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todate: Lee Goldman, M.D., Named Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences and Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine
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| Lee Goldman, M.D. |
| “My goal is to take those things that are already extraordinarily strong and make them even better by helping people to succeed and flourish.” |
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Fall 2006
Columbia University Medical Center has a new leader at its helm—one who is certain to chart a successful course for the future. Lee Goldman, M.D., was named executive vice president for Health and Biomedical Sciences and dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine on April 10. He also will hold dual appointments as professor of medicine in the College of Physicians & Surgeons and professor of epidemiology in the Mailman School of Public Health.
Dr. Goldman comes to Columbia from the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, where he was Chair of the Department of Medicine, as well as the Julius R. Krevans Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the School of Medicine since 1995. Under his leadership, the UCSF Department of Medicine ranked ½rst in the U.S. in funds received from the National Institutes of Health.
Before he joined UCSF, he was a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. He was also vice chair of the Department of Medicine and chief medical of½cer at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and a member of the operating committee of the Partners Healthcare System in Boston. Dr. Goldman received his undergraduate and medical degrees at Yale University, where he also earned a master’s degree in public health. He completed his internship and residency at UCSF and at Massachusetts General Hospital and his clinical fellowship in cardiology at Yale University School of Medicine.
Dr. Goldman has focused on the application of statistical analysis to key areas of clinical medicine. His name, which is already known by clinical investigators and physicians worldwide, is linked with the predictive models he developed. He created the Goldman Index for assessing the cardiac risk involved in non-cardiac surgery, the Goldman Criteria for identifying patients who require hospitalization for chest pain, and the Coronary Heart Disease Policy Model, which established priorities for preventing and treating coronary disease. In San Francisco, he initiated the ½rst “hospitalist” program for physicians who specialize in providing care for hospitalized patients.
His wife, Jill S. Goldman, M.S., MPhil, is a clinician, educator and researcher, who is also warmly welcomed to the Medical Center. She was a genetic counselor at UCSF’s Memory and Aging Center of the Department of Neurology and Assistant Clinical Professor in the University’s School of Nursing. Her work focuses on the clinical and research aspects of hereditary adult-onset neurological diseases such as dementia and amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
“Jill and I are thrilled to join this wonderful family and we look forward to working on the noble mission of making Columbia the best place in the world for research, clinical care, and teaching across the broad spectrum of the biomedical health sciences,” said Lee Goldman.
Columbia University President Lee Bollinger organized and chaired the search committee that recruited and selected Dr. Goldman. “During the search process, we talked about the hopes and dreams we have, the problems we face and the type of leadership we required.” He explains that one candidate, in particular, had emerged from the discussions as the decided favorite. “I was told that Lee Goldman is a star and the ½nest candidate for the job. Well-known leaders in the health sciences ½eld from around the country came to me in con½dence to tell me that Lee is an exceptional person. Their praise ran the gamut from ‘extraordinary person’ to ‘superb manager’ to ‘savvy and extremely bright recruiter’ to ‘the best mentor I’ve ever seen.’
Dr. Goldman shared a mutual admiration for members of the search committee. “They uniformly impressed me with their commitment to Columbia, their absolute belief that this can be the best place, and their willingness to work tirelessly to make it so.” He also expressed his thanks to his predecessor, former dean Gerald Fischbach, M.D., who “has been a wonderful source of advice and guidance.” Dr. Fischbach had announced his plans to step down last year in order to focus on his research in neuroscience.
Dr. Goldman joins Columbia during an auspicious period for the Medical Center. “Lee Goldman is the perfect person to lead Columbia University Medical Center at this time,” says Roy Vagelos, M.D., Chairman of De½ning the Future, the Medical Center’s $1 billion capital campaign, which recently reached its midway mark. “Lee has accomplished important clinical research, he is an outstanding teacher with great new ideas about teaching in a health center, and he is an excellent clinician. He recognizes that our clinical care is of paramount importance in assuring the prominence of CUMC in our region, and that the interactions of all four schools of CUMC will add up to excellence beyond the ability of each individual school.”
“I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with the outstanding group of department chairs and directors of centers and institutes at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and with Deans Lamster, Mundinger, and Rosen½eld, and their respective department chairs,” says Dr. Goldman. “We have spectacular students and trainees in all of our schools, and a dedicated staff whose daily efforts are critical to the CUMC community.”
