Touro University

Congrats TouroCOM! Hudson Valley Credit Union has provided a grant to help support TouroCOM Middletown’s student-run afterschool program, MedAchieve, a medical science enrichment program for high school students in Middletown and surrounding communities who are interested in pursuing careers in medicine or other health sciences.    “We thank the credit union for their support, which will help students from this area fulfill their dreams of becoming physicians and serving our community,” said TouroCOM Executive Dean Dr. Kenneth Steier.      Raffaele Lostumbo, OMS-II, and a co-director of the program said the funds will most likely be used to enhance the MedAchieve sessions.   “We will be purchasing things such as suture kits, dissection materials, and we will also be looking into using the support to pay for certifications for the students, such as for CPR training,” said Lostumbo. “We’re grateful that the bank has noticed the positive impact that the program had on the Middletown community. We hope to use their generous donation to better the program and hopefully reach more students and help them in their professional careers.” Lisa Morris, Vice President, Director of Public Relations & Corporate Communications, at Hudson Valley Credit Union, said, "The MedAchieve program gives local high school students a great way to learn about the fundamentals of medicine and healthcare careers. We need these empathetic caregivers of the future, and Hudson Valley Credit Union is proud to help support this program again in 2024."

Touro's Dr. Jamie Sundvall (second from left) represented higher education on a panel of national artificial intelligence experts in Washington D.C. recently, at the National Association of Social Workers national conference. She discussed the need for ethical guidance codes and implementation of effective governance (policy) structures to protect consumers, students, and organizations and promote safe, fair, and ethical use of AI. "AI can be a powerful tool, effective for training and process efficiency. However, it must be properly applied, with ethics and governance structures to protect citizens, organizations, and prevent social injustice," said Sundvall, Director of Online Education, MSW Online Program Director, and Institutional Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board Member at Touro University.

“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.” Read the keynote speech from Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish at the New Jersey Jewish Business Alliance luncheon.

Student spotlight! Lander College for Men student and future civil engineer Moses Jeremiah Rybstein has always wanted to design and manage infrastructure projects that enhance society, including bridges, train stations and airports. Moses talks about his summer internship at Posillico, the premier heavy civil construction contractor on the Atlantic seaboard, and offers advice for other students interested in civil engineering.

"An experience enriched with a study of Italian Jewry, a thorough account of the history and resilience of my people, and yes, the best pasta in the world." -Nini Schulman, sophomore at Touro's Lander College for Women (LCW), shares her unforgettable experience on Touro's 10-day trip to Northern Italy with the "Jewish Link."

Congrats to Touro California, who ranked in the top 5 nationwide and #1 in California for most graduates practicing in primary care, according to U.S. News & World Report!

Congrats are in order for TouroCOM's MedAchieve program, which has--for the sixth time!--received the 2024 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education. The award recognizes colleges and universities that encourage and assist students from underrepresented groups to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

In a new interview with the Jerusalem Post, Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish shares the three main reasons #antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric have spread on American college campuses.

Big things happening at Touro! Congrats to Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine, which has received $500,000 from the Engelstad Foundation to advance groundbreaking cancer research and to develop a drug that prevents cancer metastasis. Learn more about this gift and how it will be applied by TUN.

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine students and faculty joined other DO students and scientists from around the world for the inaugural Conference on Osteopathic Research and Knowledge (CORK), held last month on the Long Island campus of the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine. TouroCOM Harlem co-sponsored the two-day event, where faculty and students attended lectures, breakout sessions and hands-on osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) workshops. OMS-IV student Robert Valencia won second place and a $750.00 prize in a student research competition for investigating the extrinsic and intrinsic factors affecting the use of OMM by medical students during third- and fourth-year rotations. “The conference was an amazing opportunity to learn about trailblazing research and innovation being done in OMM,” said Valencia. “To have our work acknowledged by the wide range of osteopathic physicians across different medical specialties was truly an honor. I was overjoyed to be able to accept the award on behalf of my research team because of the passion everyone has demonstrated about improving the future of osteopathic medical education through research.” Shown in photo is TouroCOM Harlem faculty member Dr. Mikkhail Volokitin with award winner Robert Valecia.