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todate: The Bank of America Foundation Supports Mailman School of Public Health Community-based Childhood Immunization Program
Spring 2006
Throughout the 20th century, vaccines thwarted smallpox, measles, diphtheria, and polio – diseases that would have devastated past generations.Although vaccines are now commonplace for most Americans, many families in Northern Manhattan have language and cultural differences that can limit their ability to communicate with health providers and their understanding of the informational resources they need to access timely and complete immunization for their children.
The Bank of America Foundation will help Columbia University Medical Center fulfill its mission to immunize and protect the health of our youngest and most vulnerable, by supporting the Mailman School’s Northern Manhattan Start Right Coalition, a community-based childhood immunization program operated in partnership with  Alianza Dominicana, the Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, and other community organizations. Funding from the Foundation will link health care providers and Start Right Coalition members in a coordinated network that aims to reach and vaccinate all of the approximately 6,000 children born annually in Northern Manhattan. The program teams parents, physicians, and community health workers in a concerted effort to provide vaccinations to children ages 6 to 23 months during this crucial, formative time of their lives, when early immunization is a top priority.
One of the world’s largest financial institutions, Bank of America strives to identify critical issues in local communities it serves and to direct resources to address these priorities.
“Bank of America is committed to advancing the development of children as part of our commitment to fostering healthy and vibrant neighborhoods. Through this program,we’re providing parents with the opportunity to give their children the strongest foundation possible for a healthy future.We’re proud that our contribution will have a positive effect on families and children in New York City,” says Anne Finucane, director of Global Corporate Affairs at Bank of America.
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Bank of America Immunization Program
“While the world has made tremendous strides in reducing the major childhood illnesses,we can not be complacent. Exposure may be only a plane ride and visitor away. In our global community, early immunization is more important than ever for ensuring the ongoing good health of young children,” says Allan Rosenfield, M.D., dean of the Mailman School of Public Health. “We must make every effort to provide families with the tools for understanding the value, urgency, and steps involved with the vaccination process.”
The support of the Bank of America Foundation will enable Start Right to “go to scale”
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| At ceremony marking Bank of America's gift, from left, Gerald Fischbach, M.D., executive vice president for health and biomedical sciences and dean of the faculty of medicine; Alan Rappaport, Bank of America's New York Market President and chairman of the Private Bank; Sally Findley, Ph.D., professor of clinical population and family health at the Mailman School of Public Health and leader of the Northern Manhattan Start Right Coalition; Allan Rosenfield, M.D., dean of the Mailman School; and, P. Roy Vagelos, M.D., chairman of CUMC's capital campaign Defining the Future, and retired chairman and CEO of Merck & Co, Inc. |
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to include child immunization promotion skills in training programs for health and social service workers at ongoing community service programs in Northern Manhattan. Workers will identify children at risk for delay and facilitate immunizations for them. The process will be simplified for parents, who will be educated about immunization requirements and encouraged to be proactive in requesting vaccinations and adhering to the schedule. They are taught how to navigate the system and provided with one-on-one personalized follow-up. At the same time, Start Right provides immunization updates for pediatric health care providers and coordinates support from the New York City Department of Health Citywide Immunization Registry team to ensure systemwide, “real-time” documentation of immunizations. In this way, parents, health care providers, and community health workers simultaneously know when children have received their immunizations and, conversely, when immunizations are still needed.
“Support from the Bank of America Foundation will enable the coalition to embed its successful community immunization program directly into the health care system,” says Sally Findley, Ph.D., professor of clinical population and family health at the Mailman School of Public Health and leader of the Northern Manhattan Start Right Coalition. “This will ensure that community health workers routinely acquire the skills they need to promote immunizations and that community health care providers have the latest training and system-supports. Efforts will be linked to make sure that no childhood immunizations are overlooked. By doing this,we are creating the virtual equivalent of a ‘no child left behind’ vaccination program.” “We are delighted with our alliance with the Bank of America Foundation,” says Roy Vagelos, M.D., chairman of the Columbia University Medical Center’s capital campaign, Defining the Future. “The partnership between Bank of America and the medical center will directly impact the Washington Heights community and will help Columbia maintain its position at the forefront of patient care.”
For more information on the Mailman School of Public Health, contact Associate Director of Development Jessica Shaffer at 212-342-2959.
Gift Will Shed Light on the Brain
Lynn Shostack, a longtime friend of Columbia University Medical Center has made a multi-million dollar gift to establish the David A. Gardner Brain PET Imaging Center, named in honor of her late husband. The gift merges her longstanding interests in technology and neurobiology and is the largest, though not the first, gift she has given Columbia. The David A. Gardner Clinical Professor of Medicine, an endowed professorship held by Jerry Gliklich, M.D., has also been funded by Ms. Shostack.
