Touro Links Summer 2020

GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL DIVISIONS • SUMMER 2020

DISCOVER MORE AT TOURO

MUSIC AND MATH MERGE AT TOURO www.touro.edu TO U R O. E D U ••

p. 14

@wearetouro @ W E A R E TO U R O

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MORE SCHOLARSHIPS. MORE OPPORTUNITY. MORE REASONS TO GIVE. S U P P O R T TO U R O CO L L E G E TO U R O. E D U/G I V I N G

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MESSAGE FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT DR. NADJA GRAFF It’s hard to believe that when the brainstorming for this Touro LINKS edition began, the world was a totally different place. As I write this in Spring 2020, we pay daily attention to ever climbing statistics. COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are in seven digit figures; deaths have soared to six digit numbers. Members of our Touro family have lost parents, grandparents, spouses, siblings and children. Our heart goes out to every single one of them.

In the darkness of the storm, the light of the Touro spirit and resolve shines bright. The programs you will read about are pre-COVID-19, and they highlight the accomplishments of students, alumni and faculty during the ‘old normal’. It is that spirit which is helping us navigate our current situation and gives us hope for the future. It is therefore with great pride that I present to you this issue of Touro LINKS, showcasing the best of Touro College and its mission to transform individuals and communities through education. Touro students are committed to stretching their limits—learning more, doing more, giving more and being more.

Remember the opioid epidemic, before there was a COVID-19 epidemic? See how Physical Therapy, Social Work and Pharmacy collaborate on solutions. Read about fearlessly grabbing onto opportunities that move you out of your comfort zone, and ahead in your career. Learn about the personal journey of one of our heroes in healthcare. Have you thought about cybersecurity in the automotive industry or about entrepreneurship in the healthcare management field? Learn about both from successful alumni. Find out the links between music, math and computing in educating our preschool students, and innovative research in this field.

I urge alumni to partner with us in our vision for excellence and access, and to contribute to benefit the next generation of students in the Graduate and Professional Divisions. Please contact me with your ideas at nadja.graff@touro.edu.

Regards,

Nadja Graff

TO U R O. E D U •• www.touro.edu

@ W E A R E TO U R O | 3 @wearetouro

Summer 2020 CONTENTS

6

A PICTURE OF HEALTH

Dr. Neha Sharma balances a busy schedule, splitting her time between the hospital, two young children and her role as medical advisor at her local news station.

10

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine

A PAST REBORN

Dr. Natalia Aleksiun is rewriting what it means to be Jewish by looking into the past.

14

Graduate School of Jewish Studies

KEEPING COUNT

GSE gets a grant to combine music and math learning for early childhood students.

Graduate School of Education

16

WHO’S THE BOSS } Entrepreneur L. Jermaine Russell makes strides in the food inspection business.

21

Graduate School of Business

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT GSB

Q&A with Dean Mary Louise Lo Re, Ph.D.

Graduate School of Business

www.touro.edu

Graduate of Touro’s Graduate School of Business, L. Jermaine Russell, works with restaurants to navigate the precarious world of passing inspection.

TOURO LINKS

CONTENTS

22

MR. SCAN MAN

Shafath Ali Mohammed works daily to ensure his customers are safe from cyber threats.

Graduate School of Technology

24

A GOOD DEAL

Alum Seymour Liebman shows us how far a degree from Touro can take you.

32

Touro Law Center

THE MAGIC TOUCH

Pushing beyond the normal, Yuval Yaari goes the extra mile for his patients.

School of Health Sciences, Doctor of Physical Therapy

ON THE COVER

Music and mathematics have been linked for centuries.

A new grant will help Touro College push the limits on what we already know. Full story on page 14.

28

~ CREATURES OF HABIT Opioid addiction is on the rise. Touro is on the leading edge of treatment and prevention.

Touro College of Pharmacy Graduate School of Social Work

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TO U R O C O L L E G E O F O S T E O PAT H I C M E D I C I N E

a PICTURE of HEALTH DR. NEHA SHARMA JUGGLES HER HOSPITAL ROUNDS, A YOUNG CHILD WITH ANOTHER ON THE WAY, MONTHLY SPOTS AS MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR AT A LOCAL NEWS STATION AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT LIFE HAS TO OFFER. TO SAY LIFE IS BUSY WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT, BUT AS A WOMAN WITH A THIRST FOR LIFE, SHARMA WOULD HAVE IT NO OTHER WAY.

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GOING VIRAL Dr. Sharma on air.

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ost doctors have busy lives. Dr. Neha Sharma has more than one. Not only does she serve as chief hospitalist at Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital in Austin, Texas, she is also a medical contributor for local television news, on-air commentator, surgeon’s wife and mother of a two-year-old daughter.

To hear Dr. Sharma tell it, her life is simple because none of her jobs are full-time. But then Dr. Sharma is also someone who has always found a way to succeed. When she entered the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) in 2007, most of her classmates arrived worried about completing their work and performing well.

During Dr. Sharma’s first few weeks at Touro, she underwent treatment for thyroid cancer.

