Phone Numbers

School & Medical Center
Alumni Office	x53498
Bard Hall
Guard’s Desk	x*87002
Housekeeper	x*87016
Housing Office	x*87000
P&S Club Office	x*87025
Black Building Guard	x58103
Blood Bank	x52673
Bookstore	923-2149
Center for Student Wellness	304-5564
Chaplain	x55817
Community Health Council	>. x56654
Cont. Medical Education	781-5990
Dean of Student Affairs	x53806
Facilities	x53753
Financial Aid	x54100
Health Service	x5-3400
HHSC Guard	x58104
Information	x5-2500
Library (CUMC)	x53692
Lost & Found (P&S)	x58100
Lost & Found (PH)	x52222
Mail Room	x53497
Milbank Library	x52760
Ombuds Office	304-7026
Page System (PH-voice call)	x52323
Page System (Beeper)	x55880
Patient Condition Report	x53101
Patient Relations	x55904
P&S Guard Desk	x54095
External Relations	x57131
Rape Crisis	x59060
Public Safety
Columbia University (Security & Escort)	x58100
Presbyterian Hospital	x52222
Shuttle-Harlem/Morningside	x58100
Social Services	x52553
Tennis Reservations (Baker Field)	942-7100
Volunteers	52542
Department & Course Offices (Years 1 & 2)
Pathophysiology	x59306
Anatomy	x53451
Clinical Practice	342-0461
Genetics	x54011
Human Development	x51591
Neural Sciences	543-5265
Parasitology	781-6670
Pathology	x58393
Pharmacology	x54197
Physiology	x55798
Psychiatry	543-5552
Society & Medicine	x54184
Downtown CU Campus
Information	854-1754

Map

Academic Calendar 2008-2009

June 2008
22	Sunday	Deadline to have completed USMLE I, Class of 2010.
23-27	Monday-Friday	Transition week for Class of 2010 (mandatory attendance). Official start of third year for the Class of 2010.
27	Friday	The Steven Z. Miller Student Clinician’s Ceremony for the Class of 2010 (2nd to 3rd year transition ceremony).
30	Monday	Class of 2010 reports to Major Clinical Year hospital rotations. Awarding of June degrees.
July
1	Tuesday/Monday	Class of 2009 reports to fourth year electives.
4	Friday	Independence Day Holiday observed for third and fourth year students.
August
18-22	Monday – Friday	Orientation for first year students, Class of 2012.
22	Friday	White Coat Ceremony for first year students, Class of 2012.
25	Monday	Academic year begins for first and second year students.
September
1	Monday	Labor day Holiday for first, second and third year students.
30	Tuesday	Deadline to have repeated USMLE, Step I, Class of 2010.
October
15	Wednesday	Awarding of October degrees.
November
27	Thursday	Thanksgiving holiday for third year students.
27-28	Thursday, Friday	Thanksgiving holiday for first and second year students.
30	Sunday	USMLE II, CK and CS must be taken by this date, Class of 2009. Passing CK and CS is a requirement for graduation from P&S.
December
19	Friday	Last “first semester” exam for first and second year students.
20-January 4	Saturday-Sunday	Vacation for first, second and third years.
January 2009
5	Monday	Resumption of classes for first and second year students. Resumption of clerkships for third year students.
19	Monday	Martin Luther King’s Birthday (observed). Holiday for first and second year students.
February
11	Wednesday	Awarding of February degrees.
16	Monday	President’s Day (observed). Holiday for first and second year students.
23	Monday	Deadline to have re-taken USMLE Step II, CK and CS, Class of 2009 and to have taken Step II for MD/PhD students in Class of 2009. Passing CK and CS is a requirement for graduation from P&S.
March
2-6	Monday – Friday	Spring vacation for second year students.
19	Thursday	NRMP – Match Day
30-April 3	Monday – Friday	Spring vacation for first year students.
May
1	Friday	Last day of classes for second year students.
6	Wednesday	Last exam for second year students.
13	Wednesday	Last day of classes for first year students. Dean’s Day for Medical Student Research.
22	Monday	Last exam for first year students. End of first year.
19	Tuesday	Class Day, 3pm CUMC Garden.
20	Wednesday	Columbia University Commencement and Convocation of the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
25	Monday	Memorial Day holiday for second and third year students.
June
21	Sunday	Deadline to have completed USMLE I, Class of 2011. Official end of second year for Class of 2011.
22-26	Monday – Friday	Transition week for Class of 2011. Official start of third year for Class of 2011.
26	Friday	Major Clinical Year concludes for Class of 2010. The Steven Z. Miller Student Clinician’s Ceremony for the Class of 2011 (2nd to 3rd year transition ceremony).
29	Monday	Class of 2011 reports to rotations.
30	Tuesday	Awarding of June degrees.
July
1	Wednesday	Class of 2010 reports to fourth year electives.
3	Friday	Independence Day holiday observed for third and fourth year students.

Holidays not specified on this calendar are decided by Course Directors in each course in first and second years, and by Course Directors in each course in each teaching hospital in third and fourth years.

Major Religious Days 2008-2009

September 2008
2	Tuesday	First Day of Ramadan
29-Oct. 1	Tuesday-Wednesday	Rosh Hashanah (begins eve of 9/29)
October
1	Wednesday	Eidl Fitr
9	Thursday	Yom Kippur (begins eve of the 8th)
14	Tuesday	Sukkot (begins eve of the 13th)
December
9	Tuesday	Eid al Adha
25	Thursday	Christmas
April 2009
9	Thursday	Passover (begins eve of the 8th)
10	Friday	Good Friday
12	Sunday	Easter
May
29	Friday	Shavuot (begins eve of the 28th)

Dates of United States Medical Licensing Examinations, 2008-2009

June 2008
22	Sunday	Deadline to have completed USMLE I, Class of 2010. Passing a requirement for graduation from P&S.
September
30	Tuesday	Deadline to have repeated USMLE, Step I, Class of 2010.
November
30	Sunday	Deadline for USMLE II, CK and CS, Class of 2009 Passing USMLE II CK and CS is required for graduation from P&S.
February 2009
23	Monday	Deadline for USMLE Step II, CK and CS, for MD/PhD students and for students in the class of 2009 who need to repeat Step II.

Welcome from the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine

Welcome to the Class of 2012.  As dean of P&S, I am committed to your happiness and success from the time of your first interview through the celebrations that will accompany your commencement. As you progress through medical school, your reflections on what you are learning from our faculty, your classmates, and the more senior students and residents who mentor you will help us to make the educational experience more relevant and meaningful to your developing career goals. Your reflections as new graduates and alumni will be a legacy to the classes that follow you.

P&S offers a unique medical education by taking advantage of the depth and breadth of research, patient care, and community outreach programs conducted by Columbia University, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York State Psychiatric Institute, and our many affiliated partners throughout the city and beyond. The patients who receive their care from our faculty have conditions that span the full spectrum of illness and health. You will learn to examine, diagnose, and treat a diverse group of patients, varying from the most vulnerable populations with no other medical care alternatives to people who could choose to get their care anywhere in the world.  Working with our faculty, all will receive world class care here.

During your time at P&S, we will be transforming two floors of the Hammer Building into a new educational facility that will provide more modern classrooms and study space.  Work also continues on a new curriculum, one that will set you on a course of lifelong learning. Our nationally regarded advisory deans program and our Glenda Garvey Teaching Academy are two of the many resources that will support your educational experience at P&S.