“I also look forward to working with Dr. Pardes and his team at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital; with President Bollinger and other University leaders; and with the members of the Columbia University Board of Trustees, and the CUMC Board of Visitors.”
Dr. Goldman is emphatic about the Columbia tradition, a tradition which he says he has, in a way, been living from afar. He has been the lead editor for the past two editions—and now a third edition—of the Cecil Textbook of Medicine, one of the world’s most trusted medical references. The classic text was formerly called the Cecil-Loeb Textbook of Medicine, when it was edited by Dr. Robert Loeb, a revered teacher and clinician whose career at Columbia spanned 52 years. “Robert Loeb was one of the most distinguished leaders in academic internal medicine and another of the many reasons that I am proud to be part of the Columbia tradition.”
He is also enthusiastic about his new home. “In arts, business, and ½nance, New York can best be described as the epicenter of much of what goes on in America, and in the world. I look forward to working with everyone to be sure that, in the future, Columbia and New York are equally an epicenter for health and health sciences.”
In sharing his vision for the Medical Center, Dr. Goldman said that “there is a spectacular aggregation of talent here to begin with. My hope is to capitalize on that talent as we recruit, retain, and develop even more people of a similar caliber. One of the keys to doing this is creating a diverse and supportive place. My main role is to make this the best possible environment for the best possible people—an environment in which the ½nest people want to come to train and stay for the duration of their careers because we nurture them, promote them, and make this a place where they want to be.”
“My goal is to take those things that are already extraordinarily strong and make them even better by helping people to succeed and flourish. At the same time, we must try to be equally successful across a very broad palette. We have a spectacular opportunity at Columbia, because we are one of only a limited number of places around the world that can aspire to this goal.”
The Jerome L. Greene Foundation Bestows Largest Private Gift in Columbia's History
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| Celebrating the announcement of the Jerome L. Greene Science Center are (left to right): Richard Axel, M.D., Eric Kandel, M.D., Tom Jessell, Ph.D., and Gerald Fischbach, M.D. |
It is a rare act of philanthropy that has the power to transform and an even less common one that can impact an entire discipline. Columbia has had the great fortune of being the recipient of a gift that has the potential to accelerate research in neuroscience, a field in which it boasts an illustrious tradition of leadership. A commitment of more than $200 million from the Jerome L. Greene Foundation will support the creation of the Jerome L. Greene Science Center, a facility dedicated to expanding knowledge of the mind, brain and behavior. The gift was made by Dawn M. Greene, in honor of her late husband, Jerome, who was a graduate of both Columbia College (BA, 1926) and Columbia Law School (LLB, 1928) and a longtime benefactor of Columbia. It is the largest private gift given to any American university for the purpose of establishing a single facility.
“I am thrilled that we are able to do this,” said Mrs. Greene. “I know that Jerry would be as excited as the Foundation and I to be making this gift. He believed in education, especially a Columbia education, and he believed in New York and its future.”
“Under the leadership of Drs. Jessell, Axel and Kandel, the Jerome L. Greene Science Center and the Mind, Brain, and Behavior Initiative will reinforce and expand Columbia’s role as an international leader in neuroscience education and research, bringing together the greatest minds and using the latest technology and scientific methods,” said Columbia President, Lee Bollinger.
The state-of-the-art facility will house laboratories in which investigators will delve into the complex relationship between the underlying biology of the brain, its determination by genes, the origin of mental processes, and the nature of diseases of the central nervous system. This work bears directly on the understanding and treatment of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s and other motor neuron diseases, as well as disorders classified as psychiatric, including autism, schizophrenia and dementia. It also will feature a significant clinical component, with programs that offer educational outreach and a focus on diseases of cognitive development and aging.
The Greene Center will be located in Manhattanville, midway between the Medical Center and the Morningside campus, in order to provide convenient access for faculty and students at either location. The dual proximity will foster a productive dialogue between scholars situated at all three campuses, and will draw on the resources of such disparate ½elds as medicine, physics, chemistry, law, business and the arts.
Part of the inspiration for the Greene Center can be attributed to Columbia’s extraordinary success in the ½eld of neuroscience, achievements that have earned it two Nobel Prizes within the decade—one to Eric Kandel for his study of the biology of memory and the other to his colleague Richard Axel, for clarifying the neurobiology of the sense of smell. These two laureates are among a distinguished roster of acclaimed physicians and scientists who generate an extraordinary volume of groundbreaking research and whose presence at Columbia makes it one of the world’s preeminent institutions for the study of the brain and nervous system.
To learn more about the Jerome L. Greene Science Center, contact Assistant Vice President for Development Robin Rosenbluth at 212-326-5730.
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Claire and Leonard Tow Establish Endowed Professorship in Motor Neuron Disorders
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| Thomas Jessell, Ph.D., Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. |
Columbia University alumnus Leonard Tow and his wife, Claire, have established the Claire Tow Professorship in Motor Neuron Disorders at CUMC’s Center for Neurobiology and Behavior. The Professorship was made possible through a generous $3 million pledge from the Leonard and Claire Tow Charitable Trust.
Columbia’s Board of Trustees formally approved the endowed Professorship, appointing Thomas Jessell, Ph.D., Columbia University Medical Center Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics and a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator, as the ½rst incumbent.
The $3 million pledge for the named professorship is the initial part of a generous $15 million commitment to the Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, which will provide a comprehensive basic and clinical research program that addresses both neurodegenerative disorders and restoration of motor function after spinal cord injury. Research will focus on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disorder more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease; and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a devastating genetic disease that is the number one genetic killer of infants and toddlers.
The Tows are enthusiastic about the choice for the inaugural faculty member to hold the professorship. “Claire and I are proud to lend our support to Tom Jessell and his ½ne research team and to help facilitate the Medical Center’s outstanding efforts to focus on these devastating diseases, ½nd out more about their causes—and eventually defeat them.”
Dr. Jessell, a distinguished neuroscientist, is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Sciences. His work has received numerous awards. Among them are the March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology; the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize for Medicine; the Jansen Prize in Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine; and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Distinguished Achievement in Neuroscience Award. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in the U.K. in 1977 and has been awarded honorary Doctorates of Philosophy from Umea University in Sweden and University College London. The appointment to an endowed professorship is one of the highest accolades awarded to a faculty member.
“Claire and Leonard Tow’s vision and commitment to research that aims to discover effective treatments for ALS and other motor neuron disorders is remarkable. Through their efforts, Columbia’s programs in motor neuron disease in particular, and neuroscience in general, have advanced at a pace that could not have been anticipated a few years ago. It is a great privilege to occupy the Claire and Leonard Tow chair, and to have the chance to use their support to drive basic research in motor neuron biology towards rational clinical therapies,” says Thomas Jessell.
Leonard Tow is an alumnus of Columbia’s Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences who received his Master of Arts degree from the school in 1952 and his Ph.D. in 1960. He was appointed to Columbia’s Board of Visitors in 2004. Dr. Tow is the former chairman and chief executive of½cer of Citizens Communications.
For more information about Tom Jessell’s neuroscience research and Columbia’s Motor Neuron Center, contact Assistant Vice President for Development Robin Rosenbluth at 212-326-5730.
Herbert and Florence Irving Make Momentous Pledge
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Mr. Herbert and Mrs. Florence Irving
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If an academic institution can be measured by the loyalty of its benefactors, then Columbia University Medical Center has few rivals. Chief among its group of stalwart supporters are Herbert and Florence Irving, whose contributions figure centrally in the growth of the Medical Center. The couple established the Herbert and Florence Irving Center for Clinical Research (ICCR), the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC), and the Irving Cancer Research Center building. The most recent addition to the Irving legacy comes in the form of a pledge to CUMC to further support the Irving Center for Clinical Research and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center initiatives.
“Florence and I have always been proud to invest in Columbia University Medical Center,” remarked Mr. Irving. “Columbia is an important fixture in the global quest to ease the burden of disease. Because of this, we know that our investment will pay great dividends, both medically and scientifically.”