Ms. Shostack has been an ardent supporter of both Columbia and medical technology for years. “My longstanding interest in medical technology is founded on the belief that better tools make good physicians and surgeons even more effective at doing what they do best,” she says. “Columbia is one of the world’s great centers for medical education and research – rich in talent and committed to the highest standard of performance.”
Positron emission tomography, or PET, imaging allows researchers to visualize the inner workings of the brain and to pinpoint abnormalities associated with neurological and psychiatric disorders. Ms. Shostack’s gift will help match an $11 million New York State grant given to Columbia to advance the field of brain imaging studies and enhance the world-class imaging facilities at the medical center.
The new imaging center will occupy 23,000 square feet in the Mailman School of Public Health on the CUMC campus and will join the six other imaging programs to compose the Columbia Integrated Imaging Center. These combined programs will make the brain imaging center one of the most advanced in the country.
Over the years, Columbia’s brain researchers have made breakthrough discoveries in neurobiology, including the identification of a protein that blocks long-term memory; the pinpointing of receptors on brain cells that contribute to the neurological decline in Alzheimer’s disease; and the quantification of changes in the serotonin system that are related to major depression and gene function.
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Brain Research Gift
“This gift will facilitate the installation of the world’s most advanced brain PET camera,”
says John Mann, M.D., co-director of the David A. Gardner Brain PET Imaging Center. “The higher the resolution, the more precisely we can map brain abnormalities that are related to specific components of psychiatric illness.” The technology will have a dramatic effect on both research and clinical practice in neurobiology, enabling neurobiologists to diagnose and treat patients with a precision never before possible. “Because we will be able to make measurements in much smaller brain structures than
we have been able to do until now, we are gradually going to be able to develop better methods of diagnosis, classification, treatment selection and monitoring of treatment response,” Dr.Mann says.
Ms. Shostack is aware that her gift will have far-reaching consequences. “I am pleased to participate in making the Gardner Brain PET Imaging Centera reality,” she says. “The work done here will benefit not just Columbia, but, in many ways, the world.” |
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| To learn more about Columbia’s Integrated Imaging Center, contact Assistant VicePresident for Development Robin Rosenbluth at 212-326-5730. |
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Bequest of $9 Million Will Benefit Clinical Education
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When Thelma Ewig stepped into the office of Ralph S. Blume, M.D., clinical professor of medicine, in 1972, neither would have guessed that more than 30 years later, Ms. Ewig would provide a bequest of more than $9 million to support clinical education at Columbia University Medical Center. Yet her appreciation for the importance of clinical education grew from her decades-long relationship with Dr. Blume, her primary care provider.
“I took care of the late Ms. Ewig for 30 years as her personal physician. I also took care of her brother for a period of time. And while I was a resident, I cared for her law partner, who was a long-time patient of faculty of the Department of Medicine,” says Dr. Blume.
It was through her long history as Dr. Blume’s patient and her work with the Graustein Foundation, of which she was a trustee, that Mrs. Ewig gained a deep appreciation for the impact of individual philanthropy. “She was a firm advocate of private sector funding, as opposed to government funding. Her beliefs were strongly held and carefully formulated,” says Dr. Blume.
Those principles ultimately led her to begin making donations to Columbia – to be used at the discretion of Dr. Blume – in the early ’70s.
“Every year there would be one or two unsolicited checks or stock certificates (in their original paper form) that she would provide as a gift,” Dr. Blume says. Recognizing how dependent medical education is on clinical faculty’s mostly voluntary efforts influenced Dr. Blume’s decision to use those funds for clinical education in the rheumatology division.
Ms. Ewig’s support for education at the medical school continued throughout her life, and when she drew up her will, she again turned to her friend, Dr. Blume. “She decided that she would like to see her financial resources used to support clinical medical education activities,” he says.
Thus, the Ewig Clinical Education Endowed Fund was born. In keeping with her wishes, Ms. Ewig’s bequest will support clinical educators in the Department of Medicine, enabling them to devote some designated portion of their time to clinical education activities for students, house staff and fellows. The awards will be given for a period of one to three years to 12 candidates, selected by committee, in recognition of their exemplary teaching contributions. Four awards will go to support junior faculty for three years each, four awards to mid-career faculty for two years each, and four awards to senior faculty for one year each.
“This is wonderful. This money will go to faculty who are genuinely devoted to education and who are going to do things they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do,” Dr. Blume says. “Thelma Ewig made this possible. She was a terrific and very
determined lady.”
