Seymour Katz, MD, Receives CCNY's Townsend Harris Medal for Outstanding Postgraduate Achievement
January 21, 2009
Seymour Katz, MD, an attending gastroenterologist at the North Shore-LIJ Health System, was recently honored by the City College of New York (CCNY) Alumni Association for his outstanding postgraduate achievement. Dr. Katz, who practices in Great Neck, NY, is a member of CCNY’s graduating class of 1960. The Townsend Harris Medal is conferred upon a few select alumni and is one of CCNY’s highest honors.
Dr. Katz also speaks about a Rwandan student who witnessed the loss of several family members and then escaped the Rwandan genocide. The boy eventually made his way to the United States, where he received his equivalency degree. He graduated CCNY this year and is attending Stanford University for his PhD in physics. “It is our job as physicians and mentors to bring students such as this into the fold. Talent like this must be mined and nourished. We have an abiding responsibility to help those who can benefit from our own growth and experience,” said Dr. Katz. Today the cost of tuition at CCNY is about $4,000. However, with 58 percent of students coming from families earning less than $30,000 a year, tuition and expenses can still be prohibitive. In 2007, 62 graduates of Bronx Science applied for assistance to attend CCNY, but there was funding for only 15. After graduating from City College in 1956, Dr. Katz was fortunate enough to be one of the first recipients of the newly established Salk Scholarship Program. The scholarship is what enabled him to go on to complete his medical degree at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine. Dr. Katz then completed his medical internship, residency and chief medical residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. His gastroenterology fellowship was completed at The New York Hospital and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Institute as a U.S. Public Health Service Fellow and American Cancer Society Fellow. Dr. Katz is also a clinical professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. In addition to his clinical, research and teaching achievements, Dr. Katz has written and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, abstracts and book chapters. “Today, there are over 400 Jonas Salk Scholars,” said Dr. Katz, who has given back much of what he spent his academic life achieving — a foundation of educational and professional excellence. Simply stated, “We invest directly into our future when we invest in these kids.” Media Contact: Adina Conn/Terry Lynam 516-465-2620/516-465-2640 |
