The 2023 Commencement Exercises for the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine took place on May 25 at The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, where three graduate students were conferred with their PhD. Additionally, three honorary degrees were given during the ceremony to researchers who advanced biomedical research and improved medical treatment for patients.

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Drs. Dane Thompson (left), Carlos Bravo-Iniguez (center) and Stefanos Zafeiropoulos (right) received their PhD degrees. (Photo: Business Wire)

The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine is a PhD program for physicians who wish to pursue careers in biomedical research. During their training, Elmezzi students conduct research in Feinstein Institutes laboratories to advance biomedical knowledge and pursue new therapeutic approaches and diagnostic tools. The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine is supported in part by a generous endowment from The Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Foundation.

“The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine is a unique program that transforms physicians into physician-scientists,” said Annette T. Lee, PhD, dean of the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine. “Trained to go from the lab bench to the patient’s bedside, this new class of MD/PhD graduates represent the future of scientific and clinical progress.”

This year’s graduates include Carlos Bravo-Iniguez, MD, Dane Thompson, MD, and Stefanos Zafeiropoulos, MD. The honorary degree recipients were presented to Nicholas Chiorazzi, MD, professor at the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes, Kanti Rai, MD, professor and The Karches Center for Oncology Research at the Feinstein Institutes and Paul Kubes, PhD, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine.

The Elmezzi graduate students worked on a variety of novel studies, including Dr. Thompson whose recent study looking at vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) to reduce pancreatic inflammation was published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology. Dr. Bravo-Iniguez will soon publish in Nature Communications around research looking at VNS to treat hemophilia.

“Physician-scientists are an irreplaceable component to create innovation in science and medicine,” said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. “Graduates of the Elmezzi program are accomplished and inspired to begin impactful careers focused on producing new cures.”

To find out more about the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine and its programs, click here.

About The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine:

The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine at Northwell Health offers MDs an accelerated PhD three-year program emphasizing translational research. Its mission is to provide academic training for physicians to discover and understand the causes of human diseases and to rapidly and effectively translate this information into diagnostic and therapeutic solutions. The program started in 1994 and is supported in part by a generous endowment from The Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Foundation. To date, more than 50 physician-scientists have graduated the prestigious program. The Elmezzi School of Molecular Medicine is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). For more information, click here.

About the Feinstein Institutes

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50 research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, and molecular medicine. We make breakthroughs in genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.

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