Columbia University P&S Student Handbook

cover

Editor: Brian C. Paquette
Co-Editors: Joy Bailey and Dr. Lisa Mellman
Photos: Charles Manley, Center for Biomedical Communications,
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons,
Lydia Nunez, Office of Diversity Affairs,
Richard Cunningham, DKV

Copyright © 2007 by the trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York

1. Introduction

 

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

Click the map for a more detailed view

CUMC Map, click here for bigger view

Academic Calendar 2007-2008

June
17 Sunday Deadline to have completed USMLE I, Class of 2009
18-22 Monday–Friday Transition week for Class of 2009 (mandatory attendance) Official start of third year for the Class of 2009
22 Friday The Steven Z. Miller Student Clinician’s Ceremony for the Class of 2009 (2nd to 3rd year transition ceremony)
25 Monday Class of 2009 reports to Major Clinical Year hospital rotations
30 Sunday Awarding of June degrees.
July
1 Sunday Class of 2008 reports to fourth year electives.
4 Wednesday Independence Day Holiday observed for third and fourth year students
August
20-24 Monday–Friday Orientation for first year students, Class of 2011
24 Friday White Coat Ceremony for first year students, Class of 2011
27 Monday Academic year begins for first and second year students.
September
3 Monday Labor Day Holiday for first, second and third year students
30 Sunday Deadline to have repeated USMLE, Step I, Class of 2009
October
17 Wednesday Awarding of October degrees
November
22 Thursday Thanksgiving holiday for third year students
22-23 Thursday, Friday Thanksgiving holiday for first and second year students.
30 Friday USMLE II, CK and CS must be taken by this date, Class of 2008
Passing CK is a requirement for graduation from P&S
Taking CS is a requirement for graduation from P&S
December
15-Jan.1 Saturday–
Tuesday, Jan. 1
Vacation for third years
20 Thursday Last “first semester” exam for first year students
21-Jan. 1 Friday–
Tuesday, Jan. 1
Vacation for first year students
21 Friday Last “first semester” exam for second year students
22-Jan.1 Saturday–
Tuesday, Jan. 1
Vacation for second year students
January 2008
2 Wednesday Resumption of classes for first and second year students
Resumption of clerkships for third year students.
21 Monday Martin Luther King’s Birthday (observed)
Holiday for first and second year students.
February
13 Wednesday Awarding of February degrees.
18 Monday President’s Day (observed)
Holiday for first and second year students
21 Thursday Deadline to have re-taken USMLE Step II, CK and CS,
Class of 2008 and to have taken Step II for MD/PhD
students in Class of 2008
Passing CK is a requirement for graduation from P&S
Taking CS is a requirement for graduation from P&S
March
3-7 Monday – Friday Spring vacation for second year students
20 Thursday NRMP – Match Day
24-28 Monday – Friday Spring vacation for first year students
May
7 Wednesday Last exam for second year students
13 Tuesday Last day of classes for first year students
14 Wednesday Dean’s Day for Medical Student Research.
19 Monday Last exam for first year students
End of first year
20 Tuesday Class Day, 3pm CUMC Garden.
21 Wednesday Columbia University Commencement and Convocation of the College of Physicians and Surgeons
26 Monday Memorial Day holiday for second and third year students.
June
13 Friday Deadline to have completed USMLE I, Class of 2010
Official end of second year for Class of 2010
16-20 Monday – Friday Transition week for Class of 2010 Official start of third year for Class of 2010.
20 Friday Major Clinical Year concludes for Class of 2009
The Steven Z. Miller Student Clinician’s Ceremony for the Class of 2010 (2nd to 3rd year transition ceremony)
23 Monday Class of 2010 reports to rotations
30 Monday Awarding of June degrees
July
1 Tuesday Class of 2009 reports to fourth year electives
4 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 2007-2008

September 2007
13-14 Thursday-Friday Rosh Hashanah (begins eve of the 12th)
12 Tuesday First Day of Ramadan
22 Saturday Yom Kippur (begins eve of the 21st)
27 Thursday First Day of Succoth (begins eve of 26th)
October
3 Wednesday Last Day of Succoth
13 Saturday Eidul-Fitr
Last Day of Ramadan
December
20 Thursday Eid al Adha
25 Tuesday Christmas
March 2008
21 Friday Good Friday
23 Sunday Easter
April
20-21 Sunday-Monday First Days of Passover (begins eve of the 19th)
24-26 Thursday-Friday Last Days of Passover
June
9-10 Monday-Tuesday Shavuot

Dates of United States Medical Licensing Examinations, 2007-2008

June 2007
17 Sunday Deadline to have completed USMLE I, Class of 2009
Passing a requirement for graduation from P&S
September
30 Sunday Deadline to have repeated USMLE, Step I, Class of 2009
November
30 Friday Deadline for USMLE II, CK and CS, Class of 2008
Passing USMLE II CK required for graduation from P&S
Taking USMLE is required for graduation from P&S
February 2008
21 Thursday Deadline for USMLE Step II, CK and CS, for MD/PhD students and for students in the class of 2008 who need to repeat Step II

Welcome from the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine

Lee GoldmanWelcome to the Class of 2011. I have spent much of my first year as dean of P&S learning about the people who make Columbia a leader in academic medicine and collaborating with students, faculty, alumni, and other friends to identify ways to strengthen our wonderful programs. Medical student education takes advantage of the depth and breadth of our research, patient care, and community outreach programs. Our professors are skilled at teaching in formal and informal settings, and our faculty care for patients whose conditions span the full spectrum of illness and health. We are proud to treat residents of our neighborhood as well as those who could obtain care anywhere but travel from around our city and around the globe for world-class care.