Although she initially had considered postponing school while undergoing treatment, Dr. Martin Diamond, who was serving as interim dean of TouroCOM in Harlem at the time, encouraged Dr. Sharma to matriculate. “He told me, ‘If others are giving 100 percent, you’ll have to give 150 percent, but you can do it.’” And she did, graduating with her class and going to an internal medicine residency at Southampton Hospital in NY. During the third year of her residency, Dr. Sharma had a block of elective time which allowed her to apply for a medical internship at the ABC News headquarters in New York City, with Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser. Having originally become interested in medicine through the patient stories she heard as a hospital volunteer during college, she saw the internship as a way to meld together her love of patient stories and medicine. She applied for the spot and landed the position. During her two-month internship,

ROLL CAMERA Clockwise from top: Giving an interview; with her daughter; at work at the TV station

Dr. Sharma vetted research, interviewed researchers, wrote articles and fell in love with medical journalism.

After marrying her other love, a U.S. Army surgeon, the couple relocated to Texas, where Dr. Sharma found a way to continue her work as both a hospitalist and a journalist. At Ascension Hospital, she works 14 shifts a month (nine clinical, where she cares for about 15 to 18 patients a day and five administrative). During her off days, she develops two monthly segments for the local ABC News affiliate in Austin, KVUE, which is a convenient 20-minute drive from her home. Most days Dr. Sharma is up at 5:30 AM, readying herself for a day at the hospital, or to care for her daughter or meet a news story deadline. “I wanted a career with a good work-life balance,” says Dr. Sharma. “Being a hospitalist allows me to pursue my passion for medicine and also provides time for journalism and caring for my two-year-old daughter, Anayah, and baby boy due later this year.”

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LEARN MORE tourocom.touro.edu

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G R A D UAT E S C H O O L O F J E W I S H S T U D I E S

A Past Reborn DR. NATALIA ALEKSIUN USES HER KNOWLEDGE OF JEWISH HISTORY TO SHOW HER STUDENTS A VARIED PAST AS WELL AS A VIBRANT PRESENT. HER RESEARCH OF JEWISH LIFE IS HELPING AUTHOR A NEW FUTURE.

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LEARN MORE gsjs.touro.edu

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@ W E A R E TO U R O | 1 1 @wearetouro

S

tudying the Holocaust is Dr. Natalia Aleksi-

cording to Dr. Aleksiun, during the 80s and 90s in

un’s calling. “On the one hand,” she explains,

Poland, following the fall of Communism, people

“It’s a horrific tragedy. To the extent to which

grew curious about Jewish history. As the child of

it can be used for learning, however, it is impera-

two artists, she was encouraged to think about cul-

tive to examine what enabled it to happen.” As a

ture and to question. “During that time, many art-

professor of Modern Jewish History and the Holo-

ists, educators, museum curators had a great sense

caust at Touro Graduate School of Jewish Studies

of loss about the Jewish absence. Out of this grew a

for the last 14 years, Dr. Aleksiun specializes in the

collective remembering, study and teaching of the

social, political and cultural history of modern East

destruction of Poland’s Jewish community.”

European Jewry. She has written extensively on the

When she turned 17, some of her questions were

subject. Her book, Conscious History: Polish Jewish Historians before the Holocaust, will be published as part of the Littman Library of Jewish Civilization series in 2020.

answered when she learned of family on her mother’s side that she’d never known existed. The branch had been living in Israel and had reached out to Dr. Aleksiun’s mother. “This was my lost family of the

A CONVERSATION AND DIALOGUE Much of Dr. Aleksiun’s teaching at Touro uses original documents that chart the events and individual experiences of the Jewish people during this

period.

Teaching

Touro students is a privilege for her. “People come here with a strong background and a real curiosity.

My

students

are educators, teachers,

"I saw a living Jewish culture that was vibrant and alive. Up until that point, I had really seen Jewishness as primarily connected to destruction and victimization."

Holocaust,” she recalls.

A trip to Israel proved transformative. “I saw a living Jewish culture that was vibrant and alive. Up until that point, I had really seen Jewishness as primarily connected to destruction and victimization. It was incredible to see and experience.”

Her personal story, and her desire to understand and document the Holo-

leaders in Jewish Insti-

caust, keeps Dr. Aleksiun

tutions. Our classroom

focused on her research

work is a conversation and dialogue, not just the

and writing, including two new projects: research

passing on of knowledge about the most profound

into the cadaver affair at European Universities in

events in Jewish history and one that completely

the interwar period, and an examination of the daily

rewrote the map of the Jewish world.”

lives of Jews in hiding in Galicia during the Holocaust.

A MISSING PIECE Dr. Aleksiun, who grew up in Poland after World War II, explains her passion for Holocaust research

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS In the classroom, Dr. Aleksiun shares her passion,

as a way of completing a missing piece in her life.

often teaching from original sources that place her

“It developed out of what was not being said in my

students on a path of self-discovery and historical

family. As a young girl, it seemed to me that ev-

scholarship. “Sometimes after we read a document,

erything happened after the War. There were no

there’s a moment of silence,” explains Dr. Aleksiun.

photographs, no graves. No extended family.” Ac-

“It can be very emotional.”

