Diversity News

On February 28th, our second WCM Breaking Bread Dinner was held and well attended by students, faculty, administrators and staff. Everyone was welcomed and encouraged to share their thoughts on diversity in a safe environment. The dinner dialogue was co-facilitated by Dr. Linnie Golightly (Associate Dean of Diversity) and Dr. Renee Alexander (Associate Dean of Students and Director of Intercultural Programs, Cornell University), who developed and won an award for initiating the Breaking Bread Dinner series on Cornell's Ithaca campus. We appreciate everyone’s willingness to share and candor. Please send ideas or suggestions for future Breaking Bread Dinners to Fatima Doumbia, fad2011@med.cornell.edu.

On February 28th, the medical students of Weill Cornell Medicine stood in solidarity with the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the community of Parkland, Florida. “In medicine, we aim to eliminate the risk factors that are detrimental to the health of our patients. Gun access is one such risk factor that is modifiable and guaranteed to save lives,” said Barbara Elena Sahagún, Class of 2020. André Belarmino (holding the banner, on the left) Class of 2019, is an alumnus of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School—one of his cousins is a current student who survived the attack.

Call to action: Weill Cornell Medicine’s Office of Government and Community Affairs is seeking 12 faculty members to serve as “Discussion Leaders” during the upcoming “Dinner with Scientists” at Big Red STEM Day III February 27, 2018 from 5:30 – 6:30pm in the Griffis Faculty Club. Each “Discussion Leader” will be the host of one table during the Dinner and engage in meaningful discussion with high school students reflecting on their careers and personal educational paths to science/medicine.

Background: Big Red STEM Day is a full day, interactive event that brings together faculty, students and staff from Cornell University in Ithaca, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell Tech and the New York City Cornell Cooperative Extension to excite and encourage underserved high school students to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)-related education and careers. The day features two hands-on workshops hosted by each of the Cornell partners, a keynote address, a networking opportunity and a panel discussion bringing together over one hundred individuals from diverse educational and personal backgrounds to highlight the importance and need for diversity, mentorship and education.

The inaugural Big Red STEM Day was held in November 2016 in partnership with the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE). On February 27, the Cornell community will come together once again in partnership with the NYC DOE for Big Red STEM Day III. The theme of the day will be Health Tech. Prior to the day of the event, each high school student participating will have completed an application that details why they would like to participate and which 2 of the 4 workshops they would like to attend. Details of the workshops are still being compiled, however a sample program from Big Red STEM Day II is attached for reference.

Big Red STEM Day III Schedule:

Event Theme: Health Tech

1:00 – 1:25pm Snack and welcome

1:25 – 2:20pm Workshop 1

2:20 – 3:15pm Workshop 2

3:15 – 3:30pm Break

3:30 – 4:00pm Keynote by WCM Dean Choi

4:00 – 5:00pm “Research Shark Tank” or panel discussion

5:00 – 5:30pm Break and transition to dinner

5:30 – 6:30pm Dinner with Scientists

If you are interested in participating, please contact, Alessia Daniele, Manager of Government and Community Affairs at ald2035@med.cornell.edu or 646-962-9485.

Dr. Monika Safford, Chief of General Internal Medicine at WCM, organized a dinner for the 2018 Atkins Visiting Professor and ProudtobeGIM week speaker, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, MD, PhD. Dr. Bibbins-Domingo is the Lee Goldman, MD Endowed Chair in Medicine and Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Her GIM Ground Rounds talk focused on the "Population-wide CVD prevention in the era of precision medicine." WCM members who attended the dinner include: Drs. Monika Safford, Erica Phillips-Caesar, Jessica Pena, Marisa Censani, Keith LaScalea, Linnie Golightly, and Judy Tung.

WCM members serving on the Cornell University Provost's Task Force to Enhance Faculty Diversity is seeking feedback from WCM faculty regarding issues that relate to the recruitment/retention of URiM faculty in academic medicine. If you'd like to contribute feedback, please email Dr. Golightly at lgolight@med.cornell.edu. We thank you for your contributions!