But perhaps the top feature of our medical school is the students themselves. You are part of a diverse group of extraordinary individuals who share the aspiration of becoming the best you can be. Even as our entire faculty is committed to providing the best possible educational foundation, your fellow students will play an equally important role in inspiring you in the pursuit of your goals. If you take advantage of all that P&S, Columbia, and New York City offer, your time here will be stimulating, productive, and rewarding.

I hope to meet you soon as you start this exciting educational adventure.

With best wishes,

Lee Goldman, M.D.
Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine

Welcome from the Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs

Your entry into medical school marks the beginning of a career path that we hope is exciting, inspiring and fulfilling. Millions of people throughout the world are in need of health care, including many in our own neighborhood in Washington Heights-Inwood. The challenges we face to provide universal healthcare, treat those with acute and chronic illness, and develop new technologies and treatments to effectively prevent and treat disease in our global world will become your challenges.

There are superb faculty at P&S to teach you basic science and clinical care. They take pride in our outstanding medical center and participating in your education. Your fellow students, whose interests and accomplishments are impressive like yours, will provide a community for learning, and some will become lifelong friends. You will have opportunities to conduct research with mentors who have made substantial discoveries themselves and learn in an environment that values inquiry and discovery. Many of you will participate in our international health opportunities, or one of our dual degree programs. The international nature of New York City and our community offers numerous opportunities for you to develop as physicians skilled in understanding and treating patients from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Our goal in the Office of Student Affairs is to foster your development as outstanding physicians and leaders. Each student is assigned an advisory dean who provides mentoring and career counseling by meeting with you individually and in small groups throughout medical school. We also encourage active involvement in P&S activities, including the programs that address student life. The P&S Club offers a variety of activities to meet the interests of our students, including the unique Bard Hall Players theater group, specialty interest groups, service groups, and programs in advocacy. We have an expanded Student Health Service, renovated library and student lounge, and a new teaching academy.

You are entering medicine at a time of unprecedented discovery in research and focus on global health. You are the future of medicine and will make a difference for countless others. We welcome you to P&S.

Lisa A. Mellman, M.D.
Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Email lam3@columbia.edu

Welcome from Curricular Affairs

I am delighted to welcome you to P&S. Our goal is to prepare you to become an outstanding physician. We have designed a curriculum which will evolve to improve the quality of your education and to help you meet the challenges of the future. My office is available to each of you to help in every way to make your experience at P&S meet all your expectations.

Ronald E. Drusin, M.D.
Interim Senior Associate Dean for Education
Email red3@columbia.edu

Welcome from Diversity Affairs

It is with pride and enthusiasm that I welcome you to P&S. As a new member of the P&S family, you join a group of talented, diverse and dedicated leaders in the fields of biomedical research, health care policy and medical care. The next few years will be challenging yet exciting, rewarding and memorable. It will be my honor to help you in any way I can to reach your goals. My door is always open.

Hilda Y. Hutcherson, M.D.
Associate Dean for Diversity Affairs
Email hyh1@columbia.edu

Welcome from Admissions

One of the most rewarding aspects of being an admissions officer is the opportunity it affords of meeting a large number of unusually able and attractive people. To learn something about their lives, and to have some part in their being admitted to P&S, is a very great privilege. For those of you that I already know, I look forward with enthusiasm to seeing you again when you arrive in the fall. And for all of you, if I or the people in the Admissions Office can be of help in any way, please do not hesitate to drop by.

Welcome to P&S!

Andrew Frantz, M.D.
Associate Dean for Admissions

Welcome from Alumni Relations

Home away from home. The next four years will be a time of wonder and challenge probably unsurpassed in your life to date. You will learn about the infinite mysteries of the human organism, its functions and dysfunction, and participate in the medical advances of the new millennium. You will find mentors on the faculty, among the alumni, and make lifelong friends among your classmates. Let the Alumni Office be your touchstone, your home base. Please stop by and meet the members of the Alumni Office.

I look forward to seeing you.

Anke Nolting, Ph.D.
Associate Dean and Executive Director
for Alumni Relations and Development
Email aln1@columbia.edu

P&S in Retrospect

1767	King’s College opens a medical school, the first in New York and only the second in the Colonies.
1770	King’s College awards first M.D. degree in the Colonies.
1776	The College closes due to the American Revolution.
1784	King’s reopens as Columbia College.
1791	Columbia revives the Medical School with Samuel Bard as Dean.
1807	The College of Physicians and Surgeons founded with a charter from the New York State Board of Regents; Dr. Bard becomes President in 1811.
1813	P&S moves to Barclay Street near City Hall.
1814	The Columbia Medical School, after years of decline, is merged into the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
1837	P&S moves to Crosby Street.
1856	P&S moves to the corner of Fourth Avenue (now Park Avenue South) and 23rd St.
1860	P&S severs its relationship with the Board of Regents and forges a nominal connection with Columbia; it still retains its independence.
1884	William Henry Vanderbilt gives P&S land on 59th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues and $300,000 to erect a new building. It is the largest donation to a medical school up to that time.
1886	Vanderbilt family members give funds to establish the Sloane Hospital for Women and the Vanderbilt Clinic. All three structures are finished in 1887.
1891	P&S completely merges with Columbia.
1911	Formal Agreement of Alliance between Columbia University and Presbyterian Hospital.
1928	Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, the world’s first medical center to combine complete facilities for patient care, medical education and research in a single complex, opens in Washington Heights on a site donated by Edward S. Harkness. Joining the Center are Babies Hospital (founded 1887), the Neurological Institute of New York (founded 1909) and the New York State Psychiatric Institute (founded 1896).
1931	Bard Hall opens.
1933	Harkness Institute of Ophthalmology opens.
1950	New York Orthopedic Hospital (est. 1866) moves to the Medical Center.
1965	Alumni Auditorium dedicated.
1966	William Black Medical Research Building dedicated.
1976	Hammer Health Sciences Center, housing the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library as well as classrooms and laboratories, opens.
1989	Milstein Hospital Building opens.
1996	First building of the Audubon Research Park opens.
1998	Russ Berrie Medical Science Pavilion completed. Construction completed on the new New York State Psychiatric Institute.
2001	390 Ft. Washington Avenue Residence completed, October.
2003	Irving Cancer Research Center completed, fall. Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NY- Presbyterian’s new bed tower completed, November 2003 and opens its doors.
2005	Irving Cancer Research Center dedicated.
2006	Glenda Garvey Teaching Academy inducts its first 13 faculty members.
2007	P&S Faculty Club renamed in honor of Donald F. Tapley, MD