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PAST PERFECT Clockwise from top: Aleksiun in her office, meeting with a student; modern day Israel is a vital piece of living history for today’s Jewish population; children in Poland’s ghettos during Nazi occupation

Recently, Dr. Aleksiun discovered the 1946 testimony of a young boy following the War. The boy had been pushed out of a window of a train bound for a death camp following his mother’s jump towards freedom.

The two survived the escape and went into hiding with a Polish teacher. Eventually, the mother died but, before she passed, she had implored her son to go through life with open eyes and to study diligentPhoto Credit, Bottom Right: Toa Heftiba

ly. In the testimony, the boy describes several years in hiding, passing the day by reading books. Last fall, Dr. Aleksiun tracked down the boy, now well into his 80s. “It was incredible to have a sense of the life he lived despite his traumatic childhood. He raised a family, moved to Israel and had a job working as an airline technician. It was very moving to see and learn about the full life he had lived.”

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| 13

G R A D UAT E S C H O O L O F E D U C AT I O N

Count KEEPING

Touro College Graduate School of Education is breaking new ground in the field of music and math combined learning, with a million and a half dollar grant in tow. This new partnership is music to our ears.

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I

LEARN MORE gse.touro.edu

t has long been known that there’s a connection between music learning and brain development, and that very young children exposed to music set up novel structures in the brain. Now the Touro Graduate School of Education (GSE) is spearheading a new curriculum that will lead to improved outcomes in music, mathematics and

social-emotional learning in high-need urban and rural kindergarten students. Once the pilot programs and randomized controlled trials are completed in 35 rural classrooms in Austin, Texas and 35 urban classrooms in New York City, the curriculum will be fully available and downloadable online and easily utilized by teachers with little or no musical background. $1.4 MILLION GRANT As a result of the work in music and mathematics learning of Dr. Susan Courey, Department Chair Early Childhood Education/Special Education at the Touro Graduate School of Education, GSE was recently awarded a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, a division of the United States Department of Education.

PILOT PROGRAM Having

received

Presidential

a

2018-2019

Research

Touro

Development

College

Grant

to

study this area further, Susan was able to continue examining the effects of music learning and math on cognitively, linguistically and culturally diverse pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. More successful outcomes, as well as support from her partner organization, Daniel’s Music Foundation, prompted Dr. Courey to refine the curriculum and apply for an Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program grant with the United States Department of Education. In the fall of 2019, GSE was chosen as one of 43 recipients across the country to test, implement and refine the curriculum for the Young Academic Music and Computational Thinking (YAM) project.

GSE is coordinating the creation and implementation of the curriculum in Austin, Texas and New York City.

Approximately 12,000 kindergarten students will participate in the study and data will be collected over a two-year period.

“Learning musical rhythm notation doesn’t require understanding language. It is its own language. If a

TEAMING UP WITH DANIEL’S

child has a language challenge, it doesn’t matter,”

MUSIC FOUNDATION

explains Courey. The inspiration for this project be-

The first phase of this program began in February

gan almost 20 years ago, when Courey was a third-

2020, when Touro Graduate School of Education

grade teacher and saw firsthand how music instruc-

joined forces with New York City’s Daniel’s Music

tion helped young children with math skills. “Music

Foundation

is fractions of sound. The concept of music, where

founded to empower individuals with developmental

a musician needs to play notes that last for various

and physical disabilities through music. During the

counts, really is another form of fractions.”

four-class pilot program, kindergarten students with

This approach was first tested by Courey more than a decade ago in classrooms where students were both English language learners and often children from underserved areas. After 12 lessons, during which children learned about musical notes that commu-

(DMF),

a

non-profit

organization

developmental issues learned notes and rhythms.

Child-friendly characters were developed for each note including, “Holy Moly,” for a whole note, “Dotty Diva” for a dotted half note, “Herby Half Note” for a half note, Quincy Quarter Note, and so on.

nicate the fractions of sounds that make up rhythms

“We’re taking counting out musical rhythms to a

and then clapped and counted these out from a sim-

conscious level and in doing so, children will devel-

plified musical score, the children with the least un-

op the ability to understand more abstract concepts

derstanding of fractions, and often English language

of early numeracy and apply them to areas beyond

learners, seemed to have learned the most.

music,” explains Courey.

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G R A D UAT E S C H O O L O F B U S I N E S S

MAKING THE CUT Russell brings his personal best to his customers every day, coaching them in safer and cleaner food practices and in the many standards required

by New York City’s Department of Health.

Who's The

BOSS? 1 6 | TO U R O L I N K S S U M M E R 2 0 2 0

LEARN MORE gsb.touro.edu

L. Jermaine Russell has had a life-long interest in all things health and fitness. A belted martial artist and fitness blogger with the motto “Harmony in food & fitness,” Russell followed his natural inclination toward healthy living all the way through an MBA at Touro College. He shares his journey from student to entrepreneur and proves that entrepreneurship is alive and well at Touro Graduate School of Business.

