School of Medicine Hosts Gold Humanism Honor Society Induction Ceremony for the Class of 2022
Thirty-Two Medical Students Pledged Their Dedication to Prioritizing Humanistic Approaches in Their Future in Medicine
Thirty-two students from the School of Medicine (SOM) Class of 2022 were inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) on April 28, when they pledged their dedication to prioritize humanistic approaches in their future in medicine. The GHHS honors senior medical students, residents, role-model physician teachers and others who have “demonstrated excellence in clinical care, leadership, compassion and dedication to service” as part of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.
“The selection committee got it right,” said Jerry L. Nadler, M.D., MACP, FAHA, FACE, dean of the SOM and professor of medicine and pharmacology, referring to the impressive group of inductees who were selected by a panel of faculty and their peers. In his opening remarks Dr. Nadler also spoke about the importance of humanism in health care, especially during times where people of color are discriminated against as patients.
The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine student award was presented to Mathias Palmer, SOM Class of 2021. Mr. Palmer’s kindness and empathy was praised by fellow classmate Naveena Sunkara, GHHS co-president, who presented the award to Mr. Palmer. “Mathias is the best of our class,” Ms. Sunkara said.
Ms. Sunkara spoke of the volunteer coalition that Mr. Palmer spearheaded as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged New York, where he helped pair willing volunteers in the NYMC community with clinical affiliates that needed volunteer help.
The faculty award was presented to Mill Etienne, M.D. ‘02, M.P.H., vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion, associate dean for student affairs and associate professor of neurology and medicine in the SOM. “Dr. Etienne’s infectious compassion and diligence will affect students for years to come,” Ms. Sunkara said.
Ms. Sunkara spoke about Dr. Etienne’s efforts to inject humanism and cultural bias education into his courses and extended education “beyond the curriculum.”
“A lot of patients just need you to listen to them,” said Dr. Etienne, who had the chance to work with Arnold P. Gold before Gold’s death in 2018.
The ceremony concluded with the GHHS oath, led by Evan Formosa, GHHS selection chair, and induction remarks by the GHHS Selection Committee Class of 2021, including Naveena Sunkara, Danika Dorelien, Harrison Smith, Chelsea Banks and Teryn Igawa.
SOM Class of 2022 Gold Humanism Honor Society Inductees
Saman Baban
Daniel Bowen
Carly Carlin
Richard Chaudhary
Vivian Chiu
Catherine Donlon
Jeanette Freeman
Marisella Garcia
Juliet Jacobson
Tianbo Jiang
Stacia Koster
Joon Sub Lee
Joy Li
Aitan Magence
Megan McCordic
Jessica McMillin
Shannon McNall
Madeline Miceli
Kayla Morel
Rebecca Nguyen
Ojiugo Onwumere
Kavita Patel
Nadera Rahman
Amanda Scudder
Adonai Sebastian
Sivan Shahar
Elizabeth Sillcocks
Dyanna Soto
Aubrey Vinh
Angela Wang-Negri
Kelvin Zheng
Allison Zhong