In meeting with students during my first year as dean, I have heard many times that students consider their interactions with fellow students to be a highlight of their time here. You will join a remarkably diverse group in terms of backgrounds and experiences, but all of you share the aspiration to become outstanding doctors. We will do our best to inspire you as you work toward your professional goals.

You are joining P&S at an especially opportune time. Our advisory deans program, a national model, is entering its fifth year, with experience in advising students during all four years of the curriculum. We are reshaping our curriculum into one that we hope will serve as a national model. Our Glenda Garvey Teaching Academy is hard at work on proposals to enhance teaching and, consequently, your learning experience. Finally, we continue to upgrade our facilities to optimize your educational experience inside and outside the classroom.

One of our priorities in developing a new curriculum will be to set you on a course of lifelong learning. In making a commitment to study medicine, you know that your educational responsibility will not end at graduation. We will teach you what you need to know now and, if we are doing our job right, will instill in you the interest and strategies to continue learning throughout your career.

I will look forward to meeting you as you embark on this most exciting phase of your professional career.

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

Lisa Mellman

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

Ronald E. DrusinI 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

Hilda Y. HutchersonIt 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

Andrew FrantzOne 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

Anke NoltingHome 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 Administration & Faculty of Medicine

Lee C. Bollinger, J.D. President of the University
Alan Brinkley, Ph.D. Provost of the University
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
Allan Rosenfield, M.D. Dean, Mailman School of Public Health
Mary Mundinger, Dr. PH Dean, School of Nursing
Robert V. Sideli, M.D. Chief Information Officer
TBA Chief Operating Officer
Joanne Quan, M.A. Chief Financial Officer
Susan S. Stalcup, B.A., CFP Vice President for Development
Marilyn L. Castaldi, M.B.A. Chief Communications Officer
Ross Frommer, J.D. Deputy Vice President for Government and Community Affairs
Robert Lemieux, B.A., M.S. Deputy Vice President for Facilities Management
Patricia Sach Catapano, J.D. Associate General Counsel
Allan Formicola, D.D.S Vice Dean of the Center for Community Health Partnerships
P. Paul Alexander, M.P.A. Associate Vice President for Human Resources
Kathleen Crowley, M.P.H. Associate Vice President, Environmental Health and Safety/Environmental Health and Radiation Safety
Jeffrey Davis, J.D. Associate Vice President for HIPAA Compliance/Privacy Officer
Patricia Molholt, Ph.D. Associate Vice President and Associate Dean for Scholarly Resources
Renee Riley, M.S. Associate Vice President for Residence Halls, University Housing
Jeffrey A. Szmulewicz, M.A. Associate Vice President for Biomedical Communications
Diane Lloyd Yaeger, J.D. Associate Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer
Bonita Eaton Enochs, M.A. Assistant Vice President for External Relations and Director of Publications
Michelle Gelber, B.A. Assistant Vice President, Development
Jeannine Jennete, M.P.A. Associate Director for Public Safety
James F. McShane Assistant Vice President for Public Safety
Anne Jacobs McWilliams, M.A. Assistant Vice President, Biomedical Communications
Jean Ford Keane, B.A. Assistant Vice President, Development
William D. Marchand Assistant Vice President for Facilities Management
Daniel Morrissey, M.A., M.S.T. Assistant Vice President for Professional Resource Services
Robin Rosenbluth, B.A. Assistant Vice President, Development
Ann Viney, B.A. Assistant Vice President, Development
George Gasparis, B.S. Executive Director, Institutional Review Board
Steven Shea, M.D. Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs
Marion Carlson, Ph.D. Vice Dean for Research
Ronald E. Drusin, M.D. Senior Associate Dean for Education (Interim)
Richard U. Levine, M.D. President, Faculty Practice Organization
Michael Duncan, B.S. Executive Director, Faculty Practice Organization
Anthony Bonano Executive Director, Student Administrative Services
John T. Herbert, M.D., M.B.A. Senior Associate Dean, Harlem Hospital Center
Donald Kornfeld, M.D. Senior Associate Dean, Continuing Medical Education
Robert Lewy, M.D. Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Health and Safety
Lisa A. Mellman, M.D. Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs
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. Chief Administrative Officer, Harlem Hospital Center
Michael Herman, M.D. Associate Dean, St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport
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
Thomas Garrett, M.D. Director, Glenda Garvey Teaching Academy
Ellen Spilker Director, Student Financial Planning, P&S and CDM

