Learning from past, I mean way past…
-Prof Browne and Prof Lespinasse were pioneers at RAD TECH to create a NYC-wide network of our RAD TECH AAS graduates who requested them to start a BSRS program. They did, a 2+2, a unique at that time, and perhaps still a unique one in east coast. They felt the need for MRI and CT tracks; however, for many reasons they settled for a General BSRS degree. Then they recruited me in 2016 with the persuasive foresight from Ex-Dean Dr. David Smith.
Presenting at the interview…
-Long to short: I always wanted to bring change. I was thrilled to see our President was a PhD in Metallurgy. That was quite close to medicine! Close enough for me. I had to share that I was very close to doing PhD in Metallurgy at Pittsburgh after spending many years in Nuclear Physics. I wanted to feel the PhD with my hand, not any more inside the invisible atoms. But I also abandoned the dream of Metallurgy and Materials Science to understand the quantum miracles of human body. With this new PhD in Chemical Medical Physics I ended up in Petroleum engineering jobs first and then with Hospital based R&Ds. Soon I was teaching MDs and Rad Tech professionals since in my hospital management jobs I understood everyone needs to learn more and discover more. Hence instead of the thriving medical industry I felt I was needed more in the academic medicine. I wanted to lure students along some of the same roads I had travelled, but at the earliest age possible to appreciate the deepest pain and practice at the highest level in order to end the never-ending diseases.
Teaching BOLD … (teaching what will make a difference)
For many reasons I teach. I teach simple, I teach new, I teach what I feel is missing. I teach interesting materials that seem useful and without which I feel I shall be cheating them of a great opportunity. I prepare students to break every bar … as many as they are willing and able to. Here are two examples from the toughest course we have – RAD 4826 (Adv Imaging-II). It is a course that compares and combines all branches of Radiology. It sets the limit that exist as of now. It shows the relation and dependence of what their co-workers are doing everywhere in the hospital, what the end user physicians are practicing today as well as what they might practice tomorrow. It requires as much knowledge and insight as a teacher can afford to have; there is no bound in this course. There is only high to higher expectations. I set mine very high. I only set the limit to ensure that students must enjoy the challenge. For example attached you would see how Japan performs CAT Scan compared to US in setting the bounds of radiation dose for whole body or head. How is EU’s radiation burden compared to US. Also how much cancer we are inducung by our radiation when we are trying to search for cancer in a young woman.
Challenging teaching materials in RAD4826 class
Teaching to build and teaching with built-in curiosity & innovation (let us search in https://academicworks.cuny.edu/ )
In last 5 years we have graduated abpproximately 400 students (250AAS, 150BSRS). I have taught the 150 for hours and hours a week, advised dozens of hours a semester to each, mostly with 7/24 cell phone lines open. We studied the basics, the advanced, the graduate levels. But the most we enjoyed are the research based deep learning. That built curiosity and innovation in integrated and interdisciplinary Radiology.
By searching a few typical student names in CUNY Academic works one can find a total of 30+ competent and innovative students who conducted undergraduate research and many got published in peer reviewed journals: for example let us search in CUNY Academic Works to see their contributions and excitements … Analia or Lin Mousa or Shahbaz or XianFu …
Bringing advanced biomedical world to classroom
I have to wear additional hats (often as an international reviewer of nanotechnology, bioengineering or neurosurgery) or as a quality control consultant at Harvard Medical School to keep up with our fast advancing profession and bring it back to the BS level at our classrooms. Then only I feel I qualify to help them strategize their future careers in medicine, medical physics and graduate level radiology. Advising is an integral part of teaching while continuous learning keeps me relevant and young. See two sample PDFs here to convey a snapshot of my external assignments:
External Reviewer Role-Univ Grants Commission 2023
McLean 3T MRI ACR Consultant Report 2020
Bioinformatics or Radio-informatics… Setting a high bar
-One may call it Radiomics. Our easiest course is Medical Informatics; it is so easy because it never took upon the practice of today. Radiomics is supposed to be the integrated content and flow of relevant information that describes the patient, the progression and the path to cure all the diseases. Being so dynamic and technical it is inherently interdisciplinary and is the living breathing protocol of any medical team. Our Radiologic Technology tools and acts are the eyes and ears as well as the hands of medical doctors that feed into and fed by the MD brain. There is no Radionomics at our level. I feel, it is time to say that it is unacceptable.
This year I am starting with the plan to reshape and recreate this most difficult and most needed course. It will require working with 2 departments: Bioinformatics and Rad Tech and probably 2 small companies that process medical information, Nordic Neuro Lab and Schrodinger. Of course we need to have 2-3 willing faculty and since it should be somewhat simple and broadly useful with interdisciplinary and interesting parts, why not to call it a RAD-ID!
A Biomedical Science ID course… Serving a Curious Mind from the History of Medicine
-is my second project: a course for a broader audience at 2nd or 3rd year level that connects college students with the discoveries in medicine that brought together many disciplines. It will bring the success of the past and the flavor of the future. Starting with a basic biology and mathematics background it will add a small amount of necessary physics, chemistry and anatomy to present multiple medical breakthroughs from a historical perspective. It will also have students tour several science and technology laboratories from willing and generous CUNY departments. With the commitment of 4-5 face to face visits, another 4-5 synchronous classes with faculty and finally 4-5 asynchronous days for team projects involving select reading materials in the theme above, the class may be attractive as a hybrid ID course drawing students from multiple CUNY campuses. I have tested and tasted some of these ideas as independent study with small student groups and believe it can and should be done.
