Weill Cornell Medicine

NEWS OF MEDICAL
COLLEGE AND GRADUATE
SCHOOL ALUMNI

Dear Alumni, I recently watched The Music of Strangers, a documentary about Yo-Yo Ma’s exploration of the music of the Silk Road. The film was beautifully shot, and its visual beauty and haunting music intensified the story of Ma’s increasing interest in the intersection of cultures, music, and shared humanity.

What struck me most about the film was Ma’s frank exploration of his crisis of confidence in his career and life. He was a man who had established a “safe zone” both for his musical repertoire and his relationship with fame. Then, in midlife, he became tired of the “same old, same old” and embarked on a search for something new. While casting about for he really didn’t know what, Ma happened upon the music of the ancient Silk Road—and it has proven to be a source of inspiration, exploration, and growth for him for the past fifteen years.

As I reflected upon his journey, I thought of our preparation at Weill Cornell Medicine. We were given the tools to develop our medical repertoire. But we were also given implicit license to go beyond this; to continuously grow. Many of my classmates have had multiple careers, all of them marked by expertise and professional reputation, but many of them sharp departures from their previous lives. I don’t believe this is an accident. We were all selected for being more than merely good students; we had the potential to excel and become more than we then imagined.

The same is true of the students at WCM today. They are ever more able, both in terms of their test scores and grade point averages—but, more impressively, by their potential to make a difference to their profession.

Those of you who attended the recent Reunion and were exposed to these students could see it for yourself. And you also saw the incredible facilities that are available to them to foster their learning in a creative and safe environment. Our Reunions are an opportunity to reconnect with old friends, rediscover the core values of WCM, and exchange ideas with students and the Office of Alumni Relations. For those of you who did not attend, I encourage you to consider a trip to New York City in 2018 for the next Reunion.

The Alumni Association is your association. We are here to engage and assist you. We are involved with many student initiatives at WCM and plan to assist even more in the future. We aim to facilitate alumni supporting alumni—especially our recent graduates, many of whom train in some of the most prestigious programs in the country.