Members of SOM Class of 2025 Recognized for Humanism in Medicine

In her keynote address, Rachelle Lodescar, M.D. ‘13, a surgeon at Westchester Medical Center, spoke of an experience during her medical training that changed her approach to patient care. “Although I cared for and had a wonderful relationship with my patients, I felt fulfilled when they were happy with their surgical outcomes. I felt gratitude in waking my patients up after a long surgery and telling them everything went well.” 

That viewpoint changed during Dr. Lodescar’s burn surgery fellowship when she encountered a young woman patient suffering from Steven-Johnson syndrome, a rare, serious disorder of the skin and mucous membranes, that had caused severe skin sloughing over 98 percent of her body. 

“Although I had experienced a handful of patient losses at this point in my training, it was very difficult for me to accept her poor prognosis. I don't know if it was the fact that she was around my age or that she was studying to be a musician, or the similarities between her close family dynamic and mine. At times I felt helpless.” Over time, she formed a close bond with the patient’s parents, making it her daily goal to keep the family informed, and she was grateful to be in the room with the family when her patient passed away. 

“I hugged her parents and quietly exited the room to give them some time alone with their daughter, and then I ran to the call room and did something that I rarely do, I cried. I felt like I had let my patient and family down because I could not save her life.” Days later, the family returned with flowers to thank her for treating their daughter with respect and dignity and for simply being present. “Although I spent many years training to keep people alive, here was a family expressing deep gratitude for my presence as their daughter transitioned. I cannot stress the importance enough of having a good relationship with patients and their families.”

“As a burn surgeon, I'm faced with many tough cases involving homelessness, domestic violence, child abuse, mental health, and oftentimes self-inflicted burn wounds. I've come to realize over the years that surgery is the easy part. The emotional response to patients is what separates a good doctor from a great doctor. Maintaining the dignity of all my burn patients leads to a better relationship with them, better patient outcomes, and makes the patient feel like a human rather than a medical number or a list of medical diagnoses.” 

Deelan Ayhan, SOM Class of 2024, who served on the GHHS Induction Selection Committee, offered a reflection on humanism. “When I speak to my classmates about poignant patient interactions they've had in the hospital that resonated with them, the most common examples given reflect those little moments throughout the day when they catch a glimpse of that personal connection with their patients, whether it's sharing their favorite board game in the pediatric unit or telling a good joke to a particularly stubborn patient. Humanism, to me, is that rare instance when two people strip away the sterility of a provider-patient relationship and unveil the remarkable richness that makes a person who they really are.”

“As I've progressed through my four years at NYMC, I've seen an immense transformation in our school's efforts to build a curriculum that reflects the social conditions of our patients and the impact that factors like class, race, and bias have on patient health outcomes. Whether it's hosting a workshop on size inclusion or creating an entire implicit-bias, standardized patient encounter, these efforts are made with the hope of creating a more equitable future for our patients.” 

Class of 2025 GHHS Inductees
Angelique Boyer 
Moshe Bulmash 
Ian Choe 
Michael Cisneros 
Amanda Elimian 
Ahmed Gabr
Othanya Garcia 
Vasiliki Gregory 
Lauren Grobois 
Matan Grunfeld 
Harry Haran 
Inbar Hazan 
Zaria Holcomb 
Josephine Issenman
Miriam Katz 
Michelle Klausner 
Michelle Li 
Dalynah Maldonado-McGrath
Kiran Moorthi 
Brian Morrissey 
Marissa Nash
Kaleb Noruzi
Cindy Peraza 
Kara Rickford-Grimes 
Luis Romero Padilla 
Sajana Sivagnanam 
Danielle Vargas 
Matthew Vaughan 
Michael Vazquez 
Joanne Yao 
Michelle You 
Emily Zhang 
Ariadne Zias