How long have you had that cough? Does the pain get worse when you lie down?

Well, we’re here to help. If not by diagnosing your problem, exactly, then by providing you with some interesting — and I hope valuable — facts, stories and information about your health.

If you’re looking for some free medical advice this fall, look no further. “What’s Up, Doc?” — a new column written by a rotating cast of Weill Cornell medical students — will answer all your medically related questions.

Weill Cornell? Yes, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University’s medical school located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Cornell medical school was originally housed in Stimson Hall in Ithaca but moved to New York City in 1898 where it partnered with New York Hospital (now called New York-Presbyterian Hospital) and has resided ever since. As you can imagine, the 225-mile distance between Weill Cornell and Cornell-Ithaca has served as huge barrier in bridging the two campuses.

With Weill Cornell situated all the way down in NYC, we have little interaction with students on the Hill. While at Cornell-Ithaca for undergrad (Go Aggies!), I never heard of Weill Cornell. That is, until I applied to medical school. Now as a medical student, I barely hear any news from the Ithaca campus. I hope that this column will be one of many steps to help bring together our two disparate campuses.

At this point, you might be wondering, “So, I’m not a medical student or even pre-med. Why should I read this column?” Though medical students write this column, it is intended to reach out to all students and provide a layman’s view of a number of different medical emergencies/diseases that could be encountered on a college campus. This can range from how to recognize alcohol poisoning to dissolving myths associated with STDs. Some columns may be more pertinent to medical diseases specific to upstate New York, such as how to identify signs of Lyme disease, for example. Other columns will provide information on hot topics in medicine such as the recent concern over the H1N1 strain of influenza.

Though we will try our best to write about relevant medical diseases, the best ideas for topics to cover in this column should come from you. So, I urge you to e-mail me — or any of the other columnists — telling us what you would like to see covered and we will do our best to do so. Ultimately, the goal of these columns will be to inform and entertain — you’ll hear stories about sickness, learn facts about diseases and maybe even walk away with the necessary tools to say what the kid coughing behind you in class might be spreading. But remember, as informative as this column may be, it does not grant you an MD. Please seek expert medical care when deemed necessary.

It is my goal to start a dialogue between like-minded students on both campuses in the hopes of igniting fruitful, new collaborations between Cornell students on the Ithaca and NYC campuses. Though many of the columns will concentrate on medical emergencies/diseases or tips on healthy living, we will also include columns regarding current health policies in order to help spark dialogue between students on the two campuses.

So, what can you expect from “What’s up, Doc?” this semester?

1. Interesting facts and valuable information on potentially relevant medical emergencies and diseases.

2. A briefing on some of the projects Weill Cornell medical students are involved in that may be of interest to students in various fields of study in Ithaca.

3. An opportunity to make new friends from the same University — no matter how far apart.

Our two campuses have been apart for too long. It’s time to bring them back together.

Ankit Patel ’04, a fifth year MD-PHD student at Weill Cornell Medical College where he is also the student overseer, administers What’s Up, Doc?, a column featuring a rotating cast of medical students that appears alternate Fridays this semester. He may be reached at apatel@cornellsun.com.