Columbia University School of General Studies (GS) is proud to announce that Dr. Jennifer McNeely ’94CC, ’99PBPM, a distinguished clinician, researcher, and leader in addiction medicine, will deliver the keynote address at the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program Class Day ceremony on Friday, May 16. Stephen Fox ’25PBPM, who’s blending his experiences in tech and AI with research and empathy to shape a medical career rooted in innovation and service, will be the student speaker.
Dr. McNeely is an Associate Professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and a leader in addiction medicine. A graduate of the Postbac Premed Program and Columbia College where she earned a degree in economics, Dr. McNeely went on to complete medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Harvard Medical School), and research fellowship at NYU. She is a clinician-investigator whose research focuses on utilizing health care contacts to identify and provide effective interventions to address substance use.
She holds leadership roles including as multiple PI of the New York Node of the NIDA Clinical Trials Network, and Co-Director of the Section on Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drug Use in the Department of Population Health at NYU. Dr. McNeely is a practicing general internist specializing in addiction medicine, and continues to learn from her patients and colleagues at Bellevue Hospital.
Stephen Fox began his journey to medicine on the West Coast. Born and raised in Southern California, his vision of improving humanity through technology led him to earn a computer science degree at Neumont College of Computer Science in Salt Lake City, Utah. He quickly joined the tech industry and expanded his contributions by transitioning to work in applied artificial intelligence. A research fellowship brought him to New York City, where he joined the health-tech startup Eight Sleep. While prototyping near-medical devices, he realized medicine was his true calling.
Joining Columbia in Spring 2024, he has contributed to the Pre-Health Networking community, volunteered in New York Presbyterian's Emergency Department, interned in microsurgery and conducted chemistry education research—all in preparation for a career of innovation and compassion. Among his cohort, he is best known for sparking collaboration, advocating for quieter students by calling out “question!” during lectures, and for sharing his ideas over a good meal. In medical school, he hopes to narrow down his broad specialty interests to best align with his goals of service and outreach.
