Dr. Nadege Dady, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) Dean of Student Affairs, received a Nubian Union Legend Award at the organization’s “Chasing Stars” Holiday Gala Monday evening in Greenwich Village.
The award was presented to Dr. Dady and other honorees who exemplify “unconditional sacrifice and community service [and who] stand as icons of stewardship to everyone.”
The Nubian Union is composed of two community-based non-profits focused on the growth of brain injuries, especially among minority youth: Unity Missionary Investors, which aids economically-challenged communities with tools and programs; and the Nubian Cultural Center for Research & Development, a multigenerational program that promotes racial and ethnic harmony through cultural exchange and education.
Dean Dady was singled out for a Legend Award for taking a leading role at TouroCOM in getting students involved in a Brain Injury Project launched under Unity that educates the community about – and supports research on – brain injuries.
“She’s profoundly responsible for our collaboration with Touro in working with students to educate the community about the growing incidences of brain injuries in the minority community as well as the wider community,” said Henry Rawls, vice president and chair of Unity Missionary Investors. “She’s very inspiring, supportive and very helpful. Because of her inspiring students to be aware of this tremendous malady in our society it’s absolutely incumbent upon us to recognize her contributions.”
Mr. Rawls said traumatic brain injury is not well-understood by the general public – neither the causes, how to prevent the injuries, nor how widespread they are.
“Many people don’t understand brain injury as a major malady. It’s what we call a ‘silent injury’ because you don’t see scars. A lot of people, very well-educated people, don’t consider it a major issue. Now we see it in the news because of sports, but sports are a very small part of the reason brain injuries occur,” Mr. Rawls said, citing senior citizen falls, ‘rough play,’ and shaken baby syndrome. “A lot of children are having children and they don’t know how to discipline nor care for their children properly.”
Robert Goldberg, executive dean of TouroCOM, agreed, “The scars may not be evident when one looks at a person, but when one meets the family and loved ones, it is clear that the scars can be deep in their minds and hearts,” he said, adding he was very proud of Dean Dady as well as Martin Levine, DO, associate dean for education development at TouroCOM, who also played a key role in bringing TouroCOM together with Nubian and was the evening’s keynote speaker.
Monday’s Gala featured a host of clergy, celebrities and community leaders, and a special presentation by arts writer and critic for NPR and other major media outlets Randy Gener, himself a Legend Award recipient. Actor/producer Tobias Truvillion served as Master of Ceremonies and Dr. Levine in his keynote spoke about “Medicine in the Minority Community.”
Other recipients of the Legend Award included Dr. William Gibbs, Chief of Service of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn; concert pianist Professor Richard Alston; and fashion and media specialist China Flowers.
In expressing her gratitude, Dean Dady said, “I am deeply honored, humbled and thankful to the boards of the Unity Missionary Investors and the Nubian Cultural Center for this recognition. Empowering communities of color through education is an area that I feel deeply passionate about. I am grateful to have had opportunities to motivate others, give back selflessly and express leadership through service to others.”
Dr. Dady has a long history of inspiring communities of color through education. As past regional director for the NYC Metro AHEC program, she managed summer programs that exposed underrepresented minority (URM) high school students to the healthcare professions. Later during her tenure at Rutgers, she participated in the management of a summer medical and dental education program that exposed URM college students to the rigors of medical and dental school. In order to address a health education gap among inner city URM youth, she co-developed and implemented 6th-8th grade and K-3rd grade pipeline programs to provide exposure to the importance of oral health care maintenance and the profession of dentistry. She also served as a trustee of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Newark for eight years, and has more recently been working with Fleur De Vie, a non-profit organization that supports education and healthcare in Haiti. As a board member of Fleur De Vie Dr. Dady facilitates the acquisition of oral health kits provided by the Colgate foundation for the 600 children who participate in its annual programs.
For further information on Touro College, please go to: http://www.touro.edu/news/
Photo credit: For photo: Honorees and hosts at Nubian Union Gala, left to right: Randy Gener, Honoree; Clark D. Everson, Unity Missionary Investors; Nadege Dady, Ed.D., Honoree; William Gibbs, M.D., Honoree; Professor Richard Alston (front), Honoree; Henry C. Rawls, The Nubian Cultural Center and Unity Missionary Investors
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