Says Ron Drusin, M.D., interim senior associate dean for education: “The Ewig endowment allows the Department of Medicine to formally recognize and reward exceptional clinical teachers for their major contributions to the education of our house officers and students. I hope that in the future we will be able to expand this level of recognition in the Department of Medicine and extend this practice to other clinical departments.” |
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| To learn more about making a bequest to support Columbia University Medical Center, contact Senior Director of Development Michelle Cass at 212-326-5728. |
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The Seymour and Vivian Milstein Family Funds Three Endowed Professorships
Building on their longstanding family commitment to Columbia University, Vivian Milstein, Constance Milstein and Philip Milstein (CC’71), through a family foundation and donor advised fund, recently established three professorships at Columbia University Medical Center. The recipients, appointed by the Columbia University Board of Trustees are Allan Schwartz, M.D., Freya R. Schnabel, M.D., and Robert N. Taub, M.D., Ph.D. “We wanted to recognize these outstanding professors for their contributions in their fields and we hope these endowed professorships will assist Drs. Schwartz, Schnabel and Taub in continuing their cutting edge work,” Philip Milstein said.
The Seymour and Vivian Milstein family has offered support and inspirational leadership to Columbia for nearly forty years. The late Seymour Milstein was Chairman of The Presbyterian Hospital Board of Trustees, and with his wife, Vivian, made transformative gifts that have benefited patients, students, faculty and various programs throughout the Medical Center. Constance Milstein is a Trustee of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and a longstanding member of the Columbia Presbyterian Health Sciences Advisory Council. Elected to the Columbia University Board of Trustees in 1996, Philip Milstein currently chairs the Buildings and Grounds Committee and serves on the CUMC Board of Visitors.
Columbia salutes the members of the Seymour Milstein family and extends profound gratitude for their continuing and extraordinary support.
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| Allan Schwartz, M.D., Seymour Milstein Professor of Clinical Cardiology in the Department of Medicine and The Harold Ames Hatch Professor of Clinical Medicine |
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| Freya R. Schnabel, M.D., Vivian Milstein AssociateProfessor of Clinical Surgery |
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| Robert N. Taub, M.D., Ph.D., Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Professor of Clinical Medicine |
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One of the foremost cardiologists in the United States, Dr. Allan Schwartz may be best known for treating President Bill Clinton after his bypass surgery in September 2004, but Dr. Schwartz has helped thousands of patients. Chief of the Division of Cardiology and Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs in the Department of Medicine at P&S, Dr. Schwartz has most recently been interested in the development of nonsurgical treatments of valvular heart disease and has been actively investigating a mitral valve repair technique.
In addition to his clinical skills, Dr. Schwartz is an admired teacher. He teaches at all levels – medical students, interns, residents and fellows – in addition to lecturing at many national meetings.
“The Seymour Milstein Professorship allows me to continue my clinical work, while at the same time allows me to help Columbia move toward a leadership role in cardiology in this country,” Dr. Schwartz says. “My long and special relationship with Seymour Milstein and the Milstein family makes this professorship a profound honor and one that I will work hard to live up to.”
Dr. Freya Schnabel has gained national recognition as a renowned researcher and clinician in the management of breast diseases. Her superb surgical skills have earned her the title of Chief of Breast Surgery at P&S. Her interests include the identification and management of women at high risk to develop breast cancer, the intraductal approach to breast disease, and new techniques in diagnosing and treating breast cancer.
As the medical director for Women At Risk, the high risk breast cancer program at CUMC, Dr. Schnabel is also active in research, education and treatment efforts directed at women with breast cancer and those at high risk to develop the disease. She also has served as director of numerous continuing medical education courses aimed at disseminating high quality information about breast diseases to the medical community.
“I am honored to be appointed to this professorship,” Dr. Schnabel says. “I expect that this appointment will allow me to extend my professional impact in the areas of research and education. I am delighted to have this opportunity to pass on what I’ve learned in years of practice to a new generation of breast surgeons. I also hope to help increase our knowledge about the origins of breast cancer so we can initiate meaningful efforts to prevent this disease.”
Dr. Robert Taub has had a wide-ranging career in internal medicine, hematology, immunology, and medical oncology, having contributed to our comprehension of allograft rejection and chemotherapy drug resistance and the treatment of leukemia and mesothelioma.
Dr. Taub has been awarded special recognition for his contributions by the American Cancer Society, Leukemia Society of America, the Israel Cancer Research Fund, and The Mount Sinai Hospital. As director of Columbia’s Mesothelioma Center, Dr. Taub and his colleagues are making remarkable progress in developing highly effective combined surgical and chemotherapeutic techniques for this previously uniformly fatal disease.
