkable growth at Touro, for which the entire Touro family can be very proud. I hope you will join me in praying for and working toward many more years of continued success.
I am pleased to say that in the past year our institution has launched a new campus and introduced a number of exciting initiatives. We recently celebrated the grand openings of the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine’s new campus in Middletown, New York, the Touro University Nevada’s newly expanded Health Center and Active Aging Center, and Touro University California’s School of Nursing in the College of Education and Health Sciences. The Touro Law Center has created the Aging and Longevity Law Institute, to help prepare students to address the needs of our aging population. New York Medical College acquired 269,000 square feet of new space for classrooms, laboratories, and offices to accommodate the needs of its growing student body.
This year has also seen the development of several dynamic, cross-institutional degree programs. The Touro Law Center’s Dual JD and MBA degree program; New York Medical College’s two-year R.N. to B.S. degree program in collaboration with the Department of Nursing at the School of Health Sciences; and New York Medical College’s Masters in Biology Education program in collaboration with the Graduate School of Education spotlights the innovative new synergies in our educational offerings.
This was a year for intersection and interplay between traditional Jewish thought and academia through a series of lectures and events hosted by myself and by many of the institutions within the Touro System. In line with the value we place on furthering the Jewish intellectual tradition, we have continued to motivate enhanced enrollment in the Lander Colleges with our pursuit of academic excellence. These efforts to engage our students, alumni, and neighbors in rigorous and meaningful discussions around Jewish topics testifies to our continued service to the larger Jewish community.
At the forefront of community service, Touro University Nevada’s Physician Assistant Studies program launched Nevada’s first free mobile healthcare clinic to provide care to Southern Nevada’s homeless population, and has already served 220 patients absolutely free of charge. Through this and the many other ongoing community service initiatives throughout our institution, we demonstrate Touro’s dedication to the values of our Jewish heritage.
Looking forward, we have undertaken Project Enterprise to replace, integrate and streamline the administrative information system for student, finance, financial aid, human resources, and related technology systems throughout the Touro College and University System. The goal of the project is to greatly enhance our administrative operations and improve on the excellent services we can offer to our staff and students.
There are many achievements and promising new beginnings to celebrate from this past year, but the Touro family has also suffered personal losses. We lost several valued employees and friends, chief among them, Vice President Anthony Polemeni, whose legacy and memory will not be forgotten at Touro. Our California campus dealt with an earthquake as students were returning to school, and of course we have been concerned about friends, family, and colleagues in Israel. However, it was through our tireless efforts and our unity of mission and spirit that we were able to overcome difficult times and can proudly admire all that we accomplished together.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the administration of the Touro College and University System, I would like to wish the entire Touro family a happy and healthy new year. We have made achievement the hallmark of our institution, and I look forward to our continued success in the coming 2014-2015 academic year.
Sincerely,
Dr. Alan KadishPresident and CEO
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/best-wishes-for-the-coming-new-year.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2014/RoshhashanaCardforWeb_5x5_9.22.14.jpg.jpeg
September 23, 2014
125143
Touro College Celebrates Research Across Schools
On Touro’s fourth annual Research Day, students and faculty present their findings and publications.
Can soybeans prevent cancer? Does vocal pitch of a salesperson influence sales? Can a more-detailed heart imaging technology prevent cardiac death? The answers to these questions, and others, were presented during the fourth annual Touro College Research Day, coordinated by the Office of Sponsored Programs and hosted at the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) campus in Harlem on April 28, 2015.
The diverse posters ranged in topic from the arts and biology to business, education, mathematics, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy, social work, and speech. Eighty researchers from Touro’s undergraduate and graduate programs, including TouroCOM, Touro College of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Education, Lander College of Arts and Sciences, New York School of Career and Applied Studies (NYSCAS), School of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Psychology, and New York Medical College, were represented.
After a luncheon buffet, attendees heard welcoming remarks from Dr. Alan Kadish, President and CEO of Touro College and University System; and Dr. Joseph Indelicato, Chair of the Touro College Research Collaborative. “The projects presented today demonstrate the breadth and depth of our ever-developing research footprint,” said Dr. Kadish.
Keynote presentations were given by distinguished researchers at the forefront of the science of aging and memory. Cardiologist and Professor William Frishman, M.D., from New York Medical College’s Department of Medicine, spoke about his Bronx Aging Study, the longest longitudinal study that has ever been completed. Dr. Jeffrey Iliff, PhD of the Oregon Health and Science University’s Knight Cardiovascular Institute (who was featured on TedMed last year) delivered an entertaining presentation on sleep, the brain, and Alzheimer's disease. (“Who said research was boring?” remarked Dean Robert Goldberg of TouroCOM-Harlem after the talks, both of which elicited audience engagement and interaction.)
At the conclusion of the event, students enjoyed refreshments and coffee with professors and researchers at a “scholar klatch.”
“This day is a wonderful demonstration of a strong university system that’s collaborating to advance research and scholarship,” said Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Krupka.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-college-celebrates-research-across-schools.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/17298984936_f68d35e352_k-1389x1362.jpg
April 30, 2015
125184
Should I Get Married?
By Louis H. Primavera, Ph.D. and Rob Pascale, Ph.D.
Anyone who’s been married for more than a few months can tell you it’s tough. And it seems to have gotten tougher, considering how divorce rates have climbed over the last few decades. In our book, “Making Marriage Work” we reviewed the findings of hundreds of research studies to try to understand whether and in what ways marriage has changed.
The evidence suggests that marriage has indeed gotten harder, and there are a number of reasons why. One has to do with the adoption of no-fault laws in the late 1960’s, which in a nutshell tells us that breaking up a marriage is acceptable and the reasons for doing so is nobody’s business. In effect, these laws gave us greater freedom to choose our own paths, but there was an unintended side effect: they helped to remove divorce’s negative stigma, allowing couples to retain their good standing in the community.
Is Gender Equality Good for Marriage?
Then there’s the movement toward gender equality. With more and better employment opportunities, women have more control over their lives and no longer need a husband for financial security. They can wait longer to get married and don’t have to stay married if they’re not satisfied. It also means that women may not have to work as hard to fix marital problems because they’re better equipped to make it on their own. Gender equality has also affected the balance of power. Prior to the 1960’s, men held the power in marriage, but that’s not the case today. In some marriages, there can actually be an on-going power struggle, as men try to stay in control and their wives fight for equality. Additionally, because both partners have an equal say in decisions, there are more reasons to argue.
Blurring of Roles
The roles held by men and women are no longer clearly delineated. In the past, husbands and wives held complementary roles. One was the breadwinner and the other was responsible for maintaining the home, raising children, and fulfilling other social and family duties. Because each partner filled a functionally different role, couples had very useful reasons for staying together. Today there’s a lot of overlap as to who brings home the bacon and who manages the household. The blurring of roles means there’s less inter-dependency and that can weaken the need to stay together.
Are You Putting Your Personal Needs Ahead of the Relationship?
Couples from earlier generations may have also thought differently about marriage. They regarded the institution as sacred and their marriage as permanent, and they stayed married regardless of how each partner felt about the other. Their happiness and personal needs were sublimated to the needs of the marriage. Couples struggled with many of the same problems but they did so in silence, because it was more important to keep the family intact. In contrast, people today spend more time thinking about themselves and their personal needs. While paying attention to our psychological needs is a good thing, it can work against marriage. We might put our personal interests ahead of those of our relationship. If we then feel our interests are threatened or unsatisfied, we may be more inclined to think the relationship isn’t working rather than make adjustments in our thinking so that it works better. When things don’t go as we want or expect, we’re more prone to throw in the towel.
Worth the Effort?
Considering all the issues we just discussed, some people may come to question whether marriage is actually worth the effort. Others may believe that marriage is an antiquated concept that just doesn’t fit with the expectations they have for their lives. They might believe that an alternative lifestyle, such as staying single and living alone, is a better way to go. We also looked into what social scientists have to say on how marriage compares (because, frankly, we weren’t so sure ourselves), and that will be our next topic for discussion.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/should-i-get-married.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2016/wedding-1236013_1280.jpg
April 26, 2016
125191
Power and Control in Relationships – Part 1
By Louis H. Primavera, Ph.D. and Rob Pascale, Ph.D.
Power and control can be an issue in all kinds of relationships. There are some in which the two parties consider themselves to be equals and treat each other as such. In many, however, one person might have the upper hand. The one who is higher in the pecking order very often has the ability to influence and manipulate the other person. When we dominate a relationship, decisions usually go in our favor, we often dictate what to do or even talk about, and our emotional state can influence the emotional state of the other person.
Establishing a hierarchy of power sometimes occurs because of the dynamics of the relationship and the type of people involved. Sometimes it’s because of force of personality and sometimes because of assets. One person either has certain personal characteristics that make them more forceful or more subservient, or one brings something to the relationship that the other person needs. While at times they may find their authority challenged, there is still a tendency for the dominating person to hold hegemony over the other.
Who’s Really in Charge?
Power struggles can also be an issue in any relationship. Some partners might share power equally, and in others one partner accepts a more subservient role and allows the other to be in control. However, in some relationships, the struggle for control is undecided because one partner refuses to submit and be dominated by the other. In these relationships, the battle is ongoing and the relationship is often contentious, with continuous disagreements and skirmishes as each partner struggles to gain either the upper hand or equality. Power issues in relationships can be subtle; sometimes partners aren’t even aware that the real battle is for dominance, not about the specific issue they’re arguing about at the time.
Does Money Dictate Power?
Historically, power was pretty well established in relationships and especially in marriage. Men were usually in power at least that’s how it appeared and what men believed. Men’s power derived from their social status and money. Couples accepted their gender roles that men were dominant and women submissive, and men were usually the sole income earners in the household. Money can be a source of power because it reflects the resources that partners bring to the relationship. Again we are referring to the notion of social exchanges, in which couples look for balance between what they’re giving and receiving to make sure they’re benefiting as much from the relationship as their partner.
When one partner brings more resources, they have more bargaining power and hence more influence. Because they held the purse strings, they called the shots and were able to control the lives of the people around them. With few opportunities available, women had no choice but to submit to their husbands. As one positive, relationships were easier because couples had fewer reasons to argue, and because they both, well, more accurately, women, knew their place.
Modern Day Viewpoints
That was then, but the world is much different now. Today individuals are more concerned with their personal well-being. They place greater value on having their own needs met, and to some extent their self-interests have overridden their sense of obligation and commitment to the institution. However, far more impactful on the relationships between men and women have been social changes. The women’s movement has been slowly whittling away at old gender definitions and has moved the issue of equality to the forefront.
One important feature of this movement is the entry of women en masse into the workforce. Women pursuing careers has affected the amount of housework expected of each partner. Taking on careers and earning money has also changed how women view themselves. Jobs have provided them with an outside source of self-esteem and recognition, and have allowed them to develop a sense of independence and self-reliance. Such ego-gratifying benefits have also changed their priorities. A woman’s sense of self-worth and well-being used to be driven by the quality of their home life, but it’s now driven more by their jobs. While most women still define themselves as family members first and career professional second, they are starting to think more like men, especially if they have high paying or high prestige positions. Men primarily look at their jobs as the way of supporting themselves and their families. Women can hold jobs for a couple of reasons. Some do so for the same reasons as men, that is, to earn money, support themselves, have a career, and feel productive.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/power-and-control-in-relationships--part-1.php
August 08, 2016
125194
Reflections on Rural Health
By Yamini Chalikonda, OMS-II Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
I have lived in Connecticut most of my life, but have never been to Northwest Connecticut. I was unsure about what to expect during my summer participating in a Rural Health Immersion program. To be honest, I couldn’t imagine physicians wanting to work in an area with little access to the kind of social interactions you experience in the city or even suburban towns—let alone with a spotty internet connection! Keeping all of this in mind, I applied to the program to get a better understanding of why these physicians chose to practice there, as well as to learn about the needs and logistics of rural healthcare. After being part of the community for two weeks, I had a different, and undoubtedly greater appreciation for the rural life and the people who live and work there.
We spent the two weeks talking to many healthcare professionals, rotating at Sharon Hospital, Geer Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Hudson River Health Care, North Canaan EMS, and many independent primary care practices. It was remarkable to see how well these doctors knew their patients, and how passionate they are about providing care. Coming from an osteopathic medical school, it was refreshing to see the holistic care we are constantly taught at TouroCOM put into practice as we watched the doctors learn as much as possible about their patients and treat them as a whole individual. The takeaway for me was that if you live in a small enough community, it’s easier to get to know the people you care for, and makes healthcare somewhat more efficient and personal.
The problem with rural medicine is the physician shortage. This is especially evident with the limited number of specialists in each department at the hospital. With an aging physician population, there are more doctors who will be retiring in the coming years, leaving Northwest CT with even less access to healthcare. This leaves a few remaining specialists who know a wider array of techniques in a particular field. It became clear to me that it is up to us as future physicians to fill their shoes and make sure there is access to better healthcare.
Being a part of this program provided a new perspective on rural medicine and a greater respect for the healthcare professionals working in the community. The hands on experience had a much stronger effect on us students than solely hearing about life as a rural healthcare worker. The program was really designed to highlight a different take on access to healthcare whether we are interested in practicing in rural areas or not. I definitely see this program gaining more interest in the future due to the physician shortage in these areas and the rewarding lifestyle of community healthcare. I appreciate the entire team at the Foundation for Community Health for providing this opportunity, and would recommend it to any medical student. If there’s one thing the program has made clear for me, it’s the fact that in rural areas, physicians definitely know they are needed—and that is a rewarding feeling, realizing that the grueling hours of studying, training, and practicing have all been worthwhile.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/reflections-on-rural-health.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2016/Yaminiruralhealthpic.jpg
September 30, 2016
125091
Prelaw Success
Small, Intensive Program Sends Students to Top Law Schools
Since 2010, Touro College has increasingly placed its prelaw students at top-rated law schools. In the last three years, seven of its students have been accepted at Harvard Law School. In 2013 alone, seven students gained admission to law schools ranked in the top 21 in the country by U.S. News and World Report.
“This is a remarkable achievement for a small prelaw program that annually sends only 20 students to law school,” says Thomas Rozinski a professor of political science, and Touro’s principal prelaw advisor.
Touro graduates who are now in law school credit their admission record to the prelaw preparation they received while applying to law school. A laser-like focus on each step in the process — from choosing the undergraduate courses to help them prepare for law school, to choosing references who can best present their strengths, to repeated revisions of their application’s personal statement — has generated winning outcomes for these students.
“I got incredible guidance,” says Yossi Lieberman who is in his first year at Harvard Law School. He credits Rozinski with his own success.
“He gave me great advice on the application process itself,” says Lieberman, who attended Touro’s School of Lifelong Education (SLE) and graduated in June. “He advised on everything — the essay writing, what I wanted to focus on, what law schools are looking for in an essay, how to come across, when to apply to the different schools, the ways to commit or not, to a school.
“There’s a lot of intuition involved, and the details are things you might not discover without doing extensive research. But he eliminated that; he laid it out very clearly.”
Based on his LSAT scores and his GPA, Lieberman applied to five schools on Rozinski’s advice. That strategy paid off when Lieberman was accepted to four of the five and wait-listed at the fifth. He faced the choice of uprooting his wife and children to move to Cambridge, or to stay in New York and attend law school at either Columbia or New York University. “It wasn’t an easy choice,” he says of deciding on Harvard. “All my family is in New York.”
Avigail Shloush, now in her first year at 21st -ranked George Washington University, in Washington, says that the small size of Touro’s prelaw program “works hugely to our advantage, because the prelaw program is basically a one-on-one personal guidance by Prof. Rozinski.”
Rozinski helped the 2013 graduate from Lander College for Women-The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School (LCW) tailor her choices and applications. Shloush was given individualized counseling, and an intensive review of her personal statement.
When Shloush came to LCW, law school “was more of a dream than a realistic option,” she says. Touro’s lineup of law-related courses, however, set her on her current path. Two semesters of business law, and a political science/pre-law class taught by Prof. Daniel Chill, who tested students using exams patterned after those given in law school, set her on her current path.
“I have friends [at law school] who attended various other undergraduate schools, yet their prelaw program and advising was not comparable to what I received at Touro,” she says. “Without such advice and direction, it’s fairly possible that I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Rozinski chalks up Touro’s success to the prelaw courses Touro offers as well as the intensive counseling. He notes that many of the students benefit from Talmudic studies that give them regular practice in close reading of texts and debating their meaning. Courses such as ‘Civil Rights and Civil Liberties’ and the ‘Supreme Court and the Constitution’ refine their skills by teaching them to write a judicial opinion and “synthesize the law on paper.” At the end of the semester, they argue their case before a panel of three lawyers.
Rozinski’s course on ‘Judicial Politics’ examines the role of courts in restructuring government agencies, and is based on a course he previously taught in law school. “It’s extremely unlikely that prelaw students outside Touro would even have access to such a course,” says Rozinski.
To assist its undergraduates, Touro recently launched its new prelaw website at www.touro.edu/departments/prelaw/, which offers help to aspiring law students in an easily searchable format. The site gives an overview of prelaw preparation, a list of prelaw political science courses, and contact information for all prelaw advisors. The site also explains the skills law schools expect from entering students and provides a step-by-step view of the law school application process.
“I think our emphasis on developing critical thinking and writing skills really helps our students when they get to law school,” says Rozinski, himself a graduate of Harvard Law School. “Because of the small size of my classes—which average five students—they get far more attention than at schools with dozens of prelaw students.”
In addition, he and former student David Kupfer have developed an intensive pre-law school boot camp that takes place in late July, right before the new crop of law students enrolls in law school. The program prepares students for their first year in law school and teaches them how to reorient their writing skills for the law school curriculum.
Kupfer, a 2008 Touro graduate and 2011 valedictorian at Fordham Law School, says the prelaw boot camp is about “keeping connected to young lawyers and my love of teaching.” He is currently a commercial litigator at Sullivan and Cromwell, one of the top firms in the United States. “This is a substantive preview of what they will see in their first year of classes,” he says.\
Being prepared seems to be the least of this newest crop of legal newbie’s concerns, however.
“I was worried how I would stack up against students who had been through Yale or Harvard as undergraduates,” says Lieberman. “I have them in my study groups. I’m just fine. Really.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/-prelaw-success.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/lander-college-for-women/rozinski2.jpg
October 30, 2013
125101
Pre-Med Students at Lander Colleges Check Out Their Options
Mentoring Program at New York Medical College For Touro Undergraduates Is a Great Success
More than 45 pre-medical students from the Lander College of Arts and Sciences, the Lander College for Men, and the Lander College for Women participated in the third annual mentoring program at New York Medical College, last Friday, February 28, 2014.
According to Vice President Robert Goldschmidt, who coordinated the planning and organization of the visit, “the purpose of the mentoring program is to give our students essential information both in preparing for medical school and for maximizing their chances for success in the admissions process.”
