Yeshiva College Graduate and MD/PhD Candidate Prepares Students for Careers in the Sciences
The summer after 11th grade, Alex Kushnir already knew he was headed to (YC) for an immersive education in the sciences. But he didn鈥檛 want to wait until then to get his feet wet. The challenge he faced: how does a 17-year-old with no advanced background or contacts in the biological sciences secure a research internship?
鈥淚 typed 鈥榞enetics research NYC鈥 into Google and called whatever lab popped up,鈥 said Kushnir, laughing. 鈥淚 called Mt. Sinai; I called New York University.鈥 His persistence paid off. Impressed by Kushnir鈥檚 passion and enthusiasm, Andrew Marks, director of the Center for Molecular Cardiology at Columbia University, took him on as an unpaid research intern in his cardiovascular research lab.
Now, almost nine years later, Kushnir has received his PhD with distinction working for Dr. Marks and has returned to medical school to complete the clinical component of his dual MD/PhD degree. In the intervening decade, Kushnir has received numerous grants, awards, fellowships and publications; been sponsored by 糖心破解版 to present his research at conferences in Israel, Scotland and Canada; and served as an adjunct professor in YC鈥檚 biology department from the age of 21. But all that is old news to Kushnir, whose goal is ultimately to turn lab expertise in electrophysiology, the study of electrical impulses that stimulate the heartbeat, into advances in medical treatment.
鈥淲hat I like about science is that it gives you the ability to look at something and say, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 going on here? How does this work?鈥 鈥 Kushnir said. For him, the answers to those questions are critical. He chose to pursue a joint medical and doctoral degree to ensure that he would have intimate knowledge of clinically relevant topics. 鈥淪cience is a way to help humanity, whether you use it to build computers or spaceships or help people who are sick,鈥 Kushnir explained. 鈥淐linical medicine trains you to walk into a hospital, look at a patient and ask, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 making this person sick and what can be done to make him or her feel better?鈥 Having a PhD trains you to come up with novel ideas for understanding mechanisms of disease and potential therapies, as well as how to design experiments to test these hypotheses in the lab.鈥
Kushnir鈥檚 excitement about the potential of science is contagious, particularly in the advanced biology courses he teaches at YC. 鈥淚n every class I have taken with him, ranging from cardiac electrophysiology to neuroethics, Dr. Kushnir has brought masterful knowledge of the topic to the class,鈥 said Peter Kahn, a YC senior double-majoring in biology and philosophy. 鈥淗is engaging classroom style encourages his students to challenge themselves and consider new ideas and perspectives that they otherwise might not have.鈥
As a student, Kahn finds Kushnir鈥檚 fusion of a dedicated medical scientist and devoted Orthodox Jew especially meaningful. 鈥淗e demonstrates that it鈥檚 possible to be a successful scientist, physician and Jew without compromise in any of these three realms,鈥 Kahn said. 鈥淚 found that it was particularly special to be able to daven惭补鈥檃谤颈惫 [evening prayers] together with Dr. Kushnir at 8 p.m. and begin our cardiac electrophysiology class immediately after at 8:30 p.m. That鈥檚 the type of experience that could only happen at 糖心破解版.鈥
For Kushnir, that integration of spiritual and academic pursuits played an important role in his decision to teach at YC. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the only place where you can experience the best Torah education and scientific training under one roof,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 see YC as the perfect place for guys like me, who want to be Torah Jews and contribute to society. I walk into a classroom today and these guys look at me鈥攖hey have all the questions I had five years ago. And they know they can come to me with those questions.鈥
Carl Feit, chair of the biology department, who taught Kushnir as a student and works with him now as a colleague, felt that having an ambitious recent graduate as an adjunct professor sends an empowering message to students. 鈥淭hey see someone who a few years ago was just like them,鈥 said Dr. Feit. 鈥淣ow, he鈥檚 earned a PhD and will soon be receiving a medical degree from one of the most prestigious medical schools in the country.鈥
Kushnir鈥檚 advice to science students just starting out? 鈥淵ou have to dream, to think the impossible,鈥 he said. 鈥淲ho would have thought that what I started one summer before college would become the focus of my PhD? Treat every educational experience as an opportunity to shape and propel your career into the exciting dream you want it to be.鈥