“I am most grateful to the Milstein Foundation for this professorship, and for its continued vision, generosity, and support,”Dr. Taub says.“This has strongly assisted me in developing the Columbia Mesothelioma Center and conceptualizing and developing needed multidisciplinary translational studies and clinical treatments for sarcomas and mesotheliomas. I am honored to be the selectee for this chair in Medicine, which will give me the opportunity to teach and mentor other oncologists and aspiring investigators and to contribute to the nationally recognized excellence of Columbia and its Medical Center.”
To learn more about endowing professorships at CUMC, contact Senior Director of Development Jean Ford at 212-342-0093.
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Avon Products Foundation Supports Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
The Avon Products Foundation, a longtime supporter of breast cancer research at Columbia University Medical Center, has made an additional pledge of $750,000 to CUMC for cancer research as part of a $1.5 million gift to the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC).
This contribution reflects the Avon Foundation’s commitment to fighting breast cancer and its recognition that the battle cannot be won by treatment alone, but must include
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| Ramon Parsons, M.D., and Dawn Hershman, M.D. |
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research, education, and prevention efforts. The Avon Products Foundation has provided ongoing funding for numerous other cancer-related projects at HICCC, including funds to establish the Avon Products Foundation Breast Center, a state-of-the-art mammography facility at the HICCC that offers women access to early detection screening services in a serene and comfortable environment.
“The Avon Products Foundation is a proud supporter of Columbia University through our funding of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center,” says Avon Products Foundation Executive Director Carol Kurzig. “Our funding for cutting-edge breast cancer research along with access to breast healthcare at the new Avon Products Foundation Breast Center at Columbia meets our mission to provide care to underserved, uninsured populations while seeking a cure. With the new Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, cancer researchers benefit from a state-of-the-art facility and the ability to translate research into new treatments for cancer patients.”
The HICCC is one of 39 National Cancer Institute- designated comprehensive cancer centers in the country and the only university-based, free-standing center in New York City. “Comprehensive means it deals with all three aspects: basic research, clinical research, and population science – prevention, control, and education,” says Riccardo Dalla-Favera, M.D., HICCC director.
The $750,000 portion of the Avon Foundation gift will be used in a number of HICCC’s programs – to support the research infrastructure; to fund and enhance recruitment to clinical trials; to develop new therapies for prevention, detection, and treatment of breast cancer; and to expand and maintain the breast cancer tumor bank, which contains samples of breast tumor RNA and DNA that are necessary in the search for new drugs. The funds also will be used to help support the research of Ramon Parsons, M.D., Ph.D., the Avon Associate Professor of Pathology and Medicine and discoverer of PTEN, one of the most important tumor suppressor genes altered in breast cancer.
The Breast Cancer Program of the HICCC has recently come under new leadership with Dr. Parsons as director and Dawn Hershman, M.D., M.S., assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology as co-director. The goal of the Breast Cancer Program is to bring together researchers with basic science, clinical and public health expertise and enhance interdisciplinary collaboration and research productivity.
“Breast cancer research is one of the top priorities of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the support of the Avon Products Foundation has been instrumental in advancing our work,” says Dr. Dalla-Favera. “Our hope is that our strength in basic research and our understanding of cancer will lead us to new therapeutic approaches to benefit the patient.” |
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| To learn more about the Avon Products Foundation Breast Center, contact Assistant Vice President for Development Robin Rosenbluth at 212-326-5730. |
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Denise and Eugene Chinery Endow Pediatrics Professorship
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| Eugene and Denise Chinery |
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Denise and Eugene Chinery have made generous estate plans that will benefit the Department of Pediatrics at Columbia University Medical Center. Named in honor of their daughter, the bequest will establish the Charisse Chinery Professorship in Pediatric Molecular Genetics. The department provides comprehensive diagnostic treatment and lab services to patients and families with, or at risk for, genetic problems and/or birth defects.
Rudolph L. Leibel, M.D., professor of pediatrics and medicine and division director, Molecular Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, says the gift will help researchers gain insight into developmental disorders. “The Chinerys’ generous support will
advance the research that Wendy Chung [M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics] and I are conducting to understand the contributions of early mutations in the developing human embryo to complex cognitive, behavioral and metabolic abnormalities that are detected later in life.”
“We are great fans of Dr. John Driscoll, Jr., chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, and of his wife, Dr. Yvonne Driscoll [assistant clinical professor of pediatrics]. They introduced us to Dr. Leibel. Denise and I love the research that he is doing. Both he and Wendy Chung are so passionate and enthusiastic. It’s clear that the researchers at
Columbia are the leaders.”