This year’s program included welcome remarks from Robin Baum, director of admissions, and presentations by Dr. Fern Juster, senior associate dean for admissions, Dr. Jennifer Koestler, senior associate dean for medical education, Anthony Sozzo, director of student financial planning, and a panel of three Touro graduates who are first year medical students at New York Medical College.
In a highlight of the program, Dr. Edward Halperin, chancellor and chief executive officer of New York Medical College, gave an instructive presentation on factors to consider in making the important decision of choosing a medical school. He explained the proud historical record of New York Medical College in supporting applicants from the Jewish and minority communities going back more than a century. The program concluded with a tour of the medical education center and its laboratories.
The response from the participants was universally enthusiastic. Esther Saul, a biology major at the Lander College of Arts and Sciences, said, “I came on the trip with apprehension, intimidated by the idea of how different medical school would be from what I’m used to, but after hearing from Dr. Halperin, the faculty and the panel of Touro graduates, I left with a feeling of anticipation, looking forward to the future, and to what medical school can offer.”
Justin Konig, a pre-medical student in Flatbush, stated, “It was very helpful to hear directly from the faculty of the medical school and I particularly liked hearing from the panel of students. It was encouraging to see Touro graduates who are successful in medical school."
Joining the Touro students on this important trip were Dr. Robert Bressler (LAS), Dr. Ann Shinnar (LCM), Dr. Sree Venkatraman (LCW) and Dr. Brian Chiswell (LAS).
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/pre-med-students-at-lander-colleges-check-out-their-options.php
March 10, 2014
125134
We Mourn the Loss of Dr. Esther Lowy
The Touro College and University System mourns the passing of the dean of Touro College Los Angeles
The Touro family mourns the loss of Dr. Esther Lowy, a scholar and educator par excellence who served as a role model to students and colleagues alike.
Dr. Lowy was the dedicated and dynamic academic leader of Touro College Los Angeles from its very inception. As Founding Dean of the College, Dr. Lowy worked with Touro’s founder, Dr. Bernard Lander, to establish a program of high academic quality in a positive Jewish atmosphere. A mother of eight children, Dr. Lowy extended her parental role to the Touro-LA program and all of its students. Her concern for every student, and her dedication to ensuring the success of each individual was legendary.
A Woodrow Wilson Fellow while she was a student at NYU, Dr. Lowy earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the prestigious Courant Institute at a time when women constituted 4% of those receiving mathematics doctorates in the country. Dr. Lowy initially aspired to an academic career, serving in positions at City University of New York, California Polytechnic University and UCLA. She subsequently earned her MBA degree from UCLA and assumed a number of management positions before undertaking the position as Dean at Touro College LA in 2005.
Dr. Lowy believed passionately in the Touro College mission and in the importance of providing higher education to young men and women in a supportive Jewish environment. She brought this passion to her work in building the Touro College –LA branch, and in bringing up her own outstanding children, who all studied at Touro College. She was a tremendous asset to Touro College and her passing leaves a void and a profound sense of loss. Students and alumni from many previous years participated in the last respects paid to her, before she was taken to Israel for internment.
“Dr. Lowy was an outstanding educator, a personal friend to so many and a caring and dynamic academic leader. She will be sorely missed,” said Touro College President and CEO Dr. Alan Kadish.
Touro extends heartfelt condolences to Dean Lowy’s family and joins them in grieving her loss. May her memory be blessed.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/we-mourn-the-loss-of-dr-esther-lowy.php
December 22, 2014
125139
Safe Haven
A Holiday Message from Dr. Alan Kadish, President and CEO of the Touro College and University System
The holiday of Passover presents us with an opportunity to reflect on our history. The exodus from Egypt marks the creation of the Jewish nation, a story that has unfolded over more than 3,000 years and spanned the entire globe. The Touro College and University system’s story began forty-five years ago in a small classroom with thirty-five students. In the short time we have been educating students, we have grown to include 29 undergraduate and graduate programs, in five countries, with a current enrollment of 18,000 students. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and appreciation for your contribution to the development and growth of our educational community.
Together, the faculty, administration, and staff along with our students and alumni, are realizing our mission to provide affordable access to life-changing educational opportunities to all. In an increasingly turbulent world where the threat of violent extremism is felt in the Middle East and around the world and the need for social change at home is constantly apparent, Touro represents a safe haven that promotes inclusiveness and security. On Passover, as freedom from slavery and oppression is celebrated, we at Touro can be proud of our commitment to providing a nurturing educational environment that respects and supports students of all backgrounds and beliefs.
With large projects under way, such as the New York City headquarters move and Project Enterprise, our success depends more than ever on mutual collaboration and support. As we all gather with family members to observe the holidays this season, let’s celebrate our own large and inclusive Touro community. Just as Passover seder participants will retell the story of the exodus, I ask everyone to share Touro’s accomplishments and successes with family and friends. Let’s spread the word and expand our community.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, senior leadership and administration, I wish each of you and your families good health, continued success and a happy and festive holiday.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/safe-haven.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/mosaic/pres/Holiday-Message-Banner_4.9.14.jpg
April 02, 2015
125152
Remembering Anthony Polemeni
Former Touro colleagues, family, and friends gather together to remember Dr. Polemeni and inaugurate the Anthony Polemeni Scholarship Fund.
On May 12, 2015, Touro College held a memorial event to celebrate the career of the late Dr. Anthony J. Polemeni, of blessed memory, former vice president and dean of the Touro College Division of Graduate Studies.
Rabbi Moshe Krupka, executive vice president of Touro College, served as master of ceremonies of the event, which was held at Lander College for Women—The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School (LCW). In his opening remarks, he extolled the virtues of the Polemeni family and shared his fond recollections of Dr. Polemeni, noting his illustrious and extensive career in higher education and his deep impact on Touro College.
Remarks were also given by Rabbi Doniel Lander; Dr. LaMar Miller, dean emeritus of the Touro Graduate School of Education; Dr. Louis Primavera, dean of the Touro College School of Health Sciences; and Dr. Charlotte Frank, senior vice president of research and development for McGraw-Hill Education, a close friend and colleague of Dr. Polemeni.
Madeleine Polemeni, Dr. Polemeni’s daughter; Nicole Hegarty, Dr. Polemeni’s granddaughter; and Fred Etergino, one of Dr. Polemeni’s closest friends, also offered their tributes.
Dr. Polemeni joined Touro in 2001 after working for the New York State Education Department for nearly four decades. During his administrative tenure as dean of the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, the student population swelled from 500 to more than 5,000, making Touro thelargest graduate school of education in the state of New York. In 2008 he was appointed as vice president of the graduate division, and began heading Touro’s Graduate School of Education, Graduate School of Psychology, Graduate School of Business, Graduate School of Technology, Graduate School of Jewish Studies, Graduate School of Social Work, and The School of Health Sciences.
"You must believe me when I tell you that the happiest years of Dad’s career were the fourteen years that he spent with all of you," said Madeleine Polemeni during her speech. "While tonight may be a tribute to all that Dad gave to those at Touro, he would want me to tell you that what you gave him was a blessing of a hundred fold. He loved the intellectual stimulation of his daily work, he cherished the relationships he had here, and his spirit thrived in the knowledge that he was helping countless students create lives that would provide them with a future."
Dr. Primavera spoke about Dr. Polemeni’s kindness, remembering how “generous he was with his time, resources, and spirit.”
“He cared about all of those he worked with and inspired us all to go beyond what we thought were our limits,” said Dr. Primavera. "Although I only knew him for six years, we had so many points of connection and shared the same views of family that I felt I knew him for my whole life.”
At the event, the Anthony J. Polemeni Scholarship Fund for the Division of Graduate Studies was officially inaugurated. "This scholarship," noted Ms. Polemeni, "provides the neediest at Touro with a launchpad from which they can reach their dreams, and then enter a profession where they can launch countless others to grab theirs."
At the evening, guests had the chance to write their thoughts on Dr. Polemeni in a memorial remembrance book, which was then presented to the Polemeni family.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/remembering-anthony-polemeni.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/17924301446_f2a4ae913f_o.jpg
May 18, 2015
125081
Lt. Gov. Duffy Participates in Launch of New Medical School in Middletown
Inaugural Class Expected to Begin in August, 2014
Middletown, N.Y. - Lieutenant Governor Robert J. Duffy joined President Kadish to officially launch the development of the new Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) at the site of the former Horton Hospital complex in Middletown, N.Y. The ceremony was attended by local officials, members of numerous medical associations and Touro faculty and administrators. In addition to the anticipated growth of the Orange County region’s healthcare and educational systems, speakers enthusiastically pointed out that the project is expected to serve as a boon to the local economy.
“TouroCOM’s expansion to Middletown will create new career pathways, better job opportunities and enhanced medical care for area residents, ultimately improving both the physical and economic health of the community,” said Dr. Kadish. “In five years this will be a vibrant place.”
Dr. Kadish thanked Duffy and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s entire administration for the role it played in bringing the project to fruition.
“Today we celebrate a victory for the state and the county, and we are grateful to Governor Cuomo for his support.”
Last month, the school received the necessary approvals and accreditation for the new campus from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. Construction is already underway and is expected to be completed by early 2014.
“The new Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine will help create new jobs and support local businesses in the Middletown community, representing yet another successful demonstration of Governor Cuomo’s vision to drive economic growth by investing in higher education,” said Duffy. “I commend Touro for bringing the medical school to the Hudson Valley, and by doing so, demonstrating a continued investment in New York and our students.”
Dr. Ron Israelski, the director of academic affairs at the Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown which will serve as the flagship hospital for the school, said that the project will encourage local youth to remain in the area.
"How nice would it be if people who grow up here and train here stay and give back to our communities?" Dr. Israelski asked. "Hopefully with a medical school and other medical education programs we can retain and keep our brightest, most heartful young people close to home."
He added: "This is the right project with the right school and the right location at the right time."
The venture was awarded $1 million from the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council and is projected to create more than 500 direct jobs and nearly 300 indirect jobs.
“A project of this nature only gets completed with the help of many people, but if you have the support of people like the lieutenant governor, Mayor Joseph DeStefano and the brilliant leadership of Touro College, it makes it easier to do,” said Tony Danza, a partner in the Danza-Leser Group, the property’s owner, which is investing $24 million to renovate the facility.
TouroCOM will offer a four-year degree program in osteopathic medicine at the new Middletown campus, with the inaugural class expected to begin in August, 2014. When fully operational, the campus will enroll more than 500 students and occupy 110,000 square feet of space.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/lt-gov-duffy-participates-in-launch-of-new-medical-school-in-middletown-.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2013-featured/121.JPG
July 09, 2013
125090
Salad Bowls and Global Villages
NYSCAS professor, Ira Weinstock, Uses Multi-faceted Approach to Learning
Adjunct history and sociology professor Ira Weinstock has long been interested in a more hands-on learning experience. In elementary school, his teacher told him that everyone in New York had his own tree. It was a bold claim, so young Weinstock wrote the park service demanding to know which one was his. He was surprised when the well-meaning park service sent a whimsical letter stating that his tree was the third from the giraffe enclosure at the Bronx Zoo. Yet, unfazed, he gathered paper, a marker, a hammer and nails and asked his mother to take him to the zoo where he proceeded to nail his name to the tree.
Students who take Weinstock’s classes, often advertised with such tantalizing titles as “One Salad Bowl: Many Ingredients” Perspectives on American Culture and Society or “From Jamestown to the Global Village” The Immigrant Experience, find that Weinstock hasn’t changed his approach though he is less likely to anger zoo officials.
Instead, he invites guest lecturers, for example, an architect who spoke to his students about the sociology of architecture. He takes students on field trips to sites such as The Museum of Finance and afterwards they discuss their adventures over coffee at local cafes.
Former student Cynthia Roach wrote in a letter to his department chair, “Classes felt like you boarded a bus or train and took a journey through time.”
After graduating from college, Weinstock traveled to various European countries and even briefly worked on a kibbutz in Israel. Upon re-turning to the states, he attended graduate school, graduating with a master’s in political economy from Fordham University and a master’s in political science from the New School. Weinstock then divided his time working for city government and further traveling.
He came to Touro College 10 years ago, when Dr. Jack Lieberman asked him to teach a course in his spare time. Now, he teaches several courses per year in both history and sociology.
“Touro College is such a global college. You focus on American Government, but I’ve had students from all over, from Albania to Zimbabwe,” he says, “and when we talk about comparative cultures, it works because we’re talking about the world around them.”
Weinstock is very interested in his students perspectives about their world, though many of them come to his class knowing little about American history or government.
Frequently, he has students teach the class by creating their own short presentations.
“I combine my own experiences with culture, sociology, political economy, architecture, music, science and art, Weinstock says. “Most of all, I want my students to think critically. I want to give them a better idea of what American society is. I’ve had students tell me that they vote now because of me.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/salad-bowls-and-global-villages.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2013-featured/NYSCAS_IraWeinstock_Fedora.jpg
October 29, 2013
125137
The Touro College and University System Mourns the Passing of Dr. Nathan Lander, A”H, Scholar and Educator
Former Vice President and Member of the Faculty
The Touro College and University System mourns the loss of Dr. Nathan Lander, of blessed memory. Dr. Lander played a pivotal role in the growth of Touro College and will always be remembered for his deep love and commitment to Eretz Yisroel, Am Yisroel and Toras Yisroel. He was a faculty member for many years at St. John's University and thereafter continued to teach sociology at the Lander Colleges. Dr. Lander, who served as Vice President of Touro College until his retirement, was a leader in the establishment of Lander College for Men. His vision of establishing a college that would attract outstanding students devoted to Torah and fear of G-d has been realized.
Dr. Lander was a man of faith and hope who advocated tirelessly on behalf of the Jewish people. He inspired others to greater heights of communal involvement and national pride, dedicating his life to preserving continuity of the Jewish people and the pursuit of truth. A scholar and educator who cared about each individual, Dr. Lander was closely associated with great rabbinic leaders. He is survived by his nephew, Rabbi Doniel Lander, and his nieces, Hannah Lander, Esther Greenfield, Debra Waxman, Eve Kofman and Esther Kook. May his legacy of love for Israel, and love for humanity be a source of comfort to his family and the many lives he touched.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/the-touro-college-and-university-system-mourns-the-passing-of-dr-nathan-lander-ah-scholar-and-educator.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2014/NathanLander-352x455.jpg
January 20, 2015
125144
Touro College Welcomes Middle States Team
Middle States Commission on Higher Education Visit New York Campuses May 3-6.
Once every ten years all higher education institutions undergo a re-accreditation review. New York University was reviewed last year. Now, Touro and Mt. Sinai Medical School are taking their turn. Columbia University is scheduled for its review in 2016.
The team arrives at the New York campuses May 3, for a three-day tour. During their visit the MSCHE team members will conduct more than 75 group and individual interviews at Touro branches and locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island. The Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Touro College of Pharmacy, and the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center will be interviewed as well.
“Touro College welcomes the Middle States Commission on Higher Education team and we look forward to working closely with them,” stated Dr. Alan Kadish, President and CEO of Touro. The chair of the visiting team is David Hollowell, former Executive Vice President and Treasurer of the University of Delaware.
Re-accreditation involves an intensive process of self-review which results in a Self-Study Report submitted before the team visit. The preparation of the Touro report was coordinated by a Steering Committee, chaired by Vice President Robert Goldschmidt, and eight task forces. Dr. Nadja Graff and Dr. Eric Linden served as co-chairs. “Our self-study, submitted February 17, 2015 presents a comprehensive analysis of Touro’s accomplishments and growth over the past decade and also notes areas for further improvement. I thank all participants in the Touro community - more than 130 faculty, administrators, staff and students - who worked together in this endeavor, so vital for the future of Touro,” said Dr. Goldschmidt.
Touro campuses abroad, in Jerusalem, Moscow, and Berlin, had their visits in March and April.
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education accredits more than 530 colleges and universities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, The District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, as well as some universities in Europe, the Middle East, and South America.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-college-welcomes-middle-states-team.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/mosaic/general/MSCHEvisitApril2015.jpg-1487x1491.jpeg
May 01, 2015
125163
'Ready for Anything'
New York Medical College's Lydia Bunker Enjoys the Journey
Every day Lydia Bunker wakes up excited to go to class. As a second-year medical student at New York Medical College (NYMC), she’s fascinated by how the body sustains and heals itself. “It’s in balance, it bounces back and it’s beautiful,” says Lydia, who, having studied ballet from the age of three, is no stranger to injury and recovery.
Lydia’s attraction to medicine came, “in baby steps.” With no doctors in her family and no personal medical story that inspired her, she didn’t have an ‘aha’ moment.” Rather, she credits incredibly supportive parents and gifted teachers in middle school who noticed her budding interest in science and stoked her passion, one that continued through college at Harvard University, where she earned a degree in molecular biology.
Following a “gap” year at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Lydia selected NYMC for its wide variety of clinical sites and rotations. “By the time you cycle through them, you’re ready for anything,” she says. Lydia, who hails from a Boston suburb, was also drawn to energy of the New York Metropolitan area, despite a life-long devotion to the Red Sox.
“The faculty at NYMC go out of their way to help and share their experiences as doctors as well as people,” she says.
Lydia was elected one of five student senators in her class, and, in this capacity, recently hosted NY MedTalks, an interprofessional education symposium and, in early 2015, a paper she co-authored was submitted to the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Leaning toward a specialty in internal medicine, Lydia reflects upon entering her clinical years at NYMC. “I’m really excited about medicine. I’ll be able to help people and I think that’s what everyone wants out of a career.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/ready-for-anything.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/Lydia_Bunker_headshot.jpg
August 20, 2015
125172
Graduate School of Technology Faculty, Students and Alumni Step up for Nepalese Earthquake Relief
Her hometown in ruins, her parents forced to flee, Prerana Bhusal rallies Touro students and alums to help rebuild and restore
When Prerana Bhusal, a native of Nepal, learned that a devastating earthquake had ravaged her country, she knew what she had to do.
“My home town of Kathmandu was in ruins, my parents were unable to move back into their house, and many friends were suffering under similar or worse circumstances.”
Bhusal, an Assistant Program Director at the Graduate School of Technology – and three Touro colleagues, set out for Kathmandu. For two weeks after the April 24 disaster, they worked tirelessly in remote villages, providing injured and displaced adults and children with everything from antibiotics to mosquito nets. In some cases, motor bikes had to be used to access remote areas because landslides had destroyed roads. Word of medical aid spread quickly, and patients in some cases walked for two hours to reach the outpost.
Armed with two suitcases filled with emergency medical supplies, Touro alumnus Dr. Evan Miller, partnered with health workers from local hospitals treating upwards of 100 patients in one day for multiple wound infections, abscesses, sprains, fractures, and concussions. “They didn't have basic aids or antibiotics other than what we brought,” said Dr. Miller.
