On Thursday, Nov. 21, over 40 alumni attended our Stuyvesant Alumni in Health Care panel discussion and networking event at the office of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

The panel discussion was led by David Jacobs, MD, MBA ’87, who encouraged comments, questions and stories from all those in the audience. The panelists included:

• Evelyn Horn, MD, ’72, who was the first female Stuyvesant graduate to get her MD and now specializes in cardiovascular disease at Cornell;
• Jay Schechtman, MD, MBA ’83, who is the Chief Clinical Officer at Healthfirst;
• and Richard Park, MD, ’90, who started CityMD in 2010.

All the panelists discussed the impact Stuyvesant High School had on their lives. Dr. Schechtman said his experience at Stuyvesant taught him that there would always be a place for meritocracy in the world. Dr. Park and Dr. Jacobs said they learned humility at Stuyvesant, where they were surrounded by “a crucible of the smartest, most brilliant kids” in the city, according to Dr. Park. Dr. Horn, one of the first girls to attend Stuyvesant, said the “variety of experiences at Stuyvesant” that she lived through made it impossible for her to be shocked or discouraged in her later academic and professional career.

Among the topics discussed were diversity among medical practitioners, students, and professors; the rise of telemedicine and its impact on the patient-doctor relationship; how Stuyvesant and medical school can better prepare students to practice medicine and care for patients; issues of access and equity for communities of color and underserved communities; and how to talk to patients and their families about end-of-life care.

On behalf of the Stuyvesant High School Alumni Association, thank you to all the Stuyvesant alumni who attended!

Events like this are made possible through donations and membership dues. Becoming a dues-paying member of the Alumni Association provides a variety of benefits, including early access and members-only access for events and discounted tickets. For young alumni who graduated in the last five years, membership is only $5 a year!

To show your appreciation for this event or to make a similar event possible in your region, please consider becoming a member or making a donation today.

Would you like to see a similar event in your region? Please contact us at [email protected] to share your ideas.