WIM Virtual Event

Javier Guevara, Jr., ’12 MD, MAA Board member, was recently awarded the Degree of Fellow for the American Academy of Family Physicians for his contributions to the specialty and the Academy. Congratulations, Dr. Guevara!

Jeffrey M. Ignatoff, ’67 MD, ’75 GMER, was recently appointed vice chair of Pathology and Clinical Sciences Education at Mercer University School of Medicine. Dr. Ignatoff also is adjunct associate professor in the Department of Surgery at HCA Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, where he serves on the Institutional Review Board. He previously served as head of the urology division at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare. Congratulations, Dr. Ignatoff!

Sadiya Khan, ’09 MD, ’10 GMER, ’12 GMER, ’14 MS, ’16 GMEF, is the senior author of a study published in The British Medical Journal, which found that deaths caused by heart failure and hypertensive heart disease are on the rise in the U.S., especially among Black women and men, despite medical and surgical advances in heart disease management. The study is the first of its kind to comprehensively characterize mortality over nearly 20 years across a spectrum of heart disease types, examining the differences between sex and racial groups among various age groups and geography. Congratulations, Dr. Khan!

Elliot G. Levy, ’71 MD, has co-authored Investing 101 for Doctors: How to Invest Wisely and Still Sleep Well at Night, which he describes as “a guide for investing directed specifically towards doctors. The purpose of this book is to explain the concept of investing, the investment vehicles to use, the importance of paying off student loans and funding of children’s education, how to create and implement a financial plan, and how to plan for and enjoy retirement.” The book is available for purchase online. Congratulations, Dr. Levy!

Geraldine E. Ménard, ’97 MD, ’00 GMER (pictured center giving thumbs up), chief of General Internal Medicine at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans, was recently featured in the Tulane News for her dedication, leadership, and perseverance in the face of the COVID crisis. Dr. Menard also was highlighted in an April 5th New York Times article for her work during the pandemic. Congratulations, Dr. Ménard!

Raymond Sanchez ’84, ’94 MD, is chief medical officer of Cerevel Therapeutics Holdings, Inc., which announced that they have entered into a business combination agreement which will allow them to further advance their clinical programs and support their research and development of neuroscience drugs. Dr. Sanchez is currently the executive co-chair of the International Society for CNS Drug Development and a trustee and member of the board of directors of the Connecticut Mental Health Center Foundation, Yale School of Medicine, as well as several other not-for-profit organizations. Congratulations, Dr. Sanchez!

Melissa Simon, MD, ’06 GMEF, was the first author of a discussion paper published by the National Academy of Medicine, which asserts that health and healthcare disparities are ever-present, despite efforts to address health equity. The paper describes health equity as imperative in a “patient and family engaged care culture,” and that healthcare organizations, institutions, and providers must take a health equity centered, population health approach. Congratulations, Dr. Simon!

Mark J. Sontag ’81, ’83 MD, recently gave a Grand Rounds lecture for Google's medical staff in Mountainview, California, in July titled “Acute vs. Chronic Pain: The Mind Body Continuum.” Dr. Sontag specializes in sports medicine and chronic pain management, having founded two private practices in the San Francisco Bay area, ReMeDy Medical Group (29 years) and SPARC Medical Groups (21 years). Congratulations, Dr. Sontag!