“Herbert and Florence Irving have had an enormous impact on Columbia University Medical Center,” says Henry Ginsberg, M.D., the Herbert and Florence Irving Professor of Medicine and Director of the Irving Center for Clinical Research. “Because of their outstanding generosity and concern, we have a unique home for our NIH-funded General Clinical Research Center. Their financial support enabled the construction of our beautiful adult center, and will allow construction of a similarly outstanding pediatric center in the near future. They also provided funds for the Irving Endowment, which supports numerous ICCR activities not funded by the NIH, the most important of which is our Irving Scholars program,” he adds.
One of the great success stories at the Medical Center, the ICCR was conceived as a program to support young physician investigators, known as Irving Scholars, in their pursuit of interesting and potentially fruitful avenues of research.
“During the past 20 years, Herb and Florence have supported more than 70 assistant professors, allowing these young physician-scientists to increase their research productivity at a critical time in their careers,” explains Dr. Ginsberg. “The Irvings have not simply provided funds for all of these activities; they have made the ICCR an important part of their lives, taking a very personal approach to philanthropy. Herb and Florence have been incredibly supportive of me in my role as Director of the ICCR,” he adds. “The Irvings are one of a kind, and CUMC is incredibly lucky to have them as partners.”
The Irving’s strong partnership with Columbia enabled the creation of the Herbert Irving
Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of only 39 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the country. All comprehensive cancer centers must satisfy rigorous criteria by demonstrating core strengths in cancer research, treatment and education, and population and epidemiological studies. The HICCC forms the heart of these activities at the
Medical Center, and has an extensive presence in each enterprise. A mainstay of cancer research and treatment, its work and discoveries have made a significant impact on the community of patients, physicians and scientists around the world.
“Herbert and Florence are pillars of the CUMC community, and the Medical Center would not be what it is today without them,” said Lee Goldman, M.D. “I look forward to working with them and others to enhance CUMC’s greatness.”
For more information about the Herbert and Florence Irving Center for Clinical Research, contact Senior Director of Development Jean Ford at 212-342-0093.
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Helen and Clyde Wu Welcome Lee Goldman with $5 Million Pledge
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Dr. Clyde and Mrs. Helen Wu
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As he embarks on his tenure as Executive Vice President at Columbia University Medical Center, Lee Goldman, M.D., can count on the support of the Medical Center’s community of friends and benefactors. Among the core group of supporters who have played an integral role in looking after the affairs of the institution is Clyde Wu, trustee of the University and alumnus of the College of Physicians & Surgeons, class of 1956. Dr. Wu and his wife, Helen, have elected to welcome Dr. Goldman with characteristic generosity, pledging $5 million in unrestricted support for the Dean’s discretionary use.
“We are pleased to provide funds that will help Dr. Goldman begin to realize his vision for Columbia University Medical Center,” Dr. Wu noted. “It is crucial for him to have the latitude and means to implement programs that he deems vital to the Medical Center’s success.”
Unrestricted gifts are essential in allowing the Medical Center to respond in timely fashion to unforeseen opportunities and to the ever-changing contingencies that typify the world of academic medicine. Uses include recruitment of top physicians and scientists, and sponsoring novel programs in research, education and care that have yet to command external support or a self-sustaining income stream.
“Dr. Wu is a true treasure for Columbia. He has given his time, energy, and full support to our institution and has made it greater in many ways. I look forward to working with him and the many others who are so dedicated to our success,” said Dr. Goldman.
Columbia University President Lee Bollinger said of the gift, “It’s hard to pay suf½cient tribute to Clyde and Helen, whose constant support has bolstered the Medical Center and, by extension, all of us who bene½t from the advancement of knowledge and discovery this support has made possible.”
Among other projects they have funded are four endowed professorships and The Clyde and Helen Wu Center for Molecular Cardiology, recently endowed with a $10 million pledge. The Center promises to pave the way for radically more effective treatments for heart disease, some of which are already in the clinical trials pipeline. Their availability may transform the way doctors treat patients with cardiac disease and improve the long-term prognosis of vast numbers of patients with few other options.
Dr. Wu describes his commitment to CUMC as having developed out of his love for the institution that nurtured his understanding of medicine and his growth as a doctor, as well as a desire to expand the frontiers of our understanding of health and disease.
“The fact is, we cannot depend exclusively on the government to underwrite medical research and care,” he said. “It is within our power to hasten the arrival of new and better therapies for disease. We simply need to take it upon ourselves to make it a priority.”
To learn more about the Clyde and Helen Wu Center for Molecular Cardiology, contact Senior Director of Development Robert Thompson at 212-342-0094.
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Dr. Herbert Spiegel Entrances Audience With Views on Hypnosis
Dr. Herbert Spiegel presented “The Neural Trance: A New Look at Hypnosis” on June 9 to a captivated audience at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Spiegel, who is the inaugural speaker of the newly endowed Spiegel Lectureship, is a pioneer in the field of hypnosis. The Herbert Spiegel Lectureship at Columbia University Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry has been created to honor Dr. Spiegel for his outstanding contributions in the field of psychiatry and mind-body medicine.
Glenda Garvey Teaching Academy Fellows Honored for Their Commitment to High Standards
Gerald D. Fischbach, M.D. introduced the Glenda Garvey Teaching Academy Fellows during a May 11 ceremony and cocktail reception held in their honor. Twelve outstanding Teaching Academy fellows from the College of Dental Medicine, College of Physicians & Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health and the School of Nursing, along with the Academy’s first director, Thomas J. Garrett, M.D., were recognized. The Academy aims to broaden the educational constituency beyond any individual school and to stimulate collegiality and collaboration across the campus. Dr. Glenda Garvey taught more than 3,000 medical students and came to symbolize the ideal teacher at Columbia University during her lifetime.
P&S Celebrates 10th White Coat Ceremony
Columbia’s College of Physicians & Surgeons welcomed the Class of 2006 on Friday, August 23 at its 10th Arnold P. Gold Foundation White Coat Ceremony, an annual rite of passage during which doctors-to-be don their white coats for the first time and pledge their commitment to the compassionate practice of medicine. The ceremony was initiated at P&S in 1993 and has become a tradition in many countries around the world.
Movie World Premiere Benefits Women’s Metabolic Disease Research
The world premiere of the Merchant-Ivory film “The White Countess” was held to benefit Dr. Roger Lobo’s research on women's metabolic diseases. The film’s stars, Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson, were among the glittering array of celebrities and New York’s finest. Eleanora Kennedy, Connie Milstein, and several of Dr. Lobo’s patients were the driving force behind the event which raised nearly $300,000. Pictured left to right: Dr. Roger Lobo, Eleanora Kennedy, and Natasha Richardson.
Support for Pediatric Orthopaedic Research
Grateful for the care their daughter has received through 15 surgeries in her 16 years of life, the Rifkinds of Brooklyn hosted a fundraising party that raised over $12,000 for Pediatric Orthopaedic Research at Columbia University Medical Center.
Left to right: Hosts Devorah and Steven Rifkind, Dr. Michael Vitale, pediatric orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. David P. Roye, Jr., the St. Giles Foundation Professor of Clinical Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery and Risa Rifkind.
Translating the Power of Nurture
Michael D. Gershon, M.D., former Chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and Martha G. Welch, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, answered guests’ questions during a May 18 dinner held at the Cosmopolitan Club. Drs. Gershon and Welch are leading a collaborative interdisciplinary program that will examine the mechanisms of brain and gut function as affected by nurture. The focus is to develop new treatments for childhood developmental disorders.
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Giving Well
Many of the generous donors who are helping to define the future of Columbia University Medical Center have carefully planned their gifts to maximize the tax and financial benefits of giving. Through our Giving Well program of tax-advantaged giving, a range of options is available to our donors, friends, physicians, and alumni. We will be pleased to prepare a proposal describing the advantages of a gift of real estate or property, or a life income gift that can benefit the Medical Center and provide you or a loved one with tax savings and lifetime income. A bequest in your will is another option that can help ensure that Columbia University Medical Center is able to continue its tradition of excellence in research, education, and patient care. The bequest should name the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York for the benefit of its College of Physicians & Surgeons or the Mailman School of Public Health or the School of Nursing or the College of Dental Medicine or the Coordinated Doctoral Program in the Basic Sciences.
To learn more about Giving Well and how some of these giving options may benefit you, contact Senior Director of Development Michelle Cass, at 212-326-5728 or email: givingwell@columbia.edu.
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