At Weill Cornell Medical College, our world-class faculty and staff work tirelessly in pursuit of our tripartite mission of education, research and patient care. From award-winning physicians and researchers whose discoveries will chart the future of medicine, to first-year students taking their first steps into careers of great promise, Weill Cornell is a place where great things happen every day. Inside Weill Cornell there are many departments and staffers who may not be as visible as others, but are just as important to ensure the smooth running of the institution. Here at the Dean's Bulletin, we'd like to introduce you to some of them.
There was a time at Weill Cornell Medical College — and not as far back in the annals of history as you might think — that whenever someone needed a copy made, off they would go to the sub-basement of 1300 York Ave.
Once there, they'd find Kevin Curiotto, and he'd run off whatever copies they needed.
The age of office copiers and desktop color printers may have reduced the number of trips Weill Cornell faculty and staff make to the sub-basement, but it has by no means reduced how much the Medical College relies on the Print Shop.
Leonid Bukhatetsky (right) operates one of the duplicating machines as Ron Phillips observes.
Run by Ron Phillips, manager of duplicating services, the Medical College's duplicating department is responsible for printing all of the official stationery, manuals, documents, posters and fliers that circulate throughout the campus.
More than 125,000 sheets of paper are printed or copied each week.
"We are problem-solvers," Phillips said. "Besides the routine work we do, we help people who come in here at the last minute asking, 'How do I do this?' 'Can you do this?' 'Can you please help me?'"
Phillips and his crew — including Curiotto, production manager; Kenneth Watson, senior production coordinator; Leonid Bukhatetsky, senior duplicating technician; and Luis Vargas, duplicating technician — are always there with the right answer.
The Print Shop is also vigilant in ensuring that Weill Cornell's approved logo — which has gone through several changes over the years — is used on letterheads and envelopes.
"Every piece of paper should have the same logo in the same place in the same color," Curiotto said. "It doesn't sound important, but that logo is the face of the institution."
Kevin Curiotto (left) and Ron Phillips check over a large research poster.
When a faculty member or administrator needs new stationery, an order is submitted to Curiotto, who pieces together the logo and title information, gets it approved and then ships it off to Bukhatetsky, who then photographs it and uses the negative to create a thin metal plate that will be used to press the actual image onto the paper. After a proof has been approved, Watson starts cranking out the copies.
The process takes a maximum of two weeks.
"We have a really good reputation," Phillips said. "Whatever needs to get done, we get it done."
To contact Weill Cornell Duplicating, call (212) 746-0935.
Photography by Amelia Panico.