MDNews - Long Island

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS Christopher J. DiMaio, MD, AGAF, FASGE Catholic Health has appointed Christopher J. DiMaio, MD, AGAF, FASGE, Chair of the Department of Gastroenterology at St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center and System Co-Chair of Digestive Disease Services. Dr. DiMaio previously was Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Director of Interventional Endoscopy for the Mount Sinai Health System. In his new role, Dr. DiMaio will treat patients with gastrointestinal disorders at St. Francis Hospital, which in 2021 was rated by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best hospitals in the nation for gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery. Additionally, he will help lead the development of a comprehensive multidisciplinary Digestive Disease Center for Catholic Health and develop patient-centered programs for a variety of complex GI disorders. Dr. DiMaio earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine. He completed training in internal medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he also served as chief medical resident. He completed fellowship training in gastroenterology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and a fellowship in advanced endoscopy from the Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School program. Joseph McGowan, MD, receives NY State HIV clinical excellence award Joseph McGowan, MD, Medical Director of the Center for AIDS Research and Treatment (CART) at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH), received the Dr. Linda Laubenstein Annual HIV Clinical Excellence Award from the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute. The Dr. Linda Laubenstein Annual HIV Clinical Excellence Award honors those physicians who, beyond providing the highest quality of clinical care for people with HIV/AIDS, are also distinguished by their compassionate manner and their wholehearted involvement in the ongoing effort to achieve comprehensive care for persons with HIV/AIDS, according to the state's AIDS Institute. The award was established in 1992 in memory of Dr. Laubenstein, a Manhattan physician, to honor her pioneering work and outstanding contribution to the quality of AIDS care in the early years of the epidemic. In addition to being Medical Director at NSUH's CART, Dr. McGowan is also Director of the HIV Service Line Program for the Department of Medicine for Northwell Health. Dr. McGowan is Professor of Medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/ Northwell, Professor in the Institute of Health Innovations and Outcomes Research at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and serves on the faculty at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine. He is the Chair of the New York/New Jersey Chapter Board of the American Academy of HIV Medicine and is a past Director at HIV Ambulatory Care at the Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center. He is board certified in infectious diseases and credentialed as an HIV specialist by the American Academy of HIV Medicine. Dr. McGowan received a BA degree from Columbia University and his medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He completed a fellowship in infectious diseases and a National Institutes of Health fellowship in immunology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Catholic Health has named Avni Thakore, MD, FACC, President of the Catholic Health Physician Partners. Catholic Health has named Avni Thakore, MD, FACC, President of the Catholic Health Physician Partners (CHPP) medical group. Since 2018, she has served as Chief Medical Officer for CHPP. Board certified in cardiology, nuclear cardiology, echocardiography and internal medicine, Dr. Thakore is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology. Additionally, she is a member of the American Society of Echocardiography, American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, American Medical Association, Medical Society of the State of New York and other professional organizations. Dr. Thakore earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at Yale University, graduating magna cum laude, and subsequently received her medical degree at Harvard Medical School. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard. This was followed by a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Boston Medical Center and an advanced fellowship in cardiovascular imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Medical Center. She has participated in a number of clinical trials as the principal investigator and was awarded various grants for her research in cardiovascular inflammation and endothelial function. She recently led a clinical study on the cardiac effects of COVID-19 at St. Francis Hospital. 1 4

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