The MSSM Class of 1994 celebrated their 25th anniversary at the 2019 Alumni Reunion and Award Ceremony. At this important milestone, they honored the memory of their late classmate, Alan Greenstein, who passed away from cancer at 27 years old. In his second year of residency in general surgery, Alan experienced debilitating back pain was ultimately diagnosed as colon cancer.
Alan handled his diagnosis with incredible bravery, inspirational strength and characteristic congeniality. He continued to work as a surgical resident despite continuous chemotherapy, as it was his dream to be a surgeon. In what would have been the beginning of his third year of residency, Alan lost his hard fought battle with cancer, leaving behind his fiancé Shani, his family and countless friends.
Spearheaded by Jonathan S. Goldberg, MD and Bradley J. Needleman, MD, the Class of 1994 as well as Alan’s friends and family raised over $50,000 to support a trial study spearheaded by Mount Sinai’s Dr. Steven Itzkowitz to investigate the rising incidence of young onset colorectal cancer. This accomplishment was announced at the 2019 Alumni Reunion and Award Ceremony to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the class and to create a legacy for a cherished classmate. You can read more about the trial study here, and we invite you to make a gift in support of this work at visit giving.mountsinai.org/goto/alangreenstein.