The Department of Radiology is deeply committed to the education of medical students at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine. Our faculty are involved in a variety of courses and programs that are integral to medical student education in all three years of the MD curriculum. With radiology faculty leadership and input from stakeholders across specialties, a Longitudinal Radiology Curriculum was developed for integration across all three years of training.

The goals of the Longitudinal Radiology Curriculum include using imaging to assist with anatomy education, exploring the spectrum of imaging modalities, understanding radiation risks associated with different imaging modalities, improving imaging utilization in various clinical scenarios, and demonstrating the role of the radiologist in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Phase One: Preclinical Year

The first year of the MD curriculum at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine focuses on preclinical education. Radiology is integrated into the Morphology of Medicine course, also called M4, that is taught longitudinally along with anatomy, pathology, and histology. Two radiology faculty members, Costas Stavrakis, DO, and Jason C. Hoffmann, MD, regularly teach in the M4 course, with sessions typically held two days per week.

Imaging is used to reinforce the understanding of anatomical concepts, in conjunction with cadaveric identification of various structures. Radiology images are also included on practical exams to assess understanding of how patient anatomy is clinically evaluated using different imaging modalities. Pathology lessons are also correlated with common characteristics and radiologic features of involved structures on imaging. In addition, first-year medical students are offered the opportunity to enroll in a one-week radiology elective to gain more exposure to the specialty.

Phase Two: Clinical Clerkships

Phase two of our curriculum is dedicated to clinical clerkships. An introduction to clinical radiology lecture is given during the weeklong Transition to Clinical Care experience at the start of the year. Radiology faculty lead a monthly lecture series to review common pathology, clinically relevant American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria, and unique cases. Image-rich sessions cover a variety of topics, including stroke, pulmonary embolism, aortic dissection, small bowel obstruction, inflammatory bowel disease, cholecystitis, appendicitis, pancreatitis, pediatric respiratory distress, pediatric abdominal pain, first trimester vaginal bleeding in pregnant patients, and the imaging workup of a pregnancy of unknown location.

During the internal medicine and surgery clerkships, students participate in weekly radiology sessions known as RadsRounds to review basic anatomy across modalities and analyze studies obtained on patients encountered during their rotations. These small-group sessions, led by a faculty radiologist, allow students to take a deeper dive into the imaging performed on patients, develop a better understanding of optimal imaging utilization, and appreciate the role of radiology in disease diagnosis as well as how imaging results impact patient management. During the obstetrics and gynecology clerkship, breast imaging faculty provide breast and women’s health lectures. A two-week radiology selective experience is also offered to all second-year medical students.

Phase Three: Advanced Skill Development

During phase three, radiology faculty facilitate case review workshops for students in the advanced emergency medicine clerkship. In addition, students partaking in the internal medicine subinternship participate in RadsRounds with faculty. Multiple radiology case review sessions are also included in the month-long Transition to Residency course toward the end of the final year of medical school. The Transition to Residency course also includes high-yield reviews of topics such as the interpretation of chest X-rays, abdominal X-rays, and radiographs for fracture evaluation. Two- and four-week radiology electives with a particular focus on tools and skills for primary care practice are also offered.

Radiology Interest Group and Other Resources

The Radiology Interest Group is supported by Department of Radiology faculty. As the advisor to the Radiology Interest Group, Dr. Hoffmann regularly meets and communicates with student leaders in the group, and works with them to explore topics of interest. Career exploration and residency application preparatory sessions are also held.

Radiology faculty serve as content reviewers and editors for The Reading Room, a monthly Radiology Interest Group newsletter that is shared with all students. In addition, two radiology faculty members present as part of a leadership course that third-year medical students participate in annually.