P&S Directors of Institutes/Centers

Institute/Center Director(s)
Arteriosclerosis Research Center Alan Tall, M.D.
Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center Robin S. Goland, M.D.,
Rudolph L. Leibel, M.D.
Center for Bioethics Ruth L. Fischbach, Ph.D., M.P.E.
Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Andrea Califano, Ph.D,
Barry Honig, Ph.D.
Center for Emergency Medicine James Giglio, M.D.
Center for Family Medicine Kathleen Klink, M.D.
Center for Human Genetics Angela Christiano, Ph.D.
Center for Molecular Recognition Arthur Karlin, Ph.D.
Center for Neurobiology and Behavior John Koester, Ph.D.
Center for Neuroscience Initiatives Sarah Caddick, Ph.D.
Center for Radiological Research Eric J. Hall, D.Phil., D.Sc.
Center for the Study of Society and Medicine David J. Rothman, Ph.D.
Center for Theoretical Neuroscience Laurence Abbott, Ph.D.,
Kenneth Miller, Ph.D.
Center on Medicine as a Profession David J. Rothman, Ph.D.
Columbia-Rockefeller Center for AIDS Research Scott Hammer, M.D.
Columbia University Immunology Center Kathryn Calame, Ph.D.
Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center Domenico Acclli, M.D.,
Rudolph Leibel, M.D.
Institute for Cancer Genetics Riccardo Dalla-Favera, M.D.
Institute for Gene Research Maxwell Gottesman, M.D., Ph.D.
Institute of Comparative Medicine Thomas Martin, DVM, Ph.D.
International Center for Health Outcomes and Innovative Research (InCHOIR) Annetine Gelijns, Ph.D.,
Alan J. Moskowitz, M.D.
Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center Riccardo Dalla-Favera, M.D.
Irving Center for Clinical Research Henry N. Ginsberg, M.D.
Kavli Institute for Brain Science Eric Kandel, M.D.
W.M. Keck Center for Cognition and Plasticity Michael Goldberg, M.D.
Morton A. Kreitchman PET Center Ronald Van Heertum, M.D.
New York Obesity Research Center (St. Luke’s-Roosevelt) F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, M.D., M.P.H.,
Rudolph L. Leibel, 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
Judith P. Sulzberger, M.D. Columbia Genome Center James E. Rothman, Ph.D.
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.
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

P&S Chairs of Departments

Department Chair Location
Anesthesiology Margaret Wood, M.D. PH 5 Center 505
Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics Arthur G. Palmer, Ph.D. (Interim) P&S 5-424
Biomedical Informatics George Hripcsak, M.D. (Interim)
Dermatology David R. Bickers, M.D. HIP 14-1410
Genetics & Development Gerard Karsenty, M.D., Ph.D. HHSC 1602
Medicine Donald Landry, M.D., Ph.D. (Interim) PH 8 East 105
Microbiology Aaron Mitchell, Ph.D. (Interim) HHSC 1301A
Neurological Surgery Robert A. Solomon, M.D. NI 4-440
Neurology Timothy Pedley, M.D. NI 14-1401
Neuroscience John Koester, Ph.D. (Interim)
Obstetrics & Gynecology Mary E. D’Alton, M.D. PH 16 East 28
Ophthalmology Stanley Chang, M.D. EI 2-218
Orthopedic Surgery Louis U. Bigliani, M.D. PH 11-1130
Otolaryngology/
Head & Neck Surgery
Lanny Garth Close, M.D. HP 8 820
Pathology & Cell Biology Michael Shelanski, M.D., Ph.D. P&S 15-402
Pediatrics Richard Polin, M.D. (interim) BHS 1-114
Pharmacology Robert S. Kass, M.D. PH 7 West 318
Physiology & Cellular
Biophysics
Andrew Marks, M.D. P&S 11-511
Psychiatry Jeffrey Lieberman, M.D. PI 670
Radiation Oncology Philip O. Alderson, M.D. (Interim) HP3-320
Radiology Phillip O. Alderson, M.D. MHB 2-131
Rehabilitation Medicine Nancy E. Strauss, M.D. (Interim) HP 1-167
Surgery Craig R. Smith, M.D. (Interim) MHB 7GN-435
Urology Mitchell Benson, M.D. HIP 11-1102

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.

Presbyterian Hospital

Presbyterian HospitalLocation New York, NY 10032

Phone (212)305-2500

The original P&S hospital affiliate (1911), today a 1,200 bed tertiary care center, one of the world’s foremost medical centers. The 800-bed Milstein Hospital Building opened in 1989

Allen Pavilion

Allen PavillionLocation
5141 Broadway,
New York, NY 10034

Phone (212)932-5000

This 300-bed community hospital at the northern tip of Manhattan opened in 1988.

New York State Psychiatric Institute and Hospital

New York Psychiatric HospitalLocation 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032

Phone (212)543-5000

State hospital, among the leading psychiatric centers in the world. A new building opened in June, 1998.

St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center

St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital CenterIn 1979, Roosevelt Hospital merged with St. Luke’s (incorporated Woman’s Hospital in 1965) to form St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, the largest voluntary nonprofit private hospital in the United States.

Roosevelt Hospital

Location 1000 Tenth Avenue,
New York, NY 10019
Phone (212)523-4000

St. Luke’s Hospital

Location 1111 Amsterdam
Avenue, New York, NY 10025
Phone (212)523-4000

Woman’s Hospital

Location 1111 Amsterdam
Avenue, New York, NY 10025
Phone: (212)523-4000

Harlem Hospital Center

Harlem Hospital CenterLocation
506 Lenox Avenue,
New York, NY 10037

Phone (212)939-1000

A modern, up-to-date municipal hospital, serves the entire Northern region of Manhattan.