“The group worked incredibly well together. Some of us ran the pharmacy; others worked nonstop as translators and helped dress wounds,” he said.
Touro was among only a few colleges that provided disaster support. “We were the only group to set up camp in the area. There were doctors from Harvard, but most of the delegates primarily represented countries, not colleges,” said Dr. Miller. All members of the Touro team paid for their own transportation and meals. Bhusal’s family and friends in Nepal provided lodging.
Other members of the Touro group included Dr. Vladimir Fridman −whose wife, Lyubov, is an assistant program director at the GST− and Namrata Shrestha, a student at GST who is also a social worker. The group partnered with Child Reach Nepal, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that provided food, shelter and medical aid to the victims.
Aftershocks
While the team was responding to destruction and injuries from the first quake, a second earthquake struck, causing six deaths, and injuring 30-40 villagers. There were landslides and more destruction of buildings. “I couldn’t reach my parents, it was very scary,” said Bhusal. Sanitation was also a problem.
That night, there were 23 aftershocks. “Everyone stayed out in open spaces,” Dr. Miller said. Building temporary learning centers to help resume education and keep children safe became the primary focus, and the team distributed school supplies that were provided by Touro.
Through its fundraising efforts, the Touro Nepali relief team raised more than $4,000 to aid hospitals, orphanages, shelters, and temporary learning centers, and another $1,000 for school supplies.
Bhusal is grateful for the outpouring of support she received from Touro College and her colleagues. She lived in Nepal until the age of 18 so her journey to help the victims was deeply personal. “I am very much determined to serve my people,” she said.
To donate to the victims of the Nepal earthquake, visit gofundme.com/relief-for-Nepal.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/graduate-school-of-technology-faculty-students-and-alumni-step-up-for-nepalese-earthquake-relief-.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/VisittoMaitiNepal.jpg
August 27, 2015
125177
2016 Job Outlook:
It’s All About The Soft Skills
By S. Ronald Ansel
The overall job outlook is an analytical effort undertaken annually by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the professional association for colleges’ Career Services and employers’ Human Resources offices. The 2016 job outlook report shows an 11% increase in hiring college graduates over 2015.
Good News for 2016 College Grads
NACE reports the following good news for 2016 college graduates: “The hiring outlook for college graduates continues to improve as employers plan to hire 11 percent more new college graduates for their U.S. operations from the Class of 2016 than they did from the Class of 2015. These employers cite company growth as the key behind their plans for increased hiring, with organizations looking to new college graduates to build their talent pipelines.”
In 2015, approximately 1,855,000 students will graduate from colleges across the U.S. If you subtract those planning to attend graduate school, that still leaves hundreds of thousands of students who will be vying for available internships and full-time positions.
What Makes an Attractive Candidate?
NACE’s report identifies those attributes that would make a student an attractive candidate. While a GPA of 3.0 and above and work experience of any type are highly important, the single phrase that captures the essence of the most significant attributes is “soft skills.” This grouping of skills includes evidence of leadership capability, the ability to work successfully in a team and competency in written communications. These are attributes that relate to working effectively, productively and successfully with bosses, colleagues, and subordinates in the company. Organizations need people who understand others and how to accomplish their work collaboratively with other people in a way that retains and attracts employees.
These are skills, and skills can be learned, practiced and honed. Organizations are at their essence a group of people who are working toward a goal. Being a person who can demonstrate that he or s/he can empathize, manage in a positive and respectful fashion and reach specific goals will propel a student to great heights in an organization. A student needs to demonstrate that s/he is likable, positive and respectful because no one is attracted to a person who lacks these qualities.
Soft Skills CAN be Learned
How can a student or anyone work on these skills? With effort focused in the right direction and a strong desire, most people can improve their soft skills. The saying that “the soft skills are the hard skills” is just not true. If a student or anyone wants to be successful, s/he can groom these skills. While reading books focused on leadership, self-development and understanding people can be very helpful, perhaps the most effective way to make progress in this area is to acquire a mentor or coach either from within or outside of the organization. Having someone who is trained to provide guidance in an organizational setting will provide the coach with ideas to grow and increase their probability to be successful.
Finally, Follow Your Passion
One last word on the 2016 Job Outlook or similar research. If a person has a passion for pursuing a particular field and the outlook indicates that that field does not have a favorable future, then do your own research to pursue the field or some related field that will provide you with the maximum amount of satisfaction and that plays to your strengths. These research reports provide valuable statistical data, analysis, and guidelines, but are not meant to guide each individual into a particular profession. If you love something and are talented in that area, you will likely be successful if you make it your career choice.
S. Ronald Ansel, MBA, Certified Career & Life Coach is Director of Career Services at Touro College
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/2016-job-outlook-.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/LegalTeamworking.jpg
November 20, 2015
125214
New York Medical College Marks its 158th Commencement Ceremony
Bestowing Degrees on 395 Graduates from the School of Medicine, Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, and the School of Health Sciences and Practice
A feeling of celebration and accomplishment filled the air in the majestic grand hall of Carnegie Hall as New York Medical College’s 158th Commencement exercises got underway—with all the expected pomp and circumstance delighting students, faculty and guests who filled the hall’s five tiers to capacity.
On May 24, the College awarded 206 doctor of medicine (M.D.) degrees, 37 doctor of physical therapy (D.P.T.) degrees, 3 doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees, 61 master of science (M.S.) degrees, 85 master of public health (M.P.H.) degrees and 3 doctor of public health (Dr.P.H.) degrees. The audience of family, friends and distinguished guests gathered to observe the proceedings, providing cheers, applause and standing ovations throughout the course of the evening. View the 158th Commencement Week Activities photo gallery. Pre-commencement celebrations were held before the main event by the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences and the School of Health Sciences and Practice.
Mace bearer Yvonne S. Thornton, M.D., M.P.H., clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology, led the traditional processional of academic leaders, faculty and distinguished guests on to the stage. Grand Marshal John T. Pellicone, M.D., associate dean for medical education and chief medical officer at NYMC Health + Hospitals/ Metropolitan and assistant professor of medicine, declared, “The New York Medical College Commencement is now in session.”
NYMC’s own student a capella group, The Arrhythmias, led the singing of The Star Spangled Banner, followed by remarks by Lydia Bunker, School of Medicine Class of 2017. “We will be making decisions that affect the lives of our patients…..It can be frightening, but it’s exhilarating too, because this is the work we were meant to do, the service to which we have dedicated our lives,” she told her classmates.
Robert M. Califf, M.D., followed, delivering the evening’s commencement address. Califf, one of the nation’s most well-regarded physicians in academic medicine and a preeminent innovator in clinical evidence generation, shared a vision for the future of medicine in his speech, Adapting to the Digital World. The theme of his address was the information revolution in medicine, and its “remarkable potential….to make our lives, and the lives of our patients, better.” He spoke of the role of information technology in addressing societal challenges such as deepening health disparities, and told the audience that the medical profession must address these challenges by adapting the information revolution—not accepting systems that distract from patients, but rather, “demanding systems that allow us to come closer to our patients, sharing evidence and strategies with them.” Dr. Califf, formerly the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a pioneer and an international expert in translation science, recently joined Verily, Google’s life sciences company. He spoke of a ground-breaking health technology study recently announced by Google with Duke and Stanford Universities, part of what Dr. Califf characterized as “amazing opportunities to improve quality of life and function and even cure disease for Americans.”
The presentation of the candidates saw each of the graduates personally called to the stage to receive their diplomas. The ceremony also included the commissioning of five graduates of the School of Medicine as medical officers of the U.S. Navy and Air Force. They were inducted by Colonel Troy Prairie, M.D., chief, primary care department, West Point Health Service Area in West Point, N.Y. Earlier in the day, before Commencement ceremonies began, a traditional military “pinning” ceremony was held in Carnegie Hall’s Rose Museum. As Colonel Prairie officiated, parents, siblings and invited guests watching, the five military graduates were each “pinned” with an additional stripe or insignia on their uniforms to officially recognize their change in rank as a medical school graduate.
Francis Belloni, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School of Basic Medical Science, was awarded a special proclamation from the Board of Trustees recognizing his retirement from his deanship, a role he has held since 1997.
As the commencement ceremonies drew to a close, Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., chancellor and chief executive officer, concluded the ceremony with the “Charge to the Class of 2017.” We arrive at this day together; in partnership. We are proud of what we have jointly achieved,” he said. He then wished the graduates, “Godspeed on your journey, ladies and gentlemen.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/new-york-medical-college-marks-its-158th-commencement-ceremony.php
June 07, 2017
125218
The Study of Russian Jewish History Comes Alive on Moscow Summer Program
Lander Institute Moscow hosted a Touro College Summer Program in Moscow
This summer, the Touro College Moscow branch, Lander Institute Moscow, hosted a Touro College Summer Program from July 25th through August 5.
The course was open to Touro College students, faculty and staff on either a credit or auditing basis. Undergraduate students, drawn from the Lander Colleges, New York School of Career and Applied Studies (NYSCAS) and Touro College Berlin were housed in dormitory facilities, adjacent to the campus. Also participating were students, staff and faculty from the Lander College for Women, the Jacob J. Fuchsberg Law Center, and Touro University Nevada. The Touro Summer programs seek to foster a greater integration of the Touro programs abroad with the Touro College and University System. The summer program provides access to a unique educational experience utilizing resources of the country abroad, which would not be available on the home campus. This year’s program focused on Russian Jewish history under the Czars during the Soviet period up until the present period.
Faculty for the course included Dr. Israel Singer, professor of political science at Lander College for Men and NYSCAS, and Dr. Alexander Lakshin, a lecturer in Jewish studies who had himself lived through the Soviet and post-Soviet period. Incorporated in the course were visits to historic sites and artifacts from the historical periods being studied as well as meetings and discussions with leading rabbinic figures in Moscow and visits to the synagogues. A most significant event was a visit with Rabbi Berel Lazar, chief Rabbi of Russia. Mrs. Esther Boylan, an instructor of Jewish studies at LCW also lectured on the role played by Hebrew literature during the Enlightenment period.
"The Summer program in Moscow was a unique opportunity to learn about the Jewish experience, living as a persecuted minority over a great historic period, and to see the robust revival of that same community as the bonds of persecution are removed," said Touro Vice President Dr. Stanley Boylan, who lectured on the program as well. "Students were able to see the historic record of the Holocaust and the Cold War in Moscow, and to learn about the same period in a classroom setting." The program was coordinated by Dr. Simcha Fishbane, Professor of Jewish Studies and Special Assistant to President Alan Kadish for European programs.
Students visit the Choral Synagogue in Moscow and learn its history from Professor Alexander Lakshin
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/the-study-of-russian-jewish-history-comes-alive-on-moscow-summer-program.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2017/moscow_20170825.jpg
August 25, 2017
125147
Faculty Bid Farewell to the Touro Law Class of 2016
Parting words from the Touro Law faculty to the graduates of 2016
In a farewell message to the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Touro Law Center graduates of 2016, the faculty at TLC share some words of wisdom and advice, such as…
The people you surround yourself with is important. Choose five people that will encourage you and be a source of positive energy.
When despairing about the bar exam, pause and remember why you came to law school in the first place.
There’s no one-size-fits-all for bar exam review programs.
Proofread all papers!
Always remember that your clients are putting their trust in your hands.
Find a job that brings you joy.
And lastly: The first time you represent a client in court, relish the day you pass through the actual bar doors!
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/faculty-bid-farewell-to-the-touro-law-class-of-2016.php
May 19, 2016
125166
Success in Practice
Machon L'Parnasa Dean Braun was a beneficiary of former-student Hersko's hard work
Ethan Hersko hadn’t seen his former dean Esther Braun, since his undergraduate days at Machon L’Parnasa–Institute for Professional Studies. Until they came face to face one day in a hospital room. Hersko was doing rounds as a Physician Assistant in training and Braun was attending to her mother, who was suffering from pneumonia.
“She said, Ethan, Ethan, is that you?” recalled Hersko, 24. “She got choked-up. I was moved. She’s such a good person who works so hard for her students and shares her wealth of knowledge. I think seeing me in scrubs and a white jacket doing rounds was such a proud moment for her. I was one of the fruits of her labor.”
Hersko, a Brooklyn native who studied at Yeshiva Torah Vodaath, found Machon L’Parnasa–Institute for Professional Studies perfect for his no-nonsense pragmatism. “I’ve never understood students who know what they want and still take their time,” he says. “I wanted to get in there, work hard, get what I need and get out in the world. That’s what I did.”
He went on to Touro’s Graduate School of Health Sciences and now works full time in an urgent care clinic in Baltimore, where he and a colleague see some 100 patients daily. Hersko did very well in school, but he says he wasn’t the best: “I met my wife, Adina, in school. She was way smarter than me.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/success-in-practice.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/EthanHersko.jpeg
August 24, 2015
125226
“More Crucial Than Ever”
Touro Authors Celebrate at Annual Luncheon
While the internet has disrupted the traditional publishing and academic landscape, one thing remains constant: Touro faculty members are publishing more than ever.
Faculty members celebrated their accomplishments on November 16 at the sixth annual Author Appreciation Luncheon held in Touro’s midtown headquarters. Staff members from Touro’s New York schools congregated and enjoyed a presentation about the changing publishing landscape. Each faculty member was given a book listing the articles and books written by Touro professors, with more than 1170 citations from almost 600 authors.
“Information is the currency of our democracy,” stated Bashe Simon, director of Touro’s Libraries as she opened the event. “The dissemination of literature and knowledge has been the keystone of Touro.”
Touro College and University System President Dr. Alan Kadish spoke about his own time as a faculty member at Northwestern University. “Historically the library has been the area of Touro that has functioned as the repository of scholarly and academic activity,” Dr. Kadish said.
From his own experiences, Dr. Kadish segued into a discussion of the new landscape of academia and public information.
“Writing in 2017 has taken on a different meaning than it has historically,” explained Dr. Kadish. “Followers on Twitter and Facebook ‘likes’ are now considered more important than producing something peer-reviewed and something of value. Filtering information and trying to understand what’s accurate and what’s not has become a challenge.”
“We’re in the midst of a significant paradigm shift,” continued Dr. Kadish. “It is more crucial than ever to subject what we write to critical review and analysis. At the same time, we must reach the largest possible audience while maintaining our academic integrity.”
Patricia Salkin, Touro College Provost for the Graduate and Professional Divisions and a professor at the Touro Law Center, encouraged the authors and researchers to collaborate and to take advantage of the help Touro provides its faculty and students, including the recently launched presidential grants LINK and faculty awards. “Come forward so we can aid you in your scholarly pursuit,” she explained.
Dr. Salomon Amar, Touro’s newly appointed Provost for Biomedical Research and Chief Biomedical Research Officer, spoke about his own work that received funding from NIH. Noting that the book of published works had increased since last year, Dr. Amar joked that the book “had an obesity problem” but fortunately some faculty members were already researching that.
Ann Nowak, a professor at the Touro Law Center and the director of the school’s writing center, spoke about her own journey towards becoming a researcher during her keynote speech. One day in her class, she noticed students were having trouble reading from the board. After consulting a reading specialist, Nowak launched a study examining the reading abilities of her students. She received a presidential grant for her research and is currently at work on her study, “Disfluency as an Indicator of Hidden Reading Comprehension Difficulties Among Students in Higher Education.”
“If it’s happening to our law students, it’s happening everywhere,” Nowak said.
As the faculty members congregated for lunch, several authors spoke about the satisfaction they derived from meeting other authors.
“I really enjoyed the opportunities to get together with other authors,” said TCOP professor Ellen Loh, whose paper, “Proximal predictors of long-term discontinuance with noninsulin antihyperglycemic agents,” was published in Journal of Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy.
Lander College of Arts and Sciences Dean Henry Abramson, whose book, Torah From the Years of Wrath 1939-1943: The Historical Context of the Aish Kodesh, debuted to acclaim said that he appreciated the event.
“Scholarship is often a very lonely solitary task and to have a moment to celebrate with others and to realize we exist in a community of scholars is very valuable,” he said.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/more-crucial-than-ever.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/news-and-communication-assets/featured-story-assets/IMG_0430.jpg
December 04, 2017
125162
In It to Fix It
Congresswoman Rice Focuses on Solutions
When Congresswoman Kathleen Rice considered her career path following graduation from college, her father’s words came to mind. “He used to tell me, you like to argue so much, why don’t you get a law degree?” says Rice, who in January 2015, was sworn into office to represent New York’s Fourth Congressional District, Nassau County.
Back then, however, Rice could not have imagined that this love of arguing would carry her through three years of law school at the Touro Law Center, an impressive career as a prosecutor in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, as district attorney for Nassau County and most recently, help her win a seat in the United States Congress. Since earning her law degree, Rice has made a name for herself as an advocate and a problem solver. While serving as D.A., she earned a reputation for cracking down on drunk drivers, combating public corruption, closing the pay gap between men and women in her office, developing reforms to reduce cheating on college standardized tests, and creating education programs for teens focused on minimizing bullying and drug use. A gun control advocate, she also supported gun buy-back programs.
One of 10 children, Congresswoman Rice learned early on how to speak up for herself and to compromise. “I think this was a factor in my pursuing a career as a prosecutor and ultimately entering politics,” she says. Rice’s ability to find common ground, along with her respect for differences of opinion, are qualities that have served her well throughout her career, and these too, were learned at home. “I was raised in a Republican household. My father was a Republican and my uncle founded New York State’s Conservative Party,” explains Rice. “There were always issues we didn’t agree on and those we didn’t discuss, but we never lost respect for each other, or the important things we did agree on.”
Rice’s father, who passed away recently, didn’t let politics get in the way of his support for his daughter. He switched parties and registered as a Democrat when Rice ran in the primary race for Nassau County D.A.
Congresswoman Rice’s work has always focused on helping others. “Service is something my parents always stressed,” she explains. While in law school at Touro, Rice appreciated how the concept of service was incorporated into a legal education. “I went to law school knowing I wanted to use my skills and the knowledge I gained there to advocate for others,” says Rice. “And this was part of the message I received at Touro, too.”
Always up for a challenge, Rice describes herself as “naturally optimistic.” These qualities will come in handy in Washington as she focuses her energies on keeping the country safe, through her work on the U.S. House of Representatives’ Homeland Security Committee, and as she works to help maintain and build the middle class.
“I try to keep myself focused on how things can be and what I can do to be part of the solution,” she says. For Rice, building relationships on both sides of the aisle is a priority. “I genuinely believe there are good, reasonable men and women in Congress who feel the same way and I’ll work with anyone from any party who wants to get things done for the people we serve.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/in-it-to-fix-it.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/resizedRice.jpg
August 11, 2015
125156
Welcome, Touro Law Class of 2018!
