Musicand

Medicine

Weill CornellMedical College

Music and MedicineWEILL CORNELL MEDICAL COLLEGE

Dr. David A. Shapiro, ChairmanDr. Richard Kogan, Vice Chairman and Artistic Director

Student and House Staff Committee:

Elena Bukanova (4th year)Joseph Cousin, MD (Psych House Staff)Isaac Andrew Klein (MD/PhD)Lee Kiang (MD/PhD)Josh Levinger, MD (ENT House Staff)Peter Morgenstern (4th year)Curtis O’Neal, (MD/PhD)Ankit Patel (MD/PhD)Jeff Russ (MD/PhD)Joanna Spencer, (MD/PhD)

Advisory Board:

Jack D. Barchas, MDCharles Bardes, MDBarry Coller, MDHarvey Klein, MDLarry Norton, MDStephen Paget, MDZev Rosenwaks, MDThomas Sculco, MDDavid Skorton, MDMichael Stewart, MDHazel Szeto, MD, PhD

For more information about the Music and Medicine initiative at Weill Cornell,please contact David A. Shapiro, MD, dshapiro@bcn.net or (212) 534-3448.

edical students typically excel in science, but fewpeople know that many are also gifted musically.From conservatory-trained professional musicians

to serious amateurs who have studied and played musicfor many years, all are part of the Weill Cornell MedicalCollege family.

Reasons for musicians turning to a career in medicine—insome cases as a second career after years of performing—are varied. But all share a passionate pursuit of theexpression of beauty and perfection through music.

Once musicians become medical students, they often findthat their passion for exploration seamlessly translates intothe pursuit of knowledge. Students who bring music totheir academic careers begin to think of their medicaltraining as an art form in itself.

With this in mind, the Weill Cornell Medical CollegeMusic and Medicine Initiative—spearheaded by David A.Shapiro, MD, and Richard Kogan, MD, and supported bya generous gift from the Block Family Foundation—allowsmedical students to continue to enjoy their musical lifeby offering quiet rehearsal spaces, performance venuesand mentors from partner arts institutions. The programemphasizes continued academic excellence with the addedopportunity for students to practice music as a way tobalance a busy academic life.

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Supporting the student musician as he orshe segues into the role of medicalstudent is the primary intent of the Musicand Medicine Initiative. This has beenaccomplished by developing a structurethat enables medical students to continuea musical life while studying medicine atWeill Cornell. This may include suchthings as access to private rehearsal spacesand performance venues throughout NewYork City. It may also include specializedmentoring from faculty—both medicaland musical—from Weill Cornell andpartner institutions such as The JuilliardSchool and the 92nd Street Y, institutionsfamous for their commitment to the arts inNew York City and beyond.

Thanks to a strong clinical affiliation with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital,opportunities for unique programs and partnerships abound. Several existingprograms at the Medical Center actively seek to include the artist as activeparticipant.

Music and HealingThere currently exist programs devoted tomusic and healing at Weill Cornell, as wellas at Memorial Sloan-Kettering CancerCenter, a partner institution just blocksfrom theWeill Cornell campus. Music andMedicine develops a framework betweeninstitutions to create unique translationalresearch opportunities.

Music and ResearchResearch groups nationwide are studying many aspects of music and the brain.NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center has many activeneuroscience research groups, and theMusic andMedicine Initiative will help todevelop partnership opportunities.

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The Music and Medicine Initiative

Music as Medicine

For example, a string quartet formed by WeillCornell students may need a space in which topractice in their limited spare time. TheMusicand Medicine Initiative partnerships will allowthese students access to quiet rehearsal rooms atthe 92nd Street Y.

Student musicians will also benefit by closecollaboration with faculty from The JuilliardSchool, several of whom will serve as volunteercoaches. In exchange, our partner institutionshave access to one of the world’s finestacademic medical centers.

For example, a viola player at The JuilliardSchool may develop an upper back problemdue to poor posture while playing. This student

will be referred to one of NewYork’s finest physicians at theNewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center,someone who is attuned to theunique needs and problems ofthe musician.

As an academic medical center,the Music and Medicine Initia-tive will offer lectures, seminarsand services that will proveinvaluable to both educationalpartners and students.

The Art oƒ Collaboration

The 92nd Street Y

The Issac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall

TheMusic andMedicine Initiative hasbudding relationships with some of theworld’s foremost musical institutions,including The Juilliard School, the92nd Street Y, and Carnegie Hall. Thegoal is to find ways to bring benefit toboth medical students and the partnerinstitutions.

The Juilliard School

It is no secret that medical college admissions officers compete to recruit the bestand brightest applicants to their institutions. When students are consideringa medical school, many factors contribute to their final decision.

Weill Cornell Medical College is fortunate to already have many elements thatmake it an attractive institution: its location in Manhattan, commonlyreferred to as the cultural capital of the world; a large and diverse faculty,student and patient population; a unique Problem-Based Learning curriculumthat focuses on student discovery rather than standard lecture; and one of thecountry’s leading global medicine programs, including a campus in Qatar anda unique education and clinical training program at the Weill Bugando Centerin Tanzania.

The Music and Medicine Initiative serves as another contributing factor toattract students who want to pursue a career in medicine, but do not want tosacrifice their love and passion for music in the process. While the MedicalCollege will continue to attract the brightest and most intellectually curiousstudents, the Music and Medicine Initiative will serve to attract musicallycreative applicants, who are then more likely to matriculate at the MedicalCollege knowing that their interest in music will be supported throughout theiracademic career at Weill Cornell.

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Issac Klein (MD/PhD), bassElena Bukanova (4th year), fluteCurtis O’Neal (MD/PhD), violin

Becoming the Best

An Investment in CreativityWeill Cornell’s Music and Medicine program is an entirely privately fundedinitiative undertaken by our faculty and students. We believe strongly that theprogram will enhance the medical college experience for our students, and thatit will also be of great benefit to the Weill Cornell community at large.

Music and Medicine relies on the generosity of friends and patrons to under-write its programs and mission. Opportunities for involvement are available atvarious levels, and every dollar raised is directed to the program and its success.

For further information on how you can becomemore involved, or to learn howyou can support this important program, please contact David A. Shapiro, MD,Program Chairman, at (212) 534-3448. You may also contact Weill CornellMedical College’s Office of Development at (646) 962-8720, to make a donationor request more information about supporting this unique program.