Steven Lansman, M.D., Ph.D., Is Appointed Chair of the Department of Surgery

Steven Lansman, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed chair of the SOM Department of Surgery at NYMC and director of the Department of Surgery at WMC, effective February 1. He served as interim surgery chair and director since November 2021. Dr. Lansman joined the faculty of NYMC as professor of surgery and the clinical staff of WMC as chief of the Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery in 2005. Read the full article on Dr. Lansman.

GME Programs Receive Continued Full Accreditation and Expands Training Programs

NYMC received official notification of its continued full accreditation with no citations as an institutional sponsor of graduate medical education from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The ACGME commended NYMC for its demonstrated substantial compliance with the requirements. The ACGME also granted initial accreditation to a new psychiatry training program that will have its first class beginning in July. Read the full article on the ACGME accreditation.

Sachin Gupte, M.D., Ph.D., Awarded $2.7 Million NIH Grant to Develop Treatments for Vascular Disease

Sachin Gupte, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pharmacology, received a $2,773,836, four-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop new personalized treatments to reduce vascular disease. “Vascular diseases continue to be a major cause of death in the U.S. and worldwide,” said Dr. Gupte. “The goal of our research is to develop new therapies for three human diseases – pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), PAH-induced heart failure and metabolic syndrome-associated coronary artery disease (MS-CAD).” Read the full article on Dr. Gupte’s grant.

NYMC and TU Release a Medical Research Journal

NYMC and Touro University (TU) are set to release a groundbreaking journal, Medical Halachah Annual, Volume 1: The Pandemic and Its Implications on March 6, 2023 with pre-orders available. The journal covers the research of dozens of NYMC and TU faculty members who explore the ongoing and ever-changing pandemic and its far-reaching implications. Under the editorial guidance of Edward Lebovics, M.D., professor of medicine, the Sarah C. Upham professor of gastroenterology and director of the College's Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatobiliary Diseases and under the project management of Rabbi Aviyam Levinson, the journal explores the intersection of medical Halachah, ethics and contemporary issues through medical scenarios and the application of Halachic principles. Subject matter includes risk assessment in Halachah; management of profound multi-organ failure; allocation of scarce resources; requirement to follow the established standard of care; dishonest acquisition of potentially life-saving care; vaccinating adults and children against COVID-19 in Israel and the U.S.; vaccine hesitancy in the Orthodox Jewish community; and othering the Jews during the Calamitous Black Death of the 14th Century and the COVID-19 Pandemic of the 21st Century.

Children’s Dream Foundation Grant Supports Purchase of SimJunior Manikin

The Clinical Skills and Simulation Center has been awarded a grant from the Children’s Dream Foundation for the purchase of a new SimJunior manikin, which will be used to provide high-fidelity simulation in pediatric emergency care for medical learners and first responders. SimJunior, an interactive pediatric simulator of a six- to eight-year-old child, is capable of simulating a wide range of conditions from a healthy, talking child to an unresponsive, critical patient with no vital signs. Read the full article on the new SimJunior Manikin.

NYMC Welcomes Derek Staudohar as Director of Engineering

Derek Staudohar has been named director of engineering in the Office of Facilities Management, responsible for overseeing all management and maintenance of the College’s mechanical assets. Previously he was the facilities engineer at Global Foundries, where he planned, implemented and maintained the infrastructure and equipment of the exhaust systems, process water systems and HVAC systems. Read the full article on Derek Staudohar.

New Study Identifies Pathway Used to Process Emotional Information in the Brain

Emotional facial expressions convey a wealth of non-verbal information, including an individual’s mood, state of mind and intention, making them critically important for social communication. While viewing emotional expressions evokes an enhanced neural response in the amygdala and throughout the visual cortex, including the primary visual cortex (V1), the effect of facial valence (emotional content of the face) in V1 is surprising as the early visual cortex is not typically thought to process emotional aspects from stimuli. In a recent study published in Nature Communications, Jason Fu, SOM Class of 2025, helped uncover the functional pathways by which emotional information is transmitted from the amygdala to V1. Read the full article on emotional processing in the brain.

In celebration of February being American Heart Month, the Cardiology Interest Group shares the following tips to help maintain a healthy heart:

1. Eat a heart-healthy diet. Minimizing your intake of processed foods, red meats and foods high in sodium or added sugar will protect your heart and blood vessels. Instead, choose a mostly plant-based diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fish and whole grains.

2. Breathe in, breathe out. Stress impacts our physical health in addition to our mental health. Studies show that chronic stress can affect gut integrity, sleep quality and ultimately, cardiovascular health. You can reduce stress by exercising, spending time outdoors and spending time with friends and family. Practicing meditation, mindfulness and gratitude for just a few minutes each day has been shown to reduce stress and improve heart health.

Join us in welcoming our new employees at NYMC during the month of January:

• Andres L. Castillo Quintana, Project Coordinator, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
• Lena Eorio, Administrative Coordinator, School of Medicine Office of Admissions
• Melissa A. Guarin, D.P.T. ’21, Lab Instructor, Department of Physical Therapy
• Emily R. Kaplan, Dr.P.H. ’21, M.P.A., EMPT, Assistant Director, Center for Disaster Medicine
• Celine Leppert, Research Associate, Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy
• Justin J. Martinez, Educational Coordinator, Department of Emergency Medicine
• Adam R. Messina, D.P.T., PT, OCS, Tutor, Department of Physical Therapy
• Kevin L. Miller, D.P.T., PT, OCS, Lab Instructor, Department of Physical Therapy
• Kyoko Nakamura-Tirado, M.A., Director of International Advisement, Office of International Students and Scholars
• Samantha M. Pinkston, D.P.T., PT, GCS, Lab Instructor, Department of Physical Therapy
• Allyson Sheehan, D.P.T. ’16, Lab Instructor, Department of Physical Therapy
• Derek J. Staudohar, Director of Engineering, Office of Facilities Management
• Sheetal A. Thayil, M.S.P.T., PT, Lab Instructor, Department of Physical Therapy
• Kiara R. Thomas, M.A., Communications Writer and Content Creator, Office of Public Relations
• Zeynep Yesilata, Research Associate, Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy

From the Office of Human Resources, February 1, 2023.

"Aftershock" Documentary Screening

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is hosting a documentary screening and discussion in honor of Black History Month.

2023 HeLa Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Conference

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is presenting a discussion on how to address health inequities in our community and a community book discussion.

SOM Seeks MMI Interviewers

The SOM Office of Admissions is seeking interviewers for the Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) 2023-24 interview season. 

NYMC Free Community Food Pantry

Located outside of the Alumni House at 20 Sunshine Cottage Road, the pantry is stocked with non-perishable food items and other items donated by the NYMC community.