ePISODE 8: dr. jANE ponterio

Senior Associate dEAN OF sTUDENT AFFAIRS

October 15, 2021

I was raised in Staten Island, a place I still call home. I remember when I was in high school my parents moved me out of public school to a girls-only Catholic school, the Notre Dame Academy High School for Girls. I was really upset because none of my friends were there, but it turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened to me. During orientation I met my friend Debbie, who’s one of my best friends to this day. I think high school was when I decided I really wanted to pursue medicine as a career. It's a cliché, but I really wanted to help people! I also loved the idea of teaching, and one of my favorite jobs back then was as a swimming instructor and lifeguard. I thought about teaching as a career, but I think the ability to directly help people while still being able to teach as a physician really pushed me towards medicine.

I applied to Sophie Davis, then a 6-year BS/MD program and their 3rd-ever class, with the aim of entering primary care and working with disadvantaged populations. I traveled from Staten Island to Harlem each day with Dr. Pessolano, who I also met in high school and who many of you may know as the Wright House Dean and OB/GYN Clerkship Director, while I was at Sophie Davis. Sophie Davis was really the most formative time of my educational career. I only had about 60 classmates, so it was a very intimate setting. The school was far ahead of its time; I remember a class called Public Health in Medical Society. I was assigned to the South Bronx, one of the most dangerous parts of New York City back then. I was mugged quite a few times actually but live to tell the tale!

Sophie Davis really did a great job of teaching us so much in such a short time. As a 17-year-old, I was dissecting my cadaver on the second day of classes and sitting in on Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in the South Bronx. They even had me spend weekends at classmates’ homes to experience different cultures and see what life was like in other parts of the city. Back then, Sophie Davis was affiliated with NYMC, so after my first four years in the city, I transferred to NYMC for my 3rd and 4th years for rotations. That’s where I decided to go into OB/GYN, and I returned to Manhattan for my residency at St. Luke's Women’s Hospital. I worked for several years after graduation at Women's Hospital and also started my private practice, which exists to this day. Eventually, I grew the practice enough to take in a colleague, Dr. Pessolano, and several other colleagues over the years. Now, 36 years later, I’m helping the daughters I delivered decades ago become mothers themselves; it’s absolutely incredible!

I never gave up my dream of teaching either. While I was in private practice, I applied for clinical privileges at Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC), which was affiliated with NYMC. A huge piece of advice, by the way, just because I was in private practice didn’t mean I couldn’t also pursue a career in academic medicine, a common misconception I think many people might have. First, I became the program director of OB/GYN at RUMC. I became an Assistant Professor in OB/GYN at New York Medical College. I then eventually also became the Designated Institutional Official (DIO), overseeing all the residency programs at RUMC. Recently, I saw there was an opportunity to become the Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs, and I started working at NYMC in November 2019.

As we all know, March 2020 is when COVID-19 really hit hard in New York, so the rigors of getting acclimated to my new position was compounded by having to navigate the pandemic. I remember taking on the challenge of putting together everything for Match Day with just two weeks to plan it once everything became virtual. This job has been very rewarding so far; I felt like I did what I could to help residents and graduate students through my previous positions and wanted to bring my experience to help medical students on their path to residency. Getting to know my wonderful colleagues in Student Affairs, and the dedicated people working in the administration here has been a huge plus for me. Dr. Rachlin, Dr. Etienne, Dr. Pessolano, Dean Nadler and Dean Sozzo, Jonathan Pessolano, Melanie, Shaneia, Donna, the list goes on and on; everyone here is so motivated and dedicated to the students, and so approachable and easygoing. I know it’s still tough right now, but I look forward to the day where we’re all in our offices. Right now, our ZOOM windows are always open. But soon, our doors will be open in Sunshine Cottage if anyone wants to say hi!

What’s your favorite and least favorite aspects of being in student affairs?
I mentioned all the great people I get to work with, but of course, working with the medical students has been amazing. Running the workshop on mock interviews, working with students on how to make a good impression over Zoom, any aspect of helping students launch a successful career after medical school is really what makes me love my position.

Of course, as you all know, I’ve had to send a few emails regarding breaches related to Covid-19 protocols. That has to be by far my least favorite thing I have to do. I know the students are doing their best to adapt to what is a stressful environment, and it’s hard enough to make friends without a pandemic to worry about. So, I understand why these breaches happen, but it’s important to remember that as future physicians, you’ll have to be a doctor 24/7, and the professionalism that it requires starts here at NYMC. I’m an advocate for the students, and while I had to make some difficult decisions last year due to the pandemic, the intent was never to punish students, but rather to help them grow.

Why OB/GYN?
OB/GYN was my first rotation at NYMC as a third-year student. I was at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut, which had only 1 resident per year in the residency, so medical students were really important members of the team. I was always told not to decide after just the first rotation, but I was so taken with the specialty that I never wavered. I remember the first delivery I saw, a vaginal breech delivery. The doctor was an elderly gentleman who moved so elegantly throughout the procedure. He had to use Piper forceps to bring out the aftercoming baby's head and I remember how calm and collected he was and how beautiful the delivery, the mom and the baby were. I made the decision right then and there to go into OB/GYN.

What are your favorite memories from your practice?
My dad helped me convert a house into an office space. My mom was my first receptionist. I took care of my sister, Barbara, and delivered my godchildren, Jonathan Frank & Rosemary Jane! Then later I helped deliver a third godchild, Jonathan Pessolano's son, also Jonathan. My nephew, Jonathan Frank, is in his mid-20s and is a playwright in his 3rd year of law school. Rosemary Jane is now at UPenn and wants to go into medicine. Little Jonathan is almost 4 years old. I also have a 4th godchild, VJ, my cousin Alison's son, who loves to act. Having long-term relationships with the babies you delivered is so rewarding and reinforces my love for OB/GYN.

What are your hobbies?
Like everyone, I love Netflix. I recently binged-watched Mare of Easttown - very intense. I love learning how things work and fixing things. I still swim often too, and love having dinner with my family every Sunday.

If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?
Can I say super healing powers? I imagine most physicians want that, though. I think flying would be cool, or maybe teleportation instead. I feel like I’d get airsick flying, but I’d love the ability to be transported anywhere at the blink of an eye.

Shout-outs!
Shout out to my wing buddies in student affairs! Also, shoutout to Humans of NYMC, I love reading all the stories about the amazing students and faculty here at the school and can’t wait to read more this year!

If someone wanted to talk to you, they should lead with:
Just smile, and say "Dr. Ponterio, got a minute?" I love talking to everyone! The accessibility students have to the deans & faculty on this campus is unique, and I'm happy to be a part of the NYMC culture.