Class NOTES
Strive for 95 Coalition is a partnership between local medical groups, hospital system, public health department and local schools. CLASS OF 2003
Colum F. Amory, M.D. ’03
CLASS OF 1984
Members gathered for dinner in August. CLASS OF 1985
CLASS OF 1996
Michael S. Lauer, M.D. ’85
Veronica L. Dunckley, M.D. ’96
In September, Dr. Lauer was appointed deputy director for Extramural Research at the National Institutes of Health. He is a board-certified cardiologist, an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, and an elected fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.
Dr. Dunckley’s book entitled, Reset Your Child’s Brain, was released in August. An integrative psychiatrist, she practices in Los Angeles.
CLASS OF 1987
Brian G. Cuddy, M.D. ’87 In 2015, Dr. Cuddy, a neurosurgeon in Charleston, South Carolina, was appointed chairman of Roper/St. Francis Healthcare, a system that includes three hospitals and 6,000 employees serving the coastal region of South Carolina. CLASS OF 1995
Danny Lee, M.D. ’95 In November, Dr. Lee received the 2015 Innovations in Clinical Care Award at Johns Hopkins Community Physicians of Johns Hopkins Medicine. He was recognized for implementing numerous electronic medical record enhancements that improve safety, increase efficiency and make patient care more comprehensive. 22 alumni.amc.edu
CLASS OF 1998
Shellie Asher, M.D. ’98, M.S. ’10 Dr. Asher, associate professor of emergency medicine and program director of the Albany Medical College Emergency Medicine Residency Program, became a member of the editorial board of Academic Emergency Medicine in August. A reviewer for the journal for the past six years, Dr. Asher received the Outstanding Reviewer Award in 2012. She will now serve as an editor for papers on research ethics and general ethics.
Daniel R. Brennan, M.D. ’98 Dr. Brennan was named the 2015 Physician of the Year by the Santa Barbara Medical Society for his continuing volunteer efforts in the Santa Barbara community and for the creation of the Strive for 95 Coalition. Strive for 95 is a community effort to increase vaccination rates to 95% or higher in an effort to rebuild community immunity. The
In November, Dr. Amory was named the Edith M. Hellman and Hellman Family Chair in Stroke Medicine at Albany Medical Center. He joined Albany Med in 2009 from the Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he received fellowship training in vascular neurology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and served as chief resident in neurology. CLASS OF 2005
Gina M. Geis, M.D. ’05 Dr. Geis joined the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center in August. A neonatologist, she cares for babies who are critically ill or born prematurely. Dr. Geis has a particular interest in family-centered care and bioethics, and will consult with the hospital’s “Journeys” program for pediatric palliative care and the Alden March Bioethics Institute. CLASS OF 2007
Benjamin J. Infantino, M.D. ’07 In August, Dr. Infantino joined the Bernard and Miller Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center. He is a pediatric gastroenterologist.
Neil R. Gildener-Leapman, M.D. ’07 In November, Dr. GildenerLeapman joined Albany Medical Center’s department of surgery, and has been appointed assistant professor of surgery at Albany Medical College. Board certified in otolaryngology, Dr. Gildener-Leapman is fellowship
trained in surgical oncology of the head and neck, including experience in transoral robotic surgery for tonsil and tongue cancer. He has joined Albany Med’s Kingston, N.Y. location. Dr. Gildener-Leapman most recently served as an assistant professor at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.
Calvin C. Leung, M.D. ’07 In September, Dr. Leung joined the Orlando VA Medical Center in Orlando, FL as an interventional cardiologist. He works alongside fellow alumnus Mark R. Milunski, M.D. ’84 at the Center. CLASS OF 2008
Mary Ellen “Mellie” Gilder, M.D. ’08 Dr. Gilder continues her work in obstetrics serving refugees at a health clinic in Mae Sot, Thailand, near the ThaiMyanmar border.
Blake Moore, M.D. ’08 In December, Dr. Moore published an article in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. He researched and compared three common procedures most frequently performed by orthopaedic surgeons to relieve forefoot pain in patients in his study. Dr. Moore is a foot and ankle orthopaedics specialist practicing in Virginia.
Sarah S. Narayan, M.D. ’08 In November, Dr. Narayan, a rehabilitation physician who specializes in back pain, joined Albany Medical Center’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and has been appointed assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Albany Medical College. She completed her residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Swedish Covenant Hospital and Loyola University, where she served