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todate: Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.
Establishes New Fund to Support Young P&S Scholars
Summer 2007
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| Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. |
During his exemplary career at the helm of some of the world’s best-known
blue-chip companies—among them IBM and RJR Nabisco—Louis V.
Gerstner, Jr. always exhibited a capacity for envisioning the future and molding
it for the best outcome.
This keen ability for cultivating promise is now extended to the College of
Physicians and Surgeons. He has made a gift of $5 million through the Gerstner
Family Foundation to establish the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Scholars Fund, which
will support physician-scientists who conduct translational research that is
designed to bring new treatments to patients.
Four young faculty members will be selected annually for a three year
term; each will hold the special honor of being named a Louis V. Gerstner,
Jr. Scholar. The program will afford each scholar the best chance for success
in securing funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), or from
other sources, to further his or her academic career. Scholars will be expected
to pursue funding by the end of the term.
“My hope is that this program will encourage gifted young physician-scientists to pursue academic careers,” said Mr. Gerstner. “Our aim is to give young scholars the flexibility to accelerate their research activity, and to increase their competitiveness in seeking outside grant funding.” Mr. Gerstner’s family includes two Columbia alumni—his daughter, Elizabeth, graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2002, and was a chief resident in Neurology at the Medical Center until last summer. His son, Louis V. Gerstner, III, received an MBA in 2001 from Columbia Business School.
“The Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Scholars Fund will ensure that the best young
investigators, with the most meritorious ideas, are given the best chance
for success,” said Lee Goldman, M.D, executive vice president for Health
and Biomedical Sciences and dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and
Medicine. “As they mature, their contributions to advancing medical science
and health care will have a lasting impact.”
Mr. Gerstner, who is chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology’s
Board of Advisors, has supported the Medical Center for many years, through
the establishment of the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Clinical Research Center at
Columbia’s Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute and the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.
Foundation Retinal Research Fund in the Department of Ophthalmology.
“Training clinicians who are also scientists is one of our top priorities,” remarked Stanley Chang, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology. “We view this as an extension of our clinical work—it ensures that the scientific process of discovery is reinforced by clinical insights. Lou Gerstner’s experience as head of IBM, one of history’s greatest information technology companies, has given him a deep understanding of the relationship between basic science and its practical applications. His commitment and generosity of time and support to make Columbia a leader in health sciences is greatly appreciated.”
The importance of education always has been paramount to Mr. Gerstner. He created The Teaching Commission to develop specific policy recommendations to deal with America’s teaching crisis, and from 1996 to 2002, he co-chaired “Achieve,” an organization that was created by U.S. governors and business leaders to drive higher academic standards for public schools. At IBM, he established “Reinventing Education” as a strategic partnership with 21 states and school districts to eliminate key barriers to school reform and improve student performance.
Mr. Gerstner is the recipient of many awards for his work in education,
among them the Cleveland E. Dodge Medal for Distinguished Service to
Education from Teachers College, and the Distinguished Service to Science and
Education Award from the American Museum of Natural History. In recognition
of his efforts on behalf of public education, as well as his business accomplishments,
Mr. Gerstner was designated an honorary Knight of the British
Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2001.
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| For more information on supporting young scholars or on the Department of Ophthalmalogy, contact Director of Development Jane Heffner at 212-305-7827. |
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| Merrill Lynch Foundation Partners with CUMC in Study and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease |
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Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) is proud to be the recipient of a contribution of $3 million to its Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain from the Merrill Lynch Foundation. The gift represents a major alliance between the financial services company, whose tradition of corporate philanthropy has been a model for other charitable programs, and the Medical Center. It will fortify current research and underwrite future scientific inquiries at the Taub Institute, which has been lauded for its achievements probing the causes of this debilitating disease.
“The partnership of our two institutions will pay great dividends, scientifically and medically,” said Richard Mayeux, M.D., co-director of the Taub Institute. “Merrill Lynch has been instrumental in helping forge what promises to be an exciting and enduring relationship.”
The gift will help expand research at the Taub Institute that documents the prevalence and distribution of Alzheimer’s disease in specific populations, a study that has yielded important clues to its genesis, including a particular gene, known as SORL1, which appears to play a role in the late-onset variant of the syndrome. Identifying that gene and other causative factors is especially valuable in classifying patients with a high susceptibility to Alzheimer’s.
Dr. Mayeux played a leading role in the discovery of the suspect gene, whose alterations researchers believe leads to accumulation of the toxic amyloid fibers in the brain that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s. In a classic case study of epidemiological fieldwork and genetic sleuthing, Dr. Mayeux observed a higher than ordinary prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease among the elderly in the Dominican community residing in the vicinity of the Medical Center. Thus began an intensive study of the families in question, and their relations in the Dominican Republic, which culminated in the discovery of SORL1.
