Evan Charney, M.D. ’60, sends greetings to his classmates. He says, “It was a privilege to be among the earliest graduates of our brand-new medical school at a time when medicine was entering an explosive developmental phase. The first polio vaccine was just being put into use during our freshman year; other vaccines followed, and, as a pediatrician, I welcomed the end of the nightmare of measles and mumps encephalitis, and success in the treatment of formerly fatal diseases like childhood leukemia.” Long retired from academic pediatrics, he reports that he is well into his second career as a printmaker. He says he would love to hear from classmates, “either to reminisce or speculate on what lies ahead for our challenged profession.”
George Teebor, M.D. ’61, reports that he has just turned 90 with the help of stents. Dr. Teebor trained in pathology at New York University (NYU), where he spent 49 years as a professor of pathology and environmental medicine, the vice dean for research, and the acting chair of the department of pathology. His research was devoted to DNA repair and was supported by the National Institutes of Health for 39 years; he was given a MERIT award. His daughter Susan, now a dermatologist, graduated from NYU in 1995. Dr. Teebor has three children and “their wonderful spouses,” nine grandchildren (including two physicians), and three great-grandchildren. He says he treasures the memory of his four years at Einstein.
Lucy Shapiro, Ph.D. ’66, was given the 2025 Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science in September, presented by the Lasker Foundation in recognition of her 55-year career in biomedical science. “With confidence and ingenuity, Dr. Shapiro has sparkled as an investigator, an academic leader, an advocate for basic research, and an entrepreneur,” the foundation noted on its website. “Consistently ahead of her time on all fronts, she has made exceptional contributions to our understanding of cellular life and to the scientific community.” Dr. Shapiro was named, in 1977, the first female chair of a department at Einstein. She would later launch the field of systems biology at Stanford, advise two U.S. presidents on antibiotic resistance and bioterrorism threats, receive the National Medal of Science from President Barack Obama, and cofound biotech companies. Dr. Shapiro currently directs Stanford University School of Medicine’s Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine and is a professor emeritus of developmental biology at Stanford. Learn more about Dr. Shapiro in a 2023 Einstein magazine interview with her.
David Abramson, M.D. ’69, will be the 2026 recipient of the Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research, one of the highest international awards in vision science. He is a tenured professor of surgery, radiation oncology, and pediatrics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he founded the Ophthalmic Oncology Service, now the largest such service in a U.S. cancer hospital. His almost 800 publications have been cited more than 29,000 times.
Robert Katz, M.D. ’75, reports that he has been retired from the active practice of pathology for several years but remains in touch with medicine, serving as the president of the Board of Health of Morris Township, N.J., where he lives, and as a member of the credentials committee at Morristown Medical Center. He also continues his lifelong fascination with the Sherlock Holmes stories; he has edited several books on the subject while serving as an officer of the international Holmes organization, the Baker Street Irregulars.
Mark Leitman, M.D. ’75, has released the 11th edition of his Manual for Eye Examination and Diagnosis, which provides medical professionals and students with the most-recent advances in eye-care education.
Harold Pincus, M.D. ’75, a professor of psychiatry and public health at Columbia University, has been selected by the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry as the inaugural recipient of the Christopher and Kathryn Colenda Health Policy Award. The award honors individuals who have made substantive contributions to geriatric mental health policy initiatives at the local, state, national, and international levels.
John Loike, Ph.D. ’76, was a guest speaker at the Los Alamos Faith and Science Forum 2025 Summer Lecture Series in New Mexico this past July. Currently Dr. Loike serves as a professor of biology and bioethics at Touro University in New York City and is the codirector of the master of science degree and graduate certificate program in medical ethics and humanities at New York Medical College. Dr. Loike’s research focuses on the ethical dimensions of emerging medical technologies and has shaped global conversations on bioethics and biomedical policy.
