Media Coverage

Berman Publishes COVID-19 Vaccine Op-Ed in Jonesboro Sun

May 06, 2020

Commentary by Jonathan Berman, Ph.D., assistant professor of basic sciences at NYITCOM-Arkansas, appeared in the Jonesboro Sun (subscription required). Berman discusses the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, which the CDC estimates will not be available for 12-18 months. Currently, hundreds of trials are ongoing for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, but Berman advises that Americans must continue to be patient.

“We’ve already experienced the risks of rushing treatments in this pandemic, as studies have found that hydroxychloroquine, which was initially touted by some as a treatment for COVID-19, seems to have no benefit and increases the risk of death. We must be cautious that when a vaccine does become available, it’s been proven to be both safe and effective,” says Berman.

 

Jarkon Breaks Mental Health Stigmas on Recovery Radio Podcast

May 05, 2020

In recognition of National Mental Health Awareness Month, Liat Jarkon, D.O., director for the Center for Behavioral Health, was interviewed by Recovery Radio, the official podcast for Landmark Recovery Centers. The interview positions Jarkon as a strong advocate for expanding access to mental health treatment, centering on the importance of adequate treatment options and the disparity between insurance coverage for mental and physical healthcare.

 

Glazer Shares Insights on Virtual Teaching with Syosset Advance

Apr 30, 2020

Francine Glazer, Ph.D., New York Tech associate provost for educational innovation and director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, was featured in an article in the Syosset Advance about COVID-19 and the rapid transition to the virtual workplace it ushered in, and the resulting impact on teaching and learning.

“No one saw this coming and literally overnight, everyone in both K through 12 as well as higher education had to move into the sphere of virtual teaching. We refer to it as ‘emergency remote teaching’ because we’re trying to differentiate for our students for what we’re doing now — the quick pivot while we continue to provide students with high-quality education,” Glazer said.

In referencing New York Tech’s experience and familiarity with using Zoom technology, Glazer noted “faculty was comfortable enough in technology to provide students the right experiences as they continued to learn, and we imagine faculty imparting their best practices to teach each other going forward.”  

In addition, the article touched upon student-focused New York Tech initiatives including the Student Emergency Fund, reduced tuition rates for its summer 2020 session, and the Children of Police Officers, Firefighters, EMT, and K-12 Teachers Award.

The article also ran in the Jericho Syosset News Journal.

 

Apr 29, 2020

An international team of anatomy researchers, including NYITCOM’s Simone Hoffmann, Ph.D., have uncovered a puzzling discovery: the remains of a prehistoric, opossum-sized mammal from Madagascar. Findings of the creature, dubbed Adalatherium, have been featured prominently in multiple high-profile outlets, including Washington Post, Reuters, USA Today, Live Science, Gizmodo, and Phys.org.

“We suspect some of this bizarreness might be due to evolution in isolation on an island,” Hoffmann tells Reuters. “Adalatherium is the oddest of oddballs. Trying to figure out how it moved is nearly impossible because, for instance, its front end is telling us a different story than its back end.”

 

Beheshti Comments on Contact Tracing in Newsday

Apr 23, 2020

Babak D. Beheshti, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences, was quoted in Newsday regarding COVID-19 contact tracing. Contact tracers act like "disease detectives," retracing the steps of people infected with COVID-19 and isolating as many of these people's contacts as possible to limit the spread, an integral step in re-opening the economy. Beheshti adds that the speed and efficiency of contact tracing software, along with the ramped-up human element, could be vital. 

“Time is not on our side,” he said. “We have a very short window to reopen the economy.”

 

 

The Island Now Features Meal Deliveries to Local Hospitals

Apr 21, 2020

Many healthcare workers are at the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis, making it nearly impossible to manage everyday priorities like finding time for a meal. Now, NYITCOM students have launched the Help Our Heroes initiative, a volunteer program that provides items and services such as personal protective equipment (PPE), hospital food deliveries, grocery shopping, childcare, and pet care for these workers. Led by third-year medical student Sarah Korn, the initiative is managed by five student committees that oversee the various volunteer activities. The program’s initiative “Meals from Med Students,” which collaborates with local restaurants to deliver meals to area hospitals, was recently featured in local media outlet The Island Now.

 

Riley Quoted on Empathy in Physicians Practice

Apr 20, 2020

Comments from Bernadette Riley, D.O., director of the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome/Hypermobility Treatment Center and associate professor, NYITCOM, have been included in an online slideshow by medical news outlet Physicians Practice. Riley notes how clinicians can use telemedicine to establish empathy with their patients, stating:

"I am someone whose face is expressive. The positive of this is that the patient is aware I care, the negative is that my face can also show anxiety and fear. So I must keep my facial expressions in check."

Riley and the Center’s team have been using telemedicine during the COVID-19 outbreak to stay in contact with their patients, some of whom are at a higher risk for infection due to their condition.

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Apr 16, 2020

NYITCOM was featured in an article in The DO, the American Osteopathic Association's news outlet, on osteopathic medical schools allowing students to graduate early and join the frontlines against COVID-19.  

“As a healthcare institution, we have a responsibility to step in when there is a crisis,” said Jerry Balentine, D.O., dean of NYITCOM and vice president for health sciences and medical affairs. “At the same time, our students showed an incredible level of interest in volunteering and helping out. As a dean, this is a really proud moment for me, to see so many of my students stepping up to the plate.”

 

Apr 11, 2020

Computer simulation research from Milan Toma, Ph.D., assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and an undergraduate student has been featured in Supercomputing Online News and Medical Express. As noted in the coverage, abusive head trauma like that of Shaken Baby Syndrome is the leading cause of fatal brain injuries in children under two. Now, Toma and his team have developed computational simulations to help clinicians and caregivers better understand the impact of these injuries. 

"One instance of abusive head trauma could include as many as 80 shakes. Our findings demonstrate that the cerebrospinal fluid is only 'designed' to protect the brain for the first shake," says Toma. "By considering simulations like these, clinicians can better predict the short- and long-term effects of abusive head trauma and more accurately assess the victim's health."

Similar coverage also appeared in ACM TechNews.

 

NBC.com Quotes Hospitality Expert on COVID-19 Restaurant Impact

Apr 10, 2020

James Henry Dunne, J.D., assistant professor of hospitality studies, was quoted in an NBC.com story on how Americans can support small businesses that have been impacted by COVID-19. Dunne notes that even restaurants that traditionally don’t offer pick-up meals or delivery are now getting in on the action. Where the law permits (or has been loosened, as in New York), many restaurants are also touting alcoholic beverages along with to-go meals, “and in some cases even selling grocery items like paper goods and cuts of beef, on an informal basis,” he says.