Class of 2015 Graduates offer a warm welcome to the incoming students at Touro Law Center.
Where are the best places to study at Touro Law Center (TLC)? What resources does TLC provide for its students? Why is it important to network with professors from the very beginning? What should incoming students expect from law school—and specifically, TLC?
Graduates from the class of 2015 answer these questions, and more, as they share welcome the class of 2018 to the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/welcome-touro-law-class-of-2018.php
July 14, 2015
125165
Experience Led Her to Law
Julia Capie studied at the Touro Law Center to help families who suffered like her own
Julia Capie decided to become a lawyer so she could make a difference in the lives’ of families similar to her own. Her mother’s family emigrated from the Dominican Republic when Hurricane David destroyed their home and family restaurant in 1979. Once in the U.S., they struggled with racism, language and culture barriers, and low-paying, manual labor jobs.
Capie realized that in order to reach her goal, she would need to merge the study of law with real-world experience. And so, she interned last summer at Proskauer Rose LLP, an international law firm where she gained valuable experience in litigation, labor law and estate planning. Additionally, Capie analyzed tuition issues for undocumented immigrants as part of the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL's) Summer Associate Research Program. Her work will be used by the ADL to support civil rights policies.
A third year student gearing up for life after graduation, Capie credits Touro Law with preparing her for the next stage. “I was able to translate my studies in Legal Process to the research and writing necessary to succeed in the law firm environment. As a Research Assistant for the Dean, I gained a solid foundation for delving into complex legal issues, and Touro's faculty has been incredibly accessible and supportive every step of the way. Though I have worked hard for my achievements, I would not be where I am without the invaluable guidance I received from the Touro Law family.”
As for the future, Capie has already received an offer for permanent employment and is looking forward to setting up her work station at Proskauer Rose LLP.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/experience-led-her-to-law.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/resizedJuliaCapie.jpg
August 21, 2015
125077
Judgment-Free Zone
Chilean native and therapeutic counselor Calanit Paz brings the Torah to survivors of all stripes
It was emotional for Calanit Paz to interview Holocaust victims in their homes as part of her internship work for Jewish Community Services (JCS) in Florida. As a young woman who identifies with her Judaism very deeply and has studied in Israel, it was almost too emotional. As she puts it, in Paz’s line of work, you need to have a “poker face” and be very professional as you talk to clients about their story. However, hearing first-hand from individuals who survived the camps became too overwhelming, and Paz found it difficult to maintain a stoic disposition.
“This is the last generation of survivors,” she says. “And it’s my responsibility as a Jew to meet them, talk to them and transfer their message to my children so they can pass it on for generations to come. However, I recognize it was hard for me to hold my tears listening to what they’ve lived.”
In general, the Chilean Marriage and Family Therapist and Psychology graduate from Touro South (Touro’s Florida campus)—who also studied for a year in Israel—possesses tremendous compassion and sensitivity. It’s what drives her work at JCS, where she provides counseling to a range of those in need, from the LGBT community and those who struggle with addiction, to people who’ve persevered through enormous trauma. It’s an empathy Paz developed early on in life, and was fostered growing up in a part of the world where there wasn’t necessarily a progressive attitude toward post modern therapeutic treatment.
“I chose this specific agency because they had such variety,” she says. “I wanted to have exposure to diverse populations. I have been blessed with the ability to travel and live in different societies, so I believe I can relate to different people. I’ve also had many experiences that have made me more sensitive to others, especially minorities. I like people, and I am glad I was given the opportunity to help.”
Her initial attraction to therapy, for many years prior, was in the area of marriage and family counseling, which she still practices at JCS. “I saw that the Torah possess wisdom that can keep marriages alive,” she explains. “I wanted to use that wisdom and hopefully spread it to the world.” That’s where her time in Israel fit into the picture, giving her a place to further immerse in the Torah and consider ways to apply its lessons outside of everyday faith. “Israel was my base,” she remembers. “It gave me a solid religious and spiritual grounding. This is one of the reasons why I chose Touro, so I could continue with my Jewish learning.”
The irony, as she observes, is that religious groups can also resist guidance outside of what’s already in their scripture, something Paz hopes to help dispel. “Not only religious Jews, but religious people in general have a stigma toward therapists. If needed, they usually go to their guru, priest, rabbi or whoever their spiritual leader might be. Nonetheless, I have seen that people whom are very attached to their religious faith have a harder time accepting that their family or marriage is not as perfect as expected by their religious standards, thus many issues become hidden, or taboo. I wanted to be there to show it’s OK to seek help and that there is no reason to hide.”
Paz has seen the most immediate and noticeable change in attitude among the court-mandated cases who arrive at her office, particularly since they’re often the most skeptical. “For example, some of the people that come here for DUI counseling are in absolute denial as for the need to change. They are hesitant to therapy, especially because they are forced to come. And when they sit and start talking, they begin to realize there’s a lot on their plate. Every person has something they can improve, but if a person doesn’t want to help themselves, you can’t do much, all you can do is try to bring out that spark in the person that allows them to realize they do want to change and have a better life.”
And what that time and dedication to her work has given back to Paz is an even richer sense of compassion and implicit understanding toward her fellow human being. “It makes you judgment free” she offers. “Everyone has their own story, and you realize you’re not in anyone’s shoes... That’s been my lesson.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/judgment-free-zone.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/news-and-communication-assets/featured-story-assets/androidpictures394CalanitPaz.jpg
February 28, 2013
125205
CEO of Hebrew Theological College Delivers Benediction at Illinois Senate General Assembly
Rabbi Shmuel L. Schuman draws on Jewish benediction from 1850
On January 11, Rabbi Shmuel L. Schuman, CEO of Hebrew Theological College, delivered the benediction to open the Illinois Senate 100th General Assembly.
Rabbi Schuman, who was invited by Senator Ira Silverstein to the ceremony, began his speech by noting that the first Jewish benediction at a state capital was delivered by Julius Eckman in Virginia in 1850. Rabbi Schuman drew on Eckman’s speech, stating that, “the more things change—the more humanity in its quest for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness—remains the same.”
“May truth be our guide, justice our will and the welfare of mankind our only aim so that this state can confront the challenges ahead and continue to rise, shine and flourish,” he quoted from Eckman’s text.
Then adding his own prayer, Rabbi Schuman quoted from Ethics of Our Fathers, Pirkei Avot, that all arguments for the sake of heaven, for the good of mankind, will ultimately succeed.
“May discussions in this chamber be of that ilk,” he said.
Rabbi Schuman finished his speech with the priestly blessings from Biblical book of Numbers.
“May God bless you and safeguard you,” Rabbi Schuman concluded. “May God’s countenance shine upon you and be gracious to you. May God grant you peace.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/ceo-of-hebrew-theological-college-delivers-benediction-at-illinois-senate-general-assembly.php
January 25, 2017
125217
Touro Holds Inaugural Presidential Awards for Faculty Excellence
Recognizing Excellence in Teaching, Scholarship and Service
A select group of faculty was honored by Touro senior academic leadership on June 14 as the inaugural recipients of Presidential Awards for Faculty Excellence were bestowed. Nine faculty members were honored for their excellence in three areas: teaching, scholarship/research, and service.
Touro College and University System President, Dr. Alan Kadish, introduced each of the faculty members, reviewing their professional contributions to Touro College, our students and to the community at-large. “It is not only appropriate, but it is important for the College to recognize and reward excellence among our faculty. I am pleased that the Office of Provost has launched this initiative and I look forward to continuing to highlight the stellar accomplishments of our professors.”
Each recipient received an engraved medal that can be worn on their academic regalia and a monetary award in recognition of their outstanding accomplishments.
Excellence in Teaching
Professor Lynne Kramer: Touro Law CenterDr. Milton Schiffenbauer: New York School of Career and Applied StudiesDr. Patricia Precin: School of Health Sciences
Excellence in Scholarship/Research
Dr. Natalia Aleksiun: Graduate School of Jewish StudiesProfessor Carol Steen: Lander College for Women – The Ann Ruth and Mark Hasten SchoolDr. Robert Stern: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
Excellence in Service
Dr. Elizabeth Chiariello: School of Health SciencesDr. June Kume: School of Health SciencesDr. Alan Sebel: Graduate School of Education
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-holds-inaugural-presidential-awards-for-faculty-excellence.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2017/IMG_3277.JPG
June 21, 2017
125089
Meet Narayan Malla
A graduate of Touro’s Graduate School of Technology, he worked on a film as part of his master’s thesis project, that depicts some of the struggles he faced as an international student.
HometownBhaktapur, Nepal
Why he came to the United States
I originally came to the United States to study Physics, like my idol Albert Einstein, and to become a physicist. But in 2006 I bought Final Cut Pro and I rediscovered my old, and true, passion. It built on my childhood spent making street plays and creating short films with friends.
Degrees
I completed a BS degree in Data Communications at New York School for Career and Applied Studies and a Digital Multimedia Arts (DMX) Certification at Touro College.
What he likes best about Touro’s Graduate School of Technology
”It allowed me to study the theory and hands on aspects of video and audio production. It teaches a good balance of theory and practice, causing you to strengthen both sides of the brain.”
Inspiration for thesis film, Out of the Fire
The inspiration for Out of the Fire is actually the city itself. New York City is so culturally diverse. We have seen so many hateful crimes due to cultural diversity. I want my viewers to learn to be accepting of different cultures and learn to respect each other.
Significance of the titleOut of the Fire has both literal and metaphorical meaning. In the story, a fire changes the lives of everyone involved. The metaphorical meaning is that out of every hardship comes happiness.
How was it made?I collaborated with classmates from the Web & Multimedia Design Program. Oksana Saulenko photographed the behind-the-scenes filming of our movie. Prerana Bhusal, also a student at Touro, is the production designer. Supath Sitaula and Sanchita Silwal, who are actually husband and wife, are playing the role of Kumar and Nisha, a married couple in the movie.
Favorite Films
My favorite films are 8½, Schindler’s List, Raging Bull and the War Trilogy by Roberto Rossellini. I’ve been influenced by directors Frederico Fellini, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.
What the future holdsI hope to go back to Nepal and work as a director, creating movies that will represent Nepal in the international arena. I’d also like to eventually start my own media company, which will provide all the post-production facilities like editing, sound recording, mixing, final mixing and distributing.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/meet-narayan-malla.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2013-featured/threegrads_narayan.jpg.jpeg
October 29, 2013
125114
Celebrating Success
Graduate School of Technology honors graduates with dinner
The Touro College Graduate School of Technology (GST) recently hosted a dinner for its 2013-2014 graduates and their family members. Awards were distributed to recognize achievements including academic excellence and service to the school. Attendees were also gifted with a GST t-shirt so alumni will keep us in mind and keep in touch.
During the dinner, some award recipients reflected on their time at GST and their hopes for the future.
Loucas Karipis, valedictorian and class speaker, traveled all the way from the island of Cyprus to earn his master of science in information systems with a concentration in data communication. Karipis enjoyed his studies and credits GST with giving him a sense of confidence in his future. Studying in NYC had the added benefit of a good bagel and hot pastrami. He’s currently interning at online grocer Fresh Direct where, upon graduation, he will work fulltime as a system/network administrator.
Other students plan to put their hard-earned technology skills to work in the classroom. Sara Silver, an elementary school teacher, just accepted a technology teacher position that starts this fall in Brooklyn. And Kevin Miller, a history teacher in Spanish Harlem, is thrilled that his program taught him new ways to connect classroom content to students’ life experiences. Both were awarded for academic excellence.
But degrees aren’t the only thing that alumni are taking with them after graduation. Their training has helped them develop confidence.
Lenny Pacheco, the recipient of the dean's award, hit a home run last year when she landed a coveted marketing internship with Major League Baseball. She’s currently working in the MLB Fan Cave in Manhattan, a position which may become permanent upon graduation. Her web and multimedia design curriculum gave her the tools she needed to make a play for the big leagues
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/celebrating-success.php
June 03, 2014
125119
Fielding Results
Graduate School of Social Work Fellows and Scholarship Students Take Instructive Trip to Northport VA Medical Center
Social work, like any field, has its individual areas of study but still benefits from interdisciplinary understanding. That was embraced when select Touro Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) fellows, scholarship students and educators participated in the first-ever Field Day at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center (NVAMC) in Northport, Long Island on April 4.
A good deal of the day’s focus was on traumas endured by, and strategies recommended for, returning military veterans. NVAMC staff and administrators including Extended Care Section Chief Melanie Brodsky and exposure-therapy practitioner Larry Backilman, LCSW, delivered related lectures and presentations. But the insights offered proved relevant to the range of Touro attendees, regardless of their special areas of interest. The six students who made the trip, for example, were focusing their coursework in one of three specializations: veterans’ issues, aging populations or the severely mentally ill.
"I had said, it would be really great if we could organize a field trip to an agency that would cover a variety of clinical practice areas and the VA is ripe for all that," recalled Susan Brot, GSSW Associate Director of Field Education and Advisement. Professor Brot brought the idea to NVAMC Assistant Chief of Social Work, Vivian Bugaoan who ran with it and coordinated an in depth day long program for students and faculty including Associate Dean Dr. Melissa Earle and Research Chair, Dr. Rufina Lee. "This was a way to partner with one of our newer field agencies and help train future social workers focused on these critical issues." The Field Education Department has placed a student at the NVAMC for an internship for the upcoming 2014-15 academic year.
“All of [it] feeds back to what’s been working within the community,” confirms Annalene Antonio, who completed her Touro-assisted Military Social Work Scholarship in June and was one of six students present. “What’s different is just who they’re serving and what they’re specifying. And that’s really the cultural competence. These treatments can be used in any population.”
One common thread, whether the topic was sexual trauma or geriatric care, was involving the whole family in a patient’s rehabilitation. NVAMC’s Heather Watson-Mott, LCSW, outlined the approach behind behavioral family therapy, for example. BFT sessions take place over a nine-month span, emphasizing that those close to someone coping with a psychiatric disorder fully understand their condition, have a vocabulary to discuss it and work on skills-training in and outside of a clinician’s office.
Another central subject of the seminar was post-traumatic stress disorder, which hits veterans particularly hard, both because of their encounters overseas and the prideful nature of military combatants. But as Field Day attendee Michael Wolf, who recently concluded his Touro College Graduate School Aging Education Fellowship, observes, “PTSD seems to spill over into other areas. PTSD-like symptoms can even be involved in relationships where one partner has cheated and they’re always having these thoughts as to whether they can trust them again. Even though it’s not an active danger, there are some similarities.” The key, he says, and something that was underscored at NVAMC, is “understanding the multiple forms of trauma, physical and mental, and how to deal with people who are living post-trauma.”
The main takeaway, the visitors said, was two-fold: the enormous uphill battle that military veterans of all backgrounds confront (“they’re a different person,” says Antonio), and the myriad, and still evolving, ways social work can better the lives of anyone who’s suffering.
Or as Wolf succinctly, optimistically puts it, “It’s always an effort to adapt and be current, but I think we’re poised to be much better prepared than we ever have.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/fielding-results.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/schools-and-colleges/graduate-school-of-social-work/images/stories/2014/northportVA2014sm.JPG
June 27, 2014
125141
PruTech Recruits GST Students
Graduate School of Technology students and alumni interview for positions in tech
PruTech Solutions, an established Information Technology (IT) and business support services company, visited Touro College Graduate School of Technology (GST) last week to recruit students for potential full-time positions.
Before interviewing each of the forty GST students and alumni present, the PruTech representatives delivered a brief presentation on the history of PruTech, its company culture, and how the company differentiates itself through its personal approach to each applicant.
PruTech’s Human Resources Manager, Naomi Auman, said “It was a great pleasure speaking with the students and meeting with quality candidates. Overall, PruTech considers the evening to have been a success, and we hope to continue our partnership with Touro in the future.”
Robert Grosberg, GST’s Director of Career Services, organized the evening. “These types of unique recruitment events demonstrate to our students and alumni how much we try to help our students and alumni with their careers, and how much we prioritize our students’ success in the business world.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/prutech-recruits-gst-students.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/16687040708_15211e57b6_b.jpg
April 14, 2015
125155
Counting On It
A GST Programmer Takes His Passion Around the World
Fresh out of engineering school in Thailand, Marach Treekunprapa landed a job in Bangkok and thought his life was set. But after several months of dissatisfying work, Treekunprapa realized he’d need to head down another path. He renewed his passport, traveled to New York City, where he knew not a soul, signed up for English classes and tried to figure out what to do with his life.
Three years later, after enrolling in a Touro master’s program for web and multimedia design in New York City, Treekunprapa is now the proud developer of “Mo’s Adventure,” an educational app that teaches counting to young children. “Back in Thailand, I’d made an animation video for some friends’ wedding and loved the work,” he said. “I began researching New York schools that offered training in digital media.”
Treekunprapa learned about Touro, discovered the master’s program and was intrigued. At a school open house, he met Assistant Program Director Prerana Bhusal, who described the course offerings and encouraged him to follow his passion. “I had been trained as an engineer. It was a big change for me. But after looking at the school and meeting the people there, I knew it was what I wanted.”
During his first class, Design and Theory, Professor Jesse Epstein helped Treekunprapa learn design basics. “A lot of the students arrived to Touro with more of a design background than I had,” he said. “But Professor Epstein supported me and helped me to develop my abilities.” From then on, Treekunprapa’s confidence in his decision and his abilities grew, along with his enthusiasm for web and multimedia studies.
By the time he reached his second year in the program, Treekunprapa was developing a counting app for young children. “My mother was a teacher and so I naturally gravitated toward the educational aspects of multimedia design,” he says. Turning one of his boyhood “doodles,” whom he calls “Mo,” into the application’s main character, this digital game for two-to three-year-olds, Mo’s Adventure, came into being.
“When I was young, my dad asked me to memorize all the times tables, even though we were studying the much easier addition and subtraction tables at school,” he explains. When the time came to learn multiplication, Treekunprapa already knew them all. “When my friends saw how much I knew, they called me a ‘Multiplication Ninja,’ and I felt really good about myself,” he recalls. Treekunprapa believes this experience gave him the confidence to pursue many goals, including relocating to New York and learning an entirely new field. He hopes that his app will impact children in the same way. “My dream is that their experience with ‘Mo’s Adventure’ will help them develop a confidence in themselves that they’ll carry with them throughout their lives.”
This article appeared in the Spring 2015 edition of Touro Links
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/-counting-on-it-.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/MarachTreekunprapa_edited-1-475x397.jpg
July 08, 2015
125161
GST Provides Tools of the Trade for Schools in Need
Grad Students are Advocates for Technology
In school districts with tight budgets, state-of-the-art learning tools like stereo headphones for Italian Language class or a cordless drill for the after-school robotics club often get sidelined, forcing teachers to become tech advocates for their classrooms and raise the money themselves to buy the equipment they need.
