Forbes and Bloomberg Feature NYITCOM Research on TB Vaccine and COVID-19 Impact

Apr 01, 2020

NYITCOM’s Gonzalo Otazu, P.h.D., assistant professor of biomedical sciences, was interviewed by Forbes and Bloomberg, on how the tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), could be a potential weapon in combating the deadly coronavirus. Otazu’s research team found that countries without universal BCG vaccination policies, such as Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States, have been more severely affected compared to countries with universal and long-standing BCG policies.The inoculation is also believed to offer broad-ranging protection against respiratory infections, which present similar symptoms to COVID-19.

“There has been a long history of reports of BCG producing a series of beneficial immune responses. For instance, a study in Guinea-Bissau found that children vaccinated with BCG were observed to have a 50 percent reduction in overall mortality, which was attributed to the vaccine’s effect on reducing respiratory infections and sepsis,” said Otazu.

Similar coverage appeared in Economic Times.

 

Fox 5 New York Features NYITCOM Early Graduation Option to Help Combat COVID-19

Apr 01, 2020

A NYITCOM administrator and two medical students were featured in a Fox 5 New York segment on medical schools that will offer students the opportunity to graduate early and join the healthcare workforce in fighting COVID-19. Jerry Balentine, D.O., dean of NYITCOM and vice president for health sciences and medical affairs, noted that NYITCOM is planning to permit eligible students the option of graduating early in support of Governor Cuomo’s Emergency Orders. This would allow students to enter a local hospital in a position similar to a first-year resident.

Similar coverage, featuring an interview with medical student Karen Dermer, appeared in a social media news story by NowThisNews.

 

Criminal Justice Expert Quoted on COVID-19's Crime Impact

Mar 28, 2020

Andrew Costello, Ph.D., assistant professor of behavioral sciences, was quoted in criminal justice outlet The Marshall Project on the recent decline in crime rates due to COVID-19. Costello, who is also a former NYPD commander, notes that the temporary drop in crime “is similar to what happened after 9/11. There was very little crime after the towers came down. People are shocked, they are staying at home and no one wants to rob each other.”

 

Student Emergency Fund Featured in InnovateLI

Mar 27, 2020

New York Tech’s new Student Emergency Fund has been featured in InnovateLI’s story on ingenuity in the face of COVID-19. As the article notes, the fund supports students who subsist on financial aid and part-time jobs, and whose income is directly threatened by the coronavirus outbreak. Already stepping up are the school’s two American Association of University Professors chapters, which collectively donated $50,000, and the university's annual Big Give marathon fundraiser, which will be held virtually April 1, and is channeling donations made before the event straight into the Student Emergency Fund.

 

Career Expert Shares Advice in Monster.com Story

Mar 26, 2020

Comments from Laurie Hollister, director of career services, have been featured in the Monster.com story, "How to Find a Low-Stress Job." The article notes common sources of work-related stress, including taking on additional responsibilities, working under tight deadlines, number- and data-crunching, and having to meet quotas, among other stressors. Hollister notes that the first step in finding a low-stress job is identifying which responsibilities or requirements trigger an individual's stress.

“Draw up a list to determine what makes you happy about heading to work on Monday morning, and what gives you Sunday night blues,” says Hollister. She also adds that stress triggers may change as you mature through your career.

 

Medical School's Virtual Match Day Generates Local Media Attention

Mar 25, 2020

Coverage of NYITCOM's Match Day, which for the first time was held virtually, has appeared in InnovateLI. Each year on Match Day, NYITCOM's future physicians join fellow medical students across the country in learning their “matches,” or where they will spend the next several years completing their medical residencies. Matches are determined by a computerized algorithm and kept top-secret from both the future doctors and the matching hospitals until they are opened.The virtual event was an especially big deal for the NYITCOM-Arkansas community, which marked its first Match Day since the location’s 2016 opening.

In addition to the Long Island coverage, Match Day stories also appeared in regional Arkansas media, including KAIT Region 8 News.

 

Meena Comments on Potential NYC Supply Chain Shortages in City and State

Mar 20, 2020

School of Management‘s Purushottam Meena, Ph.D., was featured in City and State on the coronovirus's impact to the New York City supply chain. COVID-19 has caused panic buying that may disrupt the supply chain, as everyday products such as toilet paper, disinfectant spray, and medical supplies are produced and replenished in large quantities. How these items are transported into major cities and metropolitan areas like New York, could impact how quickly these areas receive necessary goods. Meena notes that the overwhelming majority of goods destined for New York City arrive by truck, including most of the city’s food and 99 percent of its pharmaceuticals.

 

Infectious Disease Expert Publishes Coronavirus Commentary in Arkansas Media Outlets

Mar 13, 2020

Infectious disease expert Carl Abraham, M.D., assistant professor of clinical medicine at NYITCOM-Arkansas, published an op-ed in Arkansas Business on the importance of social distancing to help slow the spread of COVID-19. In his commentary, Abraham explains the need for drastic measures and why all Americans play a role in mitigating virus transmission.

“Doctors are having to choose between intubating a 40-year-old with two kids, a 40-year-old who is fit and healthy with no comorbidities, and a 60-year-old with high blood pressure, because they don’t have enough beds. In the hallway, meanwhile, there are another 15 people waiting who are already hardly breathing and need oxygen. The army is trying to bring some of them to other regions with helicopters but it not enough. The flow is just too much, too many people are getting sick at the same time,” said Abraham.

Similar coverage also appeared in the Arkansas Democratic Gazette and The Jonesboro Sun.

 

Newsday Shares Harper’s Medical Advice Amidst COVID-19 Concerns

Mar 04, 2020

Brian Harper, M.D., chief medical officer of New York Institute of Technology’s Academic Health Centers, shared his public health expertise in Newsday’s coverage of COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus. Harper notes that staying away from others who display signs of illness, even though they likely have another illness and not COVID-19, is of “primary importance.” He adds that touching infected surfaces and then placing hands on the face is one of the most common ways that people contract the virus.

“The way a person becomes infected generally is by coming in contact with the actual virus,” says Harper, who also reminds individuals that the Centers for Disease Control recommends hands be washed thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds.

 

CNN Quotes Yao on Back and Neck Pain Relief

Mar 03, 2020

Sheldon Yao, D.O., chair and professor of osteopathic manipulative medicine at NYITCOM, was quoted in a CNN story on U.S. national spending on back and neck pain. A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that Americans and their insurance companies spent an estimated $134.5 billion on lower back and neck pain in 2016—more than the national spending on all forms of cancer combined. In addition to identifying habits that contribute to this pain, Yao recommends lifestyle adjustments to improve symptoms and dispels the myth that patients should go on total bed rest.

“One of the biggest misconceptions is, ‘I hurt myself. I need to go on complete bed rest and lie in bed and do nothing.’ That's been shown to really not be effective and, ideally, they need to try to maintain some form of activity as much as they can, and that's been shown to have positive results,” says Yao.