Mr. Chinery has a strong affinity for technology, having founded a fragrance company that he owned until he retired in 2005. He recently visited Dr. Leibel’s laboratory. “Rudy gave me a tour of his labs and showed me how to transfer genes.” Mr. Chinery reciprocated by giving Dr. Leibel a tour of a fragrance library. “We had a heck of a good time.Who knows, maybe he’ll explore an internal fragrance pathway down the line – he’s always searching for something new.” To facilitate ongoing discoveries, the Chinerys recently made an additional currentuse gift. “We wanted to help Rudy purchase a new instrument,” Mr. Chinery says.
“Denise and Eugene Chinery are delightful people,” says Dr. Leibel. “It is an honor to know them and to have the opportunity to pursue this research under their auspices. They are modest and clearly in tune with each other.” This is apparent when Eugene Chinery refers to the couple’s 50-plus years together. “Denise and I were high school sweethearts, and I’m happy to say we’ve been together ever since.”
For more information about the Department of Pediatrics contact Director of Development Sally Benner at Eugene and Denise Chinery 212-304-7219.
Origins Natural Resources Gift Expands Complementary Care for Children with Cancer
Cancer treatments can be protracted and painful. This aspect of the disease can be especially difficult for children and families, who often search out ways to make treatment more tolerable. At the Herbert Irving Child & Adolescent Oncology Center, families have the option of working with a team of highly qualified practitioners of complementary therapies to alleviate some of the side effects of treatment and make recovery as comfortable and healthful as possible.
With a generous gift from Origins Natural Resources, the beauty and wellness company that uses natural ingredients in its products, Columbia’s Integrative Therapies Program for Children with Cancer will now be able to expand the scope of its services. The Integrative Therapies Program is a unique program that pairs pediatric oncology patients with a team of complementary therapy specialists who work with the patients and physicians to develop a comprehensive treatment program.
“We meet with patients and their families early on to put together a treatment plan,” says
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| Massage provides some relief for children with cancer and builds strong bonds between patients and caregivers. |
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Elena Ladas, director of the Integrative Therapies Program for Children with Cancer. “By listening and finding out what they’re interested in and what their concerns or chief complaints are, we may offer acupressure, acupuncture, aromatherapy, yoga, massage, meditation, and nutritional and herbal counseling.” Ms. Ladas stresses that the program offers complementary, not alternative, medicine. “We always have the physician’s approval. Our plan is integrated with their conventional therapy; it’s not an alternative or a replacement.”
Founded in 1990, Origins Natural Resources is a brand of the Estée Lauder Companies, with nine stores in New York City. Harnessing the benefits of elements found in nature, Origins Natural Resources promotes wellness through “multi-sensory products and feel-good experiences.”
Michael Weiner, M.D., director,Herbert Irving Division of Pediatric Oncology and professor of clinical pediatrics, says: “Columbia’s Integrative Therapies Program for Children with Cancer is the first pediatric oncology program in the United States to mainstream integrative therapies as ‘real’ therapeutic complements to surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.We are grateful to Origins Natural Resources for its support of a relationship that is a natural fit between their philosophy and our holistic care of ailing children.”
Because treatment for pediatric cancer can often span several years, the Integrative Therapies Program is geared toward supporting patients over the long term.“The children are still growing and we’re helping to support their physical, intellectual and emotional well-being,” says Ms. Ladas.
In addition to expanding the range of complementary therapies available to pediatric oncology patients in the program, the Origins Natural Resources gift also will allow the program to extend the days and hours that the therapies are available.
“Before receiving this gift we had one practitioner onsite five half-days a week,” Ms. Ladas says. “With the gift, we were able to hire two new people and have a practitioner here to help patients from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. four days a week. This gift was pivotal in terms of allowing us to be more integrated in patient care.We want to continue to expand services. None of this would have happened without the help of Origins Natural Resources.”
To learn about Columbia's Integrative Therapies Program for Children with Cancer, contact Director of Development Sally Benner at 212-304-7219.
School of Nursing Receives Grant For DrNP Degree Evaluation
With a grant of $948,000 to Columbia University School of Nursing from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation the school is developing national standards for the new clinical doctorate in nursing, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DrNP) degree.
The DrNP degree, the first of its kind, was approved by the Trustees of Columbia University in 2004 and by the New York State Board of Regents in early 2005.
The DrNP is the first clinical doctoral program in the nation that prepares nurses for complex advanced practice. Built on evidence derived from more than 10 years of independent practice and scientific inquiry, including a randomized trial published in the
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| The first class of DrNP degree students graduated in May 2005. |
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Journal of the American Medical Association, School of Nursing faculty developed the degree to educate nurses for the highest level of clinical expertise, including sophisticated diagnostic and treatment competencies.