When L. Jermaine Russell prepares for a sales call,

at the Statue of Liberty to maintain their kitchen

he always starts by asking himself, “Would I hire

health safety standards and avoid costly fines.

me?” Then he makes a mental list of all the reasons his offerings will help a restaurant or food service

ENSURING SAFETY REGULATIONS

business: years of experience in the area, track re-

With over one hundred New York City standards to

cord for penalty dismissals, the stack of testimoni-

follow, from making sure there are “Wash Hands”

als from satisfied customers. “It’s about finding the

signs for workers to confirming proper thermometer

right fit and building relationships,” he explains. In

installation in kitchen refrigerators, passing periodic

the years that Russell has worked as a food safe-

Department of Health inspections is a constant con-

ty consultant, he’s helped hundreds of pizzerias

cern for Russell’s clients. “People in the food busi-

and taquerias, hotel kitchens and even a restaurant

ness work long hours, they don’t always have the

www.touro.edu TO U R O. E D U ••

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| 17

PREP SCHOOL Russell consults businesses, such as restaurants, food trucks and vendors, helping ensure they receive a top grade from city food inspectors and stay in business.

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time to make sure

gan

their staff follows

ways toward career

safety

advancement.

standards,”

explains

Russell.

looking

for He

entered the Touro

“They rely on me

Graduate

to make sure they

of Business (GSB)

do.” Plus, with food

to earn an MBA in

safety

Healthcare

regulations

constantly

evolv-

agement

ing, a large piece of Russell’s service is educating clients about

new

stan-

dards and helping

From his fitness and food-focused Instagram blog to his business, Russell is dedicated to leading people to health and safety.

them to meet them. an onsite assessment conducted with restaurant owners and kitchen staffs. “I teach methods and ways to comply,” Russell explains. “Often an inspector will cite a restaurant and the staff won’t understand what they are doing wrong. I help them make changes that will get them up to standard without

Manand

to

develop additional

MASTER CHIEF

One of the added benefits Russell offers clients is

School

skills and credentials. “It seemed like an excellent way to combine

my

ex-

perience in health with my interest in business,” Russell recalls.

IGNITING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT Soon after he arrived at Touro, Russell was drawn to the courses geared to students interested in entrepreneurship and eagerly immersed himself in the ones that would expand his knowledge. “As I

dismantling all their processes.”

learned more about setting up a business or busi-

DEVELOPING HIS EXPERTISE

ing and detecting the origin of infectious diseases

Russell was well into his career before the entrepreneurial spirit struck. He’d begun his work life at the Department of Health in New York City (NYCDOH), after earning degrees in psychology and forensic science and medical microbiology. At NYCDOH, he helped to improve standards for identifying food contamination in food establishments, wrote protocols and communicated important infectious disease information to the public.

nesses, I realized that I’d spent years understandassociated with food service establishments. If I could use this expertise to highlight critical health risk management information and resources to food establishments, then these organizations would experience substantial benefits,” Russell recalls. “All the classes that I took—from courses on marketing, trends, ethics and strategy—I applied to myself, and my business plan to rebrand myself as a food safety consultant.”

In the fall of 2019, Russell returned to GSB, as a

MBA IN HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT

guest speaker, and delivered an exceptional lecture

Within a few years, Russell grew restless and be-

on healthcare entrepreneurship.

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| 19

G R A D UAT E S C H O O L O F B U S I N E S S

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT TOURO GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS A Q & A W I T H D E A N M A RY LO U I S E LO R E , P H . D.

During this past academic year, the Touro

How do you train your entrepreneur

Graduate School of Business (GSB) has placed

track students?

new emphasis on entrepreneurship. We sat

Embedded in our graduate courses is a path-

down with Dean Mary Louise Lo Re, Ph.D. to

way towards the creation of a new enterprise

learn more.

and full-blown business plan. Students work in groups to develop a fresh idea or a rebranding

Please tell us about the Touro Graduate

of an existing product/service. They conduct

School of Business and entrepreneurship.

research and create a working model for their

Entrepreneurship is one of the seven tracks in

new enterprise. GSB students learn hands-on

our MBA program representing 13 percent of

on what it takes to be an entrepreneur.

our student body. With the start of the 20192020 academic year, GSB is focusing more on

Do you have entrepreneurs on your faculty?

this important area of study.

We have many faculty members who have or have had their own business or serve as consul-

Why do you think that entrepreneurship is an

tants to major firms—among them Dr. Corrado

important area to offer GSB students?

Amato, a member of the GSB faculty and ex-

Entrepreneurship is one of the five forces that

pert in business management, entrepreneurial

shifts a nation’s demand curve. Moreover, the

process

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics attests that en-

recently completed a five-course specializa-

trepreneurship plays a vital role in the growth

tion certificate program in entrepreneurship

of the U.S. economy. To date, there are 27 mil-

at the Wharton School of the University of

lion working-age Americans who are starting

Pennsylvania. He oversees GSB’s participation

or running new businesses in the U.S.

in the Mid-Hudson Valley Business Competition,

and

organizational

leadership.

