Careers in Medicine:
These prestigious alumni discussed how Queens College served as the foundation for their medical careers.
Dr. Louis Aledort ’55 is the Mary Weinfeld Professor of Clinical Research in Hemophilia at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, NY. He was the Scientist-in-Residence at New School University. After earning his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York, Dr. Aledort completed his internship and residency training at the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, VA. He went on to the University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY, where he was associate resident in internal medicine and completed a hematology fellowship. Dr. Aledort is certified in hematology and internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Aledort has had a long and productive research career investigating many aspects of hemophilia and other clotting disorders. Most recently, he has focused on ITP, HIT and Coumadin reversal, and is carrying out clinical trials. His research has been published in 400 articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Blood and Hemophilia and he serves as a reviewer as well as being on the editorial boards of several journals. At Mount Sinai school of Medicine, Dr. Aledort was past Vice Chairman of the Department of Medicine and Dean of Faculty and Hospital Affairs with continued membership on several committee. He established the Mount Sinai Hemophilia Clinic, which is recognized as an international hemophilia training center. He is actively involved with many professional medical societies including the American Society of Hematology and he is a master in the American College of Physicians. He has served on the House Ways and Means Committee, as an advisor to the World Health Organization and as a political advocate for hemophilia patients. Dr. Aledort is the recipient of numerous awards for his contributions to medicine.
Dr. Richard Barakat ’81 is the Chief of the Gynecology Service and Vice Chair for Clinical Activities in the Department of Surgery, as well as the Ronald O. Perelman Chair in Gynecologic Surgery, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He is a nationally and internationally known surgeon and clinical investigator who specializes in advanced robotic and laparoscopic surgery for uterine cancer and radical procedures for debulking ovarian cancer. Dr. Barakat was the lead investigator on several studies at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, including a study to compare the benefits of laparoscopic vs. standard surgery for patients with endometrial cancer; a study evaluating symptomatic lower extremity lymphedema in women treated for uterine corpus cancer; and a study testing the efficacy of the Gynecologic Cancer Lymphedema Questionnaire (GCLQ) in detecting lower extremity lymphedema symptoms. He is a member and examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and was the Vice Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Committee of the Gynecologic Oncology Group for 5 years and remains actively involved with cancer prevention studies on that committee. He served as the Program Chair for the 2010 International Gynecologic Cancer Society meeting in Prague and currently serves as the secretary-treasurer for the group. In addition he is President Elect of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology as well as President-Elect of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS). Dr. Barakat is author or co-author on over 290 peer-reviewed articles and numerous textbook chapters, and he is also an editor of a surgical atlas on surgery for gynecologic cancer and an editor of the latest edition of Principles and Practice of Gynecologic Oncology, one of the leading texts in the field.
Dr. Martin Diamond ’58 completed the Osteopathic Heritage Health Policy Fellowship in 2001 and become a Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians in 2003. He has received numerous awards throughout his career, including both the President’s Citation Award (1993) and the Distinguished Service Medal to Past Presidents (1994) from the New York State Osteopathic Medical Society. He was awarded the American Osteopathic Foundation Leadership Award in May of 1999. In 2009 he was awarded the AOA Distinguished Service Certificate for Furthering the Osteopathic Professions Through Education and Philanthropy (AOA’s highest award). Dr. Diamond served as a member and a Chairman of the New York State Board for Medicine. Prior, he served on the Board of Professional Medical Conduct for the State of New York. He has been involved with helping to formulate and recommend various health-related policies on a state level since 1991. Dr. Diamond served on the Board of Directors of the National Alumni Association of the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery. Dr. Diamond has served as both Director and President for the New York State Osteopathic Medical Society. He is the Past Chair of the American Osteopathic Foundation and served on the American Osteopathic Association Board of Trustees. Presently, he is a member of the House of Delegates for the AOA and was Chairman of the New York Delegation to AOA House. Dr. Diamond is currently the Director of Osteopathic Medical Education at Nassau University Medical Center. He is the Founding Dean of the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. As of July 2008, Dr. Diamond was appointed Dean Emeritus and Professor in the Department of Family Practice. In addition, Dr. Diamond served as Associate Dean for Clinical Education and Post-graduate Medical Education at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in California. Dr. Diamond was a Director of the Osteopathic Family Practice Residency Program, DME, and the Director of Osteopathic Medical Services at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. He was in private practice on Long Island, New York from 1963-1998.
Dr. Jonathan Steinberg ’76 is the Director of the Arrhythmia Institute of the Valley Health System in New York and New Jersey. He is also a Professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. Dr. Steinberg was a graduate of Queens College of the City University of New York in 1976. Dr. Steinberg received his M.D. from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed his residency training at NYU Medical Center. He was a fellow in cardiology at George Washington University Medical Center and a fellow in electrophysiology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Dr. Steinberg is among New York Magazine's "Best Doctors" for 2008-2012, and has published more than 160 peer-reviewed papers. He has participated in, held executive positions in, or directed numerous multicenter clinical trials. He serves as a reviewer for many cardiology and electrophysiology journals and holds several editorial board positions.