“We believe that the Macy Foundation, with a sustaining legacy of support for innovative interdisciplinary health care education, is an ideal partner for this endeavor,” says Mary O’Neil Mundinger, DrPH, dean and Centennial Professor of Health Policy at Columbia University School of Nursing.
As the nation experiences a growing demand for quality and accountability in the delivery of health care, Columbia Nursing’s DrNP degree sets the standard that will provide payers with a credible means to assure quality and accountability and provide patients and other members of the public an easily understood credential. |
To learn more about the Columbia University School of Nursing, contact Senior Associate Dean Jennifer Smith at 212-305-2280.
Alumni Gifts Continue to Benefit P&S Faculty
Endowment support – which continues to grow for decades after an initial gift has been made – has long been a cornerstone of Columbia’s ability to fund professorships.
Take the example of Mather Cleveland, M.D., who initiated a broad fundraising effort – the Alumni Professorship Fund – 50 years after his graduation from the College of Physicians & Surgeons in 1915. It took a leap of faith to believe that the fund would eventually grow to the point of being able to support an endowed professorship. Surely no one would have predicted that it would grow to support two endowed professorships.
| “I am a gardener by avocation. As in nature, so too in a great medical school, there is a time to plant seeds and a time to reap what you have planted. Students grow like tender saplings into stalwart P&S alumni, who bear fruit of their study and the seeds of tomorrow. It’s up to alumni to replant those seeds to perpetuate a great medical tradition. That’s how I've come to view alumni giving.” |
| —Anke Nolting, Associate Dean and Executive Director for Alumni Relations and Development, P&S |
In 1984, the first endowed Alumni Professorship was established and Henrik Bendixen, M.D., then Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, was chosen as the first incumbent. Now, a full 40 years after being established, the Alumni Professorship Fund has quadrupled in value and can now support two fully endowed professorships.
This past fall, Robert Kass, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Pharmacology at P&S, and Thomas Herzog, M.D., director of gynecologic oncology and professor of clinical gynecology and obstetrics, were named to the two Alumni Professorships.
Dr. Kass was recruited from the University of Rochester and appointed chairman of the Department of Pharmacology at Columbia in 1995. In 1997, he was appointed to the Center for Neurobiology & Behavior, and in 1999, he became the David Hosack Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology.
The complex, ever-evolving, and interdisciplinary nature of pharmacology is mirrored in Dr. Kass’s approach as an educator – he has fundamentally reshaped the pharmacology program by embracing fresh concepts such as computational approaches to biology. As a researcher, Dr. Kass collaborates with clinical investigators to probe the underlying genetic mutations involved in cardiac arrhythmias that can lead to sudden death. Dr. Kass’s investigations have led to novel insights into mutation- specific therapeutic approaches and new ways of classifying patients according to risk.
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| Edward H. Shortliffe, M.D., Ph.D |
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A national leader in developing ovarian cancer treatments, Dr.Herzog was recruited from Washington University in St. Louis and has been at Columbia since 2004. Dr. Herzog uses innovative methods in cancer surgery, laparoscopy and colposcopy – a common follow-up for abnormal Pap smears. As a researcher, Dr. Herzog has conducted extensive research on tumor suppressor genes, molecular genetics, cytokines, laparoscopy, and pre-invasive cervical cancer. He also is involved in translational research, which seeks to bring laboratory research into the clinic.
Another Columbia alumnus, Rolf Scholdager, M.D., P&S’56, used his estate planning to establish a professorship whose purpose is to recognize outstanding educators at P&S. This year, Edward H. Shortliffe, M.D., Ph.D., was named the first incumbent of the Dr. Rolf Scholdager Professorship in the Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Scholdager’s correspondence expressed his desire to create an endowment that demonstrated his deep love and commitment to P&S and was a way to give back to the institution that he felt gave him outstanding support.
Dr. Shortliffe, professor and chairman of the Department of Biomedical Informatics at P&S, was an early pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence and has received much recognition for his outstanding work in biomedical informatics. Dr. Shortliffe was formerly professor of medicine and of computer science at Stanford, where he spearheaded the formation of a Stanford graduate degree program in biomedical informatics and divided his time between clinical medicine and biomedical informatics research. In January 2000, Dr. Shortliffe assumed his new post at Columbia, where he is also deputy vice president for strategic information resources at CUMC, professor of medicine, professor of computer science, and director of medical informatics for the NewYork-Presbyterian Health Care System. He continues to be closely involved with biomedical informatics graduate training and his research interests include the broad range of issues related to integrated decision-support systems, their effective implementation, and the role of the Internet in health care. Dr. Shortliffe is a member of Columbia University Medical Center’s Education Resources Committee, which is working to improve the management of the education infrastructure at the medical
center. In a recent report, the committee concluded that there is an untapped opportunity to increase collaboration among the five schools within CUMC, which could lead to significant improvements in the quality of education for all CUMC students and residents.
