TouroCOM Middletown Celebrates Second Commencement
Orange County’s Only Medical School Issues Diplomas to 123 New Doctors, Plans are to Complete Residency Programs Across the U.S. and Serve the Underserved
Middletown, N.Y. – Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) in Middletown conferred diplomas upon 123 candidates for the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. The students, representing TouroCOM’s second graduating class, completed a rigorous four-year medical education and earned top scores on their first licensing examination (COMLEX-1). Graduates will complete residency programs at leading hospitals including the Mayo Clinic, the Albert Einstein Medical Center, University of Connecticut, University of Maryland and Westchester Medical Center.
The ceremonies were held in the Paramount Theater and featured Dr. Michael Brescia, co-founder and executive medical director of Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, as commencement speaker.
“I could not be prouder of our second graduating class for what they’ve been able to achieve over the past four years. These students are going on to complete some of the most distinguished residency programs throughout the country, and I have no doubt they will flourish in their next chapter,” said Kenneth J. Steier, DO, dean of TouroCOM Middletown. “These students have demonstrated an admirable commitment to always going above and beyond to help those in underserved communities, which I know will serve them well in the future.”
As the only medical school in Orange County, and the second school of osteopathic medicine to open in the state when TouroCOM initially launched in Harlem in 2007, TouroCOM Middletown has improved the region’s health care system and provided new education and career pathways to local residents. While graduating and current students hail from around the U.S., the school recruits heavily from the Greater Hudson Valley area and is seeing dozens of students remain to complete their rotations and residencies at local hospitals.
Since opening its doors in fall of 2014, TouroCOM has focused on serving the community and improving health care of local residents. By introducing outreach and education-based programs such as MedAchieveMedAchieve and the school’s annual community health fair, TouroCOM is working to increase the number of minorities in medicine and provide medical care to those in need.
Several award winners were announced during the ceremony, including:
- Dhara Patel – Excellence in the Preclinical Years Award
- Kaitlyn Simpson – Special Success in Clinical Rotations
- Pooja Sarkar – Extraordinary Talent in Research Activities
- Justine Misholy – Excellence in Public Health
- Erawadi Singh – DO Student of the Year Award
- Andrea Attenasio – The Medical Society of the State of New York’s Community Service Award
- Natalie Jouve and Dr. John Dermigny – Preceptor of the Year Award
- Andrea Attenasio – Dean’s Award, given to the student who has achieved the highest academic standing within the graduating class
Osteopathic medicine is an approach to medical care rooted in the philosophy that systems in the body are interrelated. Students of osteopathic medicine are taught to treat the whole patient and consider environmental and psychological factors, in addition to physiological signs and symptoms, to determine not just a diagnosis, but a long-term course of action that can strengthen and sustain the body’s natural defenses.
About the Touro College and University System
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 19,200 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has 30 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and Touro University Nevada; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: www.touro.edu/news
