Thomas Lo, an anesthesiologist at Montefiore Nyack Hospital in New York, witnessed the massive PPE shortages firsthand as COVID-19 ravaged the city. Rather than sit idly by, Lo decided to act and reached out to colleagues from his alma mater through his connections with Columbia University’s Alumni Association, which has many chapters in China. He was able to mobilize many Columbia alumni associations across Asia, including Columbia Business Alumni Association and Barnard Alumni Association. Through his efforts and the generous donations of members of the association Lo was able to raise over $1 million dollars and purchase over 11,000 N95 masks that were donated to various hospitals throughout New York.

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