WCM members are invited to the announcement of the opening of the Cornell Center for Health Equity. This event will occur as part of the “Proud to be GIM” week in January. Proud to be GIM is a national campaign promulgated by the Society of General Internal Medicine designed to attract students and trainees to choose a career in academic GIM. There are daily activities January 16th - 19th, with a poster meet and greet on the morning of the 19th with students, residents, and GIM faculty. List of events are below.

January 16th (Tuesday), 4:30 - 6:30 pm, Griffis Faculty Lounge "Meet and Greet" with Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo for URM students, trainees, and faculty. Dr. Bibbins-Domingo is the Lee Goldman MD Endowed Chair in Medicine, Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Medicine, and Vice Dean for Population Health and Health Equity at the University of California - San Francisco School of Medicine.

January 19th (Friday), 8:00 – 11:00 am, Griffis Faculty Lounge Poster "Meet and Greet" for students and trainees, with faculty invited at 10:30 am; the Meet and Greet is intended to showcase opportunities in GIM at WCM. 10:30-11:00, Announcement of the opening of the Center for Health Equity with remarks from the Dean and senior leaders.

March 15th - 16th (Thursday - Friday), SAVE THE DATE Health Equity Symposium (Details to be announced). 

On Wednesday, January 10th, Dr. Joy Howell, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program Director and Vice Chair for Diversity in Pediatrics held a productive meeting between minority students and faculty. Attendees included Dr. Susana Morales from the Department of Medicine, Medicine Housestaff member, Mariella Ntamatungiro, Dr. Kevin Holcomb from Obstetrics, Dr. Khadijah Watkins from Psychiatry, Pediatrics Housestaff members, Allesandra Sugranes and Patricia Green. Drs. Marcus Lambert and Elizabeth Wilson-Anstey from the Office of Diversity and Student Life was also in attendance.

On January 5th, 2018, Dr. Joy Howell, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Diversity in Pediatrics, organized a Diversity Town Hall for the WCM community and members of the Department of Pediatrics. The event was co-facilitated by Dr. Renee Alexander, the Associate Dean for Students and Senior Advisor to the Dean at Cornell University, Ithaca campus. The aim of the forum was to foster open dialogue about diversity in medicine by creating an environment where students, residents, and faculty could share their experiences and discuss their perspectives about diversity and inclusion, real or perceived, without judgment. With the goal of developing a shared mental model of how diversity would benefit the department, participants were asked several questions that sparked discussion: How do you define/interpret diversity and inclusion? What does diversity mean within the context of WCM and within the Pediatrics department? Should we aim for a "colorblind" society? How does equality and equity differ? How should these concepts play within the selection process among medical school and resident candidates? The discussion led participants to think critically about the processes and procedures that facilitate advancement in medical careers and how institutions may need to change policies that have been instituted and integrated in the medical culture.  

Community Perspectives in Medicine (CPIM) just finished its third year as an elective course for first year medical students to learn about social determinants of health and health disparities from community-based organizations representing underserved populations. This year, 15 students successfully completed the course, which was moderated by Andrea Liu, facilitated by Laura Deering and Eric Kutscher, advised by Dr. Linnie Golightly, and funded by Engaged Opportunity Cornell.

At the invitation of Dr. Joy Howell (Vice Chair for Diversity in Pediatrics), Dr. Joseph L. Wright (Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at Howard University College of Medicine and Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine) gave Pediatric Grand Rounds on December 12 and attended the WCM Holiday Diversity Mixer followed by dinner to discuss WCM URiM faculty recruitment/retention. The dinner was attended by: Drs. Elizabeth Wilson-Anstey and Marcus Lambert (Assistant Deans of Student Diversity), Dr. Susana Morales (Vice Chair for Diversity in Medicine), Drs. Anthony Watkins and Kevin Holcomb (Diversity Champions for the Depts. of Surgery and OB-GYN, respectively), Dr. Maurice Hinson (Founder of Black and Latino Men in Medicine- BLMiM), Dr. Derek Masque (Quality Improvement Chief Resident, NewYork Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell) and Dr. Linnie Golightly (Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion).

