2020 Postbac Class Day Speakers Announced

Dear Students,

I look forward to celebrating your completion of the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program at this year’s virtual Postbac Premed Program Class Day ceremony on Friday, May 15 at 11 a.m. EDT. I am thrilled to announce that the keynote speaker is Dr. Alwyn Cohall. Dr. Cohall is a Professor of Public Health and Pediatrics at the Columbia University Medical Center and the Mailman School of Public Health.

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Alwyn Cohall

Dr. Cohall is a Professor of Public Health and Pediatrics at the Columbia University Medical Center and the Mailman School of Public Health.

Dr. Cohall's main areas of research interest include adolescent health; sexual and reproductive health; access to healthcare, particularly for young men of color; using media/technology to enhance health communication/health promotion; and, integrating trauma-informed care into clinical practice.

In addition to his research interests, Dr. Cohall is board-certified in both pediatrics and adolescent medicine and has a private practice in adolescent and young adult health. Dr. Cohall serves as the director of the Harlem Health Promotion Center which is devoted to reducing health disparities in communities of color. He is also the director of Project Stay (Services to Assist Youth), which is a New York State Department of Health funded program that provides confidential health services to young people affected by or infected with HIV/AIDS. With support from the NYCDOHMH, he is leading an initiative to educate and link youth to care for PEP and PrEP services. Further, he is the Principal Investigator of the NYC CDC STD Prevention Training Center which focuses on enhancing the skills of primary care providers to manage patients with sexually-transmitted diseases.

Additionally, in his role as Co-Principal Investigator at the New York Presbyterian site, he is involved with an NIH funded research project called “Link2Care” which designed to improve screening for STIs/HIV and substance use and subsequent linkages to health care services for Justice Involved Youth at high-risk for HIV. Dr. Cohall is Co-Director of the Washington Heights/Inwood Youth Opportunity HUB – a program funded by the NYC District Attorney’s office to reduce youth involvement in the justice system. Finally, he is also Co-Director of BeWell, a health and wellness initiative for youth attending an afterschool academic enrichment and youth development program at 5 New York Public Library sites.

He is a member of several professional organizations including: the American Public Health Association, the Society for Adolescent Health in Medicine, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. In recognition of his tireless efforts to improve the health of adolescents and their families, Dr. Cohall has been honored by: the New York Urban League, the New York Civil Liberties Union, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Public Health Association of New York City, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Society for Adolescent Health in Medicine.

Student Speaker

Christopher DeVita

This year's student speaker will be Postbac Premed graduate Christopher DeVita. Chris, a professional ballet dancer and choreographer, was raised by his two physician parents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater Studies from Emerson College and also earned a competitive fellowship with Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco, California.
                 
Before entering the Postbac Premed Program, he toured the country in contemporary ballet companies and went on to found a dance company in New York called I AM A BOYS CHOIR, which has achieved notable success. The interdisciplinary collective’s work incorporates performance, video, music, and installation to inspire serious conversations about personal politics, gender, community, and otherness.

After over a decade of success in the dance world, Chris decided to pursue a career in medicine to make a direct and positive impact on lives. In addition to the performing arts, Chris’ interests include LGBT health and infectious diseases and since June of 2018, Chris has been volunteering as a health educator with Project Stay at the Mailman School of Public Health, an organization that provides free sexual education and healthcare to at-risk demographics. Chris also volunteers as a Research Assistant in the Department of Neurointensive Care at Columbia University Medical Center, where he conducts hour-long phone interviews with subarachnoid hemorrhage patients and their families for a longitudinal study.
               
During his time in the Postbac Premed Program, Chris served as an Orientation Leader and campus tour guide, the president of the Queer Health Alliance, the GS Alliance Postbac Representative, and the Vice President of Social Events for the PMA. Chris was recently accepted to the Icahn School of Medicine through linkage and will be starting medical school there this fall.

For additional information, please visit the Postbac Class Day website.

I look forward to celebrating with you next Friday.

Best wishes,

Lisa Rosen-Metsch
Dean
Columbia University School of General Studies
Professor of Sociomedical Sciences