Bassett Healthcare

Bassett HealthcareLocation Cooperstown, NY 13326

Phone (607)547-3456

One of the finest rural hospitals in the country, serving ten counties in upstate New York, with a full-time faculty of 140 physicians in a multi-specialty group practice setting with over 250,000 outpatient visits annually.

Helen Hayes Hospital

Helen Hayes Hospital

Location West Haverstraw, NY 10993

Phone (914)947-3000

New York State Hospital, specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Leading center for laboratory and clinical investigation of bone disease.

The Stamford Hospital

The Stamford HospitalLocation Shelburne Road at West Broad Street, Stamford, CT 06904-9317

Phone (203)276-1000

The Stamford Hospital is a 305-bed, not-for-profit, teaching acute care hospital which is part of Stamford Health System. The Stamford Hospital offers inpatient and outpatient services in medicine, surgery, obstetrics/gynecology, and psychiatry, and is fully accredited. Special features include a Level II Trauma Center/Emergency Department; the Carl & Dorothy Bennett Cancer Center, which offers a full range of outpatient cancer services for patients and families; a bone marrow transplant unit; cancer genetic assessment and risk prevention.

The Stamford Hospital offers medical residency training programs in Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Surgery, Psychiatry and Family Medicine in conjunction with Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. The hospital also offers a School of Radiology, Clinical Pastoral Education Program and EMS Institute for emergency medical training.

St. Vincent’s Hospital

St. Vincent’s Hospital

Location 2800 Main St,
Bridgeport, CT 06606

Phone (203) 576-6000

St. Vincent’s Medical Center is a 391-bed, tertiary-level hospital serving Fairfield and New Haven Counties. It specializes in cardiovascular, oncology, women’s and family, behavioral health and senior services and has a medical staff of 450 physicians.

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:

College of Dental Medicine

The College of Dental Medicine, one of the first dental colleges in the nation to become fully integrated with a research university in a world-renowned medical center, has origins dating to 1852. The College offers the D.D.S. degree as well as postdoctoral specialty education and dual degrees with other schools of the University, including the M.A. with certain specialties, the M.B.A., the M.P.H., and a Ph.D. and M.A. in Biomedical Informatics. Over 2400 applicants recently sought positions in the class of 75 students. The four-year pre-doctoral curriculum is heavily biomedical. The students share much of the first two years of the P&S curriculum; this strong biomedical base serves well to support the medically oriented clinical years of the curriculum.

Community activities are extensive. The College has several off-site community-based facilities and a van for Head Start centers. The College is the major source of oral health care for the northern Manhattan area and offers that care at a reasonable cost. Special populations, including those with complex medical histories, are served through the College’s clinics.

Approximately 96% of the D.D.S. students continue into postdoctoral education. Only 2 of the 56 other U.S. dental schools approach that percentage, and only one in three dental graduates in the U.S. match postdoctoral programs. The student body is rich in its diversity; 50% are women, 20% of the Year I class are “under-represented in dentistry” students, and a significant number of matriculating students hold advanced degrees, e.g. M.D., Ph.D., M.A., etc.

The College has a long tradition of excellence in research, and supports research experiences with both internal and external short term training grants. Both the D.D.S. and specialty candidates are encouraged to be active participants in on-going clinical and basic science research within the Columbia University Medical Center.

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University offers doctoral (Ph.D.) programs in basic sciences. The Coordinated Doctoral Program in Basic Sciences consists of ten tracks: Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Biomedical Informatics, Cell Biology and Pathobiology, Cellular, Molecular and Biophysical Studies, Genetics and Development, Microbiology, Neurobiology and Behavior, Nutrition, Pharmacology and Physiology and Cellular Biophysics. A Master’s Degree Program in Biomedical Informatics is also available.

All students in the Coordinated Doctoral Program receive full support for tuition, student health services and medical insurance. Students also receive a generous stipend for their personal use that begins at registration and normally continues throughout the period of graduate study. Both international students and U.S. students are eligible for this support. Currently there are over 400 Ph.D. students in the various departments and sub-committees of the Coordinated Doctoral Program. Fifty-three percent are women. Twenty-nice percent are international students from all parts of the world.

The Coordinated Doctoral Program allows the students to become part of the exciting and highly interactive research community of faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at the Medical Center. Courses are generally concentrated in the first two years. The first year curriculum emphasizes research rotations in three different laboratories to allow students to experience a range of research topics and potential Ph.D. mentors. At the beginning of the second year, students choose their mentors and begin their research for the Ph.D. degree. The basic sciences faculty are committed to providing a complete graduate education that emphasizes intellectual challenge, supportive guidance, independence and sophisticated training in research. Ph.D. graduates from the Coordinated Doctoral Program have consistently gone on to become world leaders in biomedical research.

 

School of Nursing

The School of Nursing, a leader in nursing education for over 110 years, offers programs in advanced practice nursing, research and health policy. Today, students study alongside faculty who have earned the highest authority of any advanced practice nurses anywhere. It was the first school of nursing to adopt a universal faculty practice plan, the first to award a Master’s degree in a clinical nursing specialty, and the first to offer the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.