On December 11th, the Offices of Diversity and Inclusion, Student Diversity and the Department of Medicine hosted their holiday mixer for students, faculty, and staff! The event was the largest, welcoming over 200 members of our WCM and Tri-I community to celebrate the end of the year with a festive toast and delectable treats. In addition, the many contributions during the year of our Diversity team and partners were acknowledged. Dr. Barbara Hempstead, Senior Associate Dean for Education, was given a heartfelt cheer for her development and establishment of the Office of Student Diversity in Olin Hall.

The Academic Medicine Career Development Conference, hosted by NYU School of Medicine and organized by Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians (BNGAP) was held December 1st and 2nd. The conference explored a range of professional development and leadership talks and workshops such as diversity and inclusion in the workforce, finding and financing an academic residency, navigating academic career opportunities in medicine, developing your academic medicine portfolio, as well as opportunities to expand your networks. Presentations were given by WCM members, including Dr. Susana Morales (Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine; Vice Chair for Diversity), Dr. Elizabeth Wilson-Anstey (Assistant Dean of Diversity and Student Life), and Dr. Nelson Sanchez (Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine; Chair of LGBT Steering Committee at WCM; and Vice President of BNGAP). Dr. Carla Boutin-Foster, the former Associate Dean of Diversity at WCM (currently Associate Dean of Diversity Education and Research and Associate Professor of Medicine at SUNY Downstate School of Medicine) also presented.

Dr. Elizabeth Wilson-Anstey, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Student Life; Dr. Susana Morales, Vice Chair for Diversity in the Department of Medicine; Dr. Jessica Pena of the Division of Cardiology; Drs. Dwindally Rosado-Rivera, Jorge Munoz Pineda, and Mariella Ntamatungiro, internal medicine housestaff, medical student, Barbara Sahagun, and MD-PhD students, Nneoma Adaku and Camila Villasante attended the National Hispanic Health Foundation (NHHF) Annual Scholarship Gala at the New York Academy of Medicine as representatives of Weill Cornell Medicine. NHHF honored several esteemed members of the New York-New Jersey communities including New York City Deputy Mayor Herminia Palacio, MD; Dr. Maria Soto Greene, Professor of Medicine and Vice Dean of Rutgers –New Jersey Medical School, and other faculty and corporate executives, as well as multiple health careers scholarship students and their families.


On November 20th, our first WCM Breaking Bread Dinner was well attended by students, faculty, and staff and a great success. Everyone was welcomed and encouraged to share their thoughts on diversity in a safe environment. The dinner dialogue was co-facilitated by Dr. Linnie Golightly (Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion) and Dr. Renee Alexander (Dean of Students, Cornell University), who developed and won an award for initiating the Breaking Bread Dinner series on Cornell's Ithaca campus. We appreciate everyone’s willingness to share and candor. 

The Office of Student Diversity hosted Dr. Sherilynn Black's lecture, "Developing A Climate that Supports Diversity in Science and Medicine." Dr. Black elaborated on the history and development of the Office of Biomedical Graduate Diversity since her appointment as Director. As she began her position, she realized that there was a mismatch in what graduate trainees valued and what the biomedical environment offered. With support from Duke, she established an administrative unit and received institutional funding to foster an inclusive and diverse environment for trainees of all backgrounds. Over the years, Dr. Black has established programs and practices within her office such as the Postdoctoral Associate Program, and the Institutional Partnership Program consisting of 18 institutions (NC State, Hunter College, Harvard, University of Puerto Rico, Virginia Tech, and more). These programs have provided opportunities for the acquisition of administrative and grant writing skills, the establishment of external research collaborations, and the development of summer enrichment programs. Dr. Black has also work extensively in increasing faculty and administrative mentoring and engagement by providing training and professional development opportunities for mentors. In her new position, as Associate Vice Provost of Faculty Development, she plans to use these previous strategies to enhance diverse faculty.