For more information contact Associate Dean and Executive Director for Alumni Relations and Development Anke Nolting at 212-305-3498.
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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 are 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. |
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| To learn more about Giving Well and how some of these giving options may benefit you, contact Senior Director of Development Michelle Cass, at 1-888-277-9375 or email: givingwell@columbia.edu. |
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Nederlander Family Sponsors Theater Benefit
 From left, Jay P. Mohr, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Tananbaum Stroke Center; Timothy A. Pedley, M.D., chairman of the Department of Neurology; and Mrs. Jay P. Mohr attend “The Odd Couple” Theater Benefit in October. Mr. James L. Nederlander (far right), along with the Nederlander family, generously sponsored the event, which provided donors an opportunity to see the sold-out Broadway production, “The Odd Couple.” The event raised funds to support multiple stroke research projects at the Doris and Stanley Tananbaum Stroke Center, founded in 1983 by Dr. Mohr. Ralph L. Sacco, M.D., professor of neurology, now serves as chief of Columbia’s Division of Stroke and Critical Care.
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Support for Lung Cancer Research
 Representatives from The V Foundation for Cancer Research and the New Jersey Chapter of UNICO attended a luncheon presentation by Riccardo Dalla- Favera, M.D., director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Charles Powell, M.D., assistant professor of clinical medicine. The group presented a $50,000 check to support Dr. Powell’s lung cancer research.
UNICO, the largest Italian-American service organization in the world, partnered with The V Foundation in selecting Dr. Powell’s lung cancer research program. The foundation was created in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, the legendary NC State basketball coach and ESPN broadcaster.
In photo above, from left, Frank C. Paolercio Sr.,Unico Charity Chairperson, for The V Foundation for Cancer Research; Anthony Braico, president, Unico National; Charles Powell, M.D., Florence Irving Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine and director, Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellowship; Felicia Slofkiss, Christine Juliano, and Evelyn Juliano, members of the Juliano family who spearheaded the fund-raising effort; Riccardo Dalla-Favera, M.D., Percy and Joanne Uris Professor of Clinical Medicine and director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center; and Nick Valvano, CEO, The V Foundation for Cancer Research.
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JPMorgan Chase Donates Artwork to Eastside Clinical Practice
 The CUMC Board of Visitors and JPMorgan Chase hosted a private review and cocktail reception in October at Columbia’s Eastside location. The private review
was a celebration of artwork donated by JPMorgan Chase to Columbia’s Eastside
clinical practice. Pictured above from left, Mrs. Cynthia Brown and Paul Brown,
M.D., founder & chairman of the Board of HearUSA Inc. and a member of the
CUMC Board of Visitors, and Joseph Haddad, M.D., Lawrence Savetsky Professor
of Clinical Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery.
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On Memory and Music
For the last 21 years, “Works & Process” at the Guggenheim has celebrated theexploration of the creative process by providing behind-the-scenes insights into extraordinary music, dance, opera, theater, literature and science. Columbia University/Taub Institute researcher Scott A. Small, M.D., and Naumburg Piano Competition winner Gilles Vonsattel joined forces in October to illustrate the complexities of how our brains process memories. Gilles Vonsattel, son of Jean Paul Vonsattel, M.D., director of the Taub Institute Brain Bank, accompanied Dr. Small’s presentation, playing excerpts demonstrating how memories are stored in the brain, retrieved, and how these processes decline with age.
P&S Summer Minority Fellowship Program Reaches New Milestone
 Thanks to major support from Pfizer and the Schering-Plough Foundation more than 50 students over the past four years from Hunter College in New York have had the opportunity to study at P&S for eight weeks during the summer. The successful joint venture between P&S and Hunter was started in 2001 by Andrew Marks, M.D., chairman of physiology & cellular biophysics. Pictured above, Hunter graduate Lori Elwick presenting her research to 2004 Nobel Laureate Richard Axel, M.D., center, University Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics; Dr. Marks, left, and high school students.
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Raising Funds and Awareness for Lyme Disease
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| John Monsky greets friends attending the event at his home to raise awareness about Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. |
Forty friends and family members of Jennifer and John Monsky gathered in their home in New York City in November for a dinner discussion of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. The event raised awareness and more than $200,000, which will be used to support a clinical research fellow at the Lyme Disease Research Center. CUMC has the only research team in the country devoted to the study of chronic Lyme disease, led by Brian Fallon, M.D., associate professor of clinical psychiatry and director of the Lyme Disease Research Program. Columbia doctors are recognized nationally as leading Lyme disease researchers and clinicians.
