Old Westbury, NY – Some of NYIT's top medical students gathered yesterday to share research in areas such as genetics, Parkinson's Disease, asthma, and cardiac medicine as they capped year-long research efforts in a rigorous academic scholars program.

Thirteen students from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYCOM) of NYIT have spent the last 12 months in an elite program designed to boost their teaching and research skills. At yesterday's symposium at the Riland Academic Health Center, they shared their findings with NYCOM faculty, administrators, and first- and second-year students.

Students selected for the Academic Scholars Program spend 12 months in residence at NYCOM between their third and fourth year of medical school. They take courses to earn a master's degree in neuromusculoskeletal science, teach first- and second-year students in courses in all NYCOM departments, and focus on a research project.

"It helps to produce a more scientific and well-rounded medical practitioner," said Dr. Norman Gevitz, director of the Academic Scholars Program.

He added that the program impresses hopsitals considering medical students for residency. "The residency interviews, in many cases, focus on what they've accomplished in the Scholars Program."

At the symposium, the scholars summarized their research in poster formats. "It gives you a lot of flexibility to pursue your interests," said Tova Appleson, who displayed a poster on cardiac bypass grafting.

Appleson's poster won a second-place award last month from the American Osteopathic Association. "They are self-starters, they are achievers, they have certain skills sets and motivation," Gevitz said of the students. "The important thing is the breadth of experience they take away."

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New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 14,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

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