Class of 2015 Transitions From Classroom to Clinic

The P&S Class of 2015 marked their transition from classroom learning to clinic learning in the 2013 Steven Z. Miller Student Clinician's Ceremony.

Photo: Amelia Panico

Residents and faculty welcomed members of the P&S Class of 2015  into the profession of medicine in a transition ceremony last week to mark the beginning of the students' Major Clinical Year, a time when students leave the classroom and start taking care of patients in hospitals and out-patient settings.

"For people who want to become doctors, this next year is perhaps the most exciting year of your life," said Lee Goldman, MD, dean of the College of Physicians & Surgeons, during the ceremony. "It's a lot of fun, along with a lot of responsibility. Recognize that every day with each individual patient, you're doing something very important."

The Steven Z. Miller Student Clinician's Ceremony, started at P&S in 1998, helps students mentally prepare for the transition to patient care and adopt a professional identity as a student-doctor.

Delphine Taylor, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine, advised students to savor the year's most personal moments. "There will be many times when you'll be the side of someone waiting to be rolled into the operating room, or nauseated from chemotherapy, or ready to go home with a brand new baby. It's in these moments – not just the opportunities to drop a suture or perform a lumbar puncture – that there's wisdom to be gained. I urge you to let these times become a part of you and who you want to become."

And Linda Lewis, MD, former dean of students, reassured students that it's OK during the year to admit that "my lack of knowledge is why I don't know. We know you don't know. We're here to help. What's unacceptable is not to learn."

"To be the first one to evaluate a patient, to find out new things that others hadn't discovered, to apply the information learned in the classroom to a real patient, is an unparalleled experience," said Lisa Mellman, MD, senior associate dean for student affairs. "Care about your patients, and you will learn an enormous amount this year."

(To see snippets of the ceremony and to hear from members of the Class of 2015, watch the video below):

2013 Steven Z. Miller Student Clinician's Ceremony

Student and Resident Awards

The ceremony also recognized outstanding students, residents, and teachers with the presentation of teaching and learning awards.

Members of the P&S Class of 2014 awarded the Major Clinical Year Outstanding Teacher Award to Celeena Daniel, MD, Senior Attending, Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital Medical Center and assistant professor at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.

The Class of 2014 also selected six residents to receive the Arnold P. Gold Foundation's Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Awards for exemplifying the spirit of humanism in their teaching and patient care: Marra Ackerman, MD (NYP Psychiatry), Mauer Biscotti III, MD (NYP Surgery), Rohan Goswami, MD (Stamford Medicine), Robert Kong, MD (NYP Pediatric Anesthesiology), Michaela Restivo, MD (NYP Medicine), and Brian Schulz, MD (NYP Orthopaedics).

Six other finalists for the award were honored in a Circle of Excellence: Luke Benvenuto, MD (NYP Medicine), Michelle Chevalier, MD (St. Luke's/Roosevelt Obstetrics), Alejandro Garcia, MD (NYP Surgery), Manisha Gupte, MD (NYP Neurology), Natalie Moise, MD (NYP Medicine), and Susan Truong, MD (NYP Medicine).

The Class of 2015 presented Jay Lefkowitch, MD, professor of clinical pathology and cell biology, with the Fundamentals Outstanding Teacher Award.

Among the Class of 2015, David Chapel received the Greg Grove Award for his efforts in promoting activities that provide relaxation for busy students. Mohammed Shaik and Matthew Wingo received the Karl H. Perzin Excellence in Pathology Award.