News and Events

Sure, we all know that you should brush your teeth twice a day (and use floss and other tools to clean between them). But what the official word on tongue cleaning? Per the American Dental Association, there is no evidence it’ll keep away bad breath or fix halitosis, but they do say doing so can be “a great way to go the extra mile for your mouth.” We, of course, are all about going that extra mile. And, as dentist Dr. Mark Burhenne says, “I believe that more evidence is coming [on the efficacy of tongue cleaning], but for now, we have to place more weight in clinical knowledge and experience of many dentists who agree that scraping your tongue has value for oral health.”

Touro College of Dental Medicine at New York Medical College News: Golda Erdfarb, D.D.S., associate professor of dental medicine, course director of dental anatomy and occlusion and course director of operative dentistry

As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the world, thousands of people are buying face masks to protect themselves. Some local stores in cities like New York, Houston and San Francisco have told DailyMail.com that supplies are running low and, while major retailers like CVS and Walgreens haven't yet run out online or at the national level, shortages are starting to crop up.

New York Medical College Leadership News: Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., vice president for government affairs and dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice

The virus is now found on every continent, save frozen Antarctica, and the number of new infections being reported around the globe is soaring, even as transmission in China appears to slow down dramatically. There is no treatment or vaccine for the virus, which scientists think originated in bats and may have hopped into an intermediary host animal before infecting people.

New York Medical College Leadership News: Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., vice president for government affairs and dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice

As of Feb. 27, 2020, Covid-19 has infected more than 78,000 people in China, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The virus is now spreading in other countries, including South Korea, Iran, and Italy. The total number of confirmed cases worldwide is over 82,000.

New York Medical College Leadership News: Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., vice president for government affairs and dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice

As a could-be medical pandemic, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)—the respiratory disease first detected in Wuhan, China, at the end of December, which now has more than 82,000 confirmed cases worldwide—has incited pandemonium globally, specifically among travelers.

New York Medical College Leadership News: Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., vice president for government affairs and dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice

When it comes to the new coronavirus going around (aka COVID-19), good hygiene seems to be our best line of defense. Because the virus has only been on our radar for a couple of months, we don’t have a preventive vaccine yet, nor do we have an effective way to treat the respiratory illness the virus causes. And though researchers are getting close to putting potential vaccines to the test, it’ll likely be about a year before they’re ready for us.

New York Medical College Leadership News: Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., vice president for government affairs and dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice

It seems like much of the world has gone digital except for the visit to the doctor’s office. The technology is there but for a variety of reasons, virtual visits have not taken off. The American Medical Association’s most recent national survey found that 15 percent of physicians have used telemedicine in clinical settings. Virk designed MediSprout to make it easier for doctors to connect with their patients virtually. The program is free to physicians and available to patients for a $4 fee per visit.

BioInc@NYMC News: Samant Virk, M.D., founder and chief executive officer of MediSprout, a BioInc client

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the best precautions for the public are the standard, everyday ways to avoid all germs: wash your hands frequently, try not to touch your face, and avoid close contact with sick people.

New York Medical College Leadership News: Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., vice president for government affairs and dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice

Anyone planning to buy face masks to combat the outbreak of the coronavirus should purchase them now if they can. On Tuesday, an official from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention warned it is only a matter of time before the deadly disease makes it to the U.S., reported The Washington Post.

New York Medical College Leadership News: Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., vice president for government affairs and dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice

They're definitely not foolproof. By wearing a paper surgical face mask, you'll mostly just be doing everyone around you a solid, rather than protecting yourself, says Robert Amler, M.D., Dean of New York Medical College's School of Health Sciences and former chief medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Face masks, like those used in surgery, are not designed to protect people who wear them, but instead keep their own droplets, when they cough or [spit], from landing on others," he explains.