He

which is designed to encourage students to learn Has anything changed in the training of

how to compete, develop a business plan, think

tomorrow’s business leaders that makes the

like an entrepreneur and transform an idea into

study of entrepreneurship an important part

a new business venture while providing tools,

of their business school training?

funding ($10,000 1st prize award) and resources

Today, the barriers of entry for launching

available in the New York State area. In addition

businesses

to our skilled faculty and competitions, we bring

have

significantly

decreased.

Ambitious young businesspeople no longer

in senior professionals as guest lecturers.

need a storefront, they don’t have to confront zoning

regulations

and

customers

and

What type of entrepreneur students do you

employees aren’t restricted to a business’

hope to graduate?

geographical location. Another key change

We hope to graduate entrepreneurial-minded

is the importance of branding, growth and

students who will start their own business ven-

availability of statistical analysis of data—which

tures or who will make tactical changes in their

is paramount for any new business venture.

current career paths.

www.touro.edu TO U R O. E D U ••

@wearetouro @ W E A R E TO U R O

| 21

G R A D UAT E S C H O O L O F T E C H N O LO GY

LEARN MORE gst.touro.edu

Mr. Scan Man As our virtual presence continues to rise, security is in the forefront of everyone’s minds. For people whose jobs involve network protection and maintenance, being on high alert is especially important. Shafath Ali Mohammed is one such tech professional whose job is to create a barrier between his customers and potential threats.

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henever nects

a

to

car

is

turned

on

the

infotainment

and

the

services,

driver

con-

Shafath

Ali

Mohammed is at the car company’s home office, checking and scanning the system to make sure it is free of security breaches and safeguarded from hackers.

A

solution

architect

for

cybersecurity

at

General

Motors

(GM),

Mohammed makes sure that the wireless communication between the GM vehicle to the GM office is protected. This makes it possible for a driver to start the car from his or her phone, call for help if roadside assistance is needed, connect to the internet and access an array of other services without a glitch.

In the past few years, most car companies have developed and offered a growing number of infotainment services to car owners. As with all networks, these systems can be breached, sometimes with dire consequences.

“There are many hackers out there who want to disrupt services,” Mohammed explains. “We work to ensure that there’s no disruption, intrusion or denial of services, whether it’s voice, SMS or data.” Still, this possibility is what keeps cybersecurity solution architects like Mohammed awake at night.

“There are many hackers out there who want to disrupt services. We work to ensure that there’s no disruption.”

Mohammed first became interested in telecom at Touro Graduate School of Technology, from where he graduated in 2013. “After earning my degree in information technology in India, I traveled to New York City and entered Touro to obtain additional training and skills,” he recalls. “At Touro, Jack Romano, director of the Information Systems program, was instrumental in encouraging me to enter the field of telecom and helped to guide me towards courses and professors.”

Mohammad’s senior project, which focused on LTE (Long Term Evolution) for telecom networks, a standard for wireless broadband communication for mobile devices and data, was critical in helping him land his first job with Sprint in Detroit, Michigan. At Sprint, he worked as an RF (radio frequency) optimization engineer. From there he landed other technology jobs including working for the “Big Three,” Ford, Chrysler and finally taking a position with GM, where for the past two years, he’s helped to secure the systems SHAFATH ALI MOHAMMED is a solution architect

of Chevy, GMC, Buick and Cadillac by detecting vulnerabilities, employing layers of defensive measures and constantly scanning for new threats on Telecom Network.

for cybersecurity at General Motors (GM)

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| 23

TOURO LAW CENTER

A GOOD LEARN MORE tourolaw.edu

2 4 | TO U R O L I N K S S U M M E R 2 0 2 0

DEAL Seymour Liebman, executive at Canon, has used his training from Touro Law Center and his natural leadership abilities to be the go-to guy at one of the world’s largest corporations.

TO U R O. E D U •• www.touro.edu

@ W E A R E TO U R O | 2 5 @wearetouro

hen

something

seri-

ous needs handling at Canon, Inc., the managers back in Japan always say, “Call Seymour Liebman and he’ll resolve it.” His reputation for solving serious problems

earned

Mr.

Liebman

an appointment to Canon Inc.’s Executive Board, making him the first non-Japanese Canon executive to

receive

such

recognition.

Liebman, trained as a lawyer, CPA and mathematician, arrived at Canon U.S.A. when it was a small growing company, and established Canon U.S.A.’s in-house legal department, where today Liebman oversees 50 in-house attorneys working in all fields of law, including intellectual property.

A

natural

dealmaker,

Liebman’s talent and dedication has helped Canon defend patent litigations and infringements, as well as negotiate contracts, acquisitions, intellectual property matters and a range of lawsuits and settlements.

As of 2019, Canon was ranked among the top five companies 34 years in a row with the most U.S. patents.

