Dr. Alexis Halpern, assistant professor of clinical emergency medicine, has been elected as the vice chair of the Weill Cornell Medicine General Faculty Council. The GFC is the governing faculty body of Weill Cornell Medicine and comprises representatives from all clinical and basic science departments of the Medical College.
As vice chair, Dr. Halpern will work closely with the chair on all GFC involved activities, including serving as representative to the Executive Faculty Council. She will also serve as an ex officio member of the Committees of the Council and confer with the dean on issues related to the faculty.
The General Faculty Council is responsible for addressing faculty interests and concerns to the administration. Additionally, it works closely with the administration to maintain faculty participation in the College’s activities. The Council also exercises influence over the academic interests of students and all other educational matters in the Medical College.
Dr. Halpern was first elected to the Council in 2015. Since then, she has voted to give the Department of Emergency Medicine departmental status; worked with Human Resources to create and implement the WCM Academic Family Leave Policy; and proposed a College-funded Citi Bike account program to Human Resources, which was just instituted this month. She has also served on the GFC steering committee, as chair of the Benefits committee, and as co-secretary of the Council.
Currently, Dr. Halpern and other GFC members are collaborating with Dr. Rache Simmons and the Dean’s Diversity Office for Women on a WCM childcare initiative. She also hopes to collaborate with the administration on concrete College-supported actions towards physician wellness and support.
Dr. Halpern graduated from Cornell University and earned her medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School. Dr. Halpern then completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at New York University/Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City. Four years after joining our faculty she completed the WCM Department of Emergency Medicine Geriatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship, and serves as an assistant attending physician in the WCM and LMH Emergency Departments.
Congratulations to Dr. Halpern on her exciting new role.
