A few of our beloved alumni wrote in to give us an update about their lives. Visit our alumni page to do the same or to update your contact information!
I’m currently in the second year of fellowship in neonatal intensive care at Columbia-Presbyterian. I’m broadly interested in renal disease in the newborn period. Specifically, I’m studying the use of whole exome sequencing to diagnose the causes of congenital kidney disease. And, I’m also working on a few smaller projects involving renal development and physiology. I’m hoping to pursue early investigator support, and to transition into an academic position following fellowship. I live in Brooklyn, with my amazing wife, Naomi, a clinical psychologist, and our indefatigable two-year-old daughter Ella.
Thomas Hays, Class of 2014
It’s a bittersweet time in my prolonged training at Mount Sinai that my long-time mentor, PhD advisor, and role model, Dr. Terry Ann Krulwich will be retiring this fall. Terry was the Dean of the Graduate School of Biological Sciences (1981-2000), the founding director of the Medical Scientist Training Program (1974-1999), and the founding director of the Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (2001-2017). She has taught countless trainees to think creatively and to overcome boundaries of conventional paradigms and has left a permanent impression on this institution. I’m grateful for my mentors, Terry, and many others who are continuously helping me to develop a career as a physician scientist. I am Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, studying the role of inflammatory signaling in HIV-1 infection. The majority of my time is spent in the laboratory and thinking about science, with the remainder of my time focused on clinical infectious diseases and academic pursuits as Associate Director of the MD/PhD Program and Faculty Advisor for the MD/PhD students in working to improve the transition in training from laboratory to clinical training.
Talia Swartz, Class of 2008
I started intern in July in full-force in the Peds Hem/Onc team (a lot of sick kids!) and now am in the Adult ED (a lot of sick adults!). Residency is fun, but it’s a bit weird not doing any science at all, so I’ve also reached out to a PI to see if we can set up a collaboration/research rotation, the exact specifics of the project TBD. Otherwise, definitely taking the time to explore the greater NE area, including heading up to Acadia National Park and going to Boston.
David Chiang, Class of 2018