Cause for Celebration: Our Clinical Research Training Program Turns 20!

On Friday, May 31, 2019, Einstein’s Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP) hosted a symposium celebrating its 20th anniversary. The event was held in the Grand Hall at Montefiore, on its Moses campus, and featured six alumni—Drs. Katalin Susztak, Jacqueline Achkar, Mark Einstein, Shadi Nahvi, Jason Adelman, and Andrea Howard—who discussed their career paths and current work as investigators in translational health. The event, which drew a diverse audience, was hosted by Drs. Aileen McGinn, Paul Marantz, and Ellie Schoenbaum, who are current director, founding director, and previous director of the CRTP, respectively.

Dr. McGinn said, “People came up to Paul, Ellie, and me for days afterward, commenting on what an outstanding symposium it was. That doesn’t happen very often.”

The symposium was preceded by the first-ever CRTP alumni dinner, held on Thursday, May 30, at the Pine Restaurant, in the Bronx. Approximately a quarter of the 223 alumni attended the event, many of whom traveled from distant locations around the country.

Responding to Dr. McGinn’s request for dinner photos, one attendee noted, “I was so busy catching up with my classmates that I forgot about my phone! A really good evening and no pics…”

“This speaks to the success of the event,” observed Dr. McGinn. “Usually, most of us take photos and selfies to post on Facebook or Instagram, but instead, our alumni were enjoying the chance to catch up with one another.”

Following the morning symposium, a joint graduation ceremony was held for scholars from the CRTP and the Einstein-Cardozo Bioethics Graduate Program. Of the 15 graduates given diplomas, 12 received a master of science in clinical research methods and three a master of science in bioethics.

Dr. Mindy Statter, director of the general surgery residency program at Montefiore and Einstein, and professor of clinical surgery, delivered the commencement keynote. She specializes in neonatal surgery, pediatric surgery, and trauma. During the ceremony, CRTP alumna Dr. Chinazo Cunningham was named CRTP Mentor of the Year.

Since its inception in 1998, the CRTP has trained students, faculty, and fellows from Einstein and Montefiore in hypothesis-driven clinical research. The NIH-funded training program is part of the Harold and Muriel Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Einstein and Montefiore.