Columbia University

College of Physicians & Surgeons

Discover. Educate. Care. Lead.


Welcome from the Deans
P&S Deans (pictured below clockwise from top-left): Ronald E. Drusin, M.D.,Vice Dean for Education,
Stephen W. Nicholas, M.D., Associate Dean for Admissions, Hilda Y. Hutcherson, M.D., Associate Dean
for Diversity Affairs and Anke Nolting, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Alumni Relations and Development.
At P&S, we strive to provide the best possible educational experience,
helping new students learn from our award-winning scientists, renowned clinicians, and su-
perb medical educators. In addition, our educational experience is unusual in its emphasis
on extracurricular activities that help our students grow personally as well as professionally.
This Fall, we opened new, modern educational space, with classrooms specifically
designed to incorporate new technologies into team-based learning. After spending 18
months in this newly designed science curriculum and a year in required clinical clerk-
ships, each student will then select a “major” area of emphasis under the tutelage of a
faculty mentor. Throughout the experience, each student will be guided by an advisory
dean, a senior faculty member who will help each student plan her or his personalized
educational experience. In the clinical arena, students will help in the care of vulnerable
populations with no other healthcare options and patients who could choose to have their
care anywhere in the world. Our students see the most basic of medical problems, as well
as the most complex of quaternary care. Our students also have a remarkable range of op-
tions to pursue research, ranging from the most fundamental to translational and clinical
research, as well as to participate in a wide range of global educational experiences.
Our extracurricular activities, centered around the Bard Hall residence, include Bard
Hall Players theater productions and monthly Musical Monday classical performances,
Rugby Club and other athletic programs, Lang Youth teaching and mentoring program
for local adolescents, International Health Organization and many more community
service, advocacy and specialty interest programs. This “informal curriculum” provides
much of the “glue” that brings such life-long camaraderie to the P&S experience.
Top medical school candidates will always have a wide range of potential options for
obtaining their medical education. Here at P&S, we take great pride in providing our
students with educational opportunities that will prepare them to fulfill all of their
professional aspirations while simultaneously participating in a wide variety of activities
that will ensure their personal growth. We encourage you to explore these unique op-
portunities at P&S as you consider your future in medicine.
Lee Goldman, M.D. Lisa Mellman, M.D.
Executive Vice President for Health and Senior Associate Dean
Biomedical Sciences Student Affairs (pictured left)
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences
and Medicine (pictured top)
For detailed information, please refer to the P&S Student Handbook
http://juno.cumc.columbia.edu/ps/handbook
 P &S
Leading the way for over 240 years
1917. P&S admits women
for the first time.
Notable women pioneers at P&S
include Hattie Alexander, Virginia
Apgar, Virginia Frantz, and
Dorothy Andersen. (pictured
below, left to right)
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, is
dedicated in Washington Heights.
Columbia University began as King’s
College, which in 1770 became the first
1956. P&S researchers
André Cournand
and Dickinson Richards receive
1997. Merger of New
York Hospital with
Presbyterian Hospital to form
2000. P&S Professor
Eric Kandel
wins the Nobel Prize in
in the North America Colonies to confer
the degree of Doctor of Medicine.
the Nobel Prize in Physiology New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Physiology or Medicine for his
or Medicine for work in cardiac one hospital affiliated with two work on the molecular basis of
catheterization. Ivy League schools, Columbia
University College of P&S and
memory. (pictured below)
2004. P&S Professor
Richard Axel
1984. Drs. Keith
Reemtsma and
Eric Rose of the P&S Dept. of
Weill Cornell Medical College. is awarded the Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine for his
work in determining the genes
Surgery perform first successful that govern the sense of smell.
heart transplant in a child. (pictured above)
(pictured right)
2009. New York-
Presbyterian
Hospital is ranked #1 in NYC
Metro Area and #6 in the nation
in US News’ America’s Best
Hospitals.
Shaping Medicine’s Future
It All Begins with a White Coat.
STUDENTS AT P&s HAIL from throughout the United States and the world.
The entering class of 2008 came from 34 states, representing 63 colleges, and from
5 foreign countries. They ranged in age from 20-34 years; half were female; and 21
percent were under-represented minorities.

