Cytotechnology at Hunter: A New Program’s First Graduates Join a Growing Medical Field

Hunter congratulates Vittoria Alberti, Alexander Burke, Elizabeth Stillwell and Lu Wang, our inaugural class of certified cytotechnologists.

The post-baccalaureate Advanced Certificate in Cytotechnology is a product of Hunter’s close collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In this intensive one-year program, students prepare for fulfilling careers as front-line screeners in medical laboratories.

Working closely with pathologists, cytotechnologists microscopically examine pap smears and other cell samples for cancers, pre-cancerous conditions, benign tumors and infections. They take great satisfaction in helping save lives by identifying a disease in its early stages, or by monitoring a patient’s response to therapy.

“We have the only cytotech program in New York City, and one of very few in New York State,” said Professor Steven Einheber, chair of Hunter’s Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences.

Thanks to the partnership between the two institutions, Hunter’s students are onsite at Memorial Sloan Kettering and fully embedded in the lab environment from day one of their training. Upon completing the program, they take the exam for national certification and state licensure. All four members of Hunter’s first class have already accepted jobs at leading hospitals.

This wealth of opportunity has motivated and impressed Vittoria Alberti, whose college major was biomolecular science. “Pathology departments throughout New York and in other states told our program to have us apply,” Alberti said, adding that she and classmate Elizabeth Stillwell both chose to join the Department of Pathology at Mount Sinai Hospital.

The past year’s successful launch is also celebrated by Maria Friedlander, who oversees the program at Memorial Sloan Kettering. “Our partnership with Hunter provides an excellent opportunity to recruit students with a strong foundation in the sciences and prepare them for careers in an evolving area of pathology,” she said.