The youngest child of Wzo. Lakech Bitew and acclaimed Ethiopian playwright and Poet Laureate Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin, Adey Tsegaye, was born on September 10, 1974. Heralding the end of the rainy season and the renewal that follows, Adey was named after the bright yellow daisies that carpet fields and mountains and mark the beginning of the Ethiopian New Year. From kindergarten through high school, she attended the Sandford English Community School in Addis Ababa, thriving amongst diverse African and other international students.

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She participated in various extracurricular activities, including storied sports teams to which every student was assigned (she was a lifelong Walia). She then moved to New York and attended Queens College, City University of New York, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. Following that, she attended the University of Connecticut Medical School and completed a residency in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary/Critical Care/Sleep fellowship training at Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan.

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Adey was quickly recognized as a rising star. She began working at the intensive care unit of St. Barnabas Hospital in the South Bronx and was then recruited to serve as a Pulmonary/Critical Care and Sleep Physician at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and North Shore University Hospital. She also served as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. In 2019, she was appointed Director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. A year later, New York became the epicenter of national and global news as the city battled the public health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adey led the hospital’s critical care response to the pandemic and its aftershocks and was recognized as a leader in the field through features in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and 60 Minutes on CBS.

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Adey was celebrated as a Distinguished Educator in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine by the American College of Chest Physicians. Her scholarly interests focus on the innovative use of point-of-care ultrasonography in critical care, an area in which she shared her expertise through numerous training courses she provided for professional gatherings in local, national, and international settings. Adey was also an active contributor to research and policy discussions, regularly publishing and presenting at conferences on related topics. Her work has appeared in leading national publications such as the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and Chest. An accomplished quadruple-board physician in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep, Adey was in practice for more than 20 years.

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In her personal and professional life, Adey embodied compassion, inspired confidence, and had the capacity to understand broad policy and public concerns while remaining attentive to the day-to-day treatment of patients. Her clinical acumen was matched by her quiet dedication as a lifelong advocate of quality care, centering her practice on empathy and the human connection with patients and their families, always prioritizing their support.

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Adey was also passionate about educating the next generation of physicians, serving as the Associate Program Director for the Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship program at the Zucker School of Medicine. She inspired and mentored future medical students, residents, and fellows. From formal training courses to community classes, Adey was a regular participant and educator at the annual American College of Chest Physician conferences and presented at various community organizations on healthy sleep and insomnia.

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A staunch advocate for Global Health, Adey lent her skills to various medical missions and was actively exploring partnerships to establish sustainable training programs in her beloved Ethiopia. Since 2008, she has been an active member of the Ethiopian North American Health Professionals Association (ENAHPA), helping to establish ICU units in several hospitals, extending quality care to patients, and guiding young professionals at the historic Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa. Despite the demands closer to home in New York, Adey took on the challenges of the colossal global COVID pandemic in Ethiopia, serving in the national task force in guiding policy and critical care responses. For her family, Adey (Adiye) will be remembered for her generous heart, her indomitable spirit, and her steadfast reliability. In equal parts, she was the favorite auntie who would indulge every whim and the no-nonsense baby sister who could see through mischief. Adey had the ‘broadest shoulders’ that could bear all. Always kind and considerate, Adey was a friend with a ready ear. She served as the health proxy for countless family and friends, responsive to their emotional needs and sensitive to cultural cues.

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Though quiet in demeanor, Adey was also a resourceful community builder who never shied away from pragmatic and forward-looking solutions. Her bright intelligence and engagement with her surroundings were expressed in her curiosity and playful wit. She loved the ocean, international travel, theater, arts and culture, good food, and sports. She was an avid fan of Real Madrid, and her broad musical taste included jazz, hip-hop, Afrobeat, and reggae. Adey’s conversations were often peppered with recollection of stories and easy laughter that belied her strength of character and unwavering presence in the lives of friends and family at their most challenging times.

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Adey Tsegaye passed away from a brain aneurysm on August 19, 2023. Her loss marks a gaping hole in the lives of her immediate family. Her countless friends and colleagues will forever grieve her absence and continue to celebrate her many accomplishments and generosity of spirit.

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• Additional Resources: · Dominus, Susan. “The Covid Drug Wars That Pitted Doctor vs. Doctor,” August 5, 2020. New York Times.

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• Evans, Melanie. “Seven Days, Hundreds of Deaths: New York’s Worst Week Yet Tests Its Coronavirus Response,” April 7, 2020. Wall Street Journal. · Northwell Health Graduate Medical Education - Fellowship in Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at North Shore University Hospital & Long Island Jewish Medical Center website.

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• “Mourning the Passing of Dr. Adey Tsegaye,” Message from Northwell Health Department of Medicine/MSL, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine. August 2023.