CUMC Senior Administration

Lee C. Bollinger, J.D.	President of the University
Alan Brinkley, Ph.D.	Provost of the University and Dean of the Faculties
Lee Goldman, M.D.	Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences, Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine
David Hirsh, Ph.D.	Executive Vice President for Research
Ira Lamster, D.D.S.	Dean, College of Dental Medicine
Linda Fried, M.D., M.P.H.	Dean, Mailman School of Public Health
Mary Mundinger, Dr. PH , RN	Dean, School of Nursing
Lisa Hogarty, M.S.	Chief Operating Officer
Joanne Quan, M.A.	Chief Financial Officer
Louis Lemieux , M.B.A	Chief Human Resources Officer
Robert V. Sideli, M.D.	Chief Information Officer
Patricia Sachs Catapano, J.D., M.P.H.	Associate General Counsel
Susan S. Stalcup, B.A., CFP	Vice President for Development
Ross Frommer, J.D.	Deputy Vice President for Government and Community Affairs
Francine Caracappa, M.B.A., CPA	Controller
Amador Centeno, M.S.	Associate Vice President for Facilities Management
Rosemary Keane, B.A.	Associate Vice President, Chief Communications Officer
Diane Lloyd Yaeger, J.D.	Associate Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer
Kathleen Crowley, M.P.H.	Associate Vice President, Environmental Health & Safety/Environmental Health and Radiation Safety
Karen Pagliaro-Meyer	Associate Vice President for HIPAA Compliance/Privacy Officer
Herman Matte, M.A.	Assistant Vice President, Campus Operations
Jean Ford Keane, B.A.	Assistant Vice President, Development
Robin Rosenbluth, B.A.	Assistant Vice President, Development
Ann Viney, B.A.	Assistant Vice President, Development
Bonita Eaton Enochs, M.A.	Assistant Vice President for Communications and Director of Publications
George Gasparis, B.S.	Executive Director, Institutional Review Board
Robert Fishbein	Executive Director, Student Administrative Services
Steven Elliott, M.B.A.	Executive Director of Budget and Financial Analysis
Thomas Garrett, M.D.	Director, Glenda Garvey Teaching Academy
Anne Jacobs McWilliams, M.A.	Director, Finance and Administration, ITS
Ellen Spilker	Director, Student Financial Planning, P&S and CDM
Alena Ptak-Danchak	Director, Health Sciences Library
Jeannine Jennette, M.P.A.	Associate Director for Public Safety

College of Physicians & Surgeons

Lee Goldman	Dean
Steven Shea, M.D.	Senior Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Robert Kass, Ph.D.	Vice Dean for Research
Martha Hooven	Vice Dean for Administration
Anne Taylor, MD	Vice Dean for Academic Affairs
Alfred Ashford, M.D., M.B.A.	Senior Associate Dean, Harlem Hospital Center
Donald Kornfeld, M.D.	Senior Associate Dean, Continuing Medical Education
Lisa A. Mellman, M.D.	Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Ronald E. Drusin, M.D.	Senior Associate Dean for Education (Interim)
Jeanine D’Armiento, M.D., Ph.D.	Associate Dean for Gender Equity and Career Development
Walter Franck, M.D.	Associate Dean, Bassett Healthcare
Andrew Frantz, M.D.	Associate Dean for Admissions
Ernest Hart, J.D.	Associate Dean, Chief Operating Officer, Harlem Hospital Center
Michael Herman, M.D.	Associate Dean, St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport
Hilda Hutcherson, MD	Associate Dean for Diversity and Minority Affairs
Anke Nolting, Ph.D.	Associate Dean for Alumni Relations and Development
Noel Robin, M.D.	Associate Dean, Stamford Health System
Richard B. Robinson, Ph.D.	Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs
William Rosner, M.D.	Associate Dean, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center
Fred Loweff, M.P.A.	Assistant Dean for Graduate Affairs
Richard U. Levine, M.D.	President, Faculty Practice Organization
Michael Duncan, B.S.	Executive Director, Faculty Practice Organization
Roe Long, M.B.A, RN	Chief Operating Officer, Faculty Practice Organization
Aren Laljie, M.B.A., CPA	Executive Director for Finance

P&S Chairs of Departments

Anesthesiology	Margaret Wood, M.D.
Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics	Arthur G. Palmer, Ph.D. (interim)
Biomedical Informatics	George Hripscak, M.D., M.S.
Dermatology	David R. Bickers, M.D.
Genetics & Development	Gerard Karsenty, M.D., Ph.D.
Medicine	Donald Landry., M.D., Ph.D. (interim)
Microbiology	Aaron Mitchell, Ph.D. (interim)
Neurological Surgery	Robert A. Solomon, M.D.
Neurology	Timothy Pedley, M.D.
Neuroscience	John Koester, Ph.D. (interim)
Obstetrics & Gynecology	Mary E. D’Alton, M.D.
Ophthalmology	Stanley Chang, M.D.
Orthopedic Surgery	Louis U. Bigliani, M.D.
Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery	Lanny Garth Close, M.D.
Pathology	Michael Shelanski, M.D., Ph.D.
Pediatrics	Lawrence Stanberry, M.D., Ph.D.
Pharmacology	Robert Kass, Ph.D.
Physiology & Cellular Biophysics	Andrew Marks, M.D.
Psychiatry	Jeffrey Lieberman, M.D.
Radiation Oncology	K.S. Clifford Chao, M.D.
Radiology	Ronald L. Van Heertum, M.D. (interim)
Rehabilitation Medicine	Nancy E. Strauss, M.D. (interim)
Urology	Mitchell Benson, M.D.

P&S Directors of Institutes/Centers

Institute/Center	Director(s)
Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center	Robin S. Goland, M.D., Rudolph L. Leibel, M.D.
Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics	Andrea Califano, Ph.D, Barry Honig, Ph.D.
Center for Family and Community Medicine	Kathleen Klink, M.D. Robert Lewy, M.D.
Center for Molecular Recognition	Arthur Karlin, Ph.D.
Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease	Darryl DeVivo, M.D., Christopher Henderson, Ph.D., Serge Przedborski, M.D., Ph.D., Lewis Rowland, M.D., Honorary Director
Center for Radiological Research	David Brenner, Ph.D., D.Sc.
Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research	Robert A. Glick, M.D.
Center for the Study of Society and Medicine	David J. Rothman, Ph.D.
Center on Medicine as a Profession	David J. Rothman, Ph.D.
Institute for Cancer Genetics	Riccardo Dalla-Favera, M.D.
Institute for Cancer Research	Maxwell Gottesman, M.D., Ph.D.
Institute of Comparative Medicine	Thomas Martin, DVM, Ph.D.
Institute of Human Nutrition	Richard J. Deckelbaum, M.D.
Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center	Riccardo Dalla-Favera, M.D.
Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research	Henry N. Ginsberg, M.D.
Kavli Institute for Brain Science	Eric Kandel, M.D.
Morton A. Kreitchman PET Center	Ronald Van Heertum, M.D.
Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology	Myron Hofer, M.D.
Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center	Richard Mayeux, M.D., M.Sc.
Morris W. Stroud Center for Study of Quality of Life	Barry Gurland, FRC Physicians (London) and FRC Psychiatry
Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain	Richard Mayeux, M.D., M.Sc. Michael Shelanski, M.D., Ph.D.
Clyde and Helen Wu Center for Molecular Cardiology	Andrew Marks, M.D.

The Affiliated Hospitals

All the following hospitals, with which the College of Physicians and Surgeons has major affiliations, are teaching centers with fully accredited residency programs and attending staffs that hold faculty appointments at Columbia University. Starting with the Clinical Practice course in the first year, students may rotate through some - or all - of the hospitals. The institutions offer an extraordinary range and diversity of experiences for students - from a rural hospital in upstate New York, to a municipal hospital in Harlem, to one of the leading medical centers in the world.

Schools of the Campus

The College of Physicians and Surgeons is one of 16 schools in the University. A significant advantage of studying is the ability to take advantage of classes and other opportunities throughout the University. Formal Dual Degree arrangements exist with P&S and the School of Public Health (MD/MPH), the College of Dental Medicine (MD/DDS), GSAS (MD/PhD) and the School of Business (MD/MBA).