Ruth Muschel, M.D., Ph.D. ’78, and her husband and fellow alum, Gillies McKenna, M.D., Ph.D. ’81, have established the Anne Orzel Muschel and Louis H. Muschel Endowed Student Support Fund at Einstein in honor of Dr. Muschel’s parents. Medical students and M.D./Ph.D. students pay no tuition at Einstein but still have other costs, such as those for living expenses and educational materials. Freeing students from that financial burden could change lives and allow them to enter academia, where salaries are lower than in private practice or industry, Dr. Muschel says. “I’d like to see students pursue their intellectual interests, not their financial interests,” she notes. Dr. McKenna adds that he hopes “the support will result in a new generation of altruistic academic leaders coming from Einstein.” Read more about their story here.
Joanna Davis, M.D. ’79, retired from clinical practice in pediatric hematology/oncology in September 2024. She is now a voluntary associate professor of clinical pediatrics as well as the director emerita of the Pediatric Hemophilia Treatment Center at the University of Miami, where she continues to teach and mentor house staff and fellows. She is on the board of directors of the World Federation of Hemophilia USA’s comprehensive health education services and of the Florida Bleeding Disorders Association. Dr. Davis has partnered with Danny’s Dose to create emergency medical service protocols for the management of bleeding disorders, and she volunteers for the Maven Project, providing virtual consultation to select site clinics around the country, many of which have limited access to subspecialty care. Her husband, Bruce Berkowitz, M.D. ’79, retired from the clinical practice of orthopedics in 2018. He has created a consultation business that provides expertise in legal cases. Dr. Davis plays French horn with a community concert band, volunteers in the clinic at her local humane society and, with Dr. Berkowitz, enjoys traveling and spending time with their “three wonderful granddaughters.”
Warren Heymann, M.D. ’79, was honored with the Master Dermatologist Award from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) in 2025. The award recognizes AAD members who have made significant contributions to the specialty of dermatology. Dr. Heymann is board certified in dermatology, dermatopathology, and pediatric dermatology.
Susan Richman, M.D. ’79, reports that she is winding down her 46-year career as an obstetrician-gynecologist. She says it “featured several twists, turns, and exciting experiences as a clinician educator, residency program director (many trainees were Einstein grads), family planning division head, leader in ACOG (American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists), and volunteer in the Indian Health Service, and on a medical mission abroad.” Dr. Richman says she is looking forward to traveling, hiking, biking, kayaking, and snorkeling with her husband of 49 years, children, and grandkids, all of whom “love a good adventure as well.”
Peter Kratka, M.D. ’84, recently published his third book, Miscellooneyous, including 80 true short stories about a variety of odd life circumstances. Dr. Kratka’s first book was called Golf Is a Four-Letter Word. His second book, based on his time as a medical student, resident, and junior attending at Einstein and Jacobi Medical Center, is called Medical Tales: A Peek Beneath the Sheets.
Hiroshi Mashimo, M.D., Ph.D. ’88, is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a gastroenterologist at the VA Boston Healthcare System and Massachusetts General Brigham. He has authored more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Science, Cell, PNAS, the New England Journal of Medicine, Immunology, and Gastroenterology. He also serves on various editorial and grant-review boards and is an international speaker on topics such as disorders of brain-gut dysregulation, microbiota, gut health, gastrointestinal stem cells, and early cancer diagnosis and novel treatments.
Andy Lazris, M.D. ’90, has written several books on healthcare, most recently A Return to Healing, published by the University of Toronto Press in 2025. The book delves into the roots of today’s healthcare troubles and shows how statistical manipulation is often used to persuade both doctors and patients into being far more aggressive than is scientifically indicated. He says his book offers pragmatic solutions to educate patients on how best to care for themselves.
