Living History Edward J. Messina, Ph.D. ’73

His grandfather was a renowned chef, his mother, a housewife, and he watched as his father developed his career starting as an upholsterer, to becoming a successful designer of his own furniture, even designing the machinery used in making that furniture. In early childhood he developed a love of horses, observing the horse-drawn carts on the street. He befriended “Tony” the horse pulling the cart that collected newspapers and metal for the war effort and even at six years old recognized that the horse pulling the Borden Milk cart had intelligence, independently stopping at the appropriate homes on his street as it made its way through the neighborhood. He also loved riding the ponies at Coney Island during visits there with his father and dreamed of one day owning a horse of his own.

“The most important resource for any country is in its youth.” E.J.M., Ph.D.

Recognizing his son’s intelligence, Dr. Messina’s father encouraged him to further his education, becoming the first member of his family other than a cousin, to attend college earning his bachelor’s degree in biology at St. John’s University in Queens, New York. However, like his father who had been the leader of a theater orchestra in the pre-television era, his first profession was as a jazz musician. While working his way through college, Dr. Messina was a drummer who performed at nightclubs, as the leader of an orchestra and later led a quartet. When asked what caused him to go from music to science, he remembers a defining moment. He was performing at a hotel on New Year’s Eve. The band members’ wives and girlfriends were sitting nearby, but when midnight struck and the celebrants were all embracing their loved ones, he was stuck on stage and his wife, Tina, the love of his life was at the table. He wanted to be one of the people celebrating and kissing his wife.

Upon graduating, he began working as a laboratory technician at NYU’s Third Research Service at Goldwater Memorial Hospital focused on Polio research and blood flow, especially microcirculation in relation to the Polio patients in iron lungs. Here, he says science opened his eyes and he fell in love with it. He attended the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, then worked as a research associate at NYU School of Medicine. Advised that with his love of science and research that he should pursue his Ph.D. He discovered in a magazine advertisement that New York Medical College (NYMC), located in Manhattan at the time, offered a Ph.D. in Physiology which suited his interests. The College wanted to create teachers for medicine and scientists who could teach medical students and serve as experts in the basic medical sciences. Dr. Messina was interviewed by David Lehr, M.D., former chair of the Department of Pharmacology; William Ward Pigman, Ph.D., former chair of the Department of Biochemistry; and Gabor Kaley, Ph.D. whose research interests were also in microcirculation, having studied under Dr. Benjamin Zweifach, who was known as the father of microcirculatory studies in the United States. Dr. Messina’s specialty as a Ph.D. student was in cardiovascular physiology with a sub-specialty in microcirculation. His area of expertise included the regulation of blood flow and blood pressure.

“Students are an important resource for decision making in the institution.” E.J.M., Ph.D.

As a student in the GSBMS, Dr. Messina recognized the need to start an association of graduate students to help represent their needs and rights. Then, as now, there were fewer graduate school students than medical school students and he felt that they needed to be organized to be heard. He and fellow student, the late Eugene Wenk [Ph.D. ‘72] organized the ranks and Dr. Messina wrote up a constitution for what is now the Graduate Student Association (GSA). He was selected by his peers to be the first GSA president and Dr. Wenk served as the first vice president. Years later students from his laboratory and others organized the first Graduate Student Research Forum, an event that continues to be held every year, showcasing, supporting and encouraging the research work done by master’s and doctorate students in GSBMS. Due to his actions, graduate students gained representation on important committees at the college. He continued in these efforts as a member of the faculty, saying that when people feel that their rights are respected, whether students or faculty, everyone benefits, including the college at large. He reflects that they were fortunate that they had people who were willing to listen to make that happen and believes that although he may have been seen as something of a rabble-rouser as a student and as a faculty member, his focus was always to change and make things fair for everyone, which earned him the respect of his fellow students and professional colleagues.

Dr. Messina came to NYMC in 1967, a time of transition with the college moving from Manhattan to its current location in Westchester. He was among the first eight Ph.D. graduates at this location In January of 1973 and although he was pursued by other institutions, has been part of the New York Medical College community ever since, serving as a researcher, teacher and mentor to thousands of students. He confides that we have his late wife, Tina to thank for this, in part as she insisted that they remain in New York. 

“Knowledge is your most important currency for the future.” E.J.M., Ph.D.

Dr. Messina is a researcher of renown and has earned numerous distinguished awards and grants. He is a rare recipient of both an NIH Pre-doctoral Fellowship and an NIH Post-doctoral Fellowship. He was awarded NIH funding focusing on investigating the influence of hormonal, metabolic, myogenic and flow-dependent responses on the regulation of blood flow in skeletal muscle and fat. He feels that some of his most important research was on the cooperative effect of connecting peptides, in conjunction with insulin, to evoke nitric oxide-dependent dilation in the microcirculation. His years as a researcher were enhanced by the culture of family, especially in the Department of Physiology, which he credits largely to his longtime teacher, mentor, colleague and beloved friend, the late Gabor Kaley, Ph.D., who served as chairman of the department for 37 years. This culture of family which he describes as a fortunate blessing led not only to the department working well together but also provided for luncheon get-togethers with lively discussions from science to sports, but also contributed to great collaborations and a lot of good science. The students who passed through the department he describes as a gift. 

He found teaching a joy, discovering that it challenged him to learn more to be able to explain concepts and answer his students’ questions in ways they would understand. “You learn first, and then you learn more by their questions.” He challenged students by having them try to answer each other’s questions. He taught without notes, relying on his knowledge and memory. He taught the students how to study, how to read and use a textbook efficiently, using the index and class notes to select what was most important. He stressed the need to learn the information but more importantly, its application in practice. “Redundancy is the mother of education because it fosters retention and most importantly, recall.” He stresses the importance of the teacher’s role of mentoring and counseling students remembering the many students who filled his office after class and finds it rewarding hearing from former students, as he often does. It is no surprise that he was chosen for the Award for Excellence in Teaching by both the graduate and medical students numerous times throughout his tenure as well as the NYMC Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research, and the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Iota Chapter Distinguished Professor Award.

Dr. Messina is a family man who speaks lovingly of his charming and highly intelligent late wife Tina, who started as a legal secretary, then worked in real estate for forty years and was also a talented watercolor artist. Meeting in their early teens and married in their early twenties, they shared a long and loving relationship. Mrs. Messina passed only recently in 2021, a devastating loss. He speaks proudly of his son who is a lawyer and Head of the Toxicology Unit of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., recently generating policy regarding COVID-19. He has three beautiful grandchildren, Claudia who is at the University of Florida in Gainesville and is interested in neurophysiology, Max, a sophomore in high school and Tyler who is 12 years old.

Retiring in 2019, Dr. Messina enjoys surf fishing and competes in many events along the northeast shoreline. His interest in horses beginning back in his childhood Brooklyn days has continued through his lifelong involvement in breeding, raising, training and racing thoroughbred horses. He currently owns six horses and has spent time in Saratoga Springs every year, over the past 60 years. He continues to be an active leader in whatever he does, recently being elected to a governing board in horseracing.

There have been many changes over the years at NYMC. He marvels at how the medical college has grown over the years from a medical school focused singly on educating medical students to having the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the School of Health Sciences and Practice developing researchers and teachers and with professional programs in Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Physical Therapy and more.

Dr. Messina says he learned a lot of life lessons from helping his students in dealing with their own challenges. As far as advice to our current students, he has this to share. “What is the most important thing a person does every day? Making decisions. Make sure your decisions are informed not by opinion but by facts.”

Thank you, Dr. Messina for your years of dedication and service to New York Medical College.