Alexendar Perez, MD/PHD students was recently named as one of the 30 Under 30 Forbes honorees as one of the 30 Under 30 Forbes honorees in Science. Congratulations, Mr. Perez! 

Danae Vachata, co-founder of Dynamic Surgical & Mallium and former Travelers Summer Research Fellow (T-SRF) 2010 participant was recently named as one of 30 Under 30 Forbes honorees in Healthcare. Congratulations, Ms. Vachata! 

Students, faculty, and staff welcomed and met with Dr. Sherilynn Black, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development at Duke University. Dr. Black spoke extensively about the challenges minority students encounter, such as finding suitable mentors to help them navigate the basic sciences. She discussed some of the strategies that she has developed and offered at Duke's Office of Biomedical Graduate Diversity to help support minority students and train their mentors as well as feel a part of a community.

The Office of Student Diversity hosts Coffee Hour for the WCM community every other Friday. Students, faculty, and staff have the opportunity to come and connect with fellow students and colleagues about issues affecting the community. Coffee Hour is open to all students, faculty, and staff of WCM. All are welcomed. The next Coffee Hour sessions are on Fridays: November 17th, December 1st, and December 15th. Please feel free to join us! 

Rolake Alabi, MD/PhD student was awarded the National Medical Scholarships, Dr. David McDonogh Scholarship in Opthalmology/ENT. Congratulations Rolake!

On October 26th, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosted its first Research Faculty Dinner. The dinner format is designed to provide an informal, collegial setting for those in research careers to meet each other and build community while learning about each other’s research. The Thursday night event featured a presentation by Dr. Erica Phillips-Caesar, WCM Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine from the Division of General Internal Medicine. Dr. Phillips shared her research on the trending obesity epidemic across low-income ethnic minority populations in New York City. Her research explores the relationship between stress and the ability to lose weight as well as intra- and interpersonal eating environments that affect weight loss or gain and negative or positive changes in eating habits. The evening included an exercise utilizing the “Convoy Model” which encouraged attendees to explore their social relationships in order to evaluate whether their total number of relationships made them more or less prone to lose weight. The evening ended with an engaging discussion and networking amongst Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering research scientist.

In addition to the Breakfast Phone Rally, Dana Zappetti, Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Weill Cornell Medical students, Karina Ruiz-Esteves, Amanda Acosta-Ruiz, and Raul Martínez-McFaline organized collection drives in response to the growing needs of Puerto Ricans in desperate need of food, and basic necessities. Generous donations from the campus community resulted in the collection of 2,110 diapers, 1,728 feminine hygiene products, 1,595 first aid supplies, 348 batteries and flashlights, 328 food items, 332 hygiene items, 253 baby food items, 176 school supply items, 45 package of baby wipes, 15 liters of water, and 2 bags of clothing. Karina, Amanda, and Raul thank the Weill Cornell community immensely with the following note: "Gracias! Thank you for standing with us during these difficult times. We are continuing to work for Puerto Rico in different ways; please keep an eye out for our future events!" Donations were given to Puerto Rican Family Institute, an organization in New York that works directly with Feeding America and el Banco de Alimentos de Puerto Rico. Students also organized a fund raiser with a local business hosting "Trivia Night" in efforts to raise funds for Puerto Rico. The donations collected amounted to more than $2200. All contributions were sent to "Students With Puerto Rico", an organization created by Puerto Rican students pursuing education in the United States. This organization was able to raise $250,000 which will be sent to Unidos por Puerto Rico to specifically buy water filters since the island is facing shortages of clean water.

Babacar Cisse, MD, PhD was recently appointed as Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery and Assisting Attending Neurosurgeon at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine. Originally from Senegal, Dr. Cisse joined the Weill Cornell Medicine/NYPH community initially for his neurological surgery residency. Congratulations, Dr. Cisse!

Dr. Elizabeth Kagan Arleo received the plaque honoring her as the 2017 Laurie Glimcher Awardee for Excellence in Mentoring Women Faculty. She was initially recognized at the 2017 Diversity Celebration in May. Congratulations, Dr. Arleo!

The Latino Medical Student Association hosted a Breakfast Phone Rally to help those in need due to Hurricane Maria. Students, faculty, and staff made more than 100 phone calls to members of congress asking for increased aid and for the repeal of the Jones Act to help hurricane recovery efforts and encourage long-term economic growth on the island. 

Dr. Linnie Golightly, Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion spoke at the David Rogers Health Policy Colloquium October 11th. In her talk, titled “2017: Diversity at Weill Cornell,” Dr. Golightly outlined WCM’s newly proposed strategic plan to enhance diversity. She also discussed current events and programs designed to build a sense of community and provide a more inclusive environment for all. Dr. Elizabeth Wilson-Anstey, Assistant Dean of Diversity and Student Life, provided additional insight on programs, events, and professional development opportunities offered to graduate and medical students. Drs. Golightly and Wilson-Anstey welcome the submission of ideas on diversity programs or initiatives that could benefit our community lgolight@med.cornell.edu.  

On October 2nd, a Women in Surgery Mixer was held. It was attended by ~40 women from various surgical fields. Dr. Rache Simmons (Chief of Breast Surgery and Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion) and Dr. Laura Forese (Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of NYP/WCM) spoke about the importance of networking for women in surgery. 

On September 20th, Sir Rodney Williams visited WCM hosted by the Brain and Spine Center. He spoke regarding “Honor Above Wealth, Healing the Body and the Society” and shared his experiences as a physician serving in Antigua and Barbuda. Sir Williams has ongoing collaborations with Dr. Caitlin Hoffman in Pediatric Neurosurgery. He met with Dean Choi and other faculty to discuss future additional collaborations with WCM. He also met with members of the WCM community at a reception in the Griffis Faculty Club following his talk. 

Joy Dean Howell, MD was recently appointed Vice Chair of Diversity in the Department of Pediatrics. She is  an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and Associate Attending Pediatrician at the NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. In her new role, she will be overseeing the department’s diversity initiatives for pipeline programs, students, and faculty. Congratulations Dr. Howell!

Tracy K. Paul, MD was recently appointed Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine and Assistant Attending Physician in the Division of Cardiology. Dr. Paul is an alumna of was also a former student in two of Weill Cornell Medicine’s pipeline programs! She participated in both the, Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure (HPREP) Program and Travelers Summer Research Fellowship (T-SRF) Program. Congratulations Dr. Paul!  And Welcome home!

Dr. Nelson Sanchez, Assistant Professor of Medicine at WCM and Assistant Attending Physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering, was invited to serve on the NIH’s Advisory Committee to the Director’s (ACD) Diversity Working Group. The ACD is chaired by Dr. Hannah Valantine, the NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD) and Keynote Speaker for WCM’s Diversity Week, which will begin April 23, 2018. Dr. Sanchez is the Chairperson of the LGBT Steering Committee at WCM, Chair of the LGBT Health Workforce Conference’s Executive Committee, and Vice President of Building the Next Generation of Academic. As a member of the committee, Dr. Sanchez will provide advice regarding the evaluation, and dissemination of impactful and sustainable programs that will enhance the diversity of the NIH-funded scientific workforce. Congratulations Dr. Sanchez! 

On September 9th, the Department of Medicine Minority Housestaff Committee, Residency Training Program and Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosted a Residency Diversity Open House for medical students. The students were welcomed by the Co-Chairs of the Minority Housestaff Committee, Dr. Susana Morales (Department of Medicine Vice Chair of Diversity), Dr. Linnie Golightly (Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion), and Dr. Lyuba Konapasek (the NYPH Graduate Medical Education Designated Institutional Official). Students had an opportunity to attend different sessions regarding the residency process. The open house provided the opportunity for medical students to ask panels questions about the application process for residency and hear experiences from current residents. In addition, students were able to network with residents from an array of departments: Anesthesia, Medicine, OB-GYN, Neurology, Pediatrics, Radiology. Dermatology, Radiation Oncology, Psychiatry, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, and Surgery.

