Job Opportunity: CUMC Research Technician

The Department of Microbiology & Immunology seeks a Technician B with a background in biological research to join a dynamic research lab that conducts research into malaria. The technician will play a key role in a drug pipeline designed to test the efficacy of novel antimalarials on cultured Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites. The pipeline is a collaborative project with the not-for-profit Medicines for Malaria Venture and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and encompasses laboratories all over the world.

Specifically, the technician will be running experiments to study mechanisms of drug resistance. This includes culturing malaria parasites, performing drug dose-response assays, generating drug-resistant parasites, sequencing target genes, and interpreting whole-genome sequence data. The technician will also assist with general lab management including maintaining adequate supplies of reagents.

This job offers the opportunity to be on the front lines of drug discovery and testing for a disease that has a vast impact on the tropical regions of the world (with over 200 million cases yearly). The hired research technician will work in an international environment of ~16 researchers. Our group is well funded, very interactive and highly productive in publications per year (see Fidock Lab at www.fidock.org). Our research technicians typically continue into PhD, MD or MD/PhD programs upon having completed two years of research in the lab. We seek applicants who are highly motivated, self-sufficient, interactive, detail-oriented, passionate about infectious diseases research and global health, and enjoy genetics and molecular and cell biology research. Interested applicants should write to Dr. David Fidock at df2260@cumc.olumbia.edu and include their CV, transcript along with letter of interest.

Bringing Smiles Dental Enrichment Program at NYU College of Dentistry

The mission of Bringing Smiles Dental Enrichment Program is to support and encourage underrepresented minority/disadvantaged background undergraduate students seeking entrance into dental school to have successful and impactful professional careers.

The program has 4 main components: 

Community-Based Clinical Experience - interns participate in the “Bringing Smiles to NYC Schools” program, a school-based comprehensive dental program located within NYC public schools.

Mentorship - each intern will be connected to both a faculty mentor and a dental student mentor whom they will meet with throughout the semester.

Seminars and Application Preparation - interns will participate in a series of seminars and professional development experiences to prepare them for dental school.

Research Opportunities - interns will be connected to potential research opportunity at the college.

Learn more about the program requirements and eligibility here. 

Osteopathic Medicine Resources Re: COVID-19

The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) has compiled resources for prospective applicants in their COVID-19 Resource page. Please note that this page is being continuously updated in real time. They intend for this web-page to be home to all admissions requirement changes due to COVID-19 at each of the Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. 

So far, there has been one change to the application. AACOM has added a question to the 2020-2021 AACOMAS Application prompting applicants to describe how COVID-19 has impacted their pathway to medical school. The question is open ended and allows applicants up to 2500 characters for them to describe any academic, personal, financial or professional barriers that COVID-19 may have presented for them.

Prospective applicants are also encouraged to check out the blog posts linked below, from the perspective of a current medical student and a current physician:

• Blog post: a 4^th Year Medical Student's response to COVID-19
• Blog Post: a current physician's response to COVID - 19 & a reminder to future physicians

Exploring Osteopathic Medicine - April 23

Exploring Osteopathic Medicine is a virtual event intended for pre medical students interested in learning more about osteopathic medicine. Join the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) for this in-depth look at the osteopathic medical profession and what it means to be a DO. This virtual event will include panel discussions with live questions and answers from current medical students, practicing physicians, and admissions representatives. AACOM will give an overview of AACOMAS, the primary application to osteopathic medical school, offer tips and tricks on how to ace the AACOMAS application. AACOM is thrilled to welcome Dr. Jen Caudle as a speaker for the event. Dr. Jen is a board certified family medicine physician known for her appearances on local and national news networks including the TODAY Show, the Dr. Oz Show, CNN, Steve Harvey Show, and many others.

The event will take place online at 12:15 PM Eastern on April 23, 2020. Register here!