New York Medical College
Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences
Valhalla, NY 10595
Overview
New York Medical College was founded in 1860 by William Cullen Bryant and other civic-minded leaders. Since then, the College has reached out to underserved communities in its educational and clinical activities, and has trained many generations of physicians. The College has also provided training and graduate degrees in the bio-medical sciences since the 1930’s. The College’s mission is to advance the health of the population in the Hudson Valley and beyond – by educating physicians, scientists and healthcare professionals, by conducting research and by providing service.
The Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences offers both Master’s and Ph.D. programs in a variety of basic medical science disciplines. Graduates of these programs are prepared to enter careers in academia, the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, private research foundations, or government as researchers, teachers, managers, analysts, or regulatory specialists.
The Community
The College is located is located on a large, safe, and attractive campus in the hamlet of Valhalla in suburban Westchester County. The campus contains significant open and wooded space, and has a pleasant rural atmosphere. The uncrowded campus nevertheless includes not only the facilities of the Graduate School, but also buildings housing the College Administration, the College's School of Public Health, several clinical research labs and research institutes, and the Westchester Medical Center, an excellent tertiary medical care facility.
Westchester County is one of the most attractive and desirable places in the country to live, with many parks and recreational venues, a wealth of historical and cultural opportunities, and an abundance of shopping and entertainment options. New York City, with myriad attractions, is just 25 miles to the south and is accessible by public transportation.
Programs of study and degree requirements
The Graduate School offers programs leading to either the Master of Science (M.S.) or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in each of the six basic medical sciences listed below, plus one interdisciplinary Master’s program:
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology http://www.nymc.edu/gsbms/biochemistry.asp
Cell Biology http://www.nymc.edu/gsbms/cellbio.asp
Microbiology & Immunology http://www.nymc.edu/gsbms/microbiology.asp
Experimental Pathology http://www.nymc.edu/gsbms/experimentalpath.asp
Pharmacology http://www.nymc.edu/gsbms/pharmacology.asp
Physiology http://www.nymc.edu/gsbms/physiology.asp
Basic Medical Sciences (Interdisciplinary, M.S. only)
http://www.nymc.edu/gsbms/interdisciplinary.asp
An M.D./Ph.D. program in also available:
http://www.nymc.edu/gsbms/md-phd-program.asp
Each Master’s program requires the student to earn a minimum of 30 credits and to write either a Master’s Literature Review of a current field of investigation, based upon the student's reading and library research (Plan A), or a Master's Thesis, based upon original laboratory research performed by the student under the guidance of a Graduate Faculty mentor (Plan B). In either case, the Master’s program may be completed in as short a time as two years. All the M.S. programs are designed with sufficient flexibility, however, that a student may pursue this degree on a part-time basis, taking as long as five years to complete the requirements. Courses are offered during the evening, so that students may complete the M.S. programs while concurrently being employed full-time or undertaking a full-time laboratory research project.
The Graduate School's Ph.D. programs require the student to earn 45 course credits, complete a significant body of original laboratory research under the guidance of a Graduate Faculty mentor, and write and defend a doctoral dissertation based upon this work. The Ph.D. requirements may be completed in as short a time as four years of full-time effort, although the normal completion time is five to six years. Most or all of the credits earned in pursuit of an M.S. degree can also be applied towards Ph.D. degree requirements, so students who begin their studies in a Master’s program can later complete a Ph.D. program with minimal loss of time.
Information on all programs may be found at: http://www.nymc.edu/gsbms/programs.asp
Facilities & Resources
The College currently houses about $47 million of active sponsored research, training, and service programs. Of this total, almost 95% is for research grants and awards supporting projects being carried out at College sites in Valhalla and New York City. Financial support comes from federal and state governments, voluntary health agencies, foundations, private industry, and individual supporters of research programs.
The areas of current research range from the most basic – involving the structure and function of sub-cellular material – to comparisons of the efficacy and toxicity of experimental drugs used in the treatment of patients. Special techniques are an active and integral part of the research programs and include fractionation and characterization of proteins and polysaccharides, transmission electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, hybridoma methodology, gas chromatographic mass spectroscopy, quantitative morphometry, freeze fracture, hemopoietic clonal culture, patch clamp electophysiology, genetically altered mouse models, and in vivo physiological recording. Research projects at the College are serviced and enhanced by special resources such as a state-of-the-art animal care facility and a fully equipped instrument shop. There is a state-of-the-art medical sciences library on site with an extensive paper and electronic collection of scientific journals and books. Electronic access to the library’s collection is available throughout the College via our high-speed internal computer network and via the Internet.