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Breakdancing for Pediatric Orthopaedic Research
 Pictured, left, Jeff Lapes, 17, contorts and gyrates while breakdancing, an athletic feat for anyone, but even more amazing considering Jeff had undergone scoliosis surgery only three months earlier to correct his spine that had progressed to a 65 degree curvature. Jeff also performed at an event his family hosted that raised more than $7,000 for Pediatric Orthopaedic Research at CUMC. Internationally recognized, the Columbia University Pediatric Orthopaedic Research Group focuses on musculoskeletal disorders that affect the quality of life of children.
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Rudin Foundation Supports AIDS Program in the Dominican Republic
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Naz Firoz, P&S’08, during her summer 2005 research internship
in La Romana, Dominican Republic. The makeshift clinic session took place at a sugar cane plantation where adequate medical facilities are not available. |
Sometimes you have to travel thousands of miles to get to know your neighbors. No one knows that better than Stephen Nicholas, M.D., associate professor of clinical pediatrics at P&S who also directs Columbia’s International Family AIDS Program (IFAP), and the growing number of medical students and residents who have participated in IFAP rotations to the Dominican Republic. Through this unique program, students learn Dominican culture and language while treating largely Dominican local families, many of whom are affected by AIDS. Now, a grant from the Louis and Rachel Rudin Foundation will enable 30 more students to join their ranks.
“The internship rotation will address two very important issues,” says Beth Rudin DeWoody, president of the Rudin Foundation. “It will provide necessary medical assistance to individuals and families in the Dominican Republic and, as a result of the internship, knowledge about the country will grow.”
Dr. Nicholas says it was an eye-opening experience to work on the ground in the Dominican Republic. “I thought I was a good doctor for Dominican families, but it wasn’t until I went there and spent some time in the country that I improved my language and communication skills and really began to understand the community,” he says. “I was a much better doctor for Dominican families when I returned.”
Such is the sentiment echoed by the students who have participated. Lisa Bebell, P&S’08, an early participant in the program, says the international experience is invaluable. “I think if more people were able to have a rotation like this, we would be far more oriented toward global health, and that would have a positive impact on worldwide health and on economics in developing countries,” she says.
“Stephen [Nicholas] is a personal friend of the family who has made significant contributions in medicine, particularly in the area of pediatric AIDS,” says Ms. Rudin DeWoody. “We were thrilled to support this effort since we know that his work will help change lives.”
For more information about Columbia’s International Family AIDS Program, contact Director of Development Sally Benner at 212-304-7219.
Dental Faculty Member Gives Back
When David Momtaheni, D.M.D., first came to Columbia’s College of Dental Medicine in 1986, he brought with him an impressive academic pedigree and years of experience using the most advanced surgical techniques in the fields of orthognatics (the surgical repositioning of various facial bones), temporomandibular joint surgery, and implantology. Now, Dr. Momtaheni has made a leadership gift of $100,000 to help the dental school enhance training in oral surgery.
What most would see as an act of extreme generosity, Dr.Momtaheni, a native of Iran,
sees as only a “gesture,” a small way to acknowledge the tremendous professional and personal support he has found at Columbia. “Hopefully, my gift will encourage other faculty and alumni to contribute,” he says. “The school needs continuous funding to support new techniques and technologies.” Dr. Momtaheni’s impressive list of accomplishments and “firsts” in bringing technology to the dental school is rivaled only by his ambitious hopes for the future. He hopes to expand the possibilities of laser surgery to include osteotomies – cutting and resetting bones, an integral part of orthognathic surgery – which until now has been the province of conventional surgery.
“It would really revolutionize the field,” he says. “Many of the surgical procedures that we now do with a burr and a saw we would be able to do with a laser,which would allow for faster, easier, and better surgeries for doctors and patients alike.”
But as pivotal as the professional and technological support he has received at Columbia has been, Dr. Momtaheni points out that his gift also reflects his experience at Columbia on a personal level. “The dental school is a healthy and motivating environment. That is one of the strongest aspects of Columbia. Not only do we really have the best students and faculty, but the environment is such that it is very fulfilling and inspiring.” Dr. Momtaheni particularly credits Ira Lamster, D.D.S., M.M.Sc., dean of the College of Dental Medicine,for fostering this type of environment. “This culture comes from the top. It is passed on so you feel welcome, part of the team and part of the family.”
To learn more about Columbia’s College of Dental Medicine, contact Senior Director of Development Jean Ford at 212-342-0093.
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