The combined degree program allows non-nurse college graduates to accelerate study in baccalaureate nursing and concentrate on master’s level courses in advanced practice. The Master of Science degree program offers eleven areas of clinical specialization and six sub-specialties, encompassing primary and specialty care, and prepares skilled practitioners with the research and clinical foundation necessary for leadership in academic nursing and practice. A University Statutory Certificate program is offered to master’s prepared advanced practice nurses who wish an additional area of clinical specialization. The DNSc program is a research-intensive curriculum preparing nurse scholars who are ready to conduct research in outcomes and health policy, independently and as part of interdisciplinary teams. The DrNP program focuses on the clinical practice of nursing and represents the highest academic preparation for nursing practice. The School has an enrollment of approximately 580 students. Joint degree programs are offered with the School of Public Health (MS/MPH) and the Business School (MS/MBA).

The School maintains four academic research centers: The Center for AIDS Research, the Center for Health Policy, the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for International Development in Advanced Nursing Practice, and the Center for Evidence-Based Practice in the Underserved.

Institute of Human Nutrition

The Institute of Human Nutrition, founded in 1954, is an interdisciplinary unit whose mission is to study all aspects of nutrition that relate to human health. The Institute serves to conduct, coordinate, and lead nutrition research and education activities throughout Columbia University and its affiliated institutions. These activities include basic research, clinical research, public health-preventive medicine programs, and education and training at many levels. A long-standing mission of the Institute is to train individuals for scholarly activities and for positions in universities and research centers that are in the forefront of the movement to advance nutrition as a health science. In addition, the Institute seeks to augment the training of physicians and other health specialists who are interested in emphasizing nutrition in their professions. The Institute functions to coordinate academic nutrition activities being carried out within many administrative units (Faculties, Departments, Centers) within the Columbia University system.

The specific aims of each of these units, the research being conducted within them, and the programs of instruction offered are outlined in other sections of this handbook. Although each unit conducts its own program of research and training, its work is coordinated to achieve two basic goals: conduct research to advance knowledge of nutrition and training in areas of nutrition relevant to the physician and scientist. To achieve this coordination, collaborative research projects among the faculty are frequent, and joint seminars and courses are conducted regularly involving faculty members and students in different departments.

Members of the Institute of Human Nutrition hold appointments in over 18 academic departments and centers within the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, and other divisions of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. These faculty members, in addition to expertise in their own disciplines, have research and teaching interests in the area of human nutrition relevant to the mission of the Institute of Human Nutrition.

 

Mailman School of Public Health

The Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University has been on the cutting edge of public health education since its inception over three-quarters of a century ago. It has assumed leadership in disease prevention and, with equal emphasis, in the active promotion of health for all. It is one of thirty-four schools of public health in the United States accredited by the Council on Education in Public Health. Currently more than 800 students are enrolled in the degree programs leading to the Master in Public Health (MPH), Master of Science (MS), Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Public Health, as a profession, naturally interfaces with most professional disciplines that affect the lives of people. The School developed its dual degree programs to encourage students to integrate public health training with other clinical or professional studies. Dual degree programs currently enroll students in a variety of the University’s professional schools, including medicine, dentistry, nursing, occupational therapy, social work, international and public affairs, urban planning, business, and law. Among the overall educational objectives for all graduates of the School is the development of individual competence and improved skills, particularly in;

  • Recognizing and defining public health problems, setting priorities and using scientific approaches to problem solving;
  • Accumulating appropriate data information, analyzing and interpreting findings, and assessing relevance and validity; and
  • Communicating effectively with colleagues and a variety of groups involved in delivering health services.

Public health is inherently interdisciplinary in its research, teaching and service programs. The School is unique in its extensive involvement in direct service delivery programs. The School and several of its Departments are involved in a number of substantial programs that provide public health services directly to populations in need, and in programs that provide ongoing technical assistance to other service-delivery organizations. Furthermore, as is appropriate for a school of public health, many of the School’s research projects focus explicitly on topics that are directly applicable to the delivery of public health services. More and more frequently, the problems and issues that engage the efforts of those working in public health are played out at “center stage” in the global community — the challenges of AIDS, environmental carcinogens, inequities in health care delivery systems, advances in genetics that may radically affect health behavior, the plight of populations displaced by natural disasters or civil strife. These problems are enormous in scope and require our best efforts. They are being addressed daily in the academic programs at the Mailman School of Public Health, and by our faculty and students in their research and in their service activities. At the same time, the Mailman School of Public Health, located in a multi ethnic neighborhood of New York City with a medically underserved population, delivers care at the most immediate local level. Our outreach includes a model Head Start program with a health component, school-based health clinics that aim to provide basic health care and prevent early pregnancy and school dropout, and community health promotion programs to screen for cancer and provide self-help education for the growing number of asthma sufferers in our urban neighborhoods

 

Programs in Occupational Therapy

The Programs in Occupational Therapy have a long and celebrated history at Columbia University. Consistently being ranked by U.S. News and World Report among the best occupational therapy educational programs in the country, our program has also exceeded accreditation standards (Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education) since its inception in 1941. Our faculty is nationally and internationally recognized.

Columbia University’s Occupational Therapy Programs are known for educating individuals who have distinguished themselves as leaders in the profession, working as master clinicians, educators, researchers, administrators, and consultants. Through the offerings of an entry-level M.S. degree, a post-professional M.S. degree, and the first joint M.S./M.P.H. degree (with the Mailman School of Public Health) in the country, students receive a strong foundation across all practice areas, and work in a variety of clinical and community settings. In addition, we are partnering with Teachers College to launch an Ed.D. program in occupational therapy and motor learning.

