Expanding our horizons with the NYC Cultural Consults: An interview with Alex Peters and Evan Pulvers Loheetha Ragupathi What do Damian Woetzel, former principal dancer of the New York City Ballet and current Director of Arts Programs at the Aspen Institute, and Dr. Meredith Grossman, Mount Sinai pediatrician, have in common? First, both participated in an engaging round table discussion during one evening last January as distinguished guests of the NYC cultural consults. Second – something that became clear to everyone in the room as the dialogue progressed – both are, in different ways, performers. In a conversation over hors d’oeuvres with about thirty Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai medical students, Mr. Woetzel and Dr. Grossman explored the surprising commonalities between medicine and dance. These types of eye-opening discussions between medical students, faculty, and cultural leaders and innovators are precisely what Sar Medoff and Adam Philips, current third year Icahn School of Medicine medical students, had envisioned when they founded NYC Cultural Consults in 2011 under the mentorship of Dr. Erica Friedman, Associate Dean for Education Assessment and Scholarship. The group is
now led by second year medical students Alex Peters and Evan Pulvers, who met with The Rossi to discuss the group’s role in medical education at Icahn School of Medicine and the future directions of the organization. Medoff initially conceived of the group after reflecting on his experiences as an undergraduate at Princeton University.
in the heart of New York City, widely recognized as the cultural capital of the United States, the school affords itself great opportunities to attract experts, leaders, and innovators to sit down and speak with its intellectually curious medical students. And so, in the spring of 2011, the NYC Cultural Consults student group was founded. The group invites three or four
“The discussion not only allowed us to discuss some of the greatest issues both nationally and internationally, but also reminded us of how we fit into that discourse as future physicians.” At Princeton's undergraduate dining halls and at certain eating clubs, professors from various fields were frequently invited to speak with students over informal dinners in a small group setting. Medoff enjoyed this opportunity to interact with leaders in diverse fields and sought to institute a similar program at his medical school. Located
Evan Pulvers (left) and Alex Peters (right), the current leaders of the NYC Cultural Consults
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speakers per semester for an evening roundtable discussion with up to thirty students and a faculty member at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Topics of conversation range from the impact of public transit on public health to the importance of movement to a dancer. ChengCheng Zheng, a fourth year medical student who has attended an NYC cultural consults event, describes the event as "an amazing and rare opportunity for me to participate in an intellectual conversation outside of medicine with a giant in his field". She says, "the discussion not only allowed us to discuss some of the greatest issues both nationally and internationally, but also reminded us of how we fit into that discourse as future physicians. I think events like this can be especially important at a medical school that is not attached to a larger university.” Indeed, the current trends in medical education highlight the importance of the social milieu of the patients, and the NYC Cultural Consults provides an excellent opportunity to engage in direct dialogue with a diverse group of its leaders. The group is funded primarily by the student council, with occasional donations from faculty members. The speakers are leaders in their respective fields. In addition to their faculty advisor Dr. Friedman, the faculty in the medical office have also been education instrumental in identifying and contacting potential speakers.