Class Notes December 2015 to January 2016

Given the plethora of class notes received this past month, we are opting to include them here.  These will also be published in our yearly Alumni Today Magazine.  If you have class notes to send to us, you can email them to alumni@downstate.edu with Class Notes in the subject line.  Please make sure to include your class year.

Leonard Metzer, MD, ‘56, deceased Dr. Meltzer served as a Captain in the United States Air Force from 1957-1959 where he was stationed in the Far East Command. Following his medical education, Dr. Meltzer practiced internal medicine for 32 years with a subspecialty in cardiology at the East Nassau Medical Center in Hicksville, New York. He and his wife, Sylvia, retired to Holbrook, NY, and Boynton Beach, Florida, where they played bridge avidly and spent time with family and friends. Dr. Meltzer passed away at home in January 2015, surrounded by his family, following a 15 year battle with prostate cancer.

Lewis B. Ward-Baker, MD, ‘56 Dr. Ward-Baker writes, “Looking back fondly on 30 years of child psychiatry, 20 years of retirement, family, making music and travel. Looking forward to what tomorrow will bring!”

Harry Weinstein, MD, ‘56 Dr. Weinstein retired Jan. 1, 2016, from Westmed Medical Group.

Sidney Jerome Winawer, MD, ‘56 Dr. Winawer was awarded a 2015 American Cancer Society Medal of Honor for Cancer Control. He was among three other individuals and one organization recognized at the Society’s Medal of Honor ceremony and celebration dinner in Washington, DC. The Medal of Honor is awarded to those who have have had a significant impact in the fight to end cancer through basic research, clinical research, cancer control or philanthropy.

Dr. Winawer received the award in recognition of his lifetime contributions and dedication to advance screening and prevention of colorectal cancer. His monumental work has expanded the colorectal cancer knowledge base, documenting the impact of colonoscopy and polyp removal in reducing colorectal cancer incidence and mortality.

William Erwin Paul, MD, ‘60, deceased Dr. Paul was a major contributor to the development of modern immunology. He helped to transform cytokine biology, the study of small proteins involved in cell signaling, from crude assessments of uncharacterized cellular “factors” into a science involving precise quantitative molecular analyses.

Robert M. Weiss, MD, ’60 Dr. Weiss received the Keyes Medal from the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons, an association of the leading academic urologists from the United States, Canada and around the world. The association is dedicated to the study of diseases of the genitourinary system. The Keyes Medal is presented to an individual for their “outstanding contributions in the advancement of Urology.” It is recognized as the greatest individual citation in the specialty and it has been awarded sparingly.

David A. Papernik, MD, ‘62 Dr. Papernik received a Faculty Service Award commemorating 35 years, through 2014, from the NYU School of Medicine, where he is a clinical professor of psychiatry.

Lawrence Cohen, MD, ‘70 Dr. Cohen is a senior radiologist at Cedars Sinai medical Center in Los Angeles, and volunteer teacher at LAC-USC Medical Center.

Neil J. Principe, MD, ‘71 Dr. Principe retired and is living in south Florida. “I do miss the five boroughs, and wish all graduates and students the best of what will be a truly rewarding career and profession.”

Steven Brozinsky, MD, ‘72 Dr. Brozinsky sings tenor in the San Diego Jewish Mens Choir.

Maria Arnett, MD, ‘74 Dr. Arnett’s husband, Harvey, passed away in January 2014 after a long battle with multiple myeloma. Dr. Arnett is still practicing ophthalmology in Manhattan, and enjoying her children and grandchildren, all living near.

Gary B. Witman, MD, ‘75 In August 2010, Dr. Witman was hit by a wave in the back of the neck, which made him a quadriplegic at the C3-C4 level. He is currently working evaluating patients for the usage of medicinal cannabinoid products, and is “thrilled to be able to practice on a full-time basis.”

David Berger, MD, ’84 Dr. Berger, Professor of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, was named Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Baylor St Luke’s Medical Center in the Texas Medical Center, Houston.

Lawrence Hakim, MD, ‘88 Dr. Hakim was appointed Jan. 1, 2016 the Cleveland Clinic Florida’s Chief of Surgical Specialties, Urology, Gynecology, Head and Neck, Plastic and Hand Surgery and Department of Solid Organ Transplantation, which includes heart, liver and kidney transplants.

Jonathan Gillen-Goldstein, MD, ‘95 Dr. Gillen-Goldstein has been named Interim Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, and Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Catholic Health Services of Long Island. Together with his colleagues, David Bergman, MD, and Christopher Plummer, DO, Dr. Gillen-Goldstein and the Maternal Fetal Medicine Program at Good Samaritan provide specialized consultative care to women experiencing high risk pregnancies and those requiring prenatal testing to monitor routine pregnancies.