#wednesdaywisdom

#touro50 My favorite thing about working at Touro is the collegial atmosphere, the diverse and dedicated students, and the opportunity to engage in high quality teaching, research, and service.

#FBF to 1973 and Touro's physician assistant (PA) program, which is part of the newly created Division of Health Sciences. Touro pioneered the training of physician assistants and by 2021 has five PA programs with another one in the works. #tourouniversity #touro50 #tourohealthsciences #touropa #p#physicianassistant

#TBT TouroCOM Harlem alumni from the inaugural classes of 2011 and 2012 gathered with their spouses and children for a 10-year reunion Sunday! Festivities began with a brunch reception and tour of the school for the 85 guests, followed by a Circle Line boat tour around Manhattan. They were greeted by Deans and long-time staff member, Ana Morillo (shown hugging Dr. Robert Sehgel, ’12). Alumni traveled from Florida, Michigan, Maryland and Pennsylvania to see their former classmates. “We missed our real 10-year reunion, so it was nice to see how everyone was coming along,” said Dr. Aishah Raffee Pirooz, ’11, an alumni board member and medical director of a geriatric clinic in Ann Arbor, who helped plan the event. “It was good to go back to the campus and see how it’s changed and connect with where we all met and learned so much. Hopefully we’re all interested in returning for the 15th!”

#WednesdayWisdom

Katherine Zammit, right, with mom Laurie Zammit, was Student Speaker for the School of Health Sciences at the Division of Graduate Studies commencement ceremonies held last week at the Amphitheater at Coney Island. Touro University welcomed more than 1,300 master’s degree recipients to the division’s first live commencement since 2019. The mother-daughter team are among the first graduates to earn Touro’s M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis – a data-based science that creates socially significant change for those with autism spectrum disorder. Laurie completed the program in December. Katherine, whose brother who 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, her biggest supporter, raised three children and went back to school after earning her MBA. “This was her first time back in school since 1998. 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 continuously 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.”

#FBF New York School of Career and Applied Studies (NYSCAS), a division of Touro University, held its 48th annual commencement ceremony last week at The Amphitheater at Coney Island. This was the first in-person graduation in three years, and it brought together 541 students that received their baccalaureate degrees, and over 220 students who received their associate degrees and certificates in radiographic technology. These high-achieving grads were celebrated by thousands of friends, family, and colleagues who came together to attend the festive ceremony. Congrats to all the grads!

Love at Touro: It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for NYSCAS grad Janessa Martinez-Davidson who recently received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and married the love of her life, Graduate School of Education alum Ross Davidson a few weeks ago! “Walking down the aisle to marry my now husband and walking across the stage to receive my degree from Touro has been amazing to say the least. I’m now enrolled at the Graduate School of Education, where I’m pursing my master’s degree specializing in School Counseling. My dream career is to help children, who like myself, didn’t have an easy childhood but persevered none the less. I was a little girl from a big family who has always wanted to help others and now those dreams are slowly becoming a reality,” said Martinez-Davidson.