On Saturday, June 17th, Tri-I institutions: Weill Cornell Medicine, Rockefeller University, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center gathered to reflect and discuss about the needs of the Tri-I community. More than 45 participants (students, faculty, and staff) attended this year’s SPARC Tri-I Diversity Retreat “Building Our Community: Diverse, Inclusive, and Strong.”

Summer students successfully completely this year’s programs. Students presented their independent research in front of Weill Cornell Medicine faculty mentors, students, and staff. Congratulations to all of our ACCESS, T-SRF, WISER, and Gateways summer students. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavors!

Dr. Olaf Andersen, Director of the WCM MD/PhD program spoke with this year’s WISER students about pursuing studies as a physician-scientist and why it is important. He also discussed mentioned the different paths students can explore to see if they are interested in pursuing a dual degree. The WISER students took the opportunity to ask what would a Weill Cornell Medicine MD/PhD program look for in a prospective MD/PhD candidate. 

On Monday, July 24th, 2017, students gathered at Rockefeller University to learn about different careers in science. Russell Ledet, SPARC Jr. keynote speaker, a graduate student at New York University (NYU) shared his personal journey and experiences being a father and student. He elaborated extensively on thehis obstacles he encountered and what eventually influenced him to attend graduate school later on. 

Summer students met with Vice Dean of Research, Dr. Gary Koretzky to discuss about their interests in pursuing sciences. Dr. Koretzky advised the students to explore options available in the sciences and also look for experiences such as internships or mentors to further enhance their interests.

Students, faculty, and staff gathered on Tuesday, June 27th to meet Dr. Charlene Gamaldo, Associate Professor of Neurology and Medical Director of Sleep Disorders at Johns Hopkins Medicine. 

On May 17th, 2017, Dean Augustine M.K. Choi joined our celebration for diversity and commended the immense efforts of those who foster and aid in cultivating our diverse community. In addition, Dr. Linnie Golightly, Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion announced and honored this year’s Pioneers In Diversity Award and the Laurie Gilmcher Award recipients.

"If you’ve ever wished you had a higher degree but felt that it was too late or there were too many obstacles, three ambitious WCM employees may convince you otherwise. Juggling full-time jobs and caring for kids and/or elderly parents while pursuing a doctorate was no easy feat for Dr. Ruth Gotian, Dr. Elizabeth Wilson-Anstey and Susan Kane. But the three women saw the challenge as a win-win situation: They could improve the educational programs they run at WCM while using their work as the focus of their graduate research."

The Report on Medical School Faculty Salaries (2014-2015) is based on fiscal year salary data submitted from 144 accredited medical schools in United States for the 2015 AAMC Faculty Salary Survey. The report includes the following sources of compensation: fixed/contractual salary, medical practice supplement, bonus/incentive pay, and uncontrolled outside earnings. This report is published every two years.

 This 330-page report provides:

• Total compensation statistics for six faculty ranks in 92 departments/specialties.
• Thirty-three tables that present the total compensation attributable to teaching, patient care, or research for 107,792 full-time medical school faculty.
• Tables showing the 25th percentile and 75th percentile, as well as the mean and median, for each combination of faculty rank and faculty department/specialty.
• Number of faculty in each total compensation statistic.

As MinFac participants from member institutions, you can access the Faculty Salary Survey (FSS) for free:

1. Click on Faculty Salary Survey
2. Log in with your AAMC credentials or create an account (user name and password) if you don’t already have one.

Please be aware that any questions related to the Faculty Salary Survey – including how to access the reports - can be directed to the team at fss@aamc.org.

If you are interested in a hard copy of the Faculty Salary Survey (FSS), it can be purchased for $145 ( for AAMC members) of $550 ( for non-members) through clicking the following link.

In a few weeks, Christian Saffran will turn 46, which means it is not a minute too soon for him to be starting studies this week that will lead to doctorates in both neuroscience and medicine.