At the Graduate School of Technology (GST) in New York City, grad students −several of whom are local schoolteachers in high-needs districts− have done just that. They have raised funds earmarked for specific educational goals by posting requests for donations on fundraising (also known as “crowdsourcing” or “crowdfunding”) websites like Donors Choose.
Under the leadership of Dr. Isaac Herskowitz, Dean of the GST, students enrolled in Foundations of Instructional Technology (IT) formed seven groups who identified fundraising goals for public schools in low income areas: everything from camcorders needed for budding filmmakers, to iPads for children with autism. Teachers’ requests for donations were posted on Donors Choose, as well as other social media, to raise capital to buy equipment.
Lyubov Fridman, IT Assistant Program Director, was impressed with the way students took an idea from start to finish. “These GST students really knew what the classroom needs were. The project brought equipment in the classroom that they may not have been able to obtain otherwise,” she said.
Dr. Herskowitz said in addition to learning the latest platforms for academic instruction, IT students glean valuable lessons from this project on how to promote and incorporate technology in their own classrooms. “We teach IT students visionary leadership. That includes advocating for funding strategies which support the implementation of technology in their school or district,” Dr. Herskowitz said.
Joseph Costanzo, who teaches special needs children in Queens, N.Y., was grateful for the $712 that GST helped raise to buy a 32 GB Samsung Galaxy Tablet. “My students will benefit greatly with this donation. They learn best using tactile, hands-on methods, and this is perfect. They have their eyes glued to my tablet and are definitely retaining the information a lot better,” he said.
For more information on Touro College GST, visit http://legacy.touro.edu/gst/.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/gst-provides-tools-of-the-trade-for-schools-in-need.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/AmandaDraghiJasonMcIntoshNicoleDraghi(drills).JPG
August 03, 2015
125176
Meet GST Grad Joseph Cardenas, Production Artist at AmEx
A conversation with the Graduate School of Technology graduate of 2014.
At the Graduate School of Technology (GST), we pride ourselves on the competitive positions our alumni are able to attain after graduation. Joseph Cardenas, GST ’15, is a prime example: After graduating this past year from GST’s Web and Multimedia Design Program. Joseph was offered a position at American Express, where he currently works as a Production Artist for OnBrand, AmEx’s internal creative agency. Joseph sat down to talk with us at GST for a few minutes about his daily responsibilities, background in design, and personal visions for the future.
What brought you to GST?
"As a print production designer, I knew that I was going to be left behind unless I started educating myself in the digital realm. SVA, Parsons and FIT were amazing options to continue my education, but Professor [Jesse] Epstein told me about the inception of the Masters of Web & Multimedia Program in 2011. I was always drawn to the start of anything new, because it’s raw and looking for ways to improve. The program gave me the courage to continue my education and learn new skills to implement into my career. There were hurdles to overcome, but I learned to adapt quickly and collaborate so that I could succeed on my personal and school projects."
What was your background in design before coming to GST?
"I’d worked on a vast array of design projects such as brand identities, photo montage posters, illustrations, catalogs, digital banners, stationary, icons, and photography. Other projects I started—and am still working on—are new brand identity logos for a cigar and lighting company. Now, though, some of the projects I’d really love to finish are the ones I was working on at Touro, such as a creative mobile app called “dConstruct” that explores art through collage. It’s one of the first ideas I came up with at Touro, and one I hold close to my heart."
Membership Rewards Concepts for American Express Pricing Icon, designed by Joseph Cardenas
How did you get the job at American Express?
"I honestly don’t remember applying to any positions at AmEx…you send out so many resumes that you forget where you applied! I received a call from the recruiter when I was home taking care of my son one day, and within a couple of months of interviewing I’d received an offer."
So exciting! What do you do at AmEx?
"I’m part of the startup team for OnBrand, their first internal creative agency. It’s really exciting—we’re competing with outside agencies to take on projects that Amex works on with its external clients. I’m a graphic designer/production artist for the team and am responsible for making sure all assets designed by our team follows the global brand standards of the American Express Blue Box identity. I also make sure that all assets are created perfectly for print and digital release. In laymen terms, you can say I make sure all the graphics look beautiful and work right before being put out into the world."
A photo still of Cardenas’ mobile app protoype, Praevian, which focuses on camping skills. (copyright: Joseph Cardenas)
We heard you designed a sophisticated mobile application that focused on teaching skills for camping in the outdoors. Can you tell us more about this? Can this be purchased on the app store yet?
"I wouldn’t call it sophisticated, still just a first iteration of the mobile application. The mobile app concentrates on teaching a person how to survive in all types of scenarios. The name I used for the mobile application is called Praevian, which is Latin for guide. The application still is in prototype phase and not ready for any release yet. Haven’t had the opportunity to finish the application, but that’s why there are goals!"
Very true! How do you envision your professional career in the future?
"I would love to have my own design studio which concentrates on brand identity work, motion graphics and illustration. I would love to be recognized for my stellar design work through all the major organizations (HOW, AIGA, etc.) But’s that all ego—I just want to put out amazing work that inspires, challenges and changes the perception of how people look at the world. I hope I have the opportunity to show that type of work in the future."
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/meet-gst-grad-joseph-cardenas-production-artist-at-amex.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/JosephCardenasCubicle.jpg
November 12, 2015
125181
Works Well with Others
7 Talking Tips for a Successful Career in Technology
At the Graduate School of Technology’s (GST) Career Night on March 1, two young, dynamic computer engineers from the website, Foursquare, let their audience in on the best practices for effectively communicating with clients, coworkers, and CEO’s throughout their technology careers.
Titled “Beyond Coding,” the talk featured Maryam Aly and Max Sklar discussing ways that GST students and alumni can avoid common communication pitfalls and adopt better, user-friendly ‘soft’ skills to maximize a tech graduate’s value in the workplace:
Be authentic, personal, and positive. Use your personality, rather than robotically go through motions
Don’t use insider jargon. Don’t talk down to your colleagues
Think about what interests your audience based on their perspective and expertise
Sandwich negative feedback between positive feedback
Recognize differences in your audiences. Are they engineers? CEO’s? Students?
Use motivating language
say: “Wouldn’t it be great if we loaded the data as soon as the first app hit happens?”
not: “Don’t you want to just open up your phone and have the app screen already loaded?”
Listen to negative comments and feedback. Don’t be defensive and don’t place blame. You will have your blind spots, so it’s important to find out where to improve.
For more information about the Graduate School of Technology, or to enroll in any of the School’s programs in Instructional Technology, Web and MultiMedia Design, or Information Systems, visit TC Graduate School of Technology
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/works-well-with-others-.php
March 07, 2016
125201
Handshakes, Name Tags and How to Hold Your Plate:
Mary Crane, a Career Etiquette Expert and Author of 5 Books for Students and Professionals, Offers Tips for Touro’s Technology Grads
When it comes to career networking at professional functions, including holiday events, how important is it to know what color to wear, how to shake hands, or navigate the buffet table?
Very important, says Mary Crane, an expert in career-planning etiquette who presented practical tips at a workshop held at Touro College Graduate School of Technology. The gathering was one of several seminars and career nights GST provides to its technology students throughout the year, in addition to quality, advanced academic training that leads to exciting jobs in Web and Multimedia Design, Information Systems and Instructional Technology.
Crane, a former tax lawyer who later attended culinary school and became assistant chef at the White House under President Clinton, has parlayed her broad experience in the worlds of business, politics, and food and wine into etiquette advice for career-conscious tech grads, professionals, and everyone in between. Here are a few top tips she presented at her workshop From Backpack to Briefcase:
Holidays, Interviews, Job Fairs:
Know how to make an introduction
If you are in a group, be aware of organizational hierarchy and introduce the most important person, i.e., your boss, first.
Eat before you go
Don’t get stuck holding the food. Crane points out that virtually all catered events require guests to handle finger food or hold a plate in one hand and probably a drink in the other. Sure enough, an important colleague approaches and offers a handshake, to which you will respond by looking to put the plate somewhere, wiping your hands off, and, well you get the idea.
More on food and drink…
Hold your drink in your left hand. There are more right-handers than lefties out there and at parties /networking events, a drink in the hand means a cold wet handshake or having to take the time to wipe your hand off on something, usually what you are wearing.
Wear dark blue on an interview
Studies have consistently shown that more than any other color, wearers of dark blue suits or outfits are perceived as more professional, competent, and confident.
For more on best business practices from Mary Crane’s “10 Rules of Engagement,” go to:
http://blog-gst.touro.edu/techspec/career-night-with-mary-crane
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/handshakes-name-tags-and-how-to-hold-your-plate.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2016/MaryCrane.jpg
November 30, 2016
125213
Top Tech Student is Creating Solutions through Meaningful Design
GST’s Renata Rocha: 'The human factor is central'
Renata Rocha started her academic career at a fine arts college but wanted something more.
“Since I was a little girl, I saw myself as a creative person,” said Rocha. “But I wanted to give meaning to my pieces and turn them into something useful for people.”
Rocha, a graduate of the Web and Multimedia Design program, is class speaker at this year’s commencement ceremony for the Touro College Graduate School of Technology (GST) and was recently hired as an adjunct professor in the undergraduate department.
Raised in Brazil, Rocha earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Centro Universitário da Cidade in Rio De Janeiro and worked for the most popular media website in Brazil with 55 million unique visitors each month. She traveled throughout her country teaching technology and running usability tests with more than 2,500 people.
After moving to New York with her husband, she searched for a master’s degree program in design and technology and found what she was looking for at Touro.
“At GST, I learned to use design to communicate in a very deep way,” she said. “Sharing what I know and learning from a very diverse group of people from different cultures, different religions and different understanding of design was a valuable process.”
For her thesis project, Rocha designed a spelling app for young children that she hopes to publish and expand into a marketable product.
“I love how simple forms and small details can speak for themselves. Design is in everything: a brand, a box, on the elevator panel or on smartphones. Good design is developed with people in mind, where the human factor is central to the solution. In solving a problem, design is my motivation as a professional,” said Rocha.
Jesse Epstein, Chair of the Master of Arts in Web and Multimedia Design program, commended Rocha, who has a 4.0 GPA, for her demonstrated commitment to the school and her ability to connect positively and warmly with people.
“Renata’s background as an international student, her accomplishments in the field, her extraordinary outgoing personality and her strong impulse to be very giving to others- all factored into her selection as a class speaker and valedictorian,” said Epstein.
“I want to change people's lives through design,” said Rocha. “No matter if it is in class, on a blog, in a workshop or a company. The more I know about it, the more I want to share. That's what I'm looking forward to.”
About the Touro College and University System
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 18,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has 30 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: http://www.touro.edu/news/
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/top-tech-student-is-creating-solutions-through-meaningful-design.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2017/RenataRocharesized.jpg
June 05, 2017
125219
Help Those Impacted by Hurricane Harvey
Here’s how you can help those in need.
Visit the following sites to learn ways to donate.
Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund – administered through the Greater Houston Community Foundation. After receiving an overwhelming number of inquiries from citizens and companies who want to help, Mayor Sylvester Turner has established the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund that will accept tax deductible flood relief donations for victims that have been affected by the recent floods.
Help Houston – Join the RCA and OU in Response to the Crisis The Jewish community in Houston, Texas, has once again found itself in the crosshairs of a devastating storm that has already flooded many neighborhoods and will likely cause much more damage in the next 24-48 hours. As the extent of the damage becomes clear, it is obvious that this community will need significant financial help in order to rebuild. The global OU community has answered the call before, and as Rosh Hashana approaches, we must answer the call again.
The American Red Cross - is working around the clock along the Gulf Coast to help the thousands of people whose lives have been devastated by Tropical Storm Harvey.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/help-those-impacted-by-hurricane-harvey.php
August 31, 2017
125095
Celebrating the Bold and the Brave
A holiday message from Dr. Alan Kadish
Chanukah, the festival of lights is a twofold holiday that commemorates both an unlikely victory of the small band of Jewish Maccabees over the Syrian-Greek forces and the miracle of an inexhaustible flame rekindled in the Holy Temple. We take this opportunity to celebrate the faithful, the outnumbered, and the seemingly helpless figures in our history, who set an example for each of us with their achievements despite overwhelming political and religious adversity. The praise and thankfulness we express over candlelight with family empowers and motivates us to take charge of our personal, religious, and institutional destiny.
The Touro College and University System, in which we have all invested our time and effort, would not exist without the actions of the bold and brave men and women who emulate those visionaries who we celebrate this holiday season. As we prepare to publicize the miraculous national and religious victory of Jewish history we cannot overlook some of the similarities between Chanukah and Thanksgiving, which coincide this year. Therefore, it is incumbent on us to point out the symbolic resonance of the courageous men and women who fled European exile to the wilderness of the New World for the freedom of religious self-determination to the heroes and miracles of Chanukah. This juxtaposition adds a dimension of thematic continuity as we celebrate the millennial old commemoration of the bravery of the Jewish people as they battled to retake their rights of religious expression and freedom.
These national and religious victories charge us with a communal responsibility to recognize the value of the freedoms that we often take for granted and they remind us of our responsibility to ensure those rights and freedoms for all people. Let us use this time and take stock of and show our gratitude for our families, our work, and our faith, and rededicate ourselves to achieve even greater success both individually and as a unified university system.
On behalf of the administration of The Touro College and University System, I extend my best wishes to your family and wish you a happy Chanukah and happy Thanksgiving.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/celebrating-the-bold-and-the-brave.php
November 27, 2013
125098
Graduate School of Education Celebrates Seven Year Accreditation
President Kadish, New York City and New York State Applaud School's Accomplishments
Over 70 faculty and friends of the Touro College Graduate School of Education (GSE) gathered recently at the Lander College for Women -- The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School near Lincoln Center -- to celebrate the new seven-year accreditation of Touro’s programs in teacher education and school leadership from The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
Dr. LaMar P. Miller, dean of the Graduate School of Education, warmly welcomed the guests and extended his appreciation to the faculty, staff and students who participated in the rigorous accreditation process over the past year. Audience members were treated to accolades about GSE from a number of speakers including from the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) and the New York State Education Department (NYSED).
Touro President and CEO Dr. Alan Kadish and Dr. Miller awarded Certificates of Appreciation to the team of professors who worked on the accreditation: Professors Laurie Bobley, Jesse Epstein, Sonna Opstad, Alan Sebel, and Howard Weiner, and to the Director of GSE’s Office of Assessment and Accreditation, Bocar Mbengue.
“Public and private schools in New York City and in New York State can look forward to GSE’s continued leadership in providing outstanding teachers and school leaders,” Dean Miller told the audience.
President Kadish expressed his pride in the School and its accomplishments, as the GSE celebrates its 20th anniversary. He cited a recent report from the New York City Department of Education that ranked Touro highly for its teacher training programs.
“The report reflected external metrics that suggest we’re doing a really good job,” the president said. “Everyone in this room has done a phenomenal job, not just on the accreditation process but in developing the Graduate School of Education into what it is today.”
Jerrold Ross, representing deans of education schools in the metropolitan area, commented on the significance of obtaining the accreditation. “As dean of the College of Education at St. John’s University, I know how much effort GSE put into its accreditation activities, since we at St. John’s have recently completed the same process. A hearty congratulations to GSE. “
Dr. Dina Sevayega, associate in Teacher Education for NYSED, spoke about her work with Touro’s Graduate School of Education during its accreditation preparation and review. She congratulated the School and its team for its diligence and for achieving accreditation for the maximum allowed seven year period.
Lawrence Becker, CEO of the Human Resources Division at the NYC DOE, delivered greetings from Chancellor Dennis Walcott. He praised Touro for providing more than 1,300 graduates to the city’s schools in the past five years.
“In addition to graduating such a large number of future NYC DOE teachers we are very pleased that GSE graduates teachers in our hard-to-staff subject areas, particularly in the area of special education. Touro provides more special education teachers to our schools than any other institution of higher education,” Mr. Becker said.
Emphasis on the importance of technology for the discipline of education was the theme of Touro Vice President of Technology Franklin Steen’s remarks. Speaking on behalf of the faculty and GSE’s accreditation team, Professor Alan Sebel congratulated faculty members and administrators for their steadfast dedication to the accreditation preparation process and for the leadership of Dean Miller.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/graduate-school-of-education-celebrates-seven-year-accreditation.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2014/resizedGSE_accreditation0226.jpg
January 10, 2014
125125
Eugenics, the Holocaust and the Implications for Medical Ethics in the Midst of a War on Terror
As part of NYMC's visiting exhibit, "Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race," NYMC and Touro leadership discussed the Nazi's use of eugenics and what it means for today
This past week New York Medical College, part of the Touro College & University System, held a community-wide event in conjunction with a NYMC exhibit on loan from The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum entitled, "Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race."
The program began with the lecture "Eugenics, the Holocaust and Their Implications for Medical Ethics in the Midst of a War on Terror," presented by Edward C. Halperin, M.D., MA, Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer at New York Medical College, and was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Alan Kadish, M.D., President of the Touro College and University System and New York Medical College. The panel featured Sharon Halperin, Director of the Holocaust Speakers Bureau; Dr. Mark Hasten, Holocaust survivor and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Touro College and University System and New York Medical College; and Harry Reicher, professor at the Touro Law Center and an expert on the Holocaust and Human Rights.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/eugenics-the-holocaust-and-the-implications-for-medical-ethics-in-the-midst-of-a-war-on-terror.php
August 05, 2014
125202
Resolve to Improve Your Relationship This Year
By Dr. Arthur Freeman
It’s that time of year when we all start to think about self-improvement and make a couple (or 10) New Year’s resolutions.
But despite our best intentions, and resolutions are most often well intentioned, most resolutions are broken, surrendered, or violated within the first week of the new year. Typical resolutions, such as a vow to finally lose those last five pounds, fall aside when confronted by grandmother’s triple chocolate layer cake. It’s hard enough to stick to a resolution but when it involves another person, especially a relationship partner, family member, or relative, it becomes even more difficult. But turning your resolutions into a reality is possible. Here are five tips to help you stay on track as you enter 2017.
State your resolution very clearly and specifically- The thing to remember is that vague resolutions lead to vague plans which lead to vague results. For example, the resolution to “be nicer to my wife or husband” is immediately problematic in that it is unclear what being nice means. For one couple being nice means doing the dishes once a week. For another couple, being nice means to no longer make negative remarks about his or her family.
Make your resolution realistic- The resolution to “change who I am” we can quickly see is not going to last very long. Individual #1 has the idea that they are going to change their shape and go from square to round. Individual #2 says that they are going to resolve to smooth out the sharp corners. Individual #2 has a far better chance of success.
