Hospital for Special Surgery and Macaulay Honors College (CUNY) Partner to Cultivate Biomedical Research Leaders of Tomorrow
The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is proud to announce that this Summer’s cohort of undergraduate students have successfully completed the inaugural session of a biomedical research program in collaboration with the Macaulay Honors College (CUNY). This summer program provides undergraduate students with an immersive experience in biomedical research and access to the laboratories of HSS Research Institute and clinical research spaces throughout the HSS main campus.
By partnering program scholars with HSS’s world-class researchers as mentors, students are able to experience biomedical research and understand that this is also a career option for them. “While many students beginning college are understandably excited about becoming a doctor and helping patients, fewer understand that you can also make a difference through a career in biomedical research,” said Dr. Theresa Lu, scientific director of the HSS Macaulay Scholars Program. “It’s our privilege to open the doors of discovery to these exceptional students and we hope to ignite a lifelong commitment to advancing musculoskeletal health and biomedical science.”
HSS's unparalleled expertise in the field of musculoskeletal health provide students the opportunity to explore the intersection of medicine and science in a cutting edge environment, and scholars could witness firsthand how research drives advancements across a spectrum of medicine.
The selected students, from the prestigious Macaulay Honors College, were each paired with an established investigator and their group members to serve as their research mentors. Additionally, each student was provided with a stipend to support them throughout this eight-week program. The organizing committee was comprised of Dr. Lu along with HSS CSO Dr. Lionel Ivashkiv, Vice President of Research Rosemarie Gagliardi, Director of Research Institute Operations Nicole Seate-Martin, faculty member Dr. Alexis Sideris, Tri-Institutional MD-PhD student Stephanie Azzopardi, and Weill Cornell medical student Branden Sosa. Dr. Sideris and Stephanie Azzopardi are former Macaulay Honors College students themselves, and Branden Sosa graduated from CUNY’s Hunter College.
HSS remains committed to fostering lasting connections with these gifted scholars and they look forward to witnessing their development as scientists. The next Macaulay Scholars Program is slated to begin this upcoming academic year. Prospective scholars are encouraged to apply.
HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 14th consecutive year), No. 2 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2023-2024), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2023-2024). In a survey of medical professionals in more than 20 countries by Newsweek, HSS is ranked world #1 in orthopedics for a fourth consecutive year (2023). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection and complication rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. In addition, more than 200 HSS clinical investigators are working to improve patient outcomes through better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat orthopedic, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 165 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.
