Academic
Programs
The CEPM is developing a PhD program in Engineering and Precision Medicine. The focus of the program is as follows:
The academic mission of the CEPM is centered initially on a five-year joint PhD program in Engineering and Precision Medicine, with New York State Department of Education approval. The PhD program will educate researchers and clinicians in fundamental biological sciences, data analytics, and the principles of engineering. We will subsequently introduce Master’s degree and certificate programs to broaden the academic mission of the CEPM, including education of professionals from medicine and biotechnology.
PhD Degree in Engineering and Precision Medicine
Figure 3 provides a summary of the proposed PhD program.
Key Features:
- Four core courses (in white intersecting area)
- Engineering & Precision Medicine
- Ethical Issues in Biomedicine
- Commercialization & Entrepreneurship
- Data Analytics
- Joint PhD degree between Rensselaer and ISMMS
- PhD program will benefit from engineering focused elective courses offered at Rensselaer and ISMMS
- Opportunity for new NIH Training grants (>3), develop professional MS or certificate program that can be combined with MD
Existing Collaborations
The academic mission of the CEPM is centered initially on a five-year joint PhD program in Engineering and Precision Medicine, which will achieve New York State Department of Education approval. The PhD program will educate a new breed of researchers and clinicians who will be skilled in fundamental biological sciences, data analytics, and the principles of engineering. We will introduce follow-on Master’s degree and certificate programs to broaden the academic mission of the CEPM, including education of professionals from medicine and biotechnology.
Health Hackathon
The Health Hackathon is a 48-hour multidisciplinary competition focused on creating novel technology solutions for assessing, monitoring, managing, and treating problems in health care. This event will bring together students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Departments of Biological Science, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, and Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with students from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and other New York City universities including Columbia and the City University of New York. Working as part of an interdisciplinary design team, students will be tasked with a problem. For example, they might be asked to address artificial intelligence as it applies to adaptive/e-sports, memory and mental agility, social connectivity and communication, and professional performance in medicine. Each design team will have 48 hours to work out a solution and will be judged on the final day by judges from Mt. Sinai, Rensselaer, and other partnering institutions. Health Hackathon will provide students an opportunity to train in and contribute via an interdisciplinary design approach to human health and well-being.
CEPM Arch Program
CEPM Arch Program in Clinical Science and Translational Medicine
Rensselaer has initiated an “Arch” program in which undergraduate students remain on campus during the summer following their sophomore year and are enrolled in the first semester of their junior year. These students then leave Rensselaer either in the subsequent fall or spring semesters for an away semester. During the away semester, CEPM will offer a program in clinical science and translational medicine to provide Rensselaer students an immersive experience to develop an understanding of clinical science and its translation to improve health care and/or its delivery. Under this program students will rotate through clinical departments at Icahn Mount Sinai and will learn to identify clinical problems in need of a solution, based on interviews with clinicians, biomedical scientists, engineers, medical device companies, and medical students. The students will use the results to steer development of a prototype/concept at the Rapid Prototyping Center at Icahn Mount Sinai, where they will work alongside clinicians, computer scientists, and engineers. The program will involve regular presentations, select clinical rotations, and opportunities to attend short professional courses/lectures at Icahn Mount Sinai and conduct biomedical research.
Summer Undergraduate Research Program
CEPM will offer undergraduate students with a strong background in science the opportunity to conduct intensive research across a variety of disciplines in a vibrant, diverse, and nurturing environment. CEPM will be a home to students interested in pursuing translational medicine and will provide summer opportunities for RPI undergraduate students to work with CEPM faculty. The Summer Undergraduate Research Program will also act as a conduit to expose and provide research experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields for underrepresented minority population in the New York City metropolitan area.
COVID-19 Mask Decontamination Project
A recent example of the importance of the partnership between Rensselaer and Icahn Mount Sinai was a fast-track COVID-19 effort involving Mount Sinai Hospital, Catholic Responsible Investments, and the Center for Lighting-Enabled Systems and Applications at RPI. In a matter of weeks, a multidisciplinary team produced and delivered a bulk mask decontamination system using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation tubes on a motorized belt system that controls the dose of radiation each mask receives. The system can decontaminate thousands of masks per day in the hospital location, providing critical access to safe personal protective equipment for health care workers on the front lines.
Affiliated Research Programs
The CEPM coordinates with a variety of existing centers and institutes within both Mount Sinai and RPI. Please click on them to learn more.
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