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCES ON YOUR CAREER PATH? When I started at Canon, I had only one year of work experience under my belt from my previous job with the firm KPMG. Despite this, the CEO said, “You’re in charge

BEST SHOT

of credit. You’re our new national

From left: Liebman speaking at

credit director.” I said I didn’t know

his synagogue, Young Israel of

anything about credit, but he told

West Hempstead; Seymour and Mindy Liebman being honored

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on their anniversary

me that I’d be fine and that I was qualified. He replied, “If you make a mistake, I’ll support you.” His trust in me has remained with me as I have moved through my career. In Canon U.S.A.’s legal department, I use the same approach. I tell our attorneys that if they make a

W H AT A R E T H E S K I L L S T H AT A P E R S O N N E E D S T O D E V E LO P F O R A C A R E E R I N L AW A N D B U S I N E S S ?

Flexibility – Be flexible enough

wrong decision that I will support them.

to move into other fields and to

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TOURO LAW CENTER FOR

take on new responsibilities.

YOUR DEGREE?

Good Listening Skills – Listen to

After I assumed the role of overseeing the national credit depart-

advice and criticism openly to

ment at Canon, I was asked to oversee Human Resources and later,

learn what you must do to move

the legal division. After several years at Canon, the president urged

ahead.

me to go to law school. I chose Touro because I could attend class-

Be Good to the People Around

es at night and it was on Long Island, just a 20 to 30-minute drive

You – Always be kind to the

from Canon. It also featured a kosher cafeteria and allowed me to

people around you, including

have my Friday nights free.

those who are in support positions.

WHAT ROLE DID TOURO LAW CENTER HAVE ON YOUR

Fight Hard but Fight Fair – Why

CAREER PATH?

leave behind rubble when you

My legal training provided a foundation and vocabulary to fully un-

can leave behind a foundation

derstand and provide input on the variety of transactions Canon

on which to build?

was doing, including protecting Canon’s intellectual property.

Make Time for Family – Those are hours you never get back.

WHAT PERSONAL QUALITIES HAVE HELPED YOU SUCCEED IN YOUR CAREER? I have always been willing to accept challenges. When asked to work on a project, I would take things as far as I could and then make sure that I told the people I answered to exactly what the challenges were. Also, I was always open to opportunities and didn’t shy away. To get ahead, I knew I had to take risks and move out of my comfort zone. In fact, in my first job at KPMG, where I was hired to work as an accountant, I was moved to the management consulting side and asked to work on Canon, even though I had no experience. Soon thereafter, Canon offered me a job.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A TOURO LAW CENTER STUDENT TODAY? Be open to other options and unafraid to consider something that doesn’t match up with your vision. I completed my B.A. in Mathematics at Hofstra in three years because I wanted to finish school quickly. I entered a Ph.D. program at Rutgers, planning to

SEYMOUR LIEBMAN

become a math professor. At the time, university mathematics

Executive Vice President, Chief

departments everywhere were shrinking, and my dream fell apart.

Administrative Officer & General

Instead, I completed my M.S. in Mathematics at Rutgers and a

Counsel - Canon U.S.A., Inc.,

master’s in accounting at Long Island University the following year.

Senior Managing Executive Officer -

Upon graduating, I landed a job at KPMG, which, at the time, was

Canon Inc., Japan and Chairman of

both an accounting and a management consulting firm.

BriefCam Ltd, Israel

www.touro.edu TO U R O. E D U ••

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| 27

TOURO COLLEGE OF PHARMACY | GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

Creatures of

HABIT The opioid crisis continues to grip America like a vice, with it being the number one cause of drug-related deaths today. Touro College is leading the way to uncover new treatments and cures by directly addressing it in the classroom setting.

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LEARN MORE tcop.touro.edu gssw.touro.edu

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| 29

ment of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the larger of the two awards, is part of the department’s new, three-year “Federal Opioid Workforce Expansion Program” and is shared with Touro’s School of Health Sciences’ Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program (CMHC). The second and smaller of the two awards of $60,000 is funded by the National Council for Behavioral Health, a not-for-profit group of over 3,000 member organizations that help millions with mental illness and addictions. The funds he increased availability of opioids through over-prescription by physicians, as well as the accessibility of synthetic opioids such as fen-

will be directed toward a new 20-month program entitled, “Social Workers on the Front Line of the Opioid Epidemic Learning Collaborative.”

tanyl, has made addiction a central issue for today’s

Touro is one of the select schools in the U.S. and in

and tomorrow’s healthcare professionals. At Touro,

New York State to participate in the $57.4 million

one of the largest health educators in the nation, the

HRSA grant. Eligible students chosen for the pro-

school’s faculty, administrators and students across

gram will take specialized courses and work with

several graduate schools are focused on tackling

medically underserved populations in communities

this problem.

throughout NYC.

According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioids are the main driver of drug overdose deaths in the U.S., which totaled 70,236 in 2017. Of those, 47,600—or 67.8 percent of the total—involved opioids.

Within the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW), the Touro College of Pharmacy (TCOP) and the School of Health Sciences, a range of program offerings have been developed to help ease the crisis and prepare future healthcare professionals, who will be on the front lines of treating and preventing addiction. This effort involves specialized training for working with addicted patient populations, learning about community outreach programs that encourage healthy practices around opioid use and safety and the training of health professionals in alternative therapies for pain mitigation.

