Innovation and Community

The College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (NYITCOM) Director of Academic Technology, Dost Khalique, has a lot of hobbies—a hidden talent to make self-proclaimed “great” coffee, doughnut baking, and a love of handball, just to name a few—but it’s his passion for cinematography and innovative technology that he chose to pursue on a professional level.

“Growing up, there were a few careers I had considered, but it was an internship at New York University’s Center for Advanced Technology that helped me gain interest in technology and filmmaking,” Khalique says.

During this internship experience, where he worked on a project funded by Steven Spielberg, Khalique had hands-on training in 3-D modeling, animation, and how to design high-performance computers to render these advanced projects. In 2008, he was able to apply his technological skills when he joined NYITCOM’s Academic Technologies Group as a systems analyst. Now, he is the director of the department.

In his current role, Khalique oversees both the Academic Technologies Group and the Media Services Group, which, together, play a vital role in the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategic plan for seamless technology integration within NYITCOM’s academic and research environments, supporting everything from facilitating lectures and events to collaborating with faculty on their studies and storage solutions.

“Our team is at the forefront of technological advancements in education and research,” says Khalique, who notes that collaborating with university constituents is critical to evaluating and identifying educational technologies that have the potential to enhance teaching methods and optimize students’ learning experience. “We strive to create an environment that encourages innovation and enables us to stay ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of educational technology.”

One example of this innovation is The Scope, an NYITCOM podcast launched in 2019 centered on how the medical school experience helps shape the career of future physicians. Episodes focus on everything from wellness initiatives and medical research to practical advice helping medical students progress and succeed during their formative medical school years. Khalique aims for the podcast to inspire incoming and current students and foster a sense of community and collaboration within the medical school.

In April, The Scope recorded on location when Khalique and Dean of NYITCOM Nicole Wadsworth, D.O., traveled to the White House to film Physician to the President Kevin O’Connor (D.O. ’92) for the military oath portion of the May 2023 commencement ceremony. After a walk through the famed rose garden, Khalique and Wadsworth filmed and recorded a future podcast episode with O’Connor and caught up with White House Press Secretary and New York Tech alumna Karine Jean-Pierre (B.S. ’97).

Back on campus, Khalique has also played a starring role in establishing a much-beloved tradition: the annual Fall Festival. Each October, NYITCOM and the School of Health Professions come together for a pumpkin carving contest hosted and organized by Khalique and Renee Smith, associate director of finance at NYITCOM. Ever-focused on the student experience, Khalique notes that the annual festival and contest offer medical students an opportunity to relax from their rigorous studies while enjoying an afternoon of games and snacks.

For prospective and current students alike, Khalique advises to always dream big, learn your passions, and live in the moment while exploring the roads that lay ahead. He takes his own advice to heart as he looks back on the moments at New York Tech he is most proud to have been a part of, like the 2016 opening of NYITCOM-Arkansas, working on the Ferrara Center for Patient Safety Clinical Simulation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and implementing external research storage for collaborators working with New York Tech’s Data Visualization Center.

“No two days are ever the same; each day presents new challenges and opportunities,” he says of the Academic Technologies department. “There are countless individuals who consistently go above and beyond to uplift and empower our students. I’m truly blessed to lead an incredible team, a group of individuals who proactively take initiative to ensure that our students, faculty, and staff have the unwavering support they need to continue to make NYITCOM the incredible medical school it is.”