At the beginning of the first year, students at the Columbia University College of Physi-
cians & Surgeons participate in the Arnold P. Gold Foundation White Coat Ceremony, an
annual rite of passage for doctors-to-be to pledge the Hippocratic Oath in commitment
to the compassionate practice of medicine. This event was initiated at P&S in 1993
and since has become tradition at more than 130 schools of medicine and osteopathy
throughout the US, at Israel’s four medical schools, and in other countries.
A New Curriculum More Flexibility, More
Opportunity to Focus
The new curriculum is a fundamental reorganization of the way we teach both
basic science and clinical medicine. It combines the principles of basic science, professionalism,
and clinical medicine throughout the four-year program in a way that encourages teamwork and innovation. And with increased flexibility in
the post-clinical period, students have the opportunity to explore more fully an area of special interest, culminating in a scholarly project.

Fundamentals Major Clinical YEar Electives & Scholarly Project COLUMBIA BASSETT TRACK
f
fPre-clinical period shortened from f
fRequired Core Clerkships reorganized f
fExpanded to 14 months f
fApplication pre-entry to medical school
24 to 18 months into four 12-week blocks f
fFlexible 4th year schedule to f
fNew track (class entering August 2010)
f
fOpportunities for students to teach f
fRotations will be paired by related accommodate scholarly project and f
fApplicants interview at P&S and
and learn collaboratively clerkships promoting interdisciplin- electives Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, NY
f
fBasic sciences taught with an orienta- ary learning (e.g., OB/GYN with f
fNew Senior Medicine rotation, which f
f18-month basic science curriculum
tion towards clinical reasoning and Pediatrics, Neurology with Psychia- consolidates fundamental skills in a at P&S
evidence-based medicine try, etc.) medicine service of the student’s choice f
fClinical years at Bassett Hospital
f
fSystems-based exploration of health and f
fIntersessions between blocks to explore f
fScholarly Project: students, paired f
fAllows learning medicine in a rural en-
disease, integrated with biological, psy- advanced topics and develop plan for with mentors, delve deeply into area of vironment and exposure to health care
chosocial and population-based concepts 4th year scholarly project interest management
f
fAnatomy with balanced use of dissec- f
fUnited States Medical Licensing Exam f
fIncreased flexibility to explore options
tion, pro-sections, and imaging Part 1 (USMLE) taken after Major for career specialty
f
fLongitudinal, patient-focused develop- Clinical Year
ment of clinical and diagnostic skills

