CFCM NEWS

NEWS

CFCM Physicians Visit Haiti

Family physicians, Drs. Carmen Dominguez-Rafer and Ayesha Siddiqui went to Haiti with uncertainty and came back re-entergized and inspired by the international compassion and goodness they witnessed in the face of adversity and dire need.  They found themselves devising creative solutions that allowed them to do their medical work with limited resources and huge communciation barriers.  And they realized that their daily struggle with tragedy and their own personal difficulties were largely offset by the indefatigable hope and gratituted expressed by the Haitians they cared for.

                                      Drs. Dominguez-Rafer & Siddiqui in Haiti                                           Dr. Dominguez-Rafer in Haiti

"Haiti was such a mind boggling, physically and mentally challenging and heart wrenching, but fulfilling experience...I am still spinning from its memory although I am so glad to be back (in a Miami hotel)...it has brought back a lot of palpable feelings and the renewed belief in everyone's capability at unlimited humanity, camaraderie, solidarity and faith.  Many times I almost cried from both fear and joy and then felt renewal when another much less fortunate than myself quipped "merci"...We all should do this to remember why we are here in this world and how utterly, utterly fortunate we are!" - Dr. Carmen Dominguez-Rafer

CFCM Hosts 11th Annual Residents Graduation Ceremony

The 2010 Residents Graduation Ceremony was held on Thursday, June 10, 2010.  This marked the 11th year of the Famly Medicine Residency Graduation Ceremony.  Those who graduated includes (pictured below): Drs. Judy Chertok, Jesse Kayal, Benjamin Nordby, Kristen Semanision, Princess Skyers and Heather Tindall.  Congratulations to all!!

CFCM Welcomes the 2010 First Year Residents

In June, CFCM welcomed the 2010 First Year Residents to the Family Medicine Program.  The six residents are (pictured below):  Bonnie Chang, DO; Mona Dalal, MD; Jillion Harris, MD, MBA; Lisa Singh, MD; and, Venis Wilder, MD.  Parham Khalili, MD is not pictured.

Matthew Spitzer, MD, DTMH Joins CFCM

Dr. Matthew Spitzer joined our faculty in February, 2010 as the Predoctoral Director.  Dr. Spitzer has a number of credentials he will be bringing to the Center for Family and Community Medicine including a degree from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and credentialing in acupuncture from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  He is a graduate of Cornell University Medical College where he was elected to AOA, and holds a BA degree from Yale where he graduated cum laude with distinction in philosophy.  He did his residency training in Family Medicine at UCSF. He is the current president of Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors without Borders – USA,  and has served as clinician for MSF in Africa and in China.   Please join us in welcoming Dr. Spitzer to our faculty. 

Visiting Physician from the United Kingdom

CFCM has the privilege of hosting a visiting physician from the United Kingdom, Dr. Numa Thebe for most of this year, 2010.  Dr. Thebe completed medical school (Guy’s, King’s & St. Thomas’ School of Medicine [King’s College, London]) in 2007, and two years of basic post graduate clinical rotations.  She is planning on pursuing a career in Family Medicine/General Practice, but thought this year would be a good natural break in her training to spend some time in the U.S./NYC before committing to the next step in the British system, which is the three year residency program.  Dr. Thebe will be participating in some of the activities involving creating a data base for the patient centered medical home, and working with Dr. Susan Lin and others on data collection and analysis. 

Allan J. Formicola, DDS, MS Retires

  Dr. Allan Formicola was honored at a reception hosted by the College of Dental Medicine on June 8,

  2010. He is retiring after 32 years of service at the Center. Dr. Formicola is the founder of the Center 

  for Community Health Partnerships, which merged into the Center for Family and Community   

  Medicine. Dr. Formicola initiated the collaboration between Columbia University Medical Center, Alianza

  Dominicana, and Harlem Hospital Medical Center to establish the Northern Manhattan Community

  Voices Collaboration. 

  He currently directs or co-directs a number of national foundation projects dealing with oral health   

  disparities and a lack of access to dental care. He has authored and co-authored over 74

  journal and book chapters. His newest book, co-edited with Dr. Lourdes Hernandez-Cordero entitled,

  Mobilizing the Community For Better Health: What the Rest of America can Learn From Community

  Voices, will be released in the fall.

Robert Lewy, MD, MPH Retires

  Dr. Robert Lewy retired from Columbia University Medical Center after 35 years of service at Columbia

  University.  Dr.  Lewy was the Senior Associate Dean for Health Affairs, a position which he has held

  since 1998.  As Senior Associate Dean he was responsible for overseeing all health and safety

  programs including environmental health and safety, occupational health and safety, radiation safety

  andstudent health at the Columbia University Medical Center.

  Dr. Lewy was also an Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health and served as Director of the

  Center for Continuing Medical Education and as Interim Director of the Center for Family and

  Community Medicine from 2007-2009.

  Previously, Dr. Lewy was the Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

  and as the only Family Physician at Presbyterian Hospital, was instrumental in developing Family

  Medicine at the Hospital and at Columbia University.  He is responsible for hiring many of the current Family Medicine faculty.

Dr. Lewy is establishing the Robert Lewy Family Medicine Scholarship Fund to provide opportunities in Family Medicine to medical students.  Additional information about the Fund and donations to the Fund can be made by contacting the Center for Family and Community Medicine at (212) 304-5214.

Student Based Medical and Dental Program

Columbia-Harlem Homeless Medical Partnership (CHHMP), a student based program who serves the homeless is doing great things.   You can also learn more about the CHHMP Program by watching the CHHMP Video or visit the website CHHMP Program.