The Basic Sciences Building also contains a cafeteria serving hot and cold breakfast and lunch, a bookstore, a student recreational lounge, and various classrooms, conference rooms, and meeting spaces.
On-campus student housing is available as shared suite apartments, or 1-, 2-, or 3-bedroom apartments (for married students and families). Housing for graduate students is limited, with Ph.D. students given priority. A variety of private off-campus housing is also available within easy commuting distance.
Expenses and Aid
Tuition is $645 per credit. Fees are between $30 and $330 per year depending upon options chosen. Comprehensive medical insurance is available for individual ($2,050 annually) or family ($5,040) coverage.
On-campus housing costs range from $460 per month for suite-style apartments to $1,240 per month for a 3-bedroom apartment (families with children).
In addition to a full range of federal and state loan programs, the GSBMS offers tuition remission, medical insurance, and combinations of College fellowships and research assistantships for full-time Ph.D. students. Inquiries regarding College support should be directed to the appropriate graduate program director. The Office of Financial Aid (http://www.nymc.edu/gsbms/financial-aid.asp) should be consulted for information on federal and state programs.
How to Apply
The Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences seeks to accept students who are best prepared for our educational programs and who, upon graduation, hold the best promise of becoming outstanding teachers, researchers, and practitioners of science. Many factors are considered in reaching a decision on each applicant. Objective criteria such as academic record and standardized test scores are important. Equally important, however, are more subjective assessments of factors such as the candidate’s intellectual curiosity, stability, integrity and motivation. Successful candidates should show evidence of ability and skills related to observation, communication, and fine motor skills. The potential for high-level conceptual, integrative and quantitative thinking must be present. Candidates must possess behavioral and social abilities and skills commensurate with the interactive nature of modern science.
To apply for any of our programs, you must have earned a baccalaureate degree (or its equivalent) from an accredited college or university by the time you enroll at NYMC. You should have an above-average academic record, particularly in the sciences. You must also submit the results of the GRE General Test. If your native language is not English, you must also submit the results of the TOEFL. Each application must be supported by two letters of recommendation.
Our Admission policies and procedures, and downloadable application forms, are available on our Web site: http://www.nymc.edu/gsbms/admissions.asp
All application material and documents must be mailed to:
Office of Admissions
Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences
New York Medical College
Basic Sciences Building, Room A41
Valhalla, NY 10595
THE FACULTY AND THEIR RESEARCH
i* department chair
† graduate program director or co-director
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
D.N. Frick, Ph.D.: molecular mechanisms of hepatitis C virus replication and drug resistance; protein expression and purification; structure-based rational antiviral drug design
M.I. Horowitz, Ph.D.: interaction of glucose with histones and membrane lipids; sulfo-transferases; nutritional biochemistry
* E.Y.C. Lee, Ph.D.:, enzymology, structure-function relationships and regulation of ser/thr protein phosphatases
M.Y.W. Lee, Ph.D.: DNA replication, polymerases, and repair; cell-cycle regulation
S.C. Olson, Ph.D.: signal transduction; regulation of phospholipase D pathway by protein kinase C and G proteins
† E.L. Sabban, Ph.D.: molecular neurobiology; molecular mechanisms of stress; cloning and regulation of gene expression for catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes and neuropeptides
Y.C. Tse-Dinh, Ph.D.: protein-DNA interactions; topoisomerase structure and function; gene regulation and DNA supercoiling
B.I. Weinstein, Ph.D.: biochemistry of steroid action; metabolism and biologic activity of cortisol; enzyme deficiencies in glaucoma
J.M. Wu, Ph.D.: regulation of gene expression in leukemic and prostate cancer cells; cell-cycle control; chemoprevention by fenretinide and resveratrol
Cell Biology and Anatomy
† A.B. Drakontides, Ph.D.: pathogenesis of early and late changes at the neuromuscular junction and skeletal muscle induced by chemical irritants
* J.D. Etlinger, Ph.D.: skeletal muscle growth and atrophy; intracellular proteolysis in erythroid and muscle cells; role of proteasomes and ubiquitin; spinal cord injury
V.A. Fried, Ph.D.: ubiquitin and cellular regulation; cytoskeletal structure and functions
J. Kang, M.D., Ph.D.: astrocyte-mediated modulation of inhibitory synaptic transmission; interplay between excitatory and inhibitory synapses; properties of gap junction, K+ and GABAA channels
A.L. Kleinhaus, Ph.D.: properties and modulation of ion channels involved in neuronal function and behavior; chemosensory mechanisms; calcium imaging; cellular basis of behavior in simple systems
K. M. Lerea, Ph.D.: mechanisms of signal transduction; role of protein ser/thr kinases and phosphatases in integrin functions and platelet activation
M. Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc.: calcium signaling in astrocyte and neuron brain cell cultures; mechanisms of cerebral ischemia, stroke, and head trauma
S.A. Newman, Ph.D.: physical and molecular mechanisms of development and evolution; pattern formation in the vertebrate limb; collagen assembly
T. Sato, M.D.: regulation of calcium in normal and dystrophic skeletal muscles
P.B. Sehgal, M.D., Ph.D.: interleukin-6; p53; gene expression; signal transduction (STAT3)
S. C. Sharma, Ph.D.: genetic approaches to regeneration of adult CNS neurons
A.D. Springer, Ph.D.: engineering models of retinal development & optic nerve regeneration.
G. Suarez, M.D.: non-enzymatic protein glycation; sorbitol pathway; cell senescence; diabetic complications; self-assembly of collages and lens crystallins
R.J. Zeman, Ph.D.: _2-adrenoceptors in musculoskeletal growth; mechanisms of spinal cord injury; regulation of intracellular calcium
Experimental Pathology
P.M. Chander, M.B.B.S.: pathogenesis of renal and vascular damage in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats; pathogenesis of HIV-associated nephropathy
F.-L. Chung, Ph.D.: enals, nitrosamines, and isothiocyanates in carcinogenesis; chemoprevention of cancer by organoselenium; tea and tobacco in carcinogenesis
W. Dai, Ph.D.: cell cycle regulation
Z. Darzynkiewicz, M.D., Ph.D.: cell analysis using flow cytometry; cell-cycle specificity of anti-tumor drug
K. El-Bayoumy, Ph.D.: environmental carcinogenesis
† H.P. Godfrey, M.D., Ph.D.: pathogenesis in tuberculosis; delayed hypersensitivity, chronic inflammation, and infectious disease
M. I. Iatropoulos, M.D.: comparative mechanisms of toxicity and carcinogenesis
A.M. Jeffrey, Ph.D.: toxicology and chronic carcinogenesis
A. Kumar, Ph.D.: role of renin-angiotensin system in hypertension and atherosclerosis
J. H.-C. Lin, Ph.D.: molecular mechanisms governing endothelial cell dysfunctions during atherogenesis
P.A. Lucas, Ph.D.: wound healing and tissue engineering
* M.R. Melamed, M.D.: flow and static cytometry of human cancer cells; cytochemical, immunochemical, and in situ nucleic acid reactions for diagnostic and prognostic purposes
† F.H. Moy, Ph.D.: biostatistics and epidemiology, methodology, and applications in environmetrics and risk assessment
J.P. Richie Jr., Ph.D.: biochemical mechanisms of disease susceptibility related to aging and nutrition
F. Traganos, Ph.D.: mechanisms controlling cell-cycle progression (checkpoints) and cell death (apoptosis) in cell cultures and clinical models
M. Jhanwar-Uniyal, Ph.D.: signal transduction, BRCA, p53, cancer, central nervous system in obesity
J.H. Weisburger, Ph.D., M.D. (hon.): toxicity and carcinogenicity; promoters in major human cancers; nutrition in human carcinogenesis; rational means of prevention of cancer, coronary heart disease, and stroke
G.M. Williams, M.D: mechanisms of carcinogenesis; metabolic and genetic effects of chemical carcinogens
R.E. Zachrau, M.D.: spontaneous and induced tumor-specific, cell-mediated immunity in human breast cancer and its role in development of systemic metastasis and second primary cancers of breast and non-breast origin
Microbiology and Immunology
M.E. Aguero-Rosenfeld, M.D.: pathogenesis and diagnosis of Lyme disease and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis
R. Banerjee, Ph.D.: molecular virology and molecular oncology
D. Bucher, Ph.D.: structure, function, and immunochemistry of viral antigens
F. Cabello, M.D.: microbial genetics; infectious disease; recombinant DNA
J. Geliebter, Ph.D.: immunology and molecular biology of prostate cancer
C.V.Hamby, Ph.D.: molecular biology and immunology of human tumors
E.D. Kilbourne, M.D.: virology; viral genetics; influenza vaccines
B. Safai,M.D.: pathophysiology and pathogenesis of skin diseases
* I.S. Schwartz, Ph.D.: molecular pathogenesis of Lyme disease and other emerging bacterial pathogens, functional genomics
† R.K. Tiwari, Ph.D.: tumor immunology and chemoprevention; cellular immunology; immune dysregulation in disease
† F.E. Wassermann, Ph.D.: virus genetics; epidemiology
Pharmacology
N.G. Abraham, Ph.D.: gene transfer and gene therapy in the cardiovascular system and CD34+ cells
M. Balazy, Ph.D.: biochemistry of arachidonic acid metabolism
M.A. Carroll, Ph.D.: renal cytochrome P-450 metabolites of arachidonic acid
C. Conaway, Ph.D.,: mechanisms of cancer chemoprevention; metabolism pharmacokinetics
N.R. Ferreri, Ph.D.: cytokine production and function in the kidney and vascular smooth muscle
M.S. Goligorsky, M.D., Ph.D.: basic mechanisms of endothelial dysfunction, its prevention and reversal; translation of bench findings to clinical physiology and pharmacology
M.A. Inchiosa Jr., Ph.D.: biochemical pharmacology of muscle
* J.C. McGiff, M.D.: neural and hormonal control of circulation and renal function
† A. Nasjletti, M.D.: hormonal mediators of blood pressure regulation
C.A. Powers, Ph.D.: neuroendocrinology
J. Quilley, Ph.D.: Interactions of vasoactive hormones and eicosanoids in vascular regulation in diabetes and hypertension
† M.L. Schwartzman, Ph.D.: cytochrome P-450 metabolism of arachidonic acid in inflammation and hypertension
C.J. Smith, Ph.D.: hormone-dependent activation and expression of cardiovascular cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases, protein kinase C, and immediate-early gene expression during heart failure, vascular injury, and diabetes
† C.T. Stier, Ph.D.: pharmacological protection against vascular damage and stroke
W. Wang, M.D.: regulation of renal electrolytes transport
Physiology
P. Anversa, M.D.: cardiac hypertrophy and aging; myocardial cell apoptosis
F.L. Belloni, Ph.D.: cardiovascular control; vascular and cardiac actions of adenosine
John G. Edwards, Ph.D.: physiological control of gene transcription; regulation of transcription factors; cardiac hypertrophy; exercise biochemistry and overload alterations of the myocardial phenotype
* G. Kaley, Ph.D.: control of blood pressure and blood flow
T.H. Hintze, Ph.D.: cardiovascular functions in chronically instrumented animals
A. Koller, M.D., Ph.D.: regulation of blood flow in the microcirculation
C.S. Leonard, Ph.D.: modulation of mesopontine cholinergic nervous and neocortical interneurons; mammalian oculomotor system in CNS.
E.M. Levee, D.V.M.: Comparative medicine.
N. Levine, Ph.D.: fluid and electrolyte secretion in the male reproductive system.
E.J. Messina, Ph.D.: microvascular control and regulation of smooth-muscle reactivity
S.S. Passo, Ph.D.: neuroendocrine control of blood pressure
F.A. Recchia, M.D., Ph.D.: control of myocardial metabolism; nitric oxide; heart failure; cardiac mechanics and efficiency; coronary circulation
W.N. Ross, Ph.D.: regional properties of neurons
† C.I. Thompson, Ph.D.: renal hemodynamics and GFR control
M.S.Wolin, Ph.D.: vascular regulation via cyclic GMP, metabolites, and oxygen tension