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