Max Engel

Max Engel traces his interest in medicine to the moment when his sister was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2006. “It wasn’t very conventional to test at that point—this was long before going gluten-free was a common thing—but I saw how her doctor asked questions and got to the bottom of what was bothering my sister,” said Engel. “And I realized that I liked asking questions and I wanted to help people so I could combine those two in the direction of medicine.” Though originally from California, Engel graduated from Yeshiva University in Washington Heights. “Touro made the most sense,” said Engel. “I love the university and I’m able to stay in New York. I’m Modern Orthodox so the fact that TouroCOM provides kosher food and respects the Jewish holidays is incredibly important. While you can take off for Jewish holidays in other medical schools, it’s up to you to make it up. At Touro, they take the burden off, so you don’t have to worry about missing anything.” He is considering a career in sports medicine.