They come from all walks of life and have overcome many obstacles to achieve their dream of becoming doctors. But now that dream is getting one step closer to reality as 24 aspiring physicians receive their official lab coats during the White Coat Ceremony at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, marking the beginning of their careers in medicine.
This year’s incoming students include: Annabelle Dalzon, who grew up in Haiti, but has been working as a medical assistant at an obstetrician-gynecologist and women’s primary care practice in the Mineola area since graduating cum laude from Boston College where she majored in neuroscience and minored in philosophy. Chrysalis Mandel, an aspiring pediatrician who is from Long Beach and was a full-time Merit Scholarship student and magna cum laude graduate from CUNY Hunter College and CUNY Macaulay Honors College, where she majored in psychology (behavioral neuroscience) and minored in English has gotten her coat. Rebecca Rozario, MPH, who is originally from Brooklyn and received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from CUNY Queens College and a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University is on the list. Prior to attending the NYU GLISOM, she had a 12-year career with NYC Health + Hospitals in various leadership roles. Bilal Salam, who grew up in Brooklyn, witnessed first-hand disparities in healthcare, which served as the catalyst for his interest in primary care. As an honors scholar, he received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from CUNY Hunter College while working as a frontline medical assistant at an urgent care facility during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was raised in Brooklyn after my parents emigrated to the U.S. from Pakistan in the 1990s. My father worked seven days a week to support us, and I am the first generation in my family to graduate college,” said Salam. “Although my parents did everything they could to support me along the way, I would have never been able to go to medical without the free tuition at GLISOM. It has taken my dream and made it a reality.”
The Mineola-based medical school, which first opened its doors in July 2019, is the only one in the country that offers a tuition-free, accelerated three-year medical degree. Its mission is to train primary care physicians to become academic leaders and address the physician workforce shortage in New York State.
Submitted by NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine
