Future cardiologists join pros on research front lines

By GREGORY ZELLER //

A top Long Island medical school is collaborating with a leading cardiac institution on a unique mentoring opportunity with profound implications.

The New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine and the St. Francis Hospital and Heart Center have launched a “research collaboration” that will enroll second- and third-year NYITCOM students – selected through a competitive application process – in a year-long “mentored research program” at the hospital’s DeMatteis Center for Cardiac Research and Education, located near New York Tech’s Old Westbury campus.

The students will shadow cardiovascular researchers on their busy home turf: Roslyn-based St. Francis Hospital ranks among the leading enrollers of U.S. randomized clinical trials.

The firsthand exposure to medical discoveries in the making is just part of the “comprehensive research protocol” at the heart of the partnership, according to College of Osteopathic Medicine Dean Nicole Wadsworth, who called scientific research “absolutely critical to medical education.”

Nicole Wadsworth: Research rewards.

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“Physicians with medical research experience are better positioned to provide topnotch care and allow patients to make the most informed health decisions possible,” Wadsworth said. “In gaining a deeper understanding of the scientific process, these future physicians will be well equipped to critically review medical literature and determine what is in the best interest of their patients.”

The collaboration also furthers NYITCOM’s existing relationship with St. Francis Hospital parent Catholic Health, the Rockville Centre-based health system that has provided diverse training grounds and plenty of post-graduate clinical rotations for College of Osteopathic Medicine students.

Besides geography and history, DeMatteis Cardiovascular Institute Director Ziad Ali referenced a third critical factor supercharging the new collaboration: Like DeMatteis scientists, NYITCOM researchers are all in on medical innovation.

“Traditionally, we have had many seasoned practitioners and researchers, but we realized that we needed a more layered approach,” Ali noted. “Just like sports – where there are the major leagues and minor leagues – medical research also needs a feeder system.

“Now, we are developing a culture where we train future academicians,” the board-certified cardiologist added. “NYITCOM students are dedicating themselves to a year of research where they learn, in detail, the scientific method, including how to collect, interpret and analyze data and how to ask critical questions – all of which come together in moving our field forward.”