The Merrill Lynch grant will enable the Taub Institute to recruit genetic
analysts and epidemiologists to identify further genetic variants explaining the
complex inheritance of Alzheimer’s disease. It will also fund the enlistment of
experts in functional genomics to investigate how alterations in the normal
processing of brain proteins lead to the buildup of these pernicious tangles.
Researchers funded by Merrill Lynch will also investigate another known culprit in Alzheimer’s disease – the Tau protein. This protein, which binds a system of small tubes inside the transport component of brain cells, undergoes a change that also contributes to the neurofibrillary deposits found in Alzheimer’s patients.
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Richard Mayeux, M.D.,
co-director of the Taub
Institute |
“Selecting Columbia University and the Taub Institute in particular to be a beneficiary of our support was a natural choice,” said Eddy Bayardelle, president of the Merrill Lynch Foundation. “The Institute and its faculty occupy a leading position in the study and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, and one of our paramount objectives is to support work with a beneficial impact on public health.”
Lee Goldman, M.D., executive vice president for Health and Biomedical Sciences and dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine concurred. “Doctors and investigators at the Taub Institute are striving to unravel the mystery of this feared condition, and to provide relief to the millions afflicted by it. Their work, and by extension millions of patients and families worldwide, stand to benefit enormously from the generosity of the Merrill Lynch Foundation.”
“Merrill Lynch has been an exemplar of good corporate citizenship, and we are privileged to be beneficiaries of the Foundation’s generosity,” said P. Roy Vagelos, M.D., the former chairman and chief executive officer of Merck & Co., who is chairman of Columbia University Medical Center’s Board of Visitors. “Their ability to identify trends before they have become widely recognized has been essential to their success as a business, and they have demonstrated similar acumen in supporting medical science that will eventually pave the way for effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative neurological conditions.”
It is the conviction of the scientists and physicians of the Taub Institute that
these studies will pave the way to better treatments for Alzheimer’s and, one day,
its eventual eradication.
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To learn more about the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, contact Director of Development Jane Sherman at 212-342-4126.
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A Message from Lee Goldman, M.D.
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I often speak of the indispensable role our donors play in
furthering the important mission of Columbia University
Medical Center. These statements are not empty rhetoric.
Government funding is essential, but cannot meet the
requirements of our minimum operating budget. Although
support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) covers
some of the expenses of mounting a research program, it
falls drastically short of what is necessary to sustain all of the
activities found on campus. Indeed, federal grant-making
agencies typically assume that recipients of their funds already
possess adequate resources to acquire core technologies and
hire staff, and they often expect matching support from the
organizations to which they make grants.
Columbia is home to a wonderfully diverse group of clinical, scholarly, and scientific enterprises. To advance our multi-tiered mission and make CUMC arguably the best in all we do, we are beholden to you, our friends and benefactors. Your unflagging support and ardent enthusiasm have truly been engines of progress, affording the Medical Center the tools we need to educate, discover, and care.
Gifts to the Medical Center span the entire range of programs we host. Many of our constituents wish to support physicians with whom they have a personal relationship, as a gesture of gratitude or means of promoting research with a direct bearing on their health or that of a loved one. Others are motivated by a desire to extend the benefits of premium care or medical education to those who might lack access to them. Some entrust their philanthropy to the stewardship of the administration to allocate at our discretion. Still more look beyond the immediate horizon to nurture promising research whose applications may not emerge for years. All share a visionary and compassionate sense of responsibility.
An academic medical center reflects, in a very real way, the needs and health of the population it serves. As the preeminent institution of its kind in the world’s greatest metropolis, our mission is profound in scope. It is a challenge to search for solutions to intractable medical problems, to serve a large urban population, and to marshal support for this undertaking. But in the venerable history of Columbia and of our Medical Center, it is a challenge we have always met with confidence. That owes primarily to you, our greater community of friends and family.
Thank you for your support.
Lee Goldman, M.D. Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences and Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine
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Ruth and Jerome Siegel Establish First-of-its-Kind Advanced Training Program in Rheumatology
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The immune system is a labyrinth of specialized cells and organs that act as a gatekeeper, working to defend the body against attacks by foreign invaders.
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| Ruth and Jerome Siegel |
When it functions as it should, the
immune system is a literal bodyguard,
fending off or destroying infections by
bacteria, viruses and parasites. However,
when the immune system goes awry,
it fails to protect us from a range of
diseases and, paradoxically, contributes
to their occurrence and progression.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
(SLE) is an autoimmune disease in
which a person’s immune system
attacks the very parts of the body it is
meant to protect—from the framework
of skin and joints to the most
vital inner organs—heart, lungs,
kidneys, and brain. Great strides
have been made in the past decade to
understand SLE. Translating advances
into better therapies and an improved
quality of life for lupus patients
requires special skills—a knowledge of
the human disease and its diverse manifestations,
an in-depth understanding
of biologic processes, and rigorous
training in research methodology.
To ensure that young scientists are equipped with these necessary skills, Ruth and Jerome Siegel have established an advanced training fund in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Rheumatology. Their fund will help bridge the gap between post-fellowship training and independent, laboratory-based investigations of physician-scientists who are committed to conducting immunology-related clinical or translational research.
The Siegels’ long relationship with Ralph S. Blume, M.D., a rheumatologist at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), led them to create this Program to address the need to fill the gap in training support and the importance of participatory mentors. This unique type of fellowship would apply not only to SLE research, but to other areas of medicine as well.
“The Siegel gift allows Columbia
to pioneer a new level of training support
in translational research, and is
designed to develop a cadre of investigators
committed to disease-related
research and human studies,” says
Lee Goldman, M.D., executive vice
president for Health and Biomedical
Sciences and dean of the Faculties of
Health Sciences and Medicine. “This
new program will allow us to attract
committed and outstanding young
talent to Columbia.”
The first Siegel Fellow was Giovanni Franchin, M.D., Ph.D., who had already initiated studies to develop a novel therapeutic in SLE. Dr. Franchin investigated the interaction of metabolism with Blymphocyte development in collaboration with investigators in the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center. A new Siegel Fellow will be appointed, firmly establishing a continuum that will lead to a better understanding and, hopefully, a better capacity to deal with disordered biological activity and its effects on health and life functions.
Ruth Siegel has long supported
Columbia as a member of the
Health Sciences Advisory Council.
A graduate and Trustee Emerita of
Sarah Lawrence College, she has
had a long and varied career in the
arts. From 1982 to 1992, she owned
and directed the Ruth Siegel Gallery
on West 57th Street, which focused
on contemporary art. Now a private
consultant, she has served on
the Eighth Congressional District
Advisory Committee on Culture and
the Arts and is a member of the Fine
Arts Committee of the Friends of
Art & Preservation in Embassies in
Washington, D.C.
Jerome Siegel is the founder and former chairman of Titan Industrial Corporation, a global steel trading and fabricating company that was ranked among the largest privately-owned companies in the United States in 1992 by Forbes Magazine. A graduate of the City College of New York and the Harvard Business School, Mr. Siegel is a Governor Emeritus of the Weizmann Institute of Science and received a Presidential appointment to the U.S. Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations on which he served for seven years.
The Siegels are delighted that their
gift “has not only helped create this
exciting new approach to training,
but will also give enormously talented
investigators the opportunity to build
successful track records necessary
to leverage additional funding from
foundations and from the highly
competitive programs of the National
Institutes of Health.”
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For more information about lupus research
in the Division of Rheumatology, contact
Director of Development Carolyn Nesbitt
at 212-342-0087.
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Jerome L. Greene Foundation Supports CUMC Cardiac Valve Program
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The Jerome L. Greene Foundation, a major CUMC benefactor, has pledged $1.5 million to Columbia’s Cardiology Division to fund valvular heart disease research.
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| Dawn Greene |
“We are so pleased to be a part of the Cardiac Valve Program at Columbia University Medical Center through our financial support,” said Dawn Greene, the Foundation’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Clearly, Columbia’s Cardiology Division is at the forefront of valvular research and a world-leader in the treatment of various types of valve dysfunction.”
Valves, the delicate structures that enable blood to flow efficiently through the chambers, are integral to the effective working of the heart. Problems arise when a valve fails to close or open properly. The heart then must compensate by working harder to pump enough blood to the body, which eventually leads to heart muscle damage. Congestive heart failure, fainting, and arrhythmias are among the complications of valvular disease. “We’ve made great progress in recent years, but more work needs to be done to understand the specifics of how and why some valves deteriorate more quickly than others, and to predict how the disease process will advance in a particular patient,” said Jerry Gliklich, M.D., the David A. Gardner Clinical Professor of Medicine.
CUMC physicians and scientists are authorities in employing noninvasive diagnostic and therapeutic methods of responding to heart problems. Columbia’s Allan Schwartz, M.D., chief of the Division of Cardiology and the Seymour Milstein and Harold Ames Hatch Professor of Clinical Medicine, together with Assistant Clinical Professor William Gray, M.D., are currently investigating a promising way to treat mitral valve regurgitation—a serious condition in which the valve does not seal completely and blood leaks into the left atrium—through trial use of the Evalve® Cardiovascular Valve Repair System. It is estimated that nearly four million Americans suffer from this disorder. The new technology aims to repair defective valves non-surgically by using a catheter to place a tiny clip over the center of the two flaps that make up the valve. An astounding seventy-five percent of the patients who received the clip remained surgery free at the six-month mark. This is just one of the multiple projects that currently are being integrated into the cardiac valve program.