The Columbia University Medical School Campus includes, in addition to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the following graduate divisions:

Admissions

Pictured Left to Right: Wendy Hernandez, Rene Napoletano, Ellen Perez

Location: P&S 1st Floor, Room 1-416
Associate Dean: Andrew Frantz, M.D.
Director: Ellen Perez
Email: ep121@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 305-3595

The Admissions Office staff welcomes you as you begin your interview process at the College of Physicians and Surgeons. We organize your visit to our school for your interview along with a student-led tour of our campus and assist you in any way we can during the application and interview process.

The P&S Alumni Association and You

Pictured left to right: Elizabeth Williams, Fay Farese, Liv Vesely, Sonia Winters, Peter Wortsman, and Mary Garris

Associate Dean: Anke Nolting, Ph.D.
Email: aln1@columbia.edu
Director: Elizabeth Williams
Email: ej75@columbia.edu

www.psalumni.cumc.columbia.edu

Back To The Future

Welcome to the Alumni Association of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the oldest (and most congenial) medical school alumni group in the nation. Your membership really began the day you became a P&S student and will continue throughout your life. You are what we're all about! Our goal is to insure the quality of your education and the quality of your life while you're here.

Back in 1859, a couple of P&S graduates got together to foster a sense of fellowship and, above all, to serve as a benevolent influence on the future of the school. One of the Association's first philanthropic acts was to raise money to build a laboratory and lecture hall. After 145 years, with a membership now at 7,130, we remain committed to your present and our shared future.

• The Home-Away-From-Home Program matches new students with interested New York City Metropolitan area alumni on the basis of common concerns in medicine/research, alma maters and hobbies. The purpose is to promote mentor relationships and to help students cope with the often difficult transitional period in the first year.
• The Parents' Day Program, an annual gathering at P&S, gives parents, other family members and significant others an opportunity to put themselves in students' shoes and get a feel for the rigors and pleasures of the P&S student experience.
• The Minority Students' Recruitment Program is coordinated by the Association's Committee on Minority Student Affairs in conjunction with the Dean's Office and the Black and Latino Students' Organization. The Alumni Association hosts an annual dinner for minority applicants, students, alumni and faculty.
• The Externship Program permits students to get a real taste of medical life by spending a week shadowing alumni in their practice. Students generally reside with alumni, who, teaching by example, serve in the capacity of adjunct members to the P&S faculty.
• At Career Forums, sponsored by the Association through the Student-Alumni Relations Committee, alumni and faculty panelists from a variety of fields share their professional experiences and insights, helping current students make informed career choices.
• The Alumni/ae Career Advisory Service, a program established in 1997, sponsored by the Association, serves as a long-term resource assisting P&S students in their career decisions during and after medical school.
• The Host Program. To help smooth your transition from student to professional, the P&S Alumni Association sponsors an alumni-student Host Program. Our far-flung P&S alumni have always opened their homes and hearts to students on an informal basis. Many alumni around the country participate in this program to officially host visiting students during their internship and residency interviews, offering lodging and an insider's glimpse at what it's really like to practice in a particular field and geographic area.

As alumni-to-be, students play an important role in the work and deliberations of the Alumni Association. Our primary link is the Student-Alumni Relations Committee, whose student and alumni members meet regularly to address the most pressing student needs and concerns.

The Association supports a wide variety of student-related projects, including social events, scholarships and financial aid. We also take a special interest in Bard Hall, the student dorm, and designate funds for its improvement. You are the current beneficiary of the largesse of generations of P&S alumni whose staunch support is keeping your classrooms and lecture halls, laboratories, library, computer links and health and fitness facility at the cutting edge.

Long a mainstay of student life, the P&S Club, of which we are an enthusiastic sponsor, offers a wide range of extracurricular activities, including sports, concerts and theatrical performances

Our door is always open to you. The P&S Alumni Relations Office is located in Room 250 of the Black Building, at 630 West 168th Street. Please stop by and get acquainted with Alumni Director, Elizabeth Williams and the staff. Or call us at (212) 305-1472.

Curricular Affairs

Pictured left to right:Jamilette Gaton, Janique Grant

Location: P&S 3-401
Senior Associate Dean: Ronald E. Drusin, M.D.
Email: red3@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 305-4195 or (212) 305-4194

• Oversees the structure, content and quality of the curriculum
• Provides administrative support for interdisciplinary courses
• Prepares class schedules
• Schedules first and second year electives
• Coordinates the clinical assessment program for third year students
• Monitors course evaluations and provides feedback to course directors

Diversity Affairs

Staff (from left): Lydia Nunez, Shaneequa Green-Louissant,Natalya Neidwach, Richele Jordan-Davis

Assistant Dean: Richele Jordan-Davis, Ed.M.
Email: rlj10@columbia.edu

Associate Dean: Hilda Hutcherson, M.D.
Email: hyh1@columbia.edu

Phone: (212) 305-4157
Fax: (212) 305-1049
Web: www.oda-ps.cumc.columbia.edu

The Office of Diversity assists with the mission of recruiting, counseling, and nurturing qualified minority students as well as fostering diversity among students and faculty. Multiculturalism in the medical school environment is strongly supported. The Office of Diversity supports the Black and Latino Students Organization (BALSO), which provides a forum for student participation in campus minority affairs, student recruitment, and service activities in the local community. BALSO also assists and contributes to a variety of lectures centered on disparities in health, provide academic support services and sponsor social events on campus.

The Office of Diversity supports several outreach programs: Summer Medical and Dental Education Program, The State Pre-College Enrichment Program and The Minority Recruitment Day Conference. The Office of Diversity regularly provides pre-medical career counseling and advice to individual high school and college students.

Through these mechanisms P&S enjoys tremendous diversity throughout its student body, distinct faculty, and varied patient population. For further information contact the BALSO President or call the office at 305-4157.

Student Administrative Services

Pictured left to right:Tamika Bryan, Daniella Gonzalez, Maria Santiago, Carmen Sierra,
Wendy Penalver, Joyce Burrus, Tonya Anderson, Mery Suazo, Delfy Velazquez, Roselen Gonzalez

Associate Director: Tonya Anderson
Email: tra1@columbia.edu

Assistant Director: Carmen Sierra
Email: ces3@columbia.edu

Manager: Mery Suazo
Email: mms8@columbia.edu

Departmental Administrator: Tamika Bryan
Email: tb2232@columbia.edu

Staff

Roselen Gonzalez
Email: rg21@columbia.edu

Wendy Penalver
Email: wfp1@columbia.edu

Joyce Burrus
Email: jb2003@columbia.edu

Daniella Gonzalez
Email: dg2477@columbia.edu

Maria Santiago
Email: ms20@columbia.edu

Delfy Velazquez
Email: dv2140@columbia.edu

Provides registrar, student account, cashiering, and ID services including:

• Registration
• Certification for loan deferments
• Change of SSN, change of name
• Grades
• Transcripts
• Verification of attendance
• Billing and payment information
• Tuition and fees information
• Refunds based upon eligibility
• Tuition exemption processing
• Third party billing
• Clearing financial holds
• Student payments
• Stipend check/loan check disbursement
• Electronic fund transfers

Phone: (212) 342-4790

Office Email:  askus@columbia.edu

Student Affairs

Pictured left to right: Joy Bailey, Val Ambrose, Krystyna Cukrowski, Melanie Sola, Dr. Lisa Mellman, Ana Martinez-Tuma, Brian Paquette, and DeLonzo Rhodes

Senior Associate Dean: Lisa A. Mellman, M.D. | mail: lam3@columbia.edu

Assistant Dean: Brian C. Paquette | mail: bp29@columbia.edu

Location: P&S 3-401
Phone: (212) 305-3806

Concerned with all aspects of students’ progress, academic and non-academic, throughout their four years at P&S, including:

• Academic accomplishments and/or problems
• Student counseling, personal/professional
• Planning student programs and schedules - Years 1 through 4
• Implementing on-line schedules and grading for clinical years
• Supervising programmatic development for five Advisory Deans
• Tracking of students on leave/in dual degree programs
• Ensuring compliance by students for HIPAA and evidence based medicine
• Overseeing logistics for students during clinical rotation at Stamford Hospital
• Coordinating fourth year exchange programs with Universities in Armenia, Australia, Chile, China, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Romania, Sweden, United Kingdom and Venezuela.
• Advising students on career decisions and postgraduate education
• Preparing Dean’s letters for postgraduate education
• Coordinating the “Match” process for fourth year students
• Conducting evaluations of residency programs by P&S graduates
• Letters of Recommendation

Serves on committees dealing with student-related concerns such as housing, security, curriculum, academic programs, liability insurance, student services

• Resource center for information on:
• Electives at U.S. medical schools
• Overseas electives
• Residency program brochures
• Organizing key student programs, including
• Orientation
• White Coat Ceremony
• Faculty Advisor System
• Student Advisory Tutoring Program
• Women in Medicine Seminars
• AOA
• Residency Honors Day Awards
• Steven Z. Miller Student Clinician Ceremony
• Class Day
• Graduation

Liaison with National Board of Medical Examiners, National Residency Matching Program, American Medical Association, Association of American Medical Colleges, Medical Society of the State of New York

Special Events

Program Coordinator: Krystyna Cukrowski
Email: kc17@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 305-4028

• Coordinates special events such as Orientation, Dean’s Day for Medical Student Research, Class Day and Graduation
• Provides administrative support for National Institutes of Health student research fellowships: Dean’s Summer Research Fellowships and fourth year research electives.
• Serves as resource center for awards, competitions, fellowships
• Coordinates Women in Medicine group
• Prepares special reports
• Staffs Faculty committees

 

Student Financial Planning

Back row, left to right: Ideta Daniel, Lynn Wills, Ellen Spilker, Sandra Garcia. Front row: Aracelis Cuevas, Neris Goris, Jajaira Baez

Director: Ellen Spilker
Email: es29@columbia.edu

Location: Black Building Room 139

Phone: (212) 305-4100 Fax: (212) 305-0221

Senior Associate Director: Ideta Daniel | Email: ild1@columbia.edu
Associate Director: Sandra Garcia | Email: sb64@columbia.edu
Financial Aid Officer: Lynn Wills | Email: lw198@columbia.edu

• Evaluate students’ financial need, and award funds from school, federal, state and external sources
• Conduct debt management seminars during first year and again prior to graduation to assist students with managing their educational loans and understanding the basics of financial planning
• Provide personal financial counseling and budgeting help
• Liaison with Alumni and Development Offices to assist with fund raising efforts for scholarships and low-cost loans
• Oversee the Financial Aid Committee

Advisory Deans

Since 2003, the Advisory Dean program has provided medical students at P&S academic, career, and personal support through regularly scheduled group and individual meetings. The Advisory Deans create opportunities for students to gather to discuss the unique concerns that arise during medical school, such as the importance of mentoring relationships, academic concerns, recommended changes in the curriculum, and residency and career plans. The Advisory Deans are liaisons to faculty and administrators at P&S and thus have direct access to the numerous services available to students. At the twice-monthly lunch meetings in first and second year, Advisory Deans invite many of these representatives from the University, and the Medical Center, as well as students in more senior classes, to meet with their advisees.

Students are strongly urged to contact their assigned Advisory Dean for any questions about progress through P&S and for mentoring needs. They are expected to attend their Advisory Dean lunches and meetings. This successful program has already enriched the lives of P&S students and continues to evolve based on student feedback.

Student Health Service

Front Row: Thomas Mele, MD; Haydee De Jesus, Receptionist; Debbie Levi- Asst. Director, Center for Student Wellness Back Row: Jackie Paulino, Financial Administrator; Eileen Fox, MS, RN, Nursing Coordinator; Eladia Goris, Insurance Associate; Altagracia Villafana, Medical Assistant; Dilenny De La Cruz, Administrative Coordinator; Melanie Bernitz, MD, Clinical Coordinator; Polly Wheat, MD, Director; Frances Rivera, Receptionist; Tina Sammon, Medical Assistant; Mark Van Alstyne, PA, Clinical IT Coordinator; Elsa Cadena, RN, Immunization Coordinator.

Director: Polly Wheat, M.D.
Email: w219@columbia.edu

Location: 60 Haven Avenue, Tower 1, Ground Floor- Clinical Services; 3E- Administrative Offices
Phone: (212) 305-3400
Emergencies: (212) 305-3400
Fax: (212)342-3955
Web: www.cumc.columbia.edu/student/health
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.–7 p.m.; Fri. 8 a.m.–4 p.m. (Closed Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-4 p.m.)

Student Health Service (SHS) at Columbia University Medical Center is committed to advancing the health of each student and to promoting a healthy campus community through its goals of caring, healing, and educating. We provide a full range of primary care, mental health, and health promotion services, which are focused on your needs, both personal and as future clinicians. We seek to deliver care that is compassionate, informed, confidential, and cost-effective.

We offer the following easily accessible, on-campus services:

Medical Services

Phone: (212) 305-3400
SHS provides a full range of primary care medical services, occupational exposure evaluation and treatment, women’s health services, travel consultation, specialty care (both on-site and referral), and ancillary services, including on-site laboratory service in affiliation with our reference laboratory.

If you are also enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan administered by The Chickering Group, SHS is your gateway to the Aetna provider network. For further information on the Student Health Insurance Plan, visit www.chickering.com or contact Student Health Service.
Except as required by law, no information is released outside the Student Health Services without your written consent.

Associate Director of Mental Health Services: Dr. Burton Lerner

Mental Health Services

Phone: (212) 496-8491
Both psychiatrists and psychologists are available for any type of counseling or psycho-pharmacology issues. Appointments are made directly by contacting Dr. Burton Lerner at (212) 496-8491; you are entitled to 10 free visits each year, plus an additional 60 visits under the Chikering-Aetna insurance. These services are strictly confidential.

Prevention, Assessment, & Treatment Services

Phone:  (212) 305-3400

The Student Health Service is the home of the AI:MS program. AI:MS (Addiction Illness : Medical Solutions) is a safe place for students to raise concerns about compulsive behavior and/or addiction with elected peer representatives and/or a trained substance abuse professional.

AI:MS hears a variety of student concerns, including issues related to problem drinking or drug use; disordered eating behavior; gambling; excessive internet use; excessive spending; or difficulties with/concerns about classmates, friends, or family members arising from any of the aforementioned.

AI:MS utilizes a listening model and does not diagnose or treat. Rather, AI:MS provides support, encouragement, options, and, when indicated, triage to professional therapy. AI:MS is a bridge to specialists who are trained in the treatment and care of many different forms of dependency. These therapists can help prevent abuse from growing into serious addiction. AI:MS can help a student find a professional evaluation and advice, off campus, if desired.

Confidentiality: When students say they do not know the names of those who have used AI:MS, that is because of the importance of confidentiality. As a part of the Student Health Service, all contacts with AI:MS are bound by strict HIPAA regulations. Therefore, all contact with AI:MS is confidential. Information gathered by AI:MS will not be shared with anyone, except in cases of imminent serious risk to individual safety. That instance is most rare.

How to reach AI:MS: Information about AI:MS can be accessed by calling the Student Health Service at 212-305-3400 or by logging on to the AI:MS website at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/aims.

Health Promotion And Wellness-Wellness Works! Program

Phone: (212) 304-5564
Together with the Center for Student Wellness, the SHS provides health promotion and wellness in a number of areas, focusing on stress management, smoking cessation, sexual health, nutrition, and fitness. These programs are tailored to meet your needs. Both individual consultations and group programs are available.

Student Participation

We actively seek your feedback and suggestions for all aspects of the SHS. Please give us your ideas-either through your Student Health Advisory Committee representative, through the suggestion box in the SHS waiting room, via the feedback form on the website, or by email or telephone to the Director.

Immunizations

Phone: (212) 305-3400
SHS administers the public health screening and immunizations required by Columbia University Medical Center. The following are required before you will be allowed to register or attend classes.

• Positive titers indicating immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella. If any of these titers are negative or equivocal, another immunization with MMR is required.
• Immunity to varicella. If you have had chickenpox, a positive titer is required. If the titer is negative, varicella vaccine should be given. If you have not had chickenpox, two varicella immunizations at least one month apart are required.
• Record of three (3) Hepatitis B immunizations and a post-immunization titer indicating immunity.
• If the Hepatitis B post-immunization titer is not positive, Hepatitis B Surface antigen is required. If this titer is negative, a fourth dose of Hepatitis B vaccine should be given.
• A PPD skin test for tuberculosis within the past three (3) months. A chest x-ray is required if the PPD is positive. BCG is not a contra indication to placing a PPD.
• A History and Physical completed within the past twelve (12) months.
• A signed Receipt of Information regarding meningococcal vaccine is required.

Laboratory reports are required for all titers and antigens.

To download forms or for further information, visit our website at http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/student/health or call us at(212) 305-3400. We look forward to collaborating with you to maximize your health!

Center For Student Wellness

Director for Center for Student Wellness (left): Jane Bogart. MA, CHES
Phone: (212) 304-5564
Location: 107 Bard Hall

Assistant Director for Health Promotion (right): Deborah P. Levi, LMSW
Email: dpl2002@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 304-5560
Fax: (212) 544-1967
Location: 107 Bard Hall

The Center for Student Wellness (CSW) was founded on the belief that even the most successful and dedicated student occasionally can use guidance and support. Designed as “one-stop shopping” for student support, the Center for Student Wellness provides free, broad-based support to enhance the physical, emotional, psychosocial, and academic well-being of CUMC students through individualized consultation services, targeted community outreach, and collaboration with faculty and staff.

CUMC students may seek out assistance at the Center for Student Wellness for virtually any concern, big or small. Based on the nature of the concern, the Center staff will assist the student in the development of an individualized action plan to address the concern.

With the outreach program Wellness Works!, the Center for Student Wellness serves as the health promotion division of the CUMC Student Health Service (SHS)

Guiding principles

The Center for Student Wellness (CSW) at Columbia University Medical Center is:

OPEN: The CSW is open to all students attending any school at the medical center regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or status as a Vietnam-era or disabled veteran.

SAFE: The CSW is a safe space where students should feel free to discuss personal matters without fear of judgment or retribution. Accordingly, the CSW acts in partnership with a number of Columbia University and community resources to ensure that all students receive appropriate assistance.

CONFIDENTIAL: The CSW assures confidentiality - no records of specific issues, complaints or problems are kept. The CSW will not report the names of visitors to the office and will not act without permission, except in cases of imminent serious risk to individual safety, or if required by law.

Stay well informed! To learn more about Wellness events and related services at CUMC join our wellness list serve, by simply sending an email to:

Message: subscribe cumclumbia.edu
Subject: (leave subject line blank)
Address: majordomo@cowellness

Getting help...

The Director for Student Wellness and the Assistant Director for Health Promotion hold regular afternoon walk-in office hours. Appointments are available at other times. A complete listing of current walk-in hours is posted outside the Center for Student Wellness and on the Center’s website at http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/students/wellness

Ombuds Office

Ombuds Officer: Marsha Wagner 

Columbia University Medical Center Campus
Email: ombuds@columbia.edu
Location: 101 Bard Hall
Phone: (212) 304-7026

Associate Ombuds Officer: Bathabile Mthombeni

Morningside Campus
Location: 660 Schermerhorn Mail Code 5558
Phone: (212) 854-1234
Fax: (212) 854-6046

The Ombuds Officers are confidential and neutral complaint-handlers serving all campuses - Medical Center, Morningside, Lamont, and Nevis - who seek fair and equitable solutions to various problems through informal processes. The Ombuds Office is available to the entire Columbia University community: students, faculty and employees.

Confidentiality

The Ombuds Officers will not report the names of visitors to the office and will not act without permission, except in cases of serious threat to individual safety. The Ombuds Officers keep no records of specific complaints or individuals.

Neutrality

The Ombuds Officers report directly to the President, not to any administrative office. The Ombuds Officers do not take sides and will not testify; the Ombuds Officers have no decision-making power and do not arbitrate or adjudicate.

Informal Process

The visitor to the Ombuds Office can confidentially voice his/her concerns, evaluate the situation, and plan a particular course of action - if any. The Ombuds Officers will listen, offer information about Columbia University policies and procedures, and present a range of options for resolving a problem. The visitor selects the option he or she prefers.

The Ombuds Officers also provide referrals to sources of expertise or decision-making on particular issues or procedures. With permission, the Ombuds Officers may conduct an informal and impartial investigation, facilitate communication, use shuttle diplomacy or mediate a dispute.

Promoting Constructive Change

The Ombuds Officers keep aggregate anonymous statistics of the types of complaints received by the office and - while maintaining individuals’ confidentiality - may periodically report problem areas to senior administrators and make recommendations for institutional improvements as appropriate.

Office of Disability Services

Director (left): Colleen Lewis

Assistant Director: Sarah Damsky
CUMC Program Coordinator (right): Neera Jain
Administrative Coordinator: Diane Raboud

For a full staff directory, please consult our website at www.health.columbia.edu/ods.

Morningside Campus
Phone: (212) 854-2388
Phone (TTY):  (212) 854-2378
Fax:  (212) 854-3448
Email:  disability@columbia.edu
Web: www.health.columbia.edu
Location: 2920 Broadway
MC 2605, Alfred Lerner Hall, 7th Floor

Medical Center Campus
Location: 50 Haven Avenue, 101 Bard Hall 

The Office of Disability Services (ODS) empowers students with disabilities to realize their academic and personal potential by facilitating equal access and coordinating reasonable accommodations and support services for eligible students.  This approach is consistent with the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act and emphasizes student ability and independence.

Reasonable accommodations are adjustments to policy, practice, and programs that “level the playing field” for students with disabilities and provide equal access to Columbia’s programs and activities. Examples include the administration of exams, services such as note-taking, sign language interpreters, assistive technology, and coordination of accessible housing needs. Accommodation plans and services are custom designed to match the disability-related needs of each student and are determined according to documented needs and the student’s program requirements.

To access academic accommodations, students must register with ODS.  To do so, students should submit a Graduate Application and disability documentation. The application and disability documentation guidelines (by disability type) are available for download on the ODS  website, and at the ODS office. Students are encouraged to register within the first two weeks of the semester to ensure that reasonable accommodations can be coordinated in a timely manner. 

Disability Services Liaisons are representatives from the student’s respective school and assist ODS in coordinating the provisions of reasonable accommodations. The Liaison for P&S is the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, P&S Room 3-401, 212 305-3806.

Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Program

 

Director: TBA
Program Coordinators: Asere Bello and Anna R. Tekippe
Program Advisors: Suraiya Baluch and Rachel C. Efron
Administrative Program Coordinator: Helen V. Arnold

Morningside Campus
Location: 301 Lerner Hall

CUMC Campus
Location: 101 Bard Hall
Email: mb1106@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 854-3500

Men’s Peer Education Program
Phone: (212) 854-2136
Fax: (212) 854-8830

Rape Crisis/Anti-Violence Support Center
Location: Brooks Hall,

Barnard College Campus
Phone: (212) 854-4366

Peer Advocates
Hours: 24 hrs/7days
Phone: (212) 854-WALK

Peer Counselors
Hours: 7pm to 11pm/7 days
Phone: (212) 854-HELP

The Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Program (SVPRP) educates students about consent and coercion, and promotes community standards for a respectful and safe campus. Through its programs and services, SVPRP fosters individual and collective action to end sexual and relationship violence by: Educating students and administrators about the dynamics and effects of sexual assault; Helping students develop the communication and assessment skills necessary to promote and maintain healthy and intimate relationships; and Advocating for appropriate support for survivors of sexual and relationship violence.

Programs

Rape Crisis/Anti-Violence Support Center provides peer counseling, advocacy, and education to survivors and co-survivors of sexual assault, relationship violence, childhood sexual abuse, and other forms of violence.

Men’s Peer Education Program develops prevention strategies and provides educational events and leadership training programs to engage men to end sexual and relationship violence.

Workshops and Events present prevention and risk reduction strategies to men and women.

University Policy on Sexual Misconduct

The University’s Policy for Sexual Misconduct requires that standards of consensual sexual conduct be observed on campus, that violations of these standards are subject to discipline, and that resources and structures be sufficient to meet the physical and emotional needs of individuals who have experienced sexual misconduct.

Disciplinary Procedure for Sexual Misconduct

Students interested in initiating the Disciplinary Procedure for Sexual Misconduct should contact Helen Arnold, the Administrative Program Coordinator, by visiting room 701A Alfred Lerner Hall, calling 212 854 1717, or emailing hva2002@columbia.edu

Big Sibs

Each incoming first-year is matched with a second year student based on one or more demographic parameters. Big Sibs act as initial social, academic and personal contacts, and are available to offer advice, answer questions, and generally ease the new students’ transition into P&S. Big Sibs contact their little sibs before or at the beginning of the academic year to arrange to meet, and often remain in contact throughout the year. This is a student-run, long-standing tradition at P&S that fosters interaction among classes and provides new students with a personal peer resource.

Student Success Network

Regardless of individual talent and prior experience, medical school can at times be overwhelming for anyone. The Student Success Network (SSN) offers services to help make first-year students’ adjustment to medical school a smooth one. SSN promotes a sense of teamwork through regular small-group review sessions, facilitated by second-year students who know what to learn and remember how to learn it. Tutors are also available free of charge.

We hope to enhance both study skills and teaching skills; fundamental to our philosophy is putting into action the tenet of learning from (and thus teaching) your colleagues. It sounds intimidating, but it’s actually fun and a great way to learn. We encourage first year students to come to our workshops early in the semester to see if they can be of assistance.

Black and Latino Students Organization

BALSO E-Board   President: Sabra Lewsey   Vice President: Safiya Richardson 
SNMA Co-President: Brandon Penn   NBLHO Co-President: Christina Cruz  
Secretary: Adjoa Smalls-Mantey   Treasurer: Tiffany Young  
Community Service Chair: Natalia Mendoza  Events Coordinator: Tracy Paul   
MAPS Liaison/Mentoring Coordinator: Jason Dukes

The Diversity Affairs Office at P&S works closely with and supports the Black and Latino Student Organization (BALSO) which is committed to the recruitment and retention of qualified minority students, the nurturing of minority students through counseling and support mechanisms involving faculty and BALSO students, sponsorship of programs that expand awareness of health and health policy issues and community service. For further information call 305-4157.

Residency Advisors

At the start of their fourth year, each student selects a residency advisor, usually in the field in which the student hopes to specialize. The role of this advisor is to review the student’s performance, discuss their interests and goals, and advise the student in which hospitals he/she might logically expect to match for postgraduate education.

Library

Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library 

Committed to supporting the academic and research activities of the faculty, staff & students at the Columbia University Medical Center campus, the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library (HSL) is one of the largest academic health sciences libraries in the country. Its collection includes over 500,000 volumes, 4,400 current periodical subscriptions, and extensive holdings of media, electronic resources, rare books and archival materials.

HSL serves Columbia University’s colleges of Medicine and Dental Medicine and the schools of Nursing and Public Health; New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH); and other health care, instructional and research programs in the Columbia University Medical Center. HSL is one of 25 libraries comprising the Columbia University libraries system, which holds more than 8 million volumes and over 65,000 current serials.

The Library offers a variety of study spaces for both group and individual study. Wireless network access is available throughout the Library.

Expert medical librarians support the Columbia community’s research needs with one-on-one reference consultations and both formal and informal classes covering library resources. For more information about the library’s offerings and services, call 212-305-3605; send an email to hs-library@columbia.edu or visit the library’s homepage: http://library.cpmc.columbia.edu/hsl/

Other library services include: Photocopy center, interlibrary loan, print and electronic reserves, fax sending and receiving, private study rooms, and transfer of materials between HSL and Columbia’s Morningside Heights campus.

The library is located in the Hammer Health Sciences Center on the Columbia University Medical Center campus. The Medical Center Library is a unit of the Office of Education and Scholarly Resources.

Computing Facilities

CUMC IT Service Desk

Location: 701 West 168 Street, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10032
Phone: 212-305-4357 (extension 5-Help)
Email: 5help@columbia.edu
Web site: www.cumc.columbia.edu/it

The CUMC IT Service Desk provides a single point of contact for information technology and related customer support for the Columbia University Medical Center community. It offers computer software, and account troubleshooting and resolution, escalation and follow up with other technical groups at Columbia, maintenance of the computer classrooms and labs, and more.

The Service Desk is located right inside the entrance to the 2nd floor of the Hammer Health Sciences Library. Technical support is available seven days a week via phone, walk in, email, and eSupport, which allows technicians to connect to a computer over the network and provide instant assistance. A wealth of resources including tutorials, FAQs, online request forms, and technical news and announcements are also available.   

Students can find a Getting Started guide at: http://cumc.columbia.edu/it/getting_started.html

Computer Clusters
http://cumc.columbia.edu/it/links/computerlabs.html

The CUMC IT Service Desk offers public computer clusters at several Columbia University Medical Center locations: Hammer Library Lobby, Hammer 2nd floor, and the PH17 Computer Labs. All locations have Windows XP PCs, with Intel iMacs available at the Hammer locations. The computers are available on a first come, first served basis. Software is provided for word processing, analyzing data, creating charts, graphics, curriculum support, and other applications. All systems are connected to CUMC’s high-speed network and laserjet printers.