Set several short term resolutions rather than one huge resolution. If your resolution is to engage your partner in some task, for example learning tennis,your goal cannot be that at the end of the year you will both be playing in the finals at the US Open. Your first goal may be to learn how to serve the ball. Subsequent goals would include, learning a forehand or backhand stroke.
Discuss the resolution with your partner- Keeping the resolution secret from your partner only serves to exclude the partner from knowing about a goal that is meant to improve your relationship. The author O’Henry in his short story “Gift of the Magi,” describes a couple that resolve to get their partner something that will be seen by their partner as the most wonderful gift. The wife has beautiful and luxurious hair of which she is very proud. The husband owns a pocket patch that belonged to his father of which he is very proud. For Christmas, he sold his watch to have the money to but his wife a beautiful set of combs to hold her hair. She sold her hair to a wigmaker to have the money to buy her husband a beautiful fob for his watch.
Minimize the number of relationship resolutions- Rather than stating five or 10 resolutions, choose no more than three and keep them connected, For example, they all could have to do with the children, the physical relationship, the opportunities for increased (or decreased) sharing of thoughts and ideas, or sharing of house or home responsibilities.
If you are successful with these three resolutions over a period of 1-2 months, you can always add more. You don’t have to wait for New Year’s Eve. Good luck!
Dr. Freeman is Chair and Professor in Touro’s School of Health Sciences, Department of Behavioral Science. He is Board Certified in Family Psychology by The American Board of Professional Psychology.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/resolve-to-improve-your-relationship-this-year.php
December 23, 2016
125204
Touro College Gathers to Celebrate Staff and Faculty
Eleven Staff Members Honored for Service to Institution and Students
Touro staff gathered together on December 13 to recognize the accomplishments of the diverse members of Touro’s undergraduate faculty. Eleven members from Touro College’s undergrad schools across New York were given awards for teaching excellence or for their service to Touro and its student body. Touro College President Dr. Alan Kadish, along with senior members of Touro’s leadership, delivered the awards along with remarks about each awardee.
“Touro College prides itself on the accomplishments of its faculty and their service to the college community as scholars and as teachers,” stated Dr. Stanley Boylan, vice president of undergraduate education and dean of faculties. “An occasion at which we recognize the excellence of our faculty as teachers and personal mentors of our students is a most meaningful one, not only for the faculty members chosen, but the recognition it bestowed on the important role played by dedicated faculty members in the life of the college and its mission.”
Other participants in the Awards Ceremony were, Dean Marion Stoltz-Loike, Vice-President Dr. Robert Goldschmidt, Dean Henry Abramson, Dean Leon Perkal, Vice-President Eva Spinelli, Dean Lenin Ortega, Dean Elvira Tsirulnik, Dean Briendy Stern, Mrs. Shoshana Grun (SLE), and Mrs. Esther Braun (Machon L’Parnassa) .
Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching
Dr. Judith Bleich (Lander College for Women—The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School)
Dr. Mohammed Chowdhury (New York School of Career and Applied Sciences)
Gary Gruber (School for Lifelong Education)
Chayim Herskowitz (Lander College for Men)
Dr. Anna Krauthammer (Machon L’Parnasa/Institute for Professional Studies)
Riratou Lamarre (New York School of Career and Applied Studies)
William Merdian (Lander College of Arts and Sciences—Flatbush Campus)
Miriam Plonczak (Lander College of Arts and Sciences—Flatbush Campus)
Faculty Award for Service
Atara Grenadir (Lander College of Arts and Sciences—Flatbush Campus)
Frada Harel (New York School of Career and Applied Sciences)
Hal Wicke (New York School of Career and Applied Sciences)
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-college-gathers-to-celebrate-staff-and-faculty.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2016/Awardsphoto.jpg
January 19, 2017
125215
"Find a Big Problem and Solve It”
Graduate Division Holds Commencement in Lincoln Center
Several thousand friends and family members celebrated together with members of Touro College Graduate Division at the 36th Annual Graduate Division Commencement held on June 14 at David Geffen Hall in Lincoln Center. Participating schools included Touro College Graduate School of Education (GSE), Graduate School of Business (GSB), Graduate School of Technology (GST), School of Health Science (SHS), Graduate School of Jewish Studies (GSJS) and the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW).
The more than 1000 graduates ranged from students like Aimee Sidoui who finished her first post-bachelor’s degree as she prepared for a career as a fifth-grade teacher at the Yeshiva of Flatbush; to students like Stephanie King who heard a calling as a special education professional and decided on a second-career; and students like Stanley Pearlberg and Marie Hardy, both of GSSW, who turned to Touro after long and productive careers.
“I turn sixty in September,” laughed Hardy. “I’m doing this for my grandchildren.”
The procession was met with a sustained and thunderous applause as the graduates entered the main hall. After the graduates were seated, The Star Spangled Banner was performed followed by a rendition of Israel’s national anthem, HaTikvah.
Beginning what would be a theme of all the speakers, Dr. Nadja Graff, vice president of Touro College’s Division of Graduate Studies, delivered introductory remarks by describing the world that graduates will face.
“Today, more than ever, our city, state and nation are in need of dedicated, well-prepared and courageous leaders,” stated Dr. Graff. “Accept the challenges ahead and be confident in your knowledge that you have the skills, dedication and determination to make a positive impact on our global society.”
Dr. Alan Kadish, president of the Touro College & University System, stated that the world seemed more uncertain than it had been in the past.
“There are social, political and economic upheavals that would seem strange when I was growing up,” Dr. Kadish said. “With that kind of outlook, perhaps you might wonder can we really make a difference? Can we really make a better world?
Citing the example of the Jewish philosopher Maimonides and transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson, Dr. Kadish urged students to remain focused and remember Touro’s mission.
“We cannot always control the tides of our lives: our health, what happens around us,” said Dr. Kadish. “We can, however, conjure our passion and best efforts to mold our internal lives to refine and perfect our character, skills and knowledge to bring positive change to the world around us.”
After Dr. Kadish’s moving speech, the deans of individual schools presented their commencement speakers: Melinda Bollers (GSE); Rachel Levenson (GSSW); Renata Pereira Rocha Moreira (GST); Rebecca Chavarria (SHS); Karlene Williams (GSB); and Sarah Cohen (GSJS).
Provost Patricia Salkin introduced the event’s keynote speaker, Dr. Shay David. Dr. David, a serial entrepreneur, is the co-founder of Kaltura one of the largest and most prominent open source video platform. Kaltura is used by more than 150,000 clients including major universities, fortune 500 companies and publishing companies.
Dr. David spoke of his own personal history, both as a young officer in the Israeli Air Force and as a start-up founder during the financial crash of 2008. From his own background and the challenges he overcame, Dr. David segued into a discussion of the responsibilities of the new graduates as members of the global information-based society.
“We must face the daunting problems of our time such as climate change, wealth inequality and the hardship caused by global migration,” Dr. David exhorted.
He concluded his speech by recalling President John F. Kennedy’s famous 1961 moonshot speech.
“Our moonshot is actually not going to the moon; our moonshot is staying here and making sure we aren’t annihilating our planet or alienating each other,” he said to applause.
In a rising exhortation as he concluded, he noted the diversity of the Touro’s student body and asked them to work together.
“It is this diversity of voices and unity of souls that gives you all the power,” said Dr. David. “Find a big problem and solve it.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/find-a-big-problem-and-solve-it.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2017/IMG_7364.jpg
June 15, 2017
125076
Breaking New Ground
Touro University Nevada and New Vista
Touro University Nevada and New Vista, a local non-profit organization committed to the care of adults with intellectual challenges, recently joined forces in the development of a medical clinic to provide care for intellectually challenged patients served by New Vista.
The clinic, which broke ground this past fall, is part of a larger residential development that will provide homes where adults with developmental disabilities to live independent of families in a group setting. The groundbreaking for the clinic marks the first time in Nevada that a medical clinic has been specifically designed to work with intellectually challenged individuals.
“This is a significant step in the world of care for our citizens who face these difficulties,” said Kelly DeGuzman, CEO of New Vista. “It is important that medical care is a priority given the growing number of clients with special needs in our community.”
“As Nevada’s largest medical school, Touro is committed to service and outreach that positively and directly impacts the local community,” said Dr. Mitchell Forman, dean of the college of osteopathic medicine. “This partnership will give our students hands-on experience working with intellectually challenged individuals and more importantly will provide these individuals and their families with expanded access to health care.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/breaking-new-ground.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/content-assets/images/news-and-communication-assets/featured-story-assets/TUN-groundbreaking-Dr.MitchellFormanDr.AndyEisen-718x577.jpg
February 28, 2013
125128
Earthquake aftermath and recovery in Touro University California
A memo from the desk of Dr. Alan Kadish, President and CEO, Touro College & University System
At 3:20AM (PST) on Sunday morning, August 24 Northern California was hit by a 6.0 earthquake with an epicenter near Touro University California (TUC). Thank God, there were no injuries or fatalities on campus. Although there was isolated damage to some campus buildings and facilities, operations at TUC are continuing normally thanks to the readiness and quick action of campus security and facilities management. I would like to express my congratulations to the leadership of TUC for not only their effective response but for their extraordinary preparatory work to protect against crisis situations. You have my deep-felt appreciation for your diligence, dedication and exemplary performance in the aftermath of this event.
I am sad to report that a number of students and staff have suffered damage to their homes—our thoughts and prayers go out to them along with all those who have been impacted by this natural disaster.
Everyone at the Touro College and University System is a member of a large, national and international family. Therefore, it behooves us in the face of such natural disasters that we offer any assistance necessary to the California based members of our university system family. My office has already been in contact with TUC to ask how we can help and identify places for collaborative synergy and where other campuses can offer support. We will reach out accordingly and I know that everyone will step forward if and as needed.
I would also like to ask everyone to review our Emergency Preparedness Procedures and to keep your contact information in the Emergency Notification System updated. These policies will help ensure everyone’s safety in the future.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/-earthquake-aftermath-and-recovery-in-touro-university-california.php
August 27, 2014
125154
Touro Berlin Graduates Tenth Class
Glückwünsche, Touro College Berlin!
On June 15, 2015, Touro College Berlin celebrated its 10th annual graduation ceremony in the historic Great Hall of the Berlin City Hall.
The Governing Mayor of Berlin, Mr. Michael Müller, joined Touro's rector Sara Nachama in handing the diplomas to this year's 28 graduates: 22 Bachelor of Arts/ Bachelor of Science degrees in Management, four Masters in Holocaust Communication and Tolerance, and two Masters of Business Administration. Before the ceremonial part of the evening, the upwards of 200 guests were addressed by Governing Mayor Michael Müller, District Mayor Reinhard Naumann, Dr. Simcha Fishbane from Touro College New York, and Touro Berlin's president of student government, Ms. Lisa Thiele-Wiegmann. The commencement speech was delivered by the Deputy CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Berlin, Ms. Melanie Bähr, who spoke about the great business potential Berlin has to further the careers of the graduates.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-berlin-graduates-tenth-class.php
June 22, 2015
125168
'Like a Big Family'
From a small town in Germany, Aydan Mammadova was at home at Touro College Berlin
Aydan Mammadova was wrapping up her International Baccalaureate degree at boarding school in a small town in Germany when her advisor told her Touro Berlin was the college for her. “It was exactly the right place,” she says. “It’s like a big family. You know everyone from fellow students to staff to faculty, and they all know you personally.”
That matters to many people, but particularly to Mammadova, who came all the way from Baku, Azerbaijan to study. She entered Touro in 2010 and majored in Finance. “I didn’t just like math,” she explains. “It was my passion.”
Touro delivered. “The lectures were always interesting and interactive,” she says. “Professors regularly responded to emails and were always helpful and knowledgeable.”
Now, so is she. Graduating with honors and a double major in German and American Finance in 2014, Mammadova returned last fall to Baku, where she works as an accountant at the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic. Among her responsibilities are developing, maintaining and analyzing budgets. “Oil and gas industry is very big and one of the most important industries,” she says. “I enjoy my job entirely."
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/like-a-big-family.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2015/AydanMammadova.jpg
August 24, 2015
125192
5 Tips for Understanding Millennials
By Suzannah Raff, MScA, MSW
You’ve heard a lot about the millennial generation but do you know who they are? Millennials were born between 1982 - 2004, and are the largest generation of all time—even larger than the post-war baby boomers. And this large group make up more than 80 million millennial consumers in the U.S. alone, estimated to spend $200 billion annually by 2017.
As an Adjunct Professor of Social Media and Digital Marketing, I spend a lot of time with and studying the largest consumer group this country has ever experienced. The Millennial generation is a fascinating demographic. Understanding them better will help you market, teach, parent, live with or befriend a millennial. With that in mind, here is my list of Millennials’ most defining characteristics;
1. Millennials are completely fluent in all forms of technology, especially mobile, as a result of growing up and feeding on the tech-boom since infancy. Notice all those students taking notes on their laptops and glued to their phones?
2. Millennials are known to value experiences over money and will make career, life and purchasing choices that demonstrate these values. Airbnb is the perfect example of this phenomenon. By understanding just how deep-rooted and important travel experiences are to Millennials. Airbnb has reached billion dollar success and completely disrupted the entire hospitality industry.
3. Millennials are also a generation committed to giving back to society. These trends are seen perfectly in Adweek’s Creative 100’s list where many of the 2016 honorees balance creative life with advancing some greater good. More than 50% of millennials today make an effort to buy products from companies that support the causes they care about.
4. A driving force defining the millennial generation is that they are very social and vocal. They have a tendency to shop in groups and make purchasing decisions by seeking the opinions of others. The majority of millennials also take action on behalf of brands by sharing brand preferences, updating Wikipedia entries and posting on Youtube, social platforms, blogs and reviews.
5. Unlike previous generations, 85% of today’s Millennials name one of their parents as their best friend! They shop, socialize, talk and enjoy spending time with their parents.
These are the very impressive forces that motivate our Millenials, a very fascinating, large and powerful demographic.
Suzannah Raff, MScA, MSW is a Business Coach and Consultant specializing in strategy, social media and digital marketing. She also provides Career Coaching integrating LinkedIn and Digital resume writing helping 100% of her clients get their dream job. She is an Associate Professor at Lander College for Women, Touro College Manhattan and founder/owner at WeAccel Workshops and Raff Business Consulting.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/5-tips-for-understanding-millennials.php
August 17, 2016
125195
FBI, PwC and Deloitte Attend Touro’s Career Fair
Touro Students Meet with Prospective Employers
Forty-one employers, including the FBI, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the New York City Transit System, flocked to Touro’s annual fall career fair, held at Lander College for Women/The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School, to meet students.
“Touro graduates are driven,” said Marc Zharnest, Director of Operations-Corporate Marketing and Admissions for Centers Health Care, a health care provider that was at the fair. “Touro graduates demonstrate good work ethic and are team-players.”
LCW’s auditorium was filled with the steady hum of conversation as students from Touro’s undergraduate programs chatted amiably while waiting in line to meet with recruiters.
“I’m looking for a full-time job,” stated Sara Tova Popovych, a Ukranian student at Lander College of Arts and Science (LAS) in Flatbush. “I also wanted the experience of having interviews.”
Though it’s still too early to tell if any landed a full-time position, many students were happy for the chance to test out their interviewing skills.
Steven Treitel, of Lander College for Men (LCM), said he was nervous during the first interview he had with an accounting recruiter at the fair, but was comfortable by the second. “The accounting program is spectacular at LCM so I knew the language and what they were looking for,” Treitel added.
Dr. Robert Goldschmidt, executive dean of LAS and vice president of Touro College, explained that the career fair was part of Touro’s goal of “facilitating the transition from school to career.” Prior to the fair, career services ran several career workshops and interview prep sessions for the students. “The more we can do for our students, the better,” he said.
“Students have the opportunity to be interviewed and create a relationship with employers that they are interested in,” said Ronald Ansel, Director of Career Services at LCM.
Joshua Berger, a student at LAS, agreed. “Someone sees me as a real person now,” he said after handing over his resume to a potential employer. “It’s a chance to make an impression.”
The fair also allowed students to get more information about their chosen careers. Bracha Adler, of LCW, said she had learned something from her meeting with a recruiter at a large accounting firm. “Working for the big four is great,” said Adler, referring to the largest four accounting firms in the US, “but it comes with difficulty.” She said she was considering looking for a mid-size firm instead.
Some students were capping off a successful experience at last year’s career fair. Yael Parkoff, of LCW, was offered an internship at Deloitte after the spring career fair she attended. She was back again looking for next summer’s internship. “It’s good networking,” she explained. “You know about the firms and they have your information.”
For one recruiter, Deloitte’s Jonathan Parmett, an LAS alum himself, appearing at the career fair was coming full-circle. He praised the students with whom he met. “A number come in well-informed and earnest, ready to break into the working world,” Parmett said. “It’s exciting to be on the other side of the table and be able to provide insight into the working world.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/fbi-pwc-and-deloitte-attend-touros-career-fair.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2016/CareerFair2016.jpg
October 05, 2016
125198
Touro Celebrates Authors
Sixth Annual Celebration for Touro Faculty Members
With more than 1000 works published this year, Touro faculty had a reason to celebrate.
On November 10, members of Touro’s faculty gathered for a luncheon in Touro’s Manhattan office to celebrate the publication of 1037 works by 625 professors from Touro’s graduate and undergraduate divisions. This was the fifth annual celebration for published Touro faculty members.
The celebration is an annual tradition and the lists of journals spanned a wide gamut of fields and studies including Heart Rhythm, Journal of Pharmaceutical Science, Poetry and the Journal of American Jewish History. Several faculty members also published books, like Dr. Maya Katz of Lander College for Women and the Graduate School of Jewish Studies. Rutgers University Press published her book “Drawing the Iron Curtain: Jews and the Golden Age of Soviet Animation.”
The event wasn’t only a celebration, but a chance for colleagues to connect and collaborate. Participants also learned how to use Touro’s new Touro Scholar repository. The site allows visitors to peruse research from Touro’s faculty through subjects, professors or schools.
The program began with remarks from Bashe Simon, Touro’s Director of Libraries, and a demonstration of Touro Scholar by Scholarly Communications Librarian Carrie Levinson. Afterwards, Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish, eschewed a traditional speech and instead showed the audience how accessible Touro Scholar is, pulling up an article related to the mental health of students in medical school.
“We are incredibly proud of the substantial contributions of our faculty members in their respective field,” Dr. Kadish stated. “Through the Scholars site, our professors will be able to reach a wider audience and collaborate across disciplines with their fellow Touro faculty members.”
Afterwards Patricia Salkin, Provost of the Graduate and Professional Divisions and a professor at Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, spoke about the internet’s effect on the changing nature of professional research, advising the faculty to value peer-reviewed journals, but also look into new metrics.
“We must be scholars of the digital age,” she said.
