24 Oct Neal Cohen, MD: A 2025 Unsung Hero

We are honored to nominate Dr. Neal Cohen for the New York State Emergency Medicine Unsung Hero Award. Dr. Cohen exemplifies the very essence of this recognition through his unwavering dedication to his colleagues and the mission of the emergency department.
Dr. Cohen devotes countless hours to creating and maintaining the physician schedule for the Emergency Department. He ensures fairness and equity in shift distribution, while also accommodating time-off requests with compassion and diligence. His commitment to balance and transparency has fostered a culture of trust and mutual respect among the physician team.
Beyond the logistics, Dr. Cohen’s leadership is defined by grace and professionalism. He handles scheduling concerns and complaints with empathy and patience, always seeking solutions that support both departmental needs and individual well-being. His colleagues know they can rely on him—not just for scheduling, but for support, encouragement, and a steady presence in the often chaotic world of emergency medicine.
Dr. Cohen is the quiet force who keeps the team grounded. He is the one who brings calm to the storm, a smile to a stressful day, and a sense of unity to the department. His contributions may not always be visible to those outside the ER, but to those who work alongside him, he is truly an unsung hero.

What distinguishes Dr. Neal Cohen from others in the department is not just his clinical excellence, but his unmatched commitment to the well-being and cohesion of the entire emergency physician team. While many contribute to patient care, Dr. Cohen takes on the often-overlooked yet critical responsibility of managing the physician schedule—a task that demands fairness, foresight, and diplomacy.
He approaches this responsibility with remarkable dedication, ensuring that every physician’s time-off requests are honored whenever possible, and that shifts are distributed equitably. His ability to balance operational needs with personal considerations reflects a deep respect for his colleagues’ lives both inside and outside the hospital.
Moreover, Dr. Cohen handles scheduling concerns and complaints with grace, professionalism, and empathy, transforming what could be a source of tension into a model of collaborative problem-solving. His colleagues trust him not only to be fair, but to listen, support, and advocate for them.
In a high-pressure environment like the emergency department, Dr. Cohen is the steady, compassionate presence who uplifts morale, fosters unity, and ensures that the team functions smoothly—qualities that truly make him an unsung hero.

Recipient Bio:
Neal Cohen is an emergency physician at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset NY and a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He is a graduate of the North Shore University Hospital Emergency Medicine residency program, SUNY Upstate Medical University and Brown University with a bachelor with honors in Community Health. He worked clinically at LIJ Forest Hills including during the COVID-19 pandemic when the neighborhood was one of the earliest and hardest hit in the country. He has been a member of the national ACEP State Legislative and Regulatory Committee contributing to several projects and has mentored and tutored many residents on remediation at the Hofstra Northwell EM residency. He was the founding physician champion for the geriatric ED accreditation at North Shore University Hospital, one of the first accredited geriatric EDs in NYS and is the physician scheduler for the department.

– Lara Reda, MD