Through cutting edge programs, our faculty and students have led the way in defining emerging practice areas and in promoting evidence-based practice and research. The structure of each program, which combines principles of adult learning with professional education, allows for didactic experiences that will prepare occupational therapists to work in and contribute to an ever-changing healthcare arena. Stressing multidisciplinary learning, students are prepared to work collaboratively with professionals of all disciplines. The close faculty-student interactions further allow for solid professional mentorship. Strong ties to fieldwork sites in New York City and across the country facilitate the continuum from theoretical and scientific knowledge, to practical application. Currently, the Programs enroll approximately 100 students each year.

 

Program in Physical Therapy

Columbia offers an entry-level Clinical Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT). The goal of the program is to prepare graduates who are self-directed generalists with clinical problem solving skills. Students graduate with a comprehensive foundation of basic principles in the art and science of physical therapy. With 10.5 full-time faculty and a roster of distinguished adjunct instructors and laboratory assistants from Columbia University Medical Center, students are ensured individualized attention. In recognition of the varied abilities, interests and learning styles of graduate students, the professional curriculum is designed to be flexible and innovative, using a wide variety of learning styles. Emphasis is on an adult methodology that incorporates clinical decision-making, evidence-based practice and self-directed learning activities. Students design and complete a capstone project, collaborating with scientists and clinicians from many parts of the University. The curriculum provides for some specialized skill development through advanced seminars and electives offered during the third year of study. The concept that learning is a lifelong process pervades the educational program. Physical therapists with generalist capabilities are prepared to develop specialty skills, contribute to the leadership and growth of physical therapy, and advance the quality of health care through clinical research. All students participate in a clinical mentorship program during the second year of the curriculum and complete 36 weeks of full-time clinical education. The DPT degree is awarded upon successful completion of both the academic and clinical education components of the curriculum. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education and is registered with the Department of Education of the State of New York. Class size is limited to approximately 40 students per year.

2. Administration

 

Admissions

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: Katherine Couchells, Mary Garris, Elizabeth Williams, Sonia Winters, Faye Farese, Peter Wortsman

Associate Dean: Anke Nolting, Ph.D.
Email: aln1@columbia.edu
Director: Elizabeth Williams
Email: ej75@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, Kathy Couchells and the staff. Or call us at (212) 305-1472.

 

Curricular Affairs


Pictured left to right: Janique Grant, Jamilette Gaton

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, standing left to right: Delfy Velasquez, Roselen Gonzalez, Joyce Burrus, Carmen Sierra, Anthony Bonano, Mery Suazo, Wendy Penalver Seated left to right: Tonya Anderson, Maria Santiago, Tamika Bryan,

Director: Anthony Bonano
Email:
aeb127@columbia.edu

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

Diana Parra
Email:
dp2037@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

Student Affairs


Back row left to right: Brian Paquette, Hazel Bonello, DeLonzo Rhodes, Ana Martinez-Tuma, Krystyna Cukrowski, Nicholas Gray Seated left to right: Joy Bailey, Dr. Lisa Mellman, Jessica Ash

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

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

Student Health Service


Pictured left to right: Triage Nurse: Brenda Johnson, LPN Junior Accountant: Jaqueline Paulino Physician Assistant: Mark Van Alstyne Insurance Associate: Eladia Goris Physician: Melanie Bernitz, MD Immunization Nurse: Elsa Cadena, RN, SHS Administrator: Kathryn Clark Senior Clerk, SHS: Dimissia De Los Santos Administrative Assistant: Dilenny De La Cruz Medical Assistant: Altagracia Villafana SHS Director: Polly Wheat, MD, Nurse Coordinator: Eileen Fox, RN

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.

Bert Lerner

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.

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!

3. Student Support Services

 

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.

Dr. Peter Puchner

Dr. Peter PuchnerDr. Peter Puchner
Chairman, Committee of Advisory Deans
Email: bpuchner@aol.com

 

Dr. William Macaulay

Dr. William Macaulay, Jr.Dr. William Macaulay
Jr. Department of Orthopedic Surgery

Email: wm143@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 305-6959
Fax: (212) 928-4024
Office: PH11-1146

Dr. Joseph Haddad, Jr.

Dr. Joseph HaddadDr. Joseph Haddad, Jr.
Department of Otolaryngology/
Head and Neck Surgery

Email: jh56@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 305-8933
Fax: (212) 326-8475
Office: BHN 5-501

Dr. Saundra Curry

Dr. Saundra CurryDr. Saundra Curry
Department of Anesthesiology

Email: sc42@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 305-8361
Fax: (212) 305-3204
Office: PH5-517

Dr. Alessandra Pernis

Dr. Alessandra Pernis
Department of Medicine

Email: abp1@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 305-3763
Fax: (212) 305-5052
Office: P&S 9-435

Dr. Donald Quest

Dr. Donald Quest

Dr. Donald Quest
Department of Neurosurgery

Email: doq1@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 305-5582
Fax: (212) 305-2026
Office: NI4-440

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.

 

Black and Latino Students Organization


Current BALSO officers are: President: Felicia Rosario, Vice President: Julie Gonzalez,Secretary: Shenecia Beecher, Treasurer: Etan Eitches, Events Coordinator: Nneka Edwards-Jackson, SNMA co-president: Damani Taylor, NBLHO co-president: Hector Perez, Community Service Chair: Daniel Neghassi

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.

