In remarks during the Oct. 1 Dean’s Society reception at the Jewish Museum, medical student Trevor Barker, Class of 2027, described how the College of Medicine has already transformed his life.
He finally has free healthcare through the new Student Health Clinic. With the backing of the office of diversity enhancement, he established a club, First Generation Low-Income Partnership (FLIP), that brings together and advocates for students like him. And because of generous philanthropic partners like those in the Dean’s Society, Mr. Barker has received a $100,000 scholarship.
The annual cocktail event celebrates members of the Dean’s Society—alumni, parents, and friends—who make leadership gifts of $1,500 or more. Those funds provide vital resources that help Einstein improve the student experience, explore previously understudied areas of research, and test new ideas that lead to best practices. Members enjoy several benefits throughout the year, including exclusive gatherings like the Dean’s Society reception.
We all give to this community out of love for it, and in different ways. That’s what makes Einstein such a special place.
— Medical student Trevor Barker
The Alumni Board of Governors president, Richard S. Frankenstein, M.D. ’74, said the Dean’s Society allows him to pay back what Einstein gave to him: “I’ve gone far and wide, but I never would have gone to any of those places without the competence and confidence that I developed as an Einstein student.” Now at the 50th anniversary of his graduation from Einstein, he hopes his gift will give current students the same opportunities that changed the trajectory of his own life and career.
For Yaron Tomer, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean, Einstein is charting an ambitious trajectory of its own thanks to a new strategic plan, crafted in collaboration with students, faculty, alumni, trustees, community board members, and elected officials from the Bronx. It emphasizes the institution’s four core pillars of growth: people, education, research, and health equity. “It’s not my plan, it’s not a leadership plan,” he emphasized, “but an Einstein community plan.” Dr. Tomer introduced faculty appointments, learning programs, campus resources, and research projects that students and faculty can look forward to thanks to new and renewed sources of funding.
Although he’s still a student, Mr. Barker told the Dean’s Society members that he is already thinking about how he will pay his gift forward. “My classmates and I will someday sit in the seats that you’re sitting in now, with the privilege of giving back the love and generosity you have already shown us,” he said, adding, “We all give to this community out of love for it, and in different ways. That’s what makes Einstein such a special place—it is grown not from the outside in, but from the inside out.”
