Theme: Beyond Boundaries – Innovating for a Healthier Tomorrow

TEDxNYU Langone Health welcomes inspirational stories from its diverse community of patients, hospitalists, researchers, and others on how they have used innovation, collaboration, creativity, and resilience to improve the lives of others around them.

Murphy Auditorium
550 First Avenue
New York, New York, 10016
United States

Alan Schlechter, MD

Associate Professor, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

As a child and adolescent psychiatrist with NYU Langone’s Child Study Center, Dr. Schlechter works with children, adolescents, and young adults who have all types of mental health disorders. He has a particular interest in working with college-aged youth who are transitioning into adulthood. My treatment strategy is based on The Science of Happiness class that he teaches to undergraduates at NYU. Recognizing a youth’s challenges helps him understand what brought the person to treatment. By learning what makes them happy, he can show them how to use their own strengths to overcome challenges and flourish. His research focuses on the role of happiness in improving wellbeing and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. He is the recipient of several teaching awards and has been named to New York Super Doctors seven times and was named to its “Rising Stars” list for New York three times.

Bob Montgomery, MD, PhD

H. Leon Pachter, MD Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery

As chair of the department of surgery and director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, Dr. Montgomery oversees a diverse team of medical and surgical specialists who provide a wide variety of surgery and transplantation services. He is well placed to talk about the skilled, compassionate experts at the Transplant Institute not only as its director—but also as someone who received a heart transplant there. He has received several awards recognizing his experience in patient care and research, including the American Society of Human Genetics’ Postdoctoral Basic Science Award, the Johns Hopkins Clinician Scientist Award, the Fujisawa Faculty Development Award from the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the Champion of Hope Award from the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland, and the Terasaki Medical Innovation Award from the National Kidney Registry.

Laura Gould, MSc, MA, PT

Research Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology

Laura Gould, a research assistant professor of neurology, coined the term “Sudden Unexplained Death in Children” after the tragic death of her 15-month-old daughter in 1997 redirected her research and set her on a lifelong mission to find answers. Now, Gould is the lead author of a new paper showing that seizures may be a leading culprit in the heartbreaking phenomenon.

Leigh Johnson, MPH

Assistant Research Scientist, NYU Clinical & Translational Science Institute

Leigh is an assistant research scientist in the Integrating Special Populations unit in the NYU Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

Mark Pochapin, MD

Sholtz-Leeds Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine

People often ask why Dr. Pochapin became a gastroenterologist. It’s because the gastrointestinal system plays a critical role in virtually every aspect of our health. It is essential not only to digestion and nutrition but also to immunity, metabolism, and the regulation of vital body systems. He feels privileged to be a part of the gastroenterology profession, where he feels he can make a difference in both the treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal disease. His greatest passion is working with my patients to protect their health and improve their lives. Throughout the years, when he's asked his patients what they think is important in a doctor, they have all consistently cited the same three things: a doctor who listens to them, cares about them, and provides them with hope. He strives to achieve this every day.

Matthew Kasabian, MPA

IBD Patient, NYU Langone Health

Matthew Kasabian works at NYU Langone Health and was an NYU Langone Health patient.

Michael Pacold, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology

Dr. Pacold is an assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the director of basic science research in the Department of Radiation Oncology.

Omni Cassidy

Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health

Dr. Cassidy is an assistant professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Her research focuses on racially-targeted food advertising and marketing.