New York Medical College Leadership News: Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., vice president for government affairs and dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice

New video animation shows how the coronavirus outbreak has outpaced the SARS, MERS, Ebola and swine flu epidemics. Made by production company Abacaba, and uploaded to YouTube on February 12, the clip compares how quickly each disease spread once cases were reported. At first, the coronavirus outbreak spread slower than Ebola, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and swine flu. But, by Day 41 of their respective outbreaks, 243 were ill from Ebola, 182 were sickened by Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), 520 had come down with swine flu, and 3,600 were infected with SARS.

New York College Leadership News: Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., vice president for government affairs and dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice

In 2017, the CDC shared a somewhat inadvertently entertaining graphic that explains style-by-style the types of facial hair work under a mask, and the ones that don't. It is relevant today as the public looks to take preventative measures against the spread of the coronavirus.

New York Medical College Leadership News: Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., vice president for government affairs and dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice

The new coronavirus (COVID-19), recently declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) an international public health emergency, is hitting closer to home. The virus has infected tens of thousands and continues to spread globally, prompting U.S. healthcare providers—many who are already stretched thin during the busy flu season—to question how they will accommodate a potential spike in visit volume while protecting their patients and themselves.

BioInc@NYMC News: Samant Virk, M.D., founder and chief executive officer of MediSprout, a BioInc client

Women experience symptoms that mean they are ovulating, like shifts in their basal body temperature, tenderness of their breasts, and an increased sex drive. Some, however, might also deal with ovulation pain, also known as mittelschmerz.

NYMC Faculty News: Camille A. Clare, M.D., M.P.H. '11, associate dean of diversity and inclusion for the School of Medicine and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology

Cholestasis slows or stops the flow of bile from the liver. Normally, the gallbladder, a small organ under the liver, releases bile into the small intestine to help break down and absorb fats during digestion. When the flow of bile is impeded, bile acids can build up in the liver and leak into the bloodstream.

NYMC Faculty News: Jonathan K. Mays, M.D., clinical associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology

A few years ago, when I used to work in real estate finance and development, my colleagues and clients oftentimes thought I was either anorexic or an alcoholic. Because I keep kosher, I have a pretty restrictive diet. In order to be able to meet with anyone, wherever they may want, I would often sit in lunch or dinner meetings and enjoy either a Diet Coke or a Heineken. I would casually sip my drink, acting as if it were normal not to order anything else, while everyone at the table enjoyed the different options on the menu. It is difficult to explain what keeping kosher entails so I didn’t like to voluntarily explain it, and, though people were genuinely interested when they asked about it, the conversation rarely came up. My behavior was often simply chalked up as a personal idiosyncrasy, an eating disorder or a functional dependence disorder.

NYMC Faculty News: Ira J. Bedzow, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine and director of the Biomedical Ethics and Humanities Program

Over the course of a week, from Jan. 19-25, the medical group operated on 24 patients, many of whom required multiple procedures. Most of the procedures were to treat cleft lip and palates and Abraham, the lead surgeon on the trip, estimates roughly 50 procedures were performed in all.

NYMC Faculty Mentions:
Manoj T. Abraham, M.D., clinical associate professor of otolaryngology
Augustine L. Moscatello, M.D., chair of the Department of Otolaryngology and professor of clinical otolaryngology

The idea of a Jewish gene is not necessarily new, but it has become more popular and more concerning in recent years. For example, today, direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies, like 23andMe and Ancestry.com, identify people with certain genetic markers as being a percentage Jewish, leaving those customers who have previously considered themselves as anything but Jewish wondering what this report means.

NYMC Faculty News: Rabbi Ira J. Bedzow, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine and director of the Biomedical Ethics and Humanities Program

In honor of Black History Month, here are 25 exceptional clinicians and healthcare professionals who advanced medicine and race relations in the U.S.

New York Medical College News: Jane Cooke Wright, M.D. ’45. She served as associate dean at NYMC from 1967 to 1975.

A “super spreader” is a generic term that means someone will disproportionately infect a large number of people with a virus, Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security and member of the Infectious Disease Society of America, tells CNBC Make It. In other words, super spreaders spread a virus more efficiently than the average person.

New York Medical College Leadership News: Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., vice president for government affairs and dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice