In view of the increasing importance and utilization of information technology in the education of future physicians and the practice of clinical medicine, the Division of Education of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine recently voted to require every entering student (starting with the students in the Class of 2002) to own a desktop or laptop computer during all four years of the curriculum. The computer should be available for your use at the start of the first academic year or as close to it as possible. You will be expected to use your computer, at the very least, to communicate with faculty, other students and administrative staff by electronic mail; view course-related materials on the World Wide Web; conduct MEDLINE searches; answer course-related examination questions; prepare course-related and research reports.

Eastchester Road Housing, where most of our students live, has been wired to provide direct access to the internet including course teaching materials. Each year we also negotiate with computer manufacturers for the purpose of enabling students to purchase computers at cost savings. Further information about computer discounts should be available by May 1999, and you may wish to wait until then before making a decision on what type of computer to purchase and/or when to purchase it (before or after arrival at Einstein). If you cannot wait, the information given in the attached Computer Requirements Guidelines should be useful. If you already own a computer, check the guidelines to determine whether it meets the required standards.

If you have any technical questions related to the guidelines, feel free to communicate via e-mail with Dr. Christopher Cimino, Director of Computer Based Education at Einstein. His e-mail address is <cimino@aecom.yu.edu> If you have any questions about the purchasing plans you should contact Dr. Steven Lazar. His e-mail address is <lazar@aecom.yu.edu>