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.

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.

The AI:MS Program at P&S

Daniel W. Morrissey

Daniel W. Morrissey
Advisor in Residence

Office: Bard Hall, Room 102
Email: dwm3@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 305-3989
Fax: (212) 305-0428

AI:MS (Addiction Illness : Medical Solutions) began in 1986 when a student died from an untreated addiction disease. Students asked for a new way to address their questions about lifestyles which may put them at risk. Under the supervision of Daniel Morrissey, AI:MS is a safe place for students to raise concerns about alcohol, drugs, eating disorders, computer usage, and other compulsive behavior with elected peer representatives rather than with faculty or administrators.

AI:MS hears a variety of student concerns. For example:

  • My roommate drinks every day, but he says it’s not a problem because he has not failed anything.
  • Twice I’ve had to bring a friend home after a party. She doesn’t remember anything she did. She says she can take care of it herself and that it’s not my business.
  • I spend a few hours every night on line playing poker.
  • The balance on my credit card is now in five figures.
  • When I told my roommate I didn’t like the way he used drugs, he reminded me that he got honors in Pharm and that he knew exactly what he was doing.
  • I want to stop smoking.

What AI:MS can do

AI:MS members are here primarily to listen. AI:MS does not diagnose or treat, but provide 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. AI:MS will pay the expenses involved.

Confidentiality

When people say they do not know the names of those who have used AI:MS, that is because of the importance of confidentiality. All contact with AI:MS is in total confidence. The only possible exception would be a case of imminent serious danger to individual safety. That instance is most rare. AI:MS is not affiliated in any way with the Dean’s Office. It does not receive any funding from the Dean’s Office and keeps no records. AI:MS cannot refer students for disciplinary action. Communication with the Dean could be initiated only if a student’s health and well-being were in immediate jeopardy, and even then only after extensive discussion with the student.

How to reach AI:MS

Each class has several representatives, elected by their peers for a four-year term. Their 24/7 contact information is in the AI:MS section of the Student Resources website (http://columbia.edu/cu/aims/contactus.html) Daniel Morrissey both lives and has his office in Bard Hall so that students may reach him on campus at almost any time. His office hours are posted on the door of Bard 102, and he will also make appointments at students’ convenience.

Center For Student Wellness

Debra Levi William David Kernan

Director Center for Student Wellness: William David Kernan, Ed.D., CHES
Email: dk2002@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 304-5564
Fax: (212) 544-1967
Location:
107 Bard Hall

Assistant Director for Health Promotion: 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

Bathabile Mthombeni-Njenga Marsha Wagner

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-Njenga

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

Colleen Lewis

Director: Colleen Lewis

Assistant Director: Sarah Damsky
Senior Program Manager: Robyn Weiss
Program Coordinator: Neera Jain
Learning Specialist/First Year Coordinator: Michelle Witman
Assistive Technology Specialist: Christopher Doucet
Coordinator of Reasonable Accommodations: Eileen Lograno
Administrative Coordinator: Diane Raboud

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, Room 801

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

The Office of Disability Services (ODS) facilitates equal access for students with disabilities by coordinating reasonable accommodations and support services.

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.

Registration includes submission of both the Application for Accommodations and Services and disability documentation. The application and disability documentation guidelines are available online 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 made for that term. Please note that students are not eligible to receive reasonable accommodations until the registration process is complete.

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. You can also reach Dr. Carl Olsson, Chairman, President Advisory Committee on Disability for the Columbia University Medical Center, 212 305-7870.

Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Program

Maura M. Bairley

Director: Maura M. Bairley
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

4. Academic Administrative Services

 

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

The Information Commons

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.cubhis.org

The CUbhis Information Commons (“IC”) Service Desk The CUbhis Information Commons (“IC”) Service Desk provides a single point of contact for information technology and related customer support for the Columbia University Medical Center community. The IC’s services include initial technical troubleshooting and resolution, escalation and follow up with other technical groups at Columbia, maintenance of the computer classrooms and labs, computer training, media support, and more.

The Help Desk is located right inside the entrance to the 2nd floor of the Hammer Health Sciences Library. IC technical support is available seven days a week via phone, walk in, email, and via CUbhis 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 on

www.cubhis.org and new students can find a Getting Started guide at: http://www.cubhis.org/getting_started/students.html

Computer Clusters

Information Commons 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 Power Mac G5s 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.

The Hammer 2nd floor computing facilities are equipped with 21 PCs in the Computer Classroom, 24 PCs and 9 Macintosh computers in the Microcomputing Lab, and 14 PCs in the E-Lounge area, which also houses two scanners (one connected to a PC and one to a Mac) and study carrels with network connection ports.

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 40 PCs and two LaserJet printers. The PH17 facility is open from 8am to 2am seven days a week.

