As part of stage three of our MD curriculum, students take a one-month advanced clinically integrated science selective (ACISS) course that provides an experiential exploration of the cutting-edge sciences at NYU Langone Health that are changing the practice of medicine.

Students gain experience working with faculty who are at the forefront of medicine and learn about innovative research. ACISS courses promote experiential learning and evidence-based medicine and facilitate development of expertise in a particular research area as well as provide mentorship for the creation of a collaborative research proposal.

To earn your MD degree, you must complete at least one ACISS, which you take during stage three or four of the curriculum. Grades for ACISS courses are honors, high pass, pass, and fail.

Currently Offered ACISS Courses

ACISS courses are not available to visiting students. The Office of Registration and Student Records provides information about participating in the lottery to determine your academic schedule.

Clinical Informatics and Bioinformatics

The Clinical Informatics and Bioinformatics course is designed to provide the student with exposure to and experience in the use of health information technology to advance patient care, improve medical education, and research new ways to improving healthcare delivery. Students gain hands-on experience with bioinformatics and clinical informatics techniques and tools and work alongside our world-class informatics faculty.

The core components include exemplar cases that highlight the use of informatics in molecular and genetic analysis, diagnosis, therapy planning, the ongoing care of both individuals and populations, and research. Students participate in two-to-three hours of morning didactics five days a week and two-to-three hours of afternoon practica four days a week, as well as a weekly introduction to informatics tools, systems, and resources, and exposure to our Data Discovery Labs. Students are expected to develop a research proposal for presentation at the end of the course. Student groups meet with their mentor each Wednesday afternoon to stay on track and refine their proposal.

Health Equity

The Health Equity course allows students to build off prior experience in the health equity foundations block of the preclerkship curriculum. Students examine the impact of race within scientific and healthcare settings, explore strategies for systems and policy change, and put antiracism efforts into practice. The program is organized along six central categories: social determinants of health, environmental hazards, healthcare access, preventive health services, health outcomes, and morbidity, mortality, and behavioral risk factors. Health equity is approached through the lens of translational research, and students have opportunities to engage in community-based research initiatives at NYU Langone.

Human Genetics and Genomics

The Human Genetics and Genomics course provides students with exposure to the history and ethics of medical and human genetics, mendelian genetics, and complex inheritance. Topics include molecular diagnostics of genetic disease, genomics and precision medicine, and genetic counseling. Overarching themes include the fundamentals of genome structure and function; ethical, legal, and social issues in genetics; individual and population genetic variation; genetic counseling and communicating genetic information; identifying disease genes and disease-causing variants; a review of major genetic disorders across organ systems; and frontiers in genomic medicine and therapies.

Immunology, Host Defense, and Emerging Diseases

The Immunology, Host Defense, and Emerging Diseases course is designed to provide the student with exposure to, and experience in, clinically relevant human pathogens and modern countermeasures. Students learn about emerging and re-emerging pathogens, modern technology platforms, and precision infectious diseases. Overarching topics include COVID-19 (immunology, vaccine development, and pandemic response); genomic epidemiology sequencing and variant detection, including practical genomic epidemiology and outbreak response exercises; immunology of the microbiome, including immunology and host defense, microbiome analysis, and autoimmunity; and emerging infections and global health topics, including emerging infection biology, high-containment facilities, and viral evolution.

Molecular Diagnostics and Precision Medicine

The Molecular Diagnostics and Precision Medicine course is designed to expose students to precision medicine in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer. Patients with advanced cancer who receive precision medicine treatments are more likely to survive or have longer periods of remission than those who receive standard therapies. Molecular diagnostics is a pillar of precision medicine that enables patients to access genomics-informed, cost-effective therapies, and clinical trials for different solid and liquid tumors. Overarching themes include thoracic neoplasms (lung adenocarcinomas, squamous cell carcinoma, and small cell carcinomas), cutaneous neoplasms (malignant melanomas, Merkel cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinomas), gastrointestinal tract neoplasms (colorectal carcinomas and pancreatic and hepatobiliary carcinomas), and hematological malignancies.