RETHINKING ADDICTION Although many students enter GSSW believing that they will be treating clients with problems that lie outside of addiction, such as marital issues, work issues, anxiety and others, this isn’t always the case.

According to Dr. Steven Krantz, associate professor of Clinical Social Work at GSSW, their work will inevitably bring them face-to-face with addiction.

“Chemical dependence issues impact all ethnic and economic groups and are touching many aspects of family and professional life.”

“Current thinking among experts in the field,” explains Professor Krantz, “which reflects a big change in the approach to addiction, is that we stopped differentiating alcohol from other drugs. Now they are all treated the same and our teaching at Touro reflects this.”

SOCIAL WORKERS ON THE FRONT LINES

At Touro, students are taught ways to uncover a cli-

In 2019, Touro College and its Graduate School of

ent’s connection to their chemical or chemicals of

Social Work secured two grants totaling $1.36 mil-

choice and to think about the client in these terms.

lion to train students, faculty and staff in fighting

Explains Professor Krantz, “We want them to ask,

the nation’s opioid crisis.

‘What is your relationship with the chemical and

A $1.3 million award from the United States Depart-

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how does it impact your life?’” In assisting a client, effective intervention often requires helping them

“Drug take back events help to minimize the availability of leftover drugs that someone could potentially abuse.”

to create a daily or near daily program of recovery,

sites, often located in pharmacies, adults can pur-

including connecting to rehabilitation centers, day

chase a limited quantity of clean needles. “By pro-

programs, intense outpatient programs or ones that

viding additional access to sterile syringes, we can

specialize in immersing someone in interventional

help protect people from bloodborne illnesses and

support, including self-help programs such as Alco-

ultimately prevent deaths,” explains Dr. Rebecca K.

holics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.

Kavanagh, assistant professor of ambulatory care.

According to the CDC, research shows that people

PHARMACY STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY

who use injection drugs who have access to nee-

OUTREACH

dle/syringe exchange programs are five times more

In the Touro College of Pharmacy, there is a robust

likely to enter treatment and abstain from illicit drug

curriculum covering opioid treatments, their side ef-

use than those who don’t.

fects, how to recognize addiction/abuse and ways to reverse the effects of these medications. Several

DRUG TAKE BACK EVENTS

student organizations are working on developing

Students also learn about and participate in drug

and implementing risk mitigation and harm reduc-

take back events, where expired, unwanted or unused

tion campaigns.

prescription drugs are collected for proper disposal.

These programs are part of an anonymous, no-

CONNECTING WITH PATIENTS

questions-asked national effort to curb drug abuse

For most people, their local pharmacist is the health-

and safely dispose of unneeded medicine. During such

care provider they see most regularly, feel the most

events, members of a local community are encouraged

comfortable with and the one that is the most avail-

to drop off their unused drugs so they can be

able. Part of the training of pharmacy students is

properly incinerated. “These events help to minimize

preparing them for this role and understanding that

the availability of leftover drugs that someone could

the various programs available through pharmacies

potentially abuse,” explains Dr. Kavanagh.

and communities may save a life or help someone to enter treatment.

NALOXONE KIT DISTRIBUTION A key part of the community outreach effort is re-

NEEDLE EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

versing the effects of an overdose before it takes a

At TCOP, students learn about needle exchange

life. TCOP students are trained in ways to respond

programs, which have been developed as a way for

to patients and family members living with opioid

people who use injectable drugs to obtain clean

abuse, such as encouraging calls to 911 if they or

needles and dispose of used needles safely. These

their loved one find themselves in trouble, offering

programs do not increase illegal drug use or crime,

information about drug rehabilitation and furnish-

and can help to curb the spread of HIV, Hepatitis C

ing naloxone injection kits, a life-saving emergency

and other bloodborne illnesses. At needle exchange

treatment for opioid overdose.

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| 31

S C H O O L O F H E A LT H S C I E N C E S | D O C TO R O F P H YS I C A L T H E R A P Y

THE Physical therapist, Yuval Yaari, a graduate of Touro’s School of Health Sciences, goes beyond traditional hands-on methods of

MAGIC therapy with his patients. He delves into retraining their brain patterns to help them fear less and live more.

TOUCH 3 2 | TO U R O L I N K S S U M M E R 2 0 2 0

ALL HANDS ON DECK Yaari works with patients

LEARN MORE shs.touro.edu/dpt

using a combination of physical, emotional and psychological techniques for more complete healing.

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| 33

Y

uval Yaari’s new patient arrived

provide them with alternatives so they can continue

45 minutes early. The woman

activity that will promote healing.”

was in her early 30s and pacing back and forth in the wait-

ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES

ing area. “It seemed like her pain

At Touro, in conjunction with the traditional PT cur-

was keeping her from sitting,”

riculum, students learn alternative therapies and ap-

recalls Yaari, a physical therapist

proaches such as deep breathing, relaxation exer-

with NYU Langone Occupational and Industrial Or-

cises, mindfulness and guided imagery. In addition,

thopedic Center and graduate of the Touro School

students are taught ways to help patients reframe

of Health Sciences (SHS) Doctor of Physical Ther-

their understanding of what’s happening in their

apy Program. Yaari questioned the woman about

bodies and what to expect from their pain.

her pain and injury and learned that she’d hurt her

Yaari knew brain training, reframing and encourag-

lower back six months earlier lifting her child out of a swimming pool. She’d undergone a range of treatments, including two injections into her spine that hadn’t helped. When Yaari started the physical part of the exam and asked her to bend over, the patient refused and then burst into tears.

ing positive movement could help his patient. The first step was to have the woman lie down and curl into a ball. “This showed her that she could bend her back without pain.” Then he asked an unusual question. “When you see people bend over do you feel pain?” The patient answered, “Yes.”

