OBGYN Graduates at the 16th Annual Dr. Clarel Antoine Humanism Award
A room feels different when it is filled with people who have helped bring life into the world. Every patient they comfort, every life they safeguard, will carry forward something that began in that room.
That spirit shaped the celebration of the OBGYN graduates during the 16th Annual Clarel Antoine Humanism Award. The gathering honored emerging physicians who have completed a demanding chapter of training and now step forward with the kind of clinical excellence and human connection that patients remember. To watch ten young physicians recognized by their peers for compassion, clinical excellence, and heart was to watch the future of medicine take shape.
On June 23, 2026, the 16th Annual Dr. Clarel Antoine Humanism Award Celebration, honoring the graduating NYU OB-GYN class of 2026, took place. It was a festive occasion, rich with smiles, warm embraces, and the quiet pride of mentors, colleagues, families, and supporters. It also offered a meaningful reminder: when a community invests in medical trainees, that support reaches far beyond one ceremony. It follows them into exam rooms, delivery suites, operating rooms, and the lives of patients they will serve.
A Celebration Rooted in Humanism
The Dr. Clarel Antoine Humanism Award has become more than an annual milestone. It is a moment to recognize the values that sit at the center of medicine and Rx Compassion: care for the whole person, which includes dignity, listening, respect supplemented by advocacy, research, education, and safety.
For OBGYN graduates, those values matter deeply. Obstetrics and gynecology can hold some of the most joyful and vulnerable moments in a patient’s life. A physician may celebrate a healthy birth in one room, offer difficult news in another, and guide a family through complex choices before the day is done.
This is why compassion and humanism are not extra qualities in medicine. They are essential to excellent care.
At this year’s celebration, that message came through in every exchange. Faculty and mentors acknowledged the work behind the white coat moments that the public sees less often: long nights, early mornings, challenging rotations, careful study, and the emotional strength required to keep showing up for patients.
Among his colleagues, Dr. Clarel Antoine represents the unequivocal commitment to honor not only patients, but also the students and colleagues who shape how care is given.
Honoring Graduates and the Village Around Them
No physician reaches this stage alone. Behind each graduate stands a network of teachers, attending physicians, nurses, doulas, hospital teams, family members, friends, program leaders, and donors who helped make the path possible.
The celebration made room for all of that.
Among guests were proud mentors who remembered first rotations, family members who knew the sacrifices behind the scenes, donors who believe in the Rx C mission, and colleagues who understood the pressure, teamwork, and trust that form during residency training.
Residents and past Humanism Award recipients, Drs. Jennifer Blakemore (Humanism ‘17), Arielle Bayer (Humanism ‘19) and Sasha Hernandez (Humanism ‘22), joined Rx Compassion Co-founders, Drs. Clarel & Deborah Antoine, Rx Compassion’s incoming Board Vice-Chair June Delaney, Dr. Leslie Boyd, Interim Chair of NYU Langone’s Department of OB/GYN & Dr. John Zhang, founder of New Hope Fertility Center.
The event also highlighted a truth many physicians know well: the best training environments do more than teach medical knowledge. They model how to stay present with patients, support colleagues, how to communicate with care, and how to keep compassion alive during busy and difficult days.
The Humanism Award recipient, Dr. Elise Heisler, was elected by her peers for her commitment to the values of Humanism. This resident is a model of outstanding patient-centered care, empathy, professionalism, and support for her colleagues.
While not all residents choose to practice Obstetrics, every year we celebrate this award with the graduating resident class who have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Antoine and who have trained in the Endometrium-Free Closure Technique (EFCT) alongside him.
Photos that captured the joy of the evening
The best event photos often tell the story between the scheduled moments. A laugh shared at a table. A graduate pausing with a mentor. A family member wiping away tears. A group photo where everyone leans in because the moment matters.
For those of you who joined us, thank you! Your presence told these residents that their compassion matters. Click through for more photos that capture a glimpse of the joy you helped make possible.
Why support for future cohorts matters
Awards and celebrations can play a special role in the investment in residents. They create a public moment of recognition. They convey that their humanity matters, not just their medical skill. They help build a culture where compassion remains visible and valued.
Training physicians takes more. It takes a curriculum. It takes people willing to invest time, encouragement, resources, and belief.
For donors and sponsors, support for future cohorts can help Rx Compassion continue traditions like this one and build new roads as it relates to supplemental physician training. It helps us certify more physicians, affirm values, and create more opportunities for patients and their physicians to deliver and receive the best care.
This kind of giving does not have to be loud to be meaningful. A sponsored table, a contribution toward event costs, support for resident recognition, or a gift that helps sustain the award in future years can all become part of a wider legacy.
The impact is simple and lasting: graduates remember who stood with them.
Click the bow tie to donate
Thank you for standing with us,
The Rx Compassion Team
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