Cornell Club of Washington
Sarah Temkin, MD, is a physician, scientist, and first-time filmmaker whose career has focused on improving women’s health. CCW has been tracking her success since offering screenings of her moving, award-winning and impactful first documentary. If you have the PBS App, click here to watch it now.
September marks the broadcast premiere of her documentary 1001 Cuts on PBS, to commemorate Women in Medicine Month, making the film’s message about gender equity in medicine available to a national audience. The film inspires conversations about many of the same questions that first captivated Dr. Temkin as a Cornell undergraduate - how social norms shape women’s experiences and opportunities, and what it will take to change them.
Sarah's profound experiences as a clinician caring for women, and the decision to leave full-time practice during the pandemic inspired her to create 1001 Cuts, a documentary examining the professional lives of women who came of age after the passage of the historic 1972 Title IX legislation banning sex discrimination in higher education. The film premiered at the DC International Film Festival in 2024, where it won Best Documentary Short, and has since screened at universities, health systems, medical organizations, and film festivals across the country.
Deep Cornell roots: As a toddler, Sarah spent time in Ithaca while her father was a postdoctoral fellow at Cornell. She returned to Cornell as an undergraduate student, matriculating from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1993 with a degree in psychology. As a student, she was deeply influenced by the pioneering work of Cornell psychologist Sandra Bem on gender and gender roles. That early interest in how society shapes women’s experiences became a throughline in her career. Temkin went on to medical school and then trained in obstetrics and gynecology and gynecologic oncology. She built a career spanning clinical care, academic medicine, federal health policy, and cancer research, serving at the National Institutes of Health within the Office of Research on Women’s Health and works at the American Cancer Society.
Allison Hamilton-Rohe (class of ’94) does important work to spread literacy by leading corporate partnership development for First Book. Their mission is to ensure that educators serving children in need (ages 0–18) have access to high-quality books and educational resources, leveling the playing field for under-resourced communities. You may have seen First Book recently featured 
by The New York Times Communities Fund!
Get Involved
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Learn More: Visit FirstBook.org to see their impact.
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Support the Mission: You can Donate Directly to help provide new books to children.
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Spread the Word: Share their Stories of Impact with your network to raise awareness.
Hunter Rawlings III, 10th president of C
ornell was celebrated with the naming of a Reading Room at the Washington Latin Public Charter Schools. Latin is a 20 years young public charter school with two campuses offering students a superior education in the humanities. Hunter dedicated himself to its success. Cornellians gathered in May to celebrate Hunter's career in teaching the classics. Gallery of photos. Thank you, Brad Olander, for your leadership in organizing a rewarding fundraising event that was was quite inspirational! Donate to support the growth of WLPCS here.
Alan 
Stillman, Class of 1982, founded Stroke Smart to educate people on how to spot when a person is having a stroke in order to get them to immediate medical attention to prevent serious long term effects. Learn more from Alan's Ted Talk and resources at the Virginia Department of Education.
May is Stroke Awareness Month. Cornell Club of Washington is proud to celebrate Alan's impact and to support distribution of his educational materials.
Elysa Graber-Lipperman, Class of 1989, will become the DC State Coordinator for the AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide Program (Program) on June 1, 2026. The DC Program’s volunteers provide free income tax preparation assistance to DC and MD residents at multiple sites in DC during income tax filing season.
Elysa served as a volunteer Tax Counselor for the last two tax seasons and helped train new Tax Counselors this past tax season. The gratitude expressed by the taxpayers served at the sites where Elysa volunteered, the dedication of the Program’s volunteers, and the Program’s provision of outstanding services to the public motivated her to take on the DC State Coordinator volunteer position.
Email Elysa at elysagl.taxaide@gmail.com to get information about volunteering for the Program or the Program’s services.
Pictured with Elysa, '89 is her husband Peter Graber-Lipperman '85
Ayotunde Ejiko is a rising junior in Fall 2026 at Cornell University studying Information Science and Sociology and competing as a sprinter on the Cornell Track & Field team. A graduate of DC Public Schools, his initiative and voice at school board meetings helped innovate educational access for all during COVID. In DC, he developed leadership skills, a public profile and debate skills. (Character, public service, work ethic and being the region's top ranked 200 meter runner gained him acceptance to all of the Ivy League Schools.) Today, Ayotunde is passionate about using technology, strategy, and community-building to create opportunities for others. His web site provides details in coverage by The Washington Post.
Ayotunde is a skilled bridge builder. His networking efforts with CCW in Summer, 2026 indicate insight and dedication that can influence a pipeline of promising local students to Cornell and our alumni association. He joined CCW's committee to assist with the "Freshmen Send-off," and his involvements in Ithaca are well worth exploration by alumni. Friendly, humble, confident and action oriented, Ayotunde has understandably developed an "influencer's" following of thousands on Instagram (@ayoitstunde.)
On campus, he serves as Professional Development Chair for Men of Color in Athletics (MOCA), where he helps connect student-athletes with alumni, employers, and career development opportunities. He is also involved with SWAG and the Nigerian Students Association, and enjoys finding ways to bring Cornellians together across different communities. Ayotunde's consistent focus is empowering members with skills, habits and experiences to construct their professional careers.
Running races with Big Red pride and with a credible shot at the Olympics, Ayotunde is excited to develop connections with the Cornell Club of Washington and to support events that help current students, alumni, and incoming freshmen feel welcomed into the Big Red family.