A Passion for Elevating Medical Education Drives Iona Alumnus
Dr. Michael Foti, DO, '14 will speak as part of Iona's "Careers in Science" lecture series
Dr. Michael Foti, DO, ’14 has been attracted to medicine since he was a young child.
“Since the age of 5, I have always known I wanted to enter the field of medicine,” said Foti, now a clinical assistant professor of internal medicine at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. “I found biology particularly interesting in how it relates to living beings and how they function. The intricacies of biological processes and how they work together always fascinated me.”
Foti credits Iona University’s faculty for helping him build a work ethic that minimized distractions. The sacrifices paid off. Foti received the 2014 Biology Department Award for his academic dedication.
“My work ethic was molded at Iona, and in knowing how sacrificing less important things in order to study and do well was so important to realizing my dream,” said Foti, a Bronx native. “The faculty at Iona were also pivotal in guiding me towards my goals.”
Today, he participates in Touro’s planning, execution and delivery of the Department of Primary Care Courses and activities, as well as overseeing the Standardized Patient program.
In his roles at Touro, Foti upholds Iona’s service-oriented tradition and the teachings of Blessed Edmund Rice by mentoring aspiring medical professionals, just as he was mentored by faculty at Iona. These academic roles also allow Foti to become an agent of change by positively shaping medical education at the curricular and policy levels.
“It is the most rewarding experience training the next generation of physicians, to be able to pass down my experience and know that patients will be in the best of hands. This has become a realized dream for me, and each day has been a gift,” said Foti, who advises prospective medical students to get early clinical experience as an EMT or scribe to ensure that medicine is the right career choice. “Be sure you desire the journey and not just the destination (the degree).”
Foti will speak to students about his healthcare journey on April 22, 2024, at 12:30 p.m. at Cornelia Hall, Room 108.
“I would not be where I am today without Iona,” said Foti, who met his wife at Iona. “Iona University was the first educational institution that for me felt like a second home. My friends often thought I lived in the dorms at Iona because of how much time I spent on campus, but I commuted all four years. It was because Iona was that warm and welcoming that I never wanted to leave.”
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona also continues to be recognized in prestigious national rankings. Most recently for 2025, Iona has been named one of the nation’s best colleges by The Princeton Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and others. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report recognized Iona as one of top for social mobility in the country, while Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) ranked an Iona degree in the top 5 percent nationally for long-term return on investment. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business, meanwhile, is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just 6 percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2024.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with one of the nation’s top hospitals. Connecting to its Irish heritage, Iona also opened a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland, located on the historic 400-acre Westport House Estate. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.