Gordon F. Tomaselli, M.D.
After a year and a half of virtual events prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re seeing signs of rebirth on campus. The Class of 2021 celebrated its commencement with an outdoor ceremony in May; Einstein was the only New York City medical college to hold an in-person graduation this year. And in August, first-year medical students of the Class of 2025 gathered under a tent in the Central Courtyard to receive their white coats.
Other changes are happening, too. In July, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education granted Einstein full accreditation for all its doctoral and master’s degrees and certificate programs—completing Einstein’s transformation to a fully independent academic entity. This further solidifies our partnership with Montefiore and helps ensure our future as a top-tier medical school and leading biomedical research institution.
A profound shift now underway in hospitals is the focus of our cover story, “The Hospitalist Will See You Now.” It describes a breed of physicians who specialize in caring for hospitalized patients. The article spotlights Einstein-Montefiore’s Shitij Arora, M.B.B.S., a hospitalist who pioneered a bold treatment strategy early in the pandemic that has led to dramatic turnarounds for severely ill COVID-19 patients.
Our second feature article, “From Guppies to X-Rays to T Cells,” details the journey of Steve Almo, Ph.D., Einstein’s chair of biochemistry. Nearly 20 years ago, an elevator chat with a colleague led to a collaboration that lasted more than a decade and the beginning of Dr. Almo’s second career, as an immunologist. He conceived the idea of developing novel fusion proteins that can be tailored to fight many types of cancer, autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, and even HIV/AIDS.
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said nothing endures but change. Our ability to adapt to a worldwide health crisis has served us well over these past 18 months, and I’m confident we are emerging stronger as a result. Better days are indeed ahead.
Gordon F. Tomaselli, M.D.
The Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Executive Vice President, Chief Academic Officer
Montefiore Medicine