Foundations Major Clinical Year (MCY) Electives & Selectives

Molecular Body in Health Body in Health

Advanced Medicine
USMLE STEP 1
Summer Vacation

Paired Clerkships

Paired Clerkships

Paired Clerkships

Paired Clerkships

Scholarly Project
Mechanisms and Disease I and Disease II

Subinternship
Intercession

Intercession

Intercession

Intercession

Back to the
Classroom
Clerkship

Electives
Foundations of Clinical Medicine I, II Foundations III

Anatomy Psych Med I Psych Med II

Sept Jan June Jan Jan May

 Student
Support Services
“I am privileged to be a student
at P&S, where qualities such as
humor and zest for life do not
go unnoticed. I am starting to
realize that my education and
experience could not have been
obtained anywhere else.”
—Naz Firoz, P&S 2009
P&S provides a broad array of formal and
informal support structures that assist
students’ transition into and progression
through medical school. Some of the
formal programs include:
CENTER FOR STUDENT WELLNESS:
Applying Public Health Approaches to
Build a Healthy Campus. The Center was
founded on the belief that even the most
successful and dedicated students oc-
casionally can use guidance and support.
P&S students may seek out assistance for
any concern, big or small. The Center’s
staff assists students to develop individu-
alized action plans to address concerns
or problems. The program is designed to
reduce stress; develop and increase coping
skills; provide support; and advocate for
positive social support systems on campus.
Advisory Dean Program: Structured free of charge. In the Big Sib program,
Academic, Career, and Personal Support each incoming first-year student is
matched with a second year student
Regularly scheduled group and individual who provides initial social, academic
meetings with an Advisory Dean provide and personal guidance. Home Away
opportunities for students to gather to from Home Program, sponsored by the
discuss the unique issues that arise dur- Alumni Association, matches first-year
ing medical school, such as adjusting to medical students with P&S alumni in
the curricular requirements of each year, the New York City area, fostering a
developing mentoring relationships, and smooth transition into P&S.
addressing residency and career plans.
OTHER SUPPORTS INCLUDE: Student
Success Network, which offers services
to help make first-year students’ medi-
cal school adjustment to coursework
a smooth one by promoting a sense of
teamwork through regular small-group
review sessions, facilitated by second-
year students. Tutors are also available
Research
Opportunities at P&S
Students come to P&S with
records of remarkable achieve-
ment. Their achievements continue during
medical school. In 2008, 85 percent of
students conducted research with a faculty
mentor, and 33 percent received fellow-
ships from the Doris Duke Foundation,
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and
other prestigious research programs. One
in four students took an extra year to pur-
sue research goals, and 11 percent earned
additional degrees, such as an M.P.H.,
M.B.A., or Ph.D.
Approximately half of all P&S students
take an elective abroad, half of which are
done in a developing country. A variety
of international electives are available to
students during the summer between first
and second years and during fourth year.
P&S has established international exchange
programs with 28 international medical
schools. The International Family AIDS
Program provides clinical and public health
electives in the Dominican Republic,
International Electives
South Africa and Russia. The International
Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Pro-
grams provides non-clinical public health P&S’s shared vision to ease the
experiences in Ethiopia and Tanzania. The
Millennium Villages Project provides non- burden of human disease is local
clinical public health experiences in a rural and global, from Washington
village setting of an underdeveloped country
that lacks basic health and disease preven- Heights and neighboring Har-
tion infrastructure. The Ben Gurion Univer- lem to the farthest reaches of our
sity in the Negev provides clinical electives
in a variety of international settings. earth. Its partnerships improve
medical care and build healthier
Global health electives are also avail-
able in New York and include rotations in families around the world.
urban medicine and immigrant health.
 The P&S Club
“P&S looks for a cultural breadth that
goes beyond medicine. Medicine is a
humanistic field and a matter of relating
to other people. Having other interests
makes medical students better doctors.”
—Dr. Andrew Frantz,
Dean for Admissions
The most comprehensive
student activities organization
in American medical education.
The P&S Club was founded by Nobel
Peace Laureate John Mott in 1894.
The P&S Club sponsors over 50 extra-
curricular groups, adding substantial
depth to a program otherwise devoted
to scientific and clinical disciplines.
CampusLife
Housing,
Recreation,
Comfortable
Campus Living
More than 1,000 students
reside in Medical Center
accommodations, a practical and
cost-effective way to live in Manhat-
tan. Students who live on campus have
the opportunity to take advantage of
the resources that Columbia University,
Washington Heights, and New York City
have to offer.
 Community
Washington Heights
“Many of us came to P&S because
of its location in New York City and
the Washington Heights commu-
nity. Ultimately, we hope to become
members of communities working
together as partners in health care.”
—Lauren Taggart Wasson, P&S ‘09
P&S STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED
to learn about the culture, history, poli-
tics, resources and needs of the vibrant
communities of Washington Heights and
Harlem by visiting historical sites and
major institutions, getting acquainted with
community members, dining and enjoying
night life in the neighborhood, and partici-
pating in community cultural events. Both
neighborhoods have undergone economic
revitalization, resulting in a safe and clean
urban environment with a rich cultural
fabric that will enhance life at P&S.
 “THE MATCH” refers to the day in March when fourth-year stu-
dents learn which residency training program they’ll be attending. More
than 97 percent of P&S students match at hospitals with major univer-
sity affiliations. In 2008, 44 percent of graduates matched at programs
in New York State (mostly New York City, including 30 percent who
matched at Columbia for all or part of their postgraduate training).

The Match& Graduation

GRADUATION FROM P&S occurs in May, when the Hippocratic
Oath is again recited. This brings to closure the journey that began
during the first-year White Coat Ceremony and ritualizes the launch
of each graduate’s new career in medicine. Graduating students, their
children (six babies were born to members of the class of 2008),
family members, friends, and faculty gather together to award
diplomas and give special recognition to students and outstanding
teachers. A celebratory reception follows the graduation ceremony.
 Columbia P&S Admissions Office
Columbia University 630 W. 168th Street, Room 1-416, New York, NY 10032
Phone: (212) 305-3595 Email: psadmissions@columbia.edu
College of Physicians & Surgeons For detailed information visit http://cumc.columbia.edu/dept/ps