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What Becomes a Graduate Most - A Multiplicity of Degrees:

Jun 1, 2009

Jonathan Silverberg, First in Downstate History to Earn Three at Once

Brooklyn, NY - When commencement ceremonies took place at Carnegie Hall on May 26 for graduates of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University’s College of Medicine, School of Graduate Studies, and Graduate Program in Public Health, 228 students received their well-earned diplomas. Some received combined MD/PhD or MD/MPH degrees, but only one earned a medical diploma and a doctorate plus a master’s degree in public health.

These three degrees of separation distinguish Jonathan Ian Silverberg from the rest. He was the first student in the long history of Downstate—which celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2010—to be a triple-degree earner.

A prime example of how far you can go with a Brooklyn public education, Dr. Silverberg graduated from Brooklyn College before enrolling in SUNY Downstate’s College of Medicine and in the Neural and Behavioral Science Program of the School of Graduate Studies. His decision to enter the Graduate Program in Public Health came later. The program is open to students from many disciplines, including nursing and allied health, who wish to earn a combined degree, and also to those seeking a freestanding degree.

Earlier this year, Dr. Silverberg received the 2009 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, the highest student honor awarded by the State University of New York. It is reserved for students who have “integrated academic excellence with other aspects of their lives.”  In addition to his outstanding research and scholarly achievements—Dr. Silverberg has published 24 papers and abstracts, with an additional ten submitted or in preparation—he also found time to mentor students in the Brooklyn College/Downstate BA/MD Program. In 2008, he received an award from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism Honor Society as well as SUNY Downsate’s Alan S. Josephson Award for Excellence in Immunology.

Dr. Silverberg will do his medical residency training in dermatology at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center.

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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.

UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.