Sharmila Anandasabapathy, M.D. ’98, has joined the University of British Columbia as the new dean of the faculty of medicine and vice president of health. She began her five-year term on Nov. 1, 2025. Dr. Anandasabapathy has recently served as the vice president and senior associate dean for global programs and a professor of medicine in gastroenterology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
Tobias Kollmann, M.D., Ph.D. ’98, is a professor of microbiology & immunology and of pediatric infectious diseases at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Dr. Kollmann is also the chief executive officer of the Born Strong Initiative, a global network of experts working to reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes. His expertise centers on maternal and early-life development, employing cutting-edge technology and analytics to extract the most information out of the small biological samples obtainable.
Mimi Lee, M.D., Ph.D. ’98, has been appointed the chief precision medicine officer at genetic testing company GeneDx. Dr. Lee will lead GeneDx’s effort to accelerate the adoption of precision medicine throughout healthcare, using the power of genomics to predict, prevent, and optimize health outcomes during a person’s lifetime. Dr. Lee was previously at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, where she designed and directed high-impact public-private programs to accelerate individualized genetic medicine. A physician-scientist, neurosurgeon, and board-certified anesthesiologist, she brings to the table more than two decades of leadership across academia, biotechnology, and global industry, including senior executive roles at Samsung Bioepis, the Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research, and BioMarin.
Kang Hsu, Jr., M.D. ’99, has been appointed the chief medical officer to lead clinical strategy and expand voice biomarker adoption by Canary Speech, a health tech company. In his new role, Dr. Hsu will oversee Canary Speech’s clinical direction, support product development, and work closely with such strategic partners as the Mayo Clinic, Microsoft, Samsung, LG NOVA, and major health systems. Dr. Hsu most recently served as the associate vice president for acute medical informatics at Providence Hospitals and Healthcare, where he helped integrate clinical informatics, pharmacy, genomics, research, and lab initiatives across a broad care continuum.
Howard Stupak, M.D. ’99, reports that after his residency and fellowship, he never really left Jacobi Medical Center, where he is now the director of otolaryngology/facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. He is also in private practice in Westport, Conn., in facial plastic surgery. Dr. Stupak has written a novel, available on Amazon and Audible, called Crown & Corona: An American Catastrophe, which focuses on the American Revolution, the Tao Te Ching, and medicine in a time of crisis.
Wassim Abou-Kheir, Ph.D. ’07, has won the Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Arab Researchers for 2025 in the field of medical and health sciences for his work on using stem cells to treat incurable diseases. Dr. Abou-Kheir was selected from among 522 outstanding nominees, who were judged based on the originality, quality, and impact of their research. He is a professor of anatomy, of cell biology, and of physiological sciences as well as the director of graduate student affairs in the faculty of medicine at the American University of Beirut.
Jeffrey Siegelman, M.D. ’07, was promoted to professor of emergency medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine in September. Dr. Siegelman serves as the program director for the emergency medicine residency and works clinically at Grady Memorial Hospital. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and two children.
Allison Grant, M.D. ’20, was honored with the inaugural UCF-Gold Humanism in Medicine Award, which recognizes urology residents and fellows who exemplify humanism in their patient care and participate in humanitarian initiatives outside their clinical work. The award was jointly created by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, a national nonprofit that champions humanism in healthcare, and the Urology Care Foundation of the American Urological Association. Dr. Grant is a urology resident at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, currently applying for fellowship training in pediatric urology.
Yana Kost, M.D. ’23, was a coauthor of two studies published in JAMA Oncology in 2023 about acute radiation dermatitis (ARD), characterized by red, sore, itchy, or peeling skin, which affects up to 95% of people undergoing radiation treatment for cancer. The researchers found that many cases of ARD involve a common skin bacterium and that a simple, low-cost treatment can prevent severe cases, potentially setting a new standard of care for people undergoing radiation therapy. Learn more about the study here. Dr. Kost is a dermatology resident at NYU Langone Health.
Keep your classmates up to date by submitting your news to Einstein magazine. We look forward to including you. Email us at einsteinalumni@einsteinmed.edu.