More information on the Computer Clusters can be found at: http://www.cubhis.org/links/computerlabs.html

Printing

A total of 16 high-speed LaserJet printers are available at all computing locations including one in the Bard Hall Lobby, with 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 detailed printing information can be found at: http://www.cubhis.org/getting_help/printing.html

Wireless Network Access

Wireless access points are located throughout the library and at various spots 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 the 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://www.cubhis.org/getting_started/wireless.html

Instructional and Learning Support

Computer classrooms and equipment can be reserved online for a variety of uses. Installation of licensed software for academic courses or training programs held in the Classroom and Labs can be requested as well, for both please see: https://secure.cumc.columbia.edu/cubhis/forms/reservations.php

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

A variety of free, non-credit classes related to technology use and training on specific software programs can be found at: http://www.cubhis.org/getting_help/classes.html and at http://library.cpmc.columbia.edu/hsl/classes/classes.cfm

IC provides site-licensed software, including the Microsoft Office Suite for both Windows and Macintosh based computers, and Symantec (Norton) Antivirus. Students can purchase SAS statistical analysis software at the IC at an educational discount. Please see the links to these various programs for more information: http://www.cubhis.org/getting_help/software.html

Residence Hall Computing and User Service Support

Residence halls at the Medical Center campus are fully wired for high-speed access to email and the Internet, with wireless access available in the Bard Hall Lobby and 390 Fort Washington. Help with getting connected can be found on our web site at: http://www.cubhis.org/getting_help/resnet.html or 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

Office of Education & Scholarly Resources

Pictured Left to Right: Domingo Canela, Jr., Julie Batista, Craig Johnson and Daniel Wilson

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

Day Coordinator: Domingo Canela Jr.
Email: dac2133@columbia.edu

Evening Coordinator: Craig Johnson
Email: jc2329@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 305-3533
Fax: (212) 305-0784

Manager: Wilson Daniel
Location: PH17-109
Email: wd1@columbia.edu
Phone: (212) 305-9348
Fax: (212) 305-9250

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)

5. The Curriculum

 

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.

Clinical Anatomy

Dr. Angela Lignelli-DippleDr. Ernest April

Dr. Ernest April

Director

Office: P&S 10-420
Phone: Ext. 5-5631
Email:
ewa1@columbia.edu

Dr. Angela Lignelli-Dipple

Radiology

Office: MHB3-111
Phone: ext. 5-2511
Email: al270@columbia.edu

We define Clinical Anatomy as that which pertains specifically to the practice of contemporary medicine. An essential pre clinical subject, Clinical Anatomy enables student physicians to acquire the fund of anatomic knowledge necessary for the practice of medicine and the knowledgeable discussion of findings or problems with appropriate colleagues. Lectures introduce each laboratory topic, explain conceptual relationships between structure and function, and emphasize important subtleties between the normal and aberrant. The dissection laboratory affords a different and stimulating learning experience. Here small-group preceptor discussions focus the laboratory experience and provide informative interactions with faculty. Appropriate computer-assisted tutorials, developed by our faculty, enhance learning as well as facilitate review. Weekly correlation clinics or radiographic anatomy sessions exemplify anatomic application in the practice of medicine. By course end, student physicians are able to analyze, synthesize and apply clinically relevant anatomical information - goals and skills essential for physical examination as well as proper diagnosis, appropriate therapy and accurate prognosis in patient care.

Clinical Practice I

Dr. Michael J. DevlinDr. Delphine Taylor

Dr. Delphine Taylor

Course Director

Office: P&S 3-401
Phone: Ext. 5-0344
Email: dst4@columbia.edu

Dr. Michael J. Devlin

Associate Course Director

Office: 1051 Riverside Dr., Unit 116
Phone: (212) 543-5748
Email: mjd5@columbia.edu

The goal of Clinical Practice is to introduce students to the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to translate scientific knowledge into the clinical care of individual patients, and to guide students in their own life transition into the role of the physician. The course includes clinical clerkships, lectures and small groups.

In the first semester, students acquire basic knowledge and skills in medical interviewing, and practice these skills on actors playing patients. In the second semester students learn how to approach the medical literature with a basic understanding of epidemiology and biostatistics. Students also learn about health policy and economics, focusing on what impact the system has on patient access to care and the ability to provide effective care. Lastly, students learn about health promotion and disease prevention, and practice skills in counseling for behavior change. Special lectures devoted to cultural competence and the ethical dimensions of medical care are scheduled throughout the year. Small group sessions provide opportunities to integrate the didactic parts of the curriculum with clinical experiences in clerkships, and also serve as a forum for exploring issues relating to professional development and medical ethics.

Human Development

Dr. Cathy Mendelsohn

Dr. Cathy Mendelsohn

Course Director

Office: BB 1502 or 1514,
Phone: Ext. 5-1591, 5-7941
Email: clm20@columbia.edu

The goal of this course is to introduce students to the principles of human embryology, from conception to birth. This should provide a basis for understanding human anatomy, genes that regulate developmental processes and the molecular basis of birth defects. Topics will include the formation of the basic body plan, the origin and division of body cavities, the role of the placenta, early organogenesis, the maturation of organ and sensory systems, and an introduction to molecular mechanisms that orchestrate development.

Neural Science

Dr. Daniel Goldberg

 

Dr. Daniel Goldberg

Course Director
Office: PH 7 West
Phone: Ext. 5-1673
Email: djg5@columbia.edu

You will learn the fundamentals of neural science: structures, pathways and mechanisms subserving sensory, motor and higher cognitive functions, how information is transmitted along and between neurons, and symptomatology and etiology of neurological and behavioral disorders. These basics will be enriched with recent information derived from cellular and molecular biological approaches so as to give you an appreciation of the extraordinary potential being developed for the understanding and treatment of disorders of t