www.BXTimes.com BRONX WEEKLY March 10, 2019 16
On Tuesday, February 26, Rogier F. van Vlissingen, group leader
of Plant Pure Communities for the Bronx, presented Mohammed
Baktiar ‘Khokon’ Rahman, Neerob Restaurant owner, with a Certifi
cate of Participation in its Restaurant Campaign, recognizing
restaurants that offer oil-free Whole Foods, Plant-Based options
on the menu.
Einstein achieves independent degree-granting authority
More than six decades after it
first opened its doors, Albert
Einstein College of Medicine
is now an independent academic
institution, with the authority
to confer its own medical
and graduate degrees. This
achievement had been set in
motion more than three years
ago, when Yeshiva University
entered into a strategic joint
collaboration with longtime
Einstein affiliate, Montefiore.
Einstein’s academic independence
is the result of a vote
by the Board of Regents of
New York State’s Department
of Education, which awarded
Einstein an absolute charter,
establishing it as an autonomous
educational institution.
“This is a truly momentous
event in Einstein’s history,”
stated Gordon F. Tomaselli,
M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley
M. Katz Dean at Einstein and
executive vice president and
chief academic officer at Montefiore
Medicine. “It gives us
the best of all worlds—allowing
Einstein to further partner
with our longtime clinical
and research partner, Montefiore,
tapping into a health
system that is a national
model for innovation, and elevating
Einstein’s ability to
conduct impactful research
and train the next generation
of outstanding physicians and
scientists, while maintaining
our longstanding and deep affiliation
with our academic
partner, Yeshiva University.”
“Einstein is entering a
new era,” said Steven M. Safyer,
M.D., CEO of Montefiore
Health System and Albert
Einstein College of Medicine
and a graduate of Einstein.
“Our commitment to innovation
and excellence, providing
healthcare where and when
people need it most, are all key
components to establishing
Montefiore as a leading integrated
health system. Today’s
announcement also paves the
way for Einstein and Montefiore
to build upon and expand
their joint efforts, while
pursuing novel approaches
to science and medicine that
benefit humanity.”
Prior to the Board of Regent’s
grant of an absolute
charter to Einstein, Einstein
students received their degrees
from Yeshiva University.
Founded by Yeshiva during an
era when medical schools had
quotas—restricting enrollment
of people of color, non-
Christian faith, and women—
Einstein forged a bold path,
welcoming students of all
ethnicities, religions and genders.
This inclusive approach
was strongly supported by the
College of Medicine’s namesake,
physicist and humanitarian
Albert Einstein, who
embodied the values of social
justice that attracted so
many of the nation’s best and
brightest faculty and students
to camppPresident of Yeshiva
University, expressed enthusiasm
about the transition.
“Einstein continues to be an
important affiliate of Yeshiva
University and a shining example
of our commitment to
preparing students with the
knowledge and tools to have
a meaningful and positive
impact on the world. We look
forward to building upon our
joint collaboration with Montefiore
to create and nurture
opportunities that foster new
standards of academic excellence.”
Einstein and Montefiore
have a long and successful
history of working together.
Einstein sent its first students
to Montefiore for training in
1964.
In 1969, Montefiore assumed
operations of Einstein’s
Jack D. Weiler Hospital, marking
its first significant expansion.
In 1979, the department
of medicine at the two institutions
merged, combining the
strengths of both campuses.
The relationship continued
to grow and in 1990 Montefiore
employed its first jointly appointed
Einstein-Montefiore
faculty members. The next
major step forward was taken
in 2009, when Montefiore and
Einstein launched a research
and clinical enterprise that
culminated in establishing
the Montefiore Einstein Centers
of Excellence in cancer,
heart and vascular disease,
and transplantation.
In 2015, Montefiore and Yeshiva
University signed an
historic agreement that resulted
in a joint collaboration
between Montefiore Medicine
and Yeshiva related to Einstein,
essentially formalizing
the longstanding relationship
between the three highly-regarded
New York institutions
into a structure that would
enable Einstein to continue to
flourish and grow. This vision
is coming to fruition as the
joint collaboration is enhancing
the stature of Einstein,
particularly in clinical and
translational research. This
teamwork resulted in discoveries
that have dramatically
improved clinical practice
and changed the standard of
care—including finding that
most women with early-stage
breast cancer can safely skip
chemotherapy, proving the
effectiveness of novel immunotherapy
for treating lymphoma,
and determining that
surgery to repair hearts weakened
after a heart attack significantly
improves survival,
compared to medical therapy
alone.
Jewish Community Council
hosts Annual Breakfast
AWARD FROM PLANT PURE COMMUNITIES
(Above) Mohammed Baktiar ‘Khokon’ Rahman proudly accepted
his award certifi cate.
Photo courtesy of Plant Pure Communities for the Bronx
The Jewish Community
Council of Pelham Parkway is
the central address of the 9,500
Jewish people living in Pelham
Parkway. Their door is always
open to its members and neighbors
in Pelham Parkway.
The Jewish Community
Council of Pelham Parkway
works to strengthen community
life in Pelham Parkway while
providing for its neighbors in
need.
The council recognizes the
vital contribution that community
organizations, religious
institutions, landlords, tenants,
homeowners, merchants and
government all make to community
life. They provide leadership
in addressing community
issues such as housing, social
services and commercial development
and work in cooperation
with and in support of all others
who contribute to the well being
of community life in Pelham
Parkway. The council works to
assure that Pelham Parkway
continues to be one of New York
City’s most attractive and important
neighborhoods.
The council has the specifi c
mission of supporting and enhancing
Jewish life in Pelham
Parkway.
The council works with the
neighborhood’s synagogues and
Jewish organizations to foster
and support programs of Jewish
education, the observance of
Jewish holidays, support for Israel,
and the celebration of Jewish
art and music.
The council cares for its members
and neighbors in need. They
gather the public and private resources
to enable their agency
to respond to people facing lack
of food or imminent eviction or
utility turn-off. They bring government
and private sector aid
to low-income community residents,
volunteer friendly visiting
to shut-ins and work with
seniors so that they know they
always have a place to turn to for
help in time of need. The council’s
social service programs
are provided on a non-sectarian
basis. The Jewish Community
Council of Pelham Parkway has
served the Bronx for more than
35 years. The council is committed
to improving the local community
through expanded advocacy
efforts on issues ranging
from social services to housing
to commercial development and
more.
The council is proud to honor
the following individuals who
have contributed above and beyond
to the community and always
put their community and
its residents fi rst and foremost
each and every day.
JCCPP Annual Breakfast is
honoring: Senator Allessandra
Biaggi, Assemblywoman Nathalia
Fernandez, Councilman
Mark Gjonaj; Laura Guerriero,
publisher Bronx Times Reporter;
and Rabbi Yitzchak Gross.
Call (718) 792-4744 for ticket
information and RSVP.
The event will be held at
Bronx House, 990 Pelham Parkway
South, Sunday, March 31 at
9:30 a.m.
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