“With that reaction, she gave me a clue about her level of stress,” explains Yaari. He asked more ques-

DESENSITIZATION THROUGH BRAIN TRAINING

tions. Prior to her injury, she’d been very fit, but

For the patient to handle the movement compo-

now doctors had told her she’d “slipped a disc”

nent of therapy sessions, which included lunges,

and shouldn’t bend over. “That explained her mili-

squats, extensions and flexions of her back, she

tary posture,” he said, and why she’d spent the past

needed to be less afraid of spinal motion. To help

months afraid to lift her children, work out in the

desensitize her, Yaari asked her to read magazines,

gym, sit on a couch or even a chair at a hair salon.

circle photos of people bending their backs and

“All she saw was pain,” Yaari recalls.

to make a note, without judgement, if they were flexing or extending their backs, which helped to

BRAINS AND PAIN

diffuse some of her fear. Every session, in conjunc-

Explains Shira Weiner, Ph.D., professor in the phys-

tion with back strengthening exercises, Yaari intro-

ical therapy (PT) program at SHS, “We experience

duced new brain retraining exercises that would

pain in our brain and our brain decides how it wants

help to further desensitize her. These included:

to read that signal.” For example, a physical thera-

having her daughter spell out words on her back

pist can ask one patient about their pain and learn

with her finger, so she could grow accustomed to

that on a scale of one to ten it registers as a six, but

someone touching her back; sitting on a bar stool

the person barely notices it because he or she is

while on a date with her husband; and pushing a

at work; another patient will say that their pain is a

stroller.

three and they cannot cope.

During the three months Yaari’s patient received

“There is a lot of fear associated with pain. Often,

treatment, the woman reclaimed her resilience,

this fear stops patients from doing things and can

learned ways of working and functioning with her

perpetuate the problem,” explains Professor Weiner.

injury and was able to reduce the severity of the

“At Touro, we teach our students to take the time

pain she felt. “I helped the patient to see herself as

to understand the reason a patient is in pain and

a resilient and strong person, not someone who was

to acknowledge and address a patient’s fears and

broken and needing fixing.”

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WHERE TO FIND US

We're Here for You MER

SUM

2016

DIV IS

ION O F G R AD

UAT E

ST R I FROO E THE S FIEM LD

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S • FA LL 20 17

DIVISION OF GRADUATE STUDIES • SUMMER 2019

ALUM S FIN D UN IQ UE TO SE RV E TH WAYS E PU BL IC

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MacBook Pro

C L ASS I C P R IN T

O NL I NE

Want to read more of Touro Links alumni magazine? Order past issues by writing to us at communications@touro.edu.

FOOTBALL PLAYER Read any issue of Touro Links magazine online TURNS PHYSICAL THERAPIST REWRITES from your computer, tablet or smartphone by visiting HIS PLAYBOOK p. 14 www.touro.edu/news/publications.

@WeAreTouro

S O C I ALLY YOU R S Wherever you connect, watch, browse and play, we are there too. Connect with us online today!

Got news to share for our next issue? Please contact esther.ingber@touro.edu www.touro.edu TO U R O. E D U ••

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| 35

Touro Alums Do More

“At Touro, we were taught not to judge our patients for their shortcomings, but to find ways to reach them and help them improve their lives. I love what I do and I’m so grateful to Touro for the knowledge, values and tools they have given me to grow and succeed.”

Visit touro.edu/more

AARON KATTAN DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY Touro College School of Health Sciences

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| 37

TOURO LINKS SUMMER 2020 Dr. Nadja Graff

TOURO COLLEGE

Vice President Division of Graduate Studies

Rabbi Doniel Lander Chancellor

Elisheva Schlam Executive Director Communications & Marketing Esther Greenfield Director of Publications Laurie Kohanchi Assistant Director of Publications

TOURO COLLEGE Division of Graduate Studies

TOURO COLLEGE Division of Graduate Studies

Dr. Alan Kadish President Zvi Ryzman Chairman of the Board

500 7th Avenue New York, NY 10018 communications@touro.edu

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touro.edu

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Andrea Disario Writer

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KS Revivo

Founder (of Blessed Memory)

Graphic Designer

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TOURO COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY SYSTEM Where Knowledge and Values Meet Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 18,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions.

Touro has 35 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Illinois, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and Touro University Nevada; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For more information, visit www.touro.edu.

Please support the Division of Graduate Studies To make your gift online, please go to touro.edu/giving and choose a specific graduate division to direct your gift.

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