The Hammer 2nd floor computing facilities are equipped with 21 PCs in the Computer Classroom, 24 PCs and 8 Macintosh computers in the Microcomputing Lab, and 13 PCs in the E-Lounge area, in addition to two scanners (one connected to a PC and one to a Mac).

The 24-hour Computer Lounge is located near the entrance to the Hammer Health Sciences Library. It is equipped with PCs, Macs, and network printers. The Classroom, Labs, E-Lounge and Computer Lounge systems all have CD burning capabilities and allow for personal USB key or “memory stick” use.

On the main and lower levels of the library there are clusters of library resource computers with basic Internet, research and printing capabilities.

The PH17 Lab computing facility is located on the 17th floor of the Presbyterian Hospital building. It is equipped with 39 PCs and two LaserJet printers. The PH17 facility is open from 8am to 2am seven days a week.

Printing

A total of 18 high-speed LaserJet printers are available at all computing locations including three in student housing and a color printer on the 2nd floor of Hammer. The printers do have a per page charge, with Medical Center students being given a semester allocation of 700 free pages for each Fall and Spring semester and 250 pages for Summer. Students are able to configure their personal computers to connect to the printers.  More information can be found at: http://cumc.columbia.edu/it/getting_started/printing.html

Wireless Network Access

Wireless access points are located throughout the library, in Bard Hall housing, and at a number of areas on the rest of the campus to allow for the use of wireless enabled personal computers. Wireless access in the library is available on Lower Level 1, the Lobby and 2nd floor, and extends to both the patio outside of the E-Lounge and the Hammer Library benches and steps. For more information on wireless use and locations at the CUMC campus please see: http://cumc.columbia.edu/it/getting_started/wireless.html

Site Licensed Software

A number of program are free to current students under a site software license.  This includes the Microsoft Office Suite for both Windows and Macintosh computers, and Symantec Endpoint security software.  Students can purchase SAS statistical analysis software at the Service Desk at an educational discount.  Please see the links to these various programs for more information: 

http://cumc.columbia.edu/it/getting_started/resnet.html or call (212)305-4357 for help.

The primary use of these facilities is for support of Medical Center education; other uses may be subject to rental fees.

Residence Hall Computing and Customer Service Support

Residence halls at the Medical Center campus are fully wired for high-speed network access,  with wireless access available in Bard Hall Lobby and 390 Fort Washington. Instructions on how to connect can be found on our web site at: http://cumc.columbia.edu/it/getting_started/resnet.htmlor call (212) 305-4357 for help.

Center for Education Research and Evaluation

Center For Education Research And Evaluation (CERE), part of the Office of Education and Scholarly Resources has three main purposes: a) to assist course directors and faculty in the development and implementation of effective and innovative educational programs, b) to promote advancement in medical education and graduate medical education research, and c) to develop new and innovative ways of providing evaluation mechanisms, largely through advanced technology efforts.

Ongoing feedback about the courses, educational programs, lectures, and educational materials that make up the curriculum is important to us. To collect opinions and suggestions throughout the year, students and residents may be asked to complete evaluation projects, participate in focus groups and other formal discussion sessions to assess various aspects of the curriculum, and/or review new materials that make up the curriculum. This helps to ensure that our programs and research efforts are of the highest quality.

Office of Education & Scholarly Resources

Scheduling Manager: Julie Batista (above)   Manager: Wilson Daniel (above right)

Scheduling Manager: Julie Batista
Location: PH17-106
Email: jeb4@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 305-7528
Fax: (212) 305-9250

Manager:  Wilson Daniel

Location PH17-109

Email:  wd1@columbia.edu

Phone: (212)305-9348

Cell: (646)942-7530

Fax: (212)305-0784

 

Classroom Management

Classroom Management schedules space for courses, seminars and university-related events for Columbia University Medical Center campus schools and programs. The team also oversees daily operations within the classrooms, the Student Learning Center (PH-17), Hammer, and the amphitheaters including:

• Distribution of and training on the use of audio-visual equipment and computers
• Coordinate the maintenance of audio-visual equipment used in the classrooms
• Troubleshoot classroom equipment problems
• Coordinate the assignment and maintenance of student microscopes
• Assign commuter and Black Building student lockers
• Coordinate the maintenance of the classrooms with Facilities
• Schedule and manage the utilization of the computer labs/classrooms (PC only)

Introduction

The curriculum at P&S is designed to train students to be the most knowledgeable, scientifically inquisitive, compassionate, and professional physician leaders of tomorrow. The intersection of biological, behavioral, and population sciences with clinical training serves as the foundation for the educational experience at P&S. Faculty and student review of the curriculum is an on going process and serves as an important impetus for curricular enhancements.

We help students gain a better grasp of the fundamental basic science concepts on which the practice of medicine is based through new efforts to integrate and coordinate the teaching of related disciplines. The basic biological sciences are taught in an integrated interdepartmental approach. They are presented in lecture, small group seminars and with independent learning assignments. In year two there is an organ systems approach synthesizing course material from Pathophysiology and Pharmacology. We hope to provide a climate for learning that reduces memorization, one that enhances and rewards problem-solving, thus developing skills for life-long learning.

The Clinical Practice Course I and II, which extends through the first two years, brings together the scientific principles of population and behavioral sciences. Emphasis is placed on the relationship of the physician and patient in the context of the family, the community and society. The faculty focuses on prevention and health maintenance. Students will understand the role of the physician in relation to other members of the health care team and the responsibility of being the patient’s advocate.

In year one clinical training begins with each student selecting a half day per week experience in a community based public health clinic or education program. These experiences are supervised by a variety of health professionals from the faculty.

The clinical years are devoted to clerkships in the clinical disciplines. Under close supervision the students are helped to develop the skills and knowledge required for the practice of clinical medicine. Students learn to elicit a comprehensive history and to carry out a complete physical examination. They learn to develop professional relationships with peers, faculty and other health professionals and they acquire an understanding of the mechanisms of disease and of the principles necessary for valid diagnostic appraisal and effective therapeutic plans.

Each fourth year student is required to select one month of a seminar course offered in one of the basic sciences. During this month, one day per week will be devoted to assessing health care policy issues and societal concerns relating to health care organization and cost. In addition, a course in Biomeical Informatics will help to prepare you for medicine in the 21st century.

In the fourth year, with the guidance of faculty advisors, students design individual elective curricula, drawn from a wide range of basic scientific electives, clinical electives and research programs offered by the faculty. The elective courses of all departments are described in a catalog which is printed annually and distributed to students and faculty. Students are permitted to spend three months of the curriculum in elective programs offered by other medical schools. In addition, the School of Public Health and Center for the Study of Society and Medicine offer international programs that provide opportunities to study the organization and delivery of health services in many countries of the world.

During the elective curriculum students have available the resources of the entire university. Students are encouraged to utilize the elective curriculum to reach career decisions. Faculty advisors stress the acquisition of knowledge and skills in areas of medicine apart from the student’s career discipline, and they encourage students to gain experience in clinical and/or laboratory research.

 

The First Year

click here for a printable version of the curriculum maps

The courses of the first year at P&S are diagrammed in the chart below. Classes start the last week of August and continue through 42 weeks of the academic year. Two vacations are scheduled - a winter break of approximately two weeks, and a one-week spring break. The figure listed beside each course title indicates the total number of hours assigned to that course.