Philip S. Cifarelli - Education and Early Medical Career

Education and Early Medical Career

Dr. Cifarelli showed very little ability or interest in academics during his schooling through high school. Rather, he interacted with a "tough crowd" often getting into many physical confrontations all the way through high school—he barely graduated and had numerous disciplinary issues. Consequently, the high school guidance counselor recommended Cifarelli pursue a career involving manual labor and upon graduation gave him an application to the Sanitation Department for the City of New York. This clearly was a turning point in Cifarelli's life and was the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of education and knowledge. Upon graduation from high school Cifarelli did not have high enough grades for general admission to college. Instead, he was allowed to enroll in two college courses on a probationary status during the summer immediately following high school graduation. He earned straight A's in the courses and was accepted into the University; within one year his performance earned him an academic scholarship. Dr. Cifarelli majored in Biology at Long Island University while working nights as an attendant at the famed Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, where he developed a lifelong love of opera. His honors for academic achievement included earning a Departmental Medal in Biology which was presented to him by William Zeckendorf. A natural linguist, Dr. Cifarelli read, wrote and spoke four languages. He spoke two different dialect's of Italian and understood and was semi-conversational in Latin. He was so proficient in French that after his first year of studies in college he became the preferred student-substitute for French class at all levels on campus. He went on to attend medical school at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. On a visit home during medical school he met Jean Abitabile, a New York native, whom he later married. After graduating from Georgetown, Dr. Cifarelli returned to New York City where he practiced medicine for several years, working with well-known New York physicians including Dr. Philip A. LoPresti. During this period Dr. Cifarelli, in collaboration with others, became involved developing and testing the gastroscope, the medical device now commonly used to screen patients for colon cancer. Dr. Cifarelli earned his reputation as one of the pioneers of the medical specialty of Gastroenterology working in many hospitals in Brooklyn and Queens, N.Y. including St. Mary's Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y. where he founded the Gastroenterology Clinic and served as Chief of the Department.