Three Weill Cornell Medicine alumni and three faculty members were recognized with alumni awards during Reunion weekend.
On October 7, the Alumni Association Board of Directors presented honorary fellowships to faculty members Dr. Yoon Kang, Dr. Joseph Safdieh and Dr. Mark Souweidane. A tradition since 1970, the honorary fellowships are awarded to outstanding non-alumni faculty whose scholarship, dedication and leadership have greatly enriched the medical college.
Dr. Kang, who was recognized for her leadership and commitment to creating an environment of excellence in medical education, is senior associate dean for education, the Richard P. Cohen, M.D. Associate Professor of Medical Education and an associate professor of medicine.
Dr. Safdieh, who was recognized for his leadership, scholarship and dedication to internal medicine and women’s health, is the Gertrude Feil Associate Dean of Curricular Affairs, vice chair for education and a professor of neurology.
Dr. Souwiedane, who was recognized for his 25 years of leadership of the institution’s pediatric neurosurgical training program, is vice chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery, a professor of neurological surgery and director of pediatric neurological surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
From left: Dr. Joseph Habboushe (M.D. ’06), Dr. Mark Pochapin (M.D. ’88) and Dr. Kathleen Foley (M.D. ’69)
On October 8, three Weill Cornell Medicine alumni received Special Achievement Awards: 2021 awardee Dr. Mark Pochapin (M.D. ’88) and 2022 awardees Dr. Lawrence Agodoa (M.D. ’71) and Dr. Karl Weyrauch (M.D. ’80).
The Special Achievement Award recognizes alumni with notable achievements in medicine or related fields that significantly advance health care and medical science.
Dr. Pochapin, who was recognized for his achievements in gastroenterology and the prevention, early detection and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, is the Sholtz-Leeds Professor of Gastroenterology, director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and vice chair of clinical affairs in the Department of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine/NYU Langone Health. He served as chief resident at New-York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and was a longtime member of the Weill Cornell Medicine faculty, including 18 years as chief of gastrointestinal endoscopy.
From left: Dr. Karl Weyrauch (M.D. ’80) and Dr. Lawrence Agodoa (M.D. ’71)
Dr. Agodoa, who was recognized for his achievements in nephrology, is the former director of the Office of Minority Health Research Coordination at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he led the development of the institute’s first Strategic Plan on Minority Health and Health Disparities and monitored its implementation.
Dr. Weyrauch, who was recognized for his achievements in family medicine and public health, is the founder and president of Pygmy Survival Alliance, a 501(c)(3) public charity that partners with the Batwa People of Rwanda to resuscitate the health and culture of critically endangered villages. He is also the senior advisor for Health Development Initiative-Rwanda, a physician-led non-governmental organization that pursues a rights-based approach to promoting health services for LGBTQ+ and other underserved Rwandan minorities.