Newswise — Old Westbury, NY; September 7, 2018 – New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) President Henry C. “Hank” Foley, Ph.D., today announced the launch of the institution’s first Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree program, the highest academic degree that may be conferred by a university, effective in the 2019-2020 academic year. NYIT’s milestone achievement will be realized through a combined Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)/Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Medical and Biological Sciences.
“This is a landmark moment for NYIT,” said President Foley. “It is a great opportunity for faculty to train new generations of clinical physicians who are fully invested in research that will advance medical science.”
Many of today’s life-saving medical advancements can be traced to physician-scientists, practitioners of translational medicine who aim to increase the efficiency of therapeutic strategies by bridging the gap between clinical care and biomedical research. With a unique ability to connect insight from their patient interactions to their investigations, these individuals can facilitate discoveries to treat and cure human disease.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) finds that of the nearly one million practicing U.S. physicians, only 14,000 (1.5%) reported research as their primary focus.[1] With fewer clinicians pursuing careers as physician-scientists, projected demand will exceed expected supply, and medical innovation is in danger of becoming stagnant.
“This new degree program will assure a steady supply of highly skilled research physicians who will ensure that medicine continually evolves to solve our most pressing challenges,” said Jerry Balentine, D.O., dean, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) and vice president, Health Sciences and Medical Affairs.
At the start of the highly competitive seven-year D.O./Ph.D. program, students will complete the traditional pre-clinical coursework taken by first- and second-year medical students. In years three through five (after D.O./Ph.D. program candidacy has been awarded), Ph.D.-level coursework in biomedical and anatomical systems will supplement the medical school curriculum. During this period, students will also carry out an in-depth research project under the mentorship of an NYITCOM faculty member leading to a doctoral thesis. Upon completion of the Ph.D. degree requirements (90 credits required), students will then fulfill the clinical training required of third and fourth-year NYITCOM students.
For more information about NYITCOM, visit nyit.edu/medicine.
About NYIT
NYIT (New York Institute of Technology) 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 9,000 students at campuses in New York City (Manhattan) and Long Island (Old Westbury) in New York; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Vancouver, British Columbia; and in various programs around the world. NYIT sponsors 13 NCAA Division II programs.
NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. More than 100,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.
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[1] Milewicz DM, Lorenz RG, Dermody TS, Brass LF. Rescuing the physician-scientist workforce: the time for action is now. J Clin Invest. 2015;125(10):3742-3747. doi:10.1172/JCI84170.
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