The event concluded with a presentation by Dr. Katz from her latest book about a Soviet cartoon called Cheburashka’s House of Friends.
The lead character of Cheburashka’s House of Friends, a short-lived Russian animated show, was in Katz’s words, “more popular than Mickey Mouse.” Pointing to the theme of the show—a gathering of friends—Katz stated: “Without like-minded people, we’d be writers without anything to say.”
Dr. Ramona Baez, a professor at TouroCOM Harlem, said that she enjoyed the event. Her paper, “Double Inferior Venacava with Anomalous Hemiazygos Vein – A Case Report,” was published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
“Getting to collaborate with others is a great experience,” she said.
Dr. Patricia Precin, a professor at Touro’s School of Health Science Occupational Therapy program, agreed. “It’s about learning how we can learn more from each other,” she said.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-celebrates-authors.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2016/DSC_0069-2648x2648.jpg
November 17, 2016
125207
Want An Exciting And Meaningful Career? Become An Accountant.
By Chayim Herskowitz, M.S., CPA
If you’re studying to become an accountant, you may have had to convince friends and family that it is a more interesting profession than they realize.
Do people assume you are choosing security and predictability over a scintillating career? This article should convince them otherwise. A host of recent fiction is busting those myths, from Ben Affleck’s film, The Accountant, to Ian Hamilton’s Ava Lee series of mystery novels about an accountant. Here are five reasons why accounting is far more rewarding than people realize
Accounting careers open doors to every industry
Many of my former accounting students have clients in the entertainment industry. Others target sports teams. You may not be able to play for the Yankees, but you can get into the clubhouse by auditing their books.
Accountants often work with senior level executives
As an auditor, you interact with high-level executives who are your clients. Very few people have such direct access as auditors to the top levels within a company.
This is a way to make a real difference
It’s a dirty little secret, but accountants like to help people. Each client represents a list of investors who depend on the auditors to do a competent job, to ensure their financial well-being. It can be gratifying to know how much you are helping people.
Forensic accountants are the private investigators of financial services
Much of accounting is investigative work. In The Accountant, actor Ben Affleck is hired as a consultant to perform forensic accounting services. He works all night to find the clues in patterns within this particular debit/ credit accounting system.
See the world by auditing its books
Accountants who understand the different accounting standards of multiple countries can manage finances for international firms, with significant travel opportunities. It is imperative that anyone interested in entering the area of International Accounting must be up-to-date on the latest standards.
Chayim Herskowitz is Assistant Professor of Business and Accounting at Touro’s Lander College for Men
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/want-an-exciting-and-meaningful-career-become-an-accountant.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2017/accountant2.jpg
January 26, 2017
306331
AI Detects Suicide Risk Missed by Standard Assessments
New Study Finds That Large Language Models Can Detect Nuances of Language That Regular Assessments Miss
Researchers at Touro University have found that an AI tool identified suicide risk that standard diagnostic tools missed. The study, published in the Journal of Personality Assessment, provides evidence that large language models, a type of AI that processes and analyzes conversational language, show promise for detecting who is at risk of attempting suicide.
“It’s very difficult to predict who might attempt suicide, which makes it hard to know who to help and when to intervene,” says Yosef Sokol, PhD, clinical assistant professor at Touro's School of Health Sciences and the lead author of the study. Current methods for assessment are not very accurate, typically relying on people answering multiple choice questions about themselves. Those questions lack nuance and often don’t reflect respondents' unique experiences; respondents may also be worried about directly answering questions about suicide.
“I’m trying to create a set of methods that enable us to assess for suicide risk without asking direct questions,” says Sokol. “We can do that by using the characteristics of language to predict suicide.”
In the study, the researchers used machine-learning AI programs that comprehend and interpret human language, called large language models (LLM), to assess a concept called future self-continuity, which is how a person sees the connection between their present self and future self. “Having a sense of oneself that continues into the future is a core aspect of healthy identity and its lack is strongly related to suicide,” says Sokol. Because future self-continuity is very nuanced, standard tests are not good at detecting it.
The study used an LLM (Claude 3.5 Sonnet) to process audio responses to 15 interview prompts of people talking about themselves and their futures. It included 164 participants, 93 of whom had past-year suicide ideation. The researchers first asked the participants to rate their risk on a 1-7 scale of how likely they were to attempt suicide in the future. They then compared the results of the LLM and standard assessment tools to that self-reported perceived risk.
The LLM found patterns in natural speech that standard methods missed, such as how coherently someone described their future, their emotional tone, and the level of detail they provided. “We got a better measure of future self-continuity and were better at predicting if people thought they would attempt suicide,” says Sokol.
This study compared LLM insights to the perceived risk of suicide, not actual attempts at suicide, but perceived risk is important information for healthcare providers. Research shows a person’s perceived risk predicts actual suicidal behavior; even without a future attempt, providers want to identify and support people who feel that they are at risk of attempting suicide.
According to Sokol, LLM predictions could be used in any setting, such as a hospital, crisis hotline, or even with a therapist. “We want to create a system where a therapist could ask you a set of 2-3 questions and record it, and the LLM could produce a risk score,” says Sokol.
LLM could also potentially be used to help detect many mental health disorders such as depression or anxiety, and may be even easier to detect than risk of suicide, he says. “Suicide may be one of the hardest to detect, and, to save lives, the most important.”
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/ai-detects-suicide-risk-missed-by-standard-assessments.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/YosefSokol.jpg
November 05, 2025
306423
Third Volume of Medical Halachah Annual Links Halachah and Modern Medical Ethics
New Book from Touro University Examines How Jewish Law Informs Modern Medical Decision-Making
Mosaica Press, in collaboration with Touro University and New York Medical College, has just released the third volume of “Medical Halachah Annual.” Building on the success of its first and second volumes, this edition delves deeper into the intricate interplay between traditional Jewish law and contemporary medical issues and focuses on questions of Jewish law for physicians, patients and students.
Edited by Dr. Edward Lebovics, Professor of Medicine and Director of Gastroenterology at New York Medical College, the journal provides an enlightening exploration into the realms of halachah, medical ethics and modern medical challenges. This new volume highlights a range of perspectives on critical topics, including managing issues about reproduction and short-term survival, coping with cognitive and physical challenges, and general health concerns in the Jewish community. Hot-button issues addressed include the impact of Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs on brachos (blessings) and bircas hamazon (grace after meals), posthumous sperm retrieval, hashgachah (halachic supervision) for IVF and halachic approaches to code status and DNR orders.
Rabbi Aviyam Levinson served as the managinge editor, with an editorial board comprised of Rabbi Baruch Fogel, Dr. Nachum Lebovics, Rabbi Dr. Zvi Loewy and Dr. Jonah (Yonah) Rubin.
“We are excited to present the third volume of the Touro University – New York Medical College Medical Halachah Annual,” said Dr. Lebovics. “This volume, featuring papers from leading rabbonim [rabbis] and physicians, seeks to tackle issues that challenge the foremost authorities in medical halachah. I am especially indebted to our contributing authors, who invested great effort to present analyses of complex issues in a methodical, precise and sensitive manner.”
“We are confident that Jewish healthcare providers, patients, medical students, as well as the broad Torah readership will find this volume enlightening,” he said, emphasizing the journal’s role in linking classic principles with modern medical and social concerns.
The contributors to this volume form a diverse and esteemed group of scholars and practitioners, offering a comprehensive and nuanced exploration of each topic. They include Dr. Jonah (Yonah) Rubin; Rabbi Shlomo Brody, PhD; Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner, BCC; Rabbi Yona Reiss; Zvi Ryzman; Rabbi Chaim Jachter; Rabbi Akiva Willig; Dr. Sharon Galper Grossman; Dr. Edward C. Halperin, and many more.
“As the nation’s largest Jewish-sponsored institution of higher learning that is a leader in health care education, we are proud to share such an important work with the Torah community and its medical professionals,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, Touro President.
Publishing this annual publication is crucial to helping to facilitate dialogue within the Jewish community. “Each generation must engage in conversations to interpret its current ethical challenges, posed by new biomedical discoveries, in light of the timeless values and precepts of Jewish law," said New York Medical College Chancellor and CEO Dr. Edward C. Halperin. "New York Medical College and Touro University are pleased to sponsor the Medical Halachah Annual each year to contribute to these conversations.”
The Medical Halachah Annual is available for purchase at mosaicapress.com or at local Jewish bookstores.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/third-volume-of-medical-halachah-annual-links-halachah-and-modern-medical-ethics.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/554_Lebovic_3D_Spine.jpg
November 06, 2025
309436
Researchers Discover That a Hormone Can Access the Brain By Hitchhiking
Touro University researchers have found that particles in the blood shuttle hormones through the body, including the brain, supercharging the transport in response to physical exercise
Researchers at Touro University Nevada have discovered that tiny particles in the blood, called extracellular vesicles (EVs), are a major player in how a group of hormones are shuttled through the body. Physical exercise can stimulate this process. The findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), open the door to deeper understanding of hormone circulation and access to the brain, how exercise may trigger changes in energy balance, mental health, and immune function, and circulation of certain drugs.
Blood and other body fluids are teeming with EVs—tiny particles that exist outside of cells. EVs transmit signals from cell-to-cell within tissues and long distance across organ systems by delivering biological cargo such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids into cells. They also remove cell waste.
Scientists have known that EVs play key roles, from the immune response to cancer progression, but much less is known about how they might interact with hormones.
The researchers focused on a hormone precursor called proopiomelanocortin (POMC), which transforms into a range of hormones including endorphins (responsible for the runner’s high) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which manages the body’s stress response. Because exercise has been previously associated with these hormones, the researchers used exercise to provoke changes to shed light on interactions between POMC and EVs.
The study found that vigorous exercise causes four times more POMC to hitch a ride on the EVs.
“This study doesn’t just show an ‘exercise effect’ but it reveals a new biological mechanism where stress from exercise makes EVs temporarily act as hormone transport shuttles in the bloodstream,” explains the study’s first author Mark Santos, Ph.D., assistant professor at Touro.
The study also found that in the lab, EV-bound POMC can cross human blood vessel barriers, including the blood-brain barrier, more efficiently than POMC alone.
Since POMC must be processed into so-called “mature” hormones to initiate a response in the notoriously difficult-to-access brain, more work is required to understand how the exercise-induced rise in POMC affects the brain.
“The observation that EVs can carry POMC has so many potential directions,” says Aurelio Lorico, MD, PhD, professor of pathology at Touro and co-senior author on the study. “It may have wide-ranging implications, for pain management, metabolism and obesity, inflammation, and the stress response,” he says.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/researchers-discover-that-a-hormone-can-access-the-brain-by-hitchhiking.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/tunhormonestudy.jpg
February 11, 2026
311964
Against the Backdrop of Rising Antisemitism, Touro University Memorializes the Holocaust
Touro Campuses Nationwide Illuminate in Observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day
As colleges around the country continue to grapple with antisemitism, Touro University - the largest university under Jewish auspices in the country - illuminated campuses around the country in yellow today in observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, joining New York State’s Yellow Lights initiative and a global moment of reflection honoring the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution.
Participating campuses included Touro institutions in Nevada, California, and Montana, with additional campus lightings underway in Harlem and Middletown, New York. Yellow – the international color of Holocaust remembrance – serves as a visible symbol of memory, education, and the enduring responsibility to confront antisemitism and hate. This tribute is a call to action to other universities to step up and stand against antisemitism.
“As the largest university under Jewish auspices in the country, Touro University has a role to play in educating the next generation of leaders about how to root out antisemitism in their communities,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro University and New York Medical College. “The simple act of illuminating our campuses and raising awareness of the day is part of a larger effort to help educate the communities we’re in about the importance of standing up for what’s right.”
The illumination initiative, started in 2022 by New York State, initially focused on landmarks, including the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, Niagara Falls, Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station, airport terminals, and prominent bridges. While landmark participation varies year-to-year, Touro’s involvement underscores the role academic institutions play in remembrance, education, and confronting hate.
By lighting campuses nationwide, Touro brings this act of remembrance beyond major landmarks and into communities where education, healthcare, and public service shape daily life. The coordinated effort reflects the University’s belief that education is a critical grassroots response to antisemitism – one that begins with historical truth, ethical inquiry, and an examination of how dehumanization, silence, and moral erosion can take hold.
As antisemitism and hate crimes continue to rise globally, Touro’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day recognition seeks to educate students and the community about the perils of silence and the role higher education and society writ large have to play in ensuring it never happens again.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/against-the-backdrop-of-rising-antisemitism-touro-university-memorializes-the-holocaust.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/Montana4.JPG
January 27, 2026
311275
Breathing CO2 May Help the Brain Clear Toxic Proteins in Parkinson’s Disease
Researchers Have Identified a Way to Help the Brain Remove Proteins Implicated in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease
One of the causes of Parkinson’s disease is the clumping of toxic proteins in the brain. This accumulation may occur because people with Parkinson’s have an impaired system for clearing out these proteins. Finding ways to enhance this clearance may help slow the progression of the disease.
A team of researchers, led by neuropsychologist Sephira Ryman, PhD, associate professor at the Mind Research Network (MRN), part of Touro University’s Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute and the University of New Mexico, Department of Neurology, is exploring how to boost this system, called the glymphatic pathway.
Her team studied how breathing carbon dioxide (CO2) intermittently can boost the glymphatic pathway and help the body get rid of the proteins. Specifically, they investigated how CO2 could be used to dilate and constrict the brain’s blood vessels, which in turn drives the movement of cerebrospinal fluid through brain tissue to clear unwanted proteins.
Their research was published in npj Parkinson’s Disease.
The glymphatic pathway is most active when people are deeply asleep. In this state, breathing slows down and the brain exhibits slow changes in blood flow, which drive the glymphatic pathway. However, for people with Parkinson’s, who often experience sleep disturbances, this waste removal process may be impaired, leading to a buildup of toxic proteins, like α-synuclein, and in some patients, amyloid beta and tau proteins—these are also implicated in Alzheimer’s disease.
In a prior study, Dr. Ryman found that a large number of people with Parkinson’s disease have a reduced and delayed response to intermittent CO2 exposure.
“At the time, we were trying to understand how a reduced and delayed blood flow response may influence the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease,” said Ryman. “Once we understood the role of glymphatic clearance in Parkinson’s disease, that is when we realized that we may be able to mimic, in the awake state, the glymphatic clearing response that typically occurs deep sleep using intermittent CO2.” Senior author on a subsequent review paper, Dr. Henry Lin, was instrumental in integrating the human and animal research, revealing the critical insight the shaped the direction of the research.
As proof of concept, the team administered alternating doses of room air with higher-than-normal concentrations of CO2. They not only succeeded in reproducing the rhythmic response of the blood vessels of the brain, but blood samples following the intervention contained increased levels of brain proteins implicated in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. This suggests that the potentially toxic proteins were flushed from the brain.
This novel strategy for enhancing the glymphatic system could potentially help preserve brain function, improve cognition, and reduce the risk of cognitive decline in people with Parkinson’s and potentially those with other neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Ryman and her colleagues have called for more research to fine tune the protocol for CO2 exposure.
They are investigating whether intentionally practicing controlled breathing practices, such as slow abdominal breathing, might be a way to enhance the glymphatic system and preserve brain function. Breathing practices may influence the glymphatic system through multiple physiological mechanisms, including regulation of carbon dioxide levels and changes in thoracic pressure that help facilitate the return of blood from the brain to the body. Ryman and her colleagues published another paper in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism detailing how controlled breathing and intermittent CO2 can harness the glymphatic pathway.
“In addition to highlighting the potential for controlled breathing practices to facilitate waste clearance, these findings raise the intriguing possibility that rhythmic, controlled CO2 exposures may serve as a direct and potentially more effective modulator of glymphatic function,” the authors wrote.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/breathing-co2-may-help-the-brain-clear-toxic-proteins-in-parkinsons-disease.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/Screenshot2026-01-15073651.png
February 09, 2026
312487
Touro Marks Holocaust Remembrance with Survivor Testimony
Staying One Step Ahead of the Gestapo Allowed Dorothea Szczesniak and Her Sister to Survive
On January 28, Touro University hosted a special community program, “2026 International Holocaust Remembrance Day: A Survivor’s Shout,” centered on survivor Dorothea Szczesniak.
“I Stand Here by the Grace of God”
Dorothea Szczesniak began to speak.
The 96-year-old always begins her story the same way. “I am standing before you by the grace of God,” she said. “I owe it to my murdered parents.”
Born in Germany in 1929, Szczesniak lived in Berlin with her parents and younger sister. “I went to a Jewish school and wore a yellow star,” she said. “I remember the Hitler Youth chasing us through the streets.”
One moment of exclusion stands out: Szczesniak’s father took her and her sister to skate at a local pond, only to be greeted by a sign forbidding entrance to Jews.
Flight and Concealment
Recognizing the unsustainability of life in Germany, Szczesniak’s father traveled ahead to Brussels, then sent a message for his wife and daughters to follow. “The three of us spent months trying to slip into Belgium,” recalls Szczesniak. “We were repeatedly caught and sent back. We were sleeping in the woods.”
Eventually they succeeded, living freely in Belgium until the Nazis invaded in 1940. “We moved between hiding places, trying to stay ahead of the Gestapo,” said Szczesniak. “There were close calls.”
One Morning on the Farm
At one point, a kind woman hid the family on her farm — until the morning two men entered the girls’ room speaking German.
“I pretended not to understand them,” said Szczesniak. “The woman hiding us came in behind them and said, ‘These are my grandchildren — I watch them while their mother works. And they are late to school! Go!’ she said, gesturing toward us. We took our satchels from the floor and left.”
On their way downstairs, the girls wordlessly passed their parents. They never saw them again.(Szczesniak later learned her parents were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where both perished.)
Various people took in Szczesniak and her sister, though they were not together. “I stayed with a family and assumed the identity of their dead daughter,” Szczesniak said. “A rope was kept in the bathroom for emergencies. When the time came, I swung onto a neighboring roof.”
Living With Memory
Following liberation, Szczesniak married a Ukrainian refugee and emigrated to the U.S. The couple had a son and a daughter, and Szczesniak found places to pursue her passions: singing and music.
“I’ve not stopped singing,” she says. And she still shares her story. “I’ve spoken to thousands of students. I tell them, ‘Hug and kiss your parents. I would have given anything to have had my mother at your age.’”
Today, Szczesniak still wears a Star of David — though she hides it under her clothes when she’s out. “I should not have to do that,” she said.
Still, she considers herself blessed. “After saying shema each morning, I thank God for another day,” she says.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/touro-marks-holocaust-remembrance-with-survivor-testimony.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/DorotheaSzczesniak.jpg
February 06, 2026
312691
What Does a Data Analyst Do? (Ultimate Guide)
Everything You Need to Know About Working as a Data Analyst
Data analysts play an important role in business operations across multiple industries. In healthcare, finance, consumer goods, and almost every other sector, data analysts contribute to their organization by processing, visualizing, and translating data into actionable insights. Over the next ten years (and beyond), demand for data analysts will continue to grow, especially in the healthcare space. So what do data analysts do on a daily basis, and how do you become one? First, it’s important to understand exactly what data analytics is.
What is Data Analytics?
Data analytics is the discipline of organizing, interpreting and displaying data in a way that’s useful to a business. Although the field has evolved a lot over the past few decades, the central aim of data analytics has always been gathering valuable insight from data. The data itself can include quantitative or qualitative data, and these can be further divided into areas like categorical data (language, gender, etc.), ordinal data (ordered ratings like customer satisfaction), etc. No matter the type of data, analytical methods help to process and make sense of oftentimes complex information .
Consumer facing companies often use data analysis in order to plan their product distribution. For example, companies can analyze sales data from all the different locations where their products are sold. By finding the average sales volume over a given period in each location, companies can plan ahead and send the right amount of product to each store. Using data in this way can help reduce spending and waste. Companies can also use prior customer purchase data to plan their marketing campaigns, and only target customers who are likely to buy their product.
While data analysis is commonly associated with areas like marketing, it's also starting to be used more and more in healthcare. For instance, predictive analytics can help with fast decision making in the hospital. Algorithms can use health data to identify the highest risk patients and help decide which patients to prioritize in an overwhelmed ICU ward. Similarly, analytics can help spot early warning signs for declining health, and identify patients who need to be moved to an emergency ward; at Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital in the UK, this new technology led to an 80% reduction in cardiac arrest.
Data Analyst Job Description
A data analyst uses analytical tools and methods to transform sometimes confusing, disorganized or disparate data into information that’s readable and easy to understand. Although responsibilities might vary based on position and industry, data analysts are often in charge of gathering data, organizing it, and pinpointing trends and patterns.
In the later stages of a project, data analysts produce visualizations and reports, and communicate their findings to leadership. For highly technical roles, setting up the actual infrastructure to gather data can be a major component of the job, as well as maintaining databases and using programming languages to perform equations. For roles that are less technical, most data analysts still need to be skilled in Microsoft Excel and SQL.
What Data Analysts Do on a Daily Basis
Data analysts are an invaluable part of any organization and juggle a number of different day-to-day tasks that vary depending on the needs of their company. Here are a few responsibilities you might need to fulfill as a data analyst:
Gathering Data - Whether an analyst collects the data themselves or coordinates with others in the organization, there needs to be efficient processes in place to compile data. Data might come from tracking tools like Google Analytics, company surveys, email marketing software, or any number of sources. In the healthcare space, analysts use patient records, clinical trial data, data from insurance claims, and other pieces of information to improve patient care and health outcomes. Using algorithms and other tools, healthcare professionals can plan and execute the right decisions faster and save lives. Hospitals and other healthcare institutions also use data to plan ahead for important purchases like personal protective equipment (PPE) and reduce supply shortages.
Designing and Maintaining Databases - Many data analysts need to establish processes for storing, retrieving and categorizing data, as well as address any structural issues or coding errors within databases. Depending on the role, they might work on this individually, or collaborate with an engineer.
Cleaning Data - Although not the most glamorous part of the role, data must be cleaned of duplicates, errors, and unnecessary information. This can be done manually, but often involves using automated software or programming.
Using Tools to Interpret Data - Statistical programs are an important part of any analyst's toolbox. Data analysts use software like SAS and Excel or programming languages like Python to discover patterns and insights and make sense of large amounts of data.
Documenting and Improving Processes - Data analysts work with others in the organization, such as engineers and business leaders, to create data policies, improve data collection and develop thorough documentation.
Presenting to Stakeholders - Data doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t lead to meaningful action or business decisions. Data analysts format and visualize data to make it easier to understand, and present their findings to key stakeholders.
Where Data Analysts Work
Data analysts are present in almost every industry you can imagine. Banks and financial firms need data analysts for financial reporting and forecasting. Healthcare institutions like hospitals need analysts to organize large amounts of patient information, advance patient care, streamline insurance processes and improve efficiency. Healthcare data analysis can also be used to improve treatment; analyzing large datasets of tumor samples and looking at how cancer proteins react to various treatments, for example, can help speed up the search for a cure.
National and local governments use big data and statistical analysis on everything from weather forecasting to crime prevention and national security efforts. Varied fields like telecom, real estate and even agriculture all employ data analysts.
In a given organization, data analysts may work on their own, as an auxiliary member of another team like marketing , logistics, or on a dedicated data team. In some healthcare organizations, analysts report directly to upper management. Data analysts often work directly with more senior data team members like data scientists or data engineers.
5 Technical Skills Every Data Analyst Should Have
1. Math & Statistical Skills
Most data analysis tasks require some skill in math and statistics. While you won’t necessarily need the advanced mathematical skills required of a data scientist, using formulas and operations will be important for your day-to-day work. Even if your statistical tools do much of the actual calculations, you’ll need to understand math to know how formulas are being used and how to interpret the results.
2. Excel Proficiency
Although most office workers know how to use Excel, data analysts need to be highly proficient in the software and be able to use more advanced functions. Analytical and modeling techniques in the program will help you arrange data and better notice patterns and trends. Formulas like COUNTA will help you notice gaps so you can clean data, while formulas like VLOOKUP display values from different columns so you can access information more easily.
3. Data Visualization
Those in leadership often prefer to see easy to read charts and graphs of data, rather than a complex spreadsheet. Software like Tableau, Google Data Studio, and Jupyter Notebook allows you to use data to create easily digestible insights. Data visualization is important so different members of your team can easily grasp trends or correlations. Since there are so many available options (pie charts, area graphs, spiral plots, etc.), data analysts need to know which visual representation best matches the data and the intended audience.
4. Programming
Even though programming might not be the main focus of the role, it’s still an important part of data analysis. With a programming language, you can more efficiently analyze data, create dashboards and applications, and run statistical tests. While it’s true that you might not be required to code in some data analysis roles, it’s important to at least understand programming logic, know how to write some basic code, and understand how it fits into data science as a whole. You’ll need to learn a programming language in depth, like Python or R, in order to work with large datasets and have more control and flexibility when performing equations.
5. Database Tools
Database software like MySQL and Oracle allows you to store, manage and extract large amounts of data. Instead of manually sorting through potentially hundreds or thousands of spreadsheets and rows, databases allow you to more efficiently keep track of your data and organize it in a way that’s readily accessible. This role often uses relational databases, which allow you to select data from multiple tables and perform analysis.
Data Analyst Salary
The field of data analytics is going through a period of tremendous growth. Data analysts have the right combination of technical skills, communication skills, and creative ingenuity that makes them highly sought after for many different kinds of businesses. The high demand for skilled data analysts across almost every industry also means this position is generally well-compensated.
The average annual salary for data analysts is around $69,000 (Glassdoor). In New York, the average salary climbs up to around $84,000 per year. At the higher end, data analysts can make upwards of $125k (Built In NYC). Those interested in this field sometimes start their data analyst career and then move on to become data scientists after they gain more experience. Data scientists command even higher compensation, with an average salary of $132k in New York (Built in NYC).
Data Analyst vs. Data Scientist
While data analysts and data scientists work in the same field and can share some of the same responsibilities, they have very different roles and requirements. Simply put, data analysts gather, manage and visualize data for business intelligence insights, while data scientists build and implement more complex code and processes, and work with emerging technology like machine learning.
In their day-to-day work, data analysts may use many of the tools that data scientists develop. In turn, data scientists analyze the visualizations and statistical models that data analysts create and use them to understand more complex trends. Both roles often work closely together to achieve goals and produce useful reports for leaders in the organization. Data scientists need more advanced math and statistical skills than analysts and need to be adept at coding.
Data Analyst Education
There are a few different paths one can take to become a data analyst. It’s possible to find entry-level positions like assistant or junior data analyst right after graduating with a bachelor’s degree. Usually, aspiring analysts study data science, computer science, statistics or similar disciplines in college. After gaining work experience for a few years, recent grads can find roles as a data analyst.
For many, a Master’s Degree in Data Analytics is a smart career choice that can lead to better roles and higher pay. There are a few different scenarios where a master’s can lend a huge benefit. If you currently work or have a bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field, a Master’s in Data Analytics will give you the technical skills and formal training you’ll need to qualify for a position.
If you already have a relevant bachelor’s, a master’s will help your job applications stand out and prepare you to tackle more advanced projects at work. If you’re just starting out in your career, earning your master’s degree is a great way to qualify for higher level positions early on, and earn a higher salary right after graduation. And of course, the more advanced coursework that’s central to a master’s program can also prepare you for related positions, such as data scientist or statistician.
Data Analytics in Healthcare
There’s no question—data analytics is an extremely important component of health care in the 21st century. Hospitals, medical centers, government health agencies and other institutions use analytics to manage patient and client data, predict business and financial trends, and even identify patterns in public health. Because health care has become such a tech-oriented space, data analysts are hired to keep track of large amounts of data and help healthcare leaders improve patient care/outcomes and make challenging decisions. Big Data analytics, or the process of extracting information from massive amounts of data, is the next big trend in health care.
By using statistical models and other tools, healthcare data analysts are able to help healthcare organizations pinpoint exactly how to lower costs and improve patient satisfaction . Advanced data analysis can also have a major impact on better patient outcomes and health. For example, at SSM Health, predictive analytics using machine learning helped reduce the need for acute dialysis in certain patients.
From a public health perspective, predictive analytics allow governments and organizations to understand the spread of infectious disease in a population, and plan resources accordingly. During the height of the COVID-19 crisis, data visualization and analytics played an important role in effectively communicating how the crisis was unfolding. Intelligent use of data benefits us all and allows decision makers to respond to a health emergency effectively.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/what-does-a-data-analyst-do-ultimate-guide.php
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August 05, 2021
212885
Applications and Examples of Big Data in Healthcare
How Big Data Improves Efficiency, Costs, and Patient Outcomes
The amount of information — or data — healthcare organizations collect, manage and analyze has increased rapidly with advancements and integrations in technology. Technology, in turn, is changing the way the healthcare sector uses data. Advanced tools and software have been essential to the unprecedented growth of big data, making healthcare information easier and cheaper to store, access and use.
What is big data?
At one time, big data referred simply to large amounts of data. Since then, big data has evolved to become more broadly defined as clusters of information — data sets — too diverse, complex or massive to be handled efficiently by traditional data-processing application software. What is designated as big data can vary based on the tools and capabilities of people and organizations using it.
As a field of study, big data explores how large data sets can be systematically managed and analyzed to extract or infer useful insights from them. Originally associated with three key qualities, big data continues to change and grow. Industry experts have widely adopted the 5 Vs to describe its characteristics:
Volume is the amount or quantity of data. Technology has made it possible for unprecedented volumes of data to flow to and from devices, applications and networks.
Variety is the different forms or types of data and their sources. Unstructured, semi-structured or structured data can include everything from numbers, facts and statistics to text, photos and videos.
Velocity is the measure of how fast data is flowing — in other words, its speed. The velocity of data directly impacts organizations and their ability to make timely and accurate business decisions. With the Internet of Things (IoT) and other connected devices, machine learning and cloud computing, data flows in real time, so information can be available in an instant.
Veracity is the inconsistencies and uncertainty of data. With data coming in different forms from different sources, the quality and accuracy of it has to be controlled to draw reliable conclusions from it.
Value is how useful the data is and what’s done with data to make it worth something. Value demonstrates data’s return on investment.
Today, big data encompasses mathematical and statistical methods in data analytics. These include fields of predictive analytics, user behavior analytics or other advanced data analytics that uncover relationships and predict outcomes in large sets of data. Big data sets come from a variety of fields: banking and finance, business, media and communications, sports and entertainment and healthcare, to name just a few.
Healthcare analytics
Big data analytics for healthcare uses health-related information of an individual or community to understand a patient, organization or community. In the past, managing and analyzing healthcare data was tedious and expensive. More recently, technology has helped the healthcare sector make leaps and bounds to keep up with the flow of big data in healthcare.
Diagnostic devices, medical machinery, instrumentation, online services — sources such as these are transferring data throughout a healthcare network. This is done with the help of big data tools such as Hadoop and Spark.
Big data examples in healthcare
With a variety of data analytics tools and methods, healthcare analysts use big data to inform health prevention, intervention and management. Efforts such as these can help enhance the patient experience, improve efficiency and quality of care and lower healthcare costs. Big data analytics for healthcare makes it possible to get a more complete picture of something to make smarter decisions.
One of the most current and relevant big data examples in healthcare is how it has impacted the global coronavirus crisis. Big data analytics for healthcare supported the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines. Researchers can share data with each other to develop advanced medications very quickly. Big data in healthcare also predicted the spread of disease by allowing healthcare information to be processed much more rapidly than in the past during other pandemics.
Big data in healthcare can benefit patients and providers alike in many different ways. Here are just a few other big data examples in healthcare:
Patient outcomes. Big data can be used in healthcare to identify individual and community trends and develop better treatment plans or predict at-risk patients.
Staffing and operations. Healthcare analytics can use big data to forecast patient admissions trends at specific times of the day and schedule the right number of staff during peak or slow periods.
Product development. Big data in healthcare can help drive innovation and reduce the time it takes to bring a new product, such as prescription meds, to market.
Strategic planning. Healthcare analytics can help compare chronic disease and population growth in neighborhoods to identify problem areas and plan additional services.
Crime prevention. Healthcare analytics has helped streamline insurance claims processes, so providers can detect fraud more easily and patients can receive payments faster.
Challenges of big data in healthcare
As a relatively new field, big data in healthcare is still evolving to keep up with the fast pace and changing nature of technology. With such vast amounts of data available to work with, organizations and leaders can struggle with knowing where and how to start with data analytics in healthcare to find the information that is meaningful.
Making use of all of this data raises concerns of healthcare cybersecurity and information privacy. The issue of governance — who owns and is responsible for overseeing the planning, implementation and management of big data — is also a common concern among healthcare organizations.
Many healthcare organizations lack adequate systems and databases — and the skilled professionals to handle them. As such, the demand for healthcare analysts with advanced education and training is very high in the United States.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/applications-and-examples-of-big-data-in-healthcare.php
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March 11, 2021
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First-of-Its-Kind Antisemitism Institute Aimed at Dismantling Antisemitism in Academia
Touro University Launches New Institute To Combat Antisemitism in Higher Education and Beyond Through Professor Trainings, Research Dissemination, Annual Conferences, and More
In response to the rising incidence of antisemitism across academia, Touro University - the largest university under Jewish auspices in the United States - today announced the launch of the Touro University Antisemitism Institute, a first-of-its kind institute dedicated to confronting and eradicating antisemitism in higher education and around the country.
The Institute builds on Touro’s decades-long legacy of providing academic and practical resources to root out antisemitism and hatred of all kinds, specifically in academia. Through the establishment of the Touro University Antisemitism Institute, Touro will take a multi-pronged approach: partnering with and educating professors from universities nationwide to teach rigorous courses on antisemitism and Jewish peoplehood within their own disciplines; disseminating research on the causes and impact of antisemitism; studying how existing laws can be used to combat hate, and evaluating the need for new legislation; examining the role of social media in the spread of antisemitism; teaching the next generation of Jewish civil rights attorneys how to actually handle cases in the field; and convening leaders across academia, policy, law, media, and business to share key learnings and develop new strategies for confronting antisemitism.
“As we approach the two-year anniversary of the encampments on college campuses, it is not lost on me that more than 70% of Jewish college students have experienced antisemitism of some sort at their universities,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro University. “While we can’t protect against every instance, education is the first step to rooting out hatred, bias and violence, which is why Touro has established this institute. The college years are among the most formative in a young person’s life and through the establishment of this institute, Touro is committing to serve as a beacon for those interested in taking a stand against hatred and making campuses and communities safe for all.”
While the institute will unveil new programming in the months to come, an inaugural effort will begin this summer with The Touro University Teaching Fellowship to Combat Campus Antisemitism, led by Professor Mark Goldfeder in association with National Jewish Advocacy Center (NJAC). This new initiative is designed to help professors build and teach rigorous undergraduate and graduate courses—within their existing academic specialties—that strengthen campus understanding of antisemitism, civil rights protections and the modern challenges facing Jewish students and Israel today. The first cohort of fellows will take part in this program in the Summer of 2026.
“This fellowship is about reclaiming the campus as a serious place for scholarship, fairness and safety—through the most powerful tool available to universities—the classroom,” said Professor Goldfeder.
In addition, the Institute will also host Touro’s first-ever conference on antisemitism in New York City in the Fall of 2026, bringing together leaders in politics, academics, media and business to understand, confront and combat antisemitism through education and research, coalition building, and legal strategies with the goal of weeding out antisemitism across academia. The conference will be led by Professor Ido Aharoni Aronoff, former Israeli Consul General.
The institute will serve as an umbrella for Touro’s existing work in this space, bringing together under one roof:
The Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, which promotes tolerance and human rights through advocacy and education.
The Antisemitism Law Clinic at Touro Law Center, which launched last year in the wake of October 7 and is the nation’s first law school clinic dedicated to combatting antisemitism.
The Jewish Law Institute at Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, which provides a scholarly framework for studying the intersection of Jewish law, American law, and legal ethics, and serves as a national clearinghouse for new ideas and independent research.
A History of Antisemitism Course, open to all Touro undergrad and graduate students and the community at large.
“Touro University’s launch of an Antisemitism Institute is both timely and essential. At a moment when Jewish communities in New York and across the country are facing a disturbing rise in antisemitism, initiatives like this play a critical role in education, research, and combating hate. I commend Touro for its leadership and commitment to ensuring the next generation is equipped to stand up against antisemitism in all its forms,” said Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17).
“Since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7th, antisemitism has spread exponentially around the world, bleeding into college campuses and universities. As the co-founder and co-chair of the Senate’s Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, I’ve made it a priority to work across party lines to combat Jewish hate whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head,” said Senator Rosen. “Thanks to the efforts of institutions like Touro University and their first-of-its-kind Antisemitism Institute, we will be able to increase our efforts to stamp out anti-Jewish bigotry across the country.”
The institute will bridge academic research, policy, legal response, and on-the‑ground education – serving as a central hub for students, faculty, community members, researchers, and practitioners, and empowering them with the tools to understand, prevent, and counter antisemitism in all its forms.
For more information about the Touro University Antisemitism Institute, please contact the Institute Director, Malka Fleischmann at malka.fleischmann@touro.edu.
Touro
https://www.touro.edu/news--events/stories/first-of-its-kind-antisemitism-institute-aimed-at-dismantling-antisemitism-in-academia.php
https://www.touro.edu/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2026/AntisemitismInstitute.png
March 24, 2026