http://legacy.touro.edu/media/pr/releases/PR-hsaward.ASP

Press Release

Touro College
School of Health Sciences

Contact:
      Dennis M. Weinstein
      631- 665-1600 ext. 239
      dweinstein@touro.edu

For Immediate Release

Touro College School Of Health Sciences Awards 312 Degrees At Commencement

Health Sciences Field in High Demand, Graduates Finding Jobs Quickly

Brookville, N.Y. – September 19, 2008 - Touro College’s School of Health Sciences awarded 312 degrees yesterday, including doctoral, master's, bachelor's, and associate degrees. The School, with locations in Bay Shore, Mineola, Manhattan, and Brooklyn, offers degree programs in physician assistant studies, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, physical therapy, oriental medicine, acupuncture and nursing.

The ceremony was held at the Tillis Center for the Performing Arts on the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville, New York with 1,900 family, friends, and faculty in attendance.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Olajide Williams, associate director of neurology at Harlem Hospital, who told the graduates, “Today you are a recipient of a world-class education from a first-class institution. What will you do now? Do what needs to be done for yourself, and do it for the world.”

According to Dr. Joseph Weisberg, dean of the School of Health Sciences, nearly all of the graduates seeking employment will be working within three months of commencement.

“Job opportunities in the broad field of health sciences are plentiful and rewarding. At Touro, students receive an excellent education that prepares them well for practice opportunities,” said Dean Weisberg. “We’ve seen that new graduates are just as desirable as professionals with years of experience.”

The school’s two largest programs, which train physician assistants and physical therapists, for example, have prepared its graduates for careers in emergency medicine, geriatric medicine, orthopedics, and sports medicine, to name a few. Touro graduates have found jobs at top hospitals in New York and around the country, in private practices, clinics, and with sports teams.

At Harlem Hospital, Dr. Williams also directs operations for the Harlem Hospital Stroke Center. He also practices medicine and teaches at Columbia University Medical Center, where he is an assistant professor of clinical neurology. The author of numerous scientific articles and book chapters, Dr. Williams is one of nine members of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke External Review Group for the Clinical Research Collaboration, which is charged with connecting communities to NIH research. He is a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation Urban Health Award for mitigating health care disparities, the Distinguished Teacher Award, and the Gold Foundation Award for Humanism in Medicine and Excellence in Teaching of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. A leader in community stroke prevention, Dr. Williams confronts stroke disparities with innovative grassroots interventions and serves as a spokesperson for the National Stroke Association.

The 312 graduates who received degrees Wednesday are as follows:

104 for the degree of bachelor of science in the Physician Assistant Program
50 from the Physical Therapy Program for the dual degrees of bachelor of science in the health sciences and clinical doctorate in physical therapy
15 for the post-professional doctorate in physical therapy
14 for the degree of associate in applied science in physical therapist assistant
40 from the Occupational Therapy Program for the dual degrees of bachelor of science in the health sciences and master of science in occupational therapy
39 for the degree of master of science in the Speech and Language Pathology Program
23 for the degree of associate in applied science in nursing
13 for the degree of associate in applied science in occupational therapy assistant
Eight for the degree of master of science in rehabilitation neuropsychology
Five for the dual degrees of bachelor of professional studies in health sciences and master of science in oriental medicine
One for the degree of master of science in forensic examination

Touro College has experienced phenomenal growth since its founding in 1971, and is currently educating approximately 17,500 students at locations in New York, California, Florida, Nevada, Jerusalem, Moscow, Berlin and Paris. Touro College continues to have a profound impact on the lives of its students and on the Jewish and general communities. For more information, please go to: http://www.touro.edu/media/

Touro College
27 West 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010
www.touro.edu

Pictured from left to right are Dr. Anthony Polemeni, vice president of Touro’s Division of Graduate Studies; keynote speaker Dr. Olajide Williams, associate director of neurology at Harlem Hospital; and Dr. Joseph Weisberg, dean of the School of Health Sciences.