It should come as no surprise
that CUMC stands at the vanguard
of breakthroughs in cardiac care. “Our
investigators are constantly pursuing
innovative discoveries related to the
function and biology of the heart and
the pathophysiology of cardiovascular
disease,” said Lee Goldman, M.D,
executive vice president for Health
and Biomedical Sciences and dean of
the Faculties of Health Sciences and
Medicine. “The generous support of
the Jerome L. Greene Foundation will
keep Columbia’s cardiologists at the
forefront of new advances and enhance
our ability to pioneer new ways to treat
and prevent cardiovascular disease.”
Jerome Greene’s legacy flourishes throughout many areas of Columbia, and can be seen in a myriad of sites, ranging from Greene Hall to the Jerome Greene Fund for Clinical Education at the Law School, to the Jerome L. and Dawn Greene Infectious Disease Laboratory at the Mailman School of Public Health. Mrs. Greene also helped create the Allan Rosenfield Fund at the Mailman School, a tribute fund dedicated to the renovation of the school’s new home. Most recently, the Foundation pledged $200 million to fund the Jerome L. Greene Science Center—a gift that is the largest ever received by Columbia and the largest private gift received by any American university for the creation of a single facility. |
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For more information on supporting the Division of Cardiology, contact Assistant Vice President for Development Jean Ford Keane at 212-342-0093
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Eastman Family Establishes Professorship
Fund for the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center
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| Jodie Eastman, Merrill Eastman, Louise Eastman Loening, and John Eastman |
Last December, the holiday celebration of 3-year-old Merrill Eastman and her family was highlighted by a special, lasting gift, one that will make a difference to many children and families for years to come. Merrill’s grandparents, John L. and Josephine (Jodie) M. Eastman and her aunt, Louise Eastman Loening, established an enduring legacy in Merrill’s name. Inspired by their appreciation for the care provided by the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center to Merrill, who developed diabetes at the age of 15 months, they pledged $2 million to CUMC to establish The J. Merrill Eastman Professorship Fund for the clinical co-director of the Berrie Center.
“The Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University has been a lifesaver for Merrill, her parents Jay and Katama, and our entire family,” said John Eastman. “The Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center is based on ‘the care until the cure’ and will lead the way to great scientific breakthroughs, while giving the best medical care possible to thousands of children and adults with diabetes. It is our wish that the fine clinical and research work carried out in the Berrie Center endures and benefits families well into the future.”
“The outstanding generosity of the
Eastman family will help the Berrie
Center to continue to provide the
very best care possible to children
and adults with diabetes and their
families,” says Robin S. Goland, M.D.,
co-director of the Berrie Center (with
Dr. Rudolph L. Leibel) and associate
professor of Medicine at Columbia
University’s College of Physicians and
Surgeons. “We are honored that they
have chosen to support the Berrie
Center with this wonderful gift.”
Dr. Leibel, co-director of the Berrie Center, professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and head of the Division of Molecular Genetics at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons says, “the Eastman gift is in the great tradition of enlightened medical philanthropy aimed at eliminating a problem of personal and compelling concern to a family. The Eastmans’ passion, commitment and quiet determination are the personification of what inspires us – as members of the Center - to work together to defeat this disease.”
“We are very grateful to the Eastman family,” said Lee Goldman, M.D., executive vice president for Health and Biomedical Sciences and dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine. “This endowment will provide the means for the Berrie Center to continue to advance as a world class center for diabetes research and care, and to attract and retain the very finest clinical and research talent.”
“I am so happy to join with my
parents in establishing this professorship
in Merrill’s honor,” said Mrs.
Loening. “My family hopes that the J.
Merrill Eastman Professorship Fund
will spur the Berrie Center on to even
greater accomplishments and that,
in making our gift, we are helping to
facilitate work that may eventually
lead to a cure for diabetes.”
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To learn more about endowing professorships at the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, contact Director of Development Lauren Logan at 212-851-5424.
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Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center Campaign Continues its Steady Progress
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Only a decade ago, comprehensive,
multi-disciplinary diabetes care was
not available in New York City. The
Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center was
established in 1997 to meet this need.
The Berrie Center’s mission is to
provide “the care until the cure,” and it
is increasingly recognized around the
globe for excellence and innovation in
patient care and diabetes research. The
Berrie Center is co-directed by Robin
S. Goland, M.D., associate professor
of Medicine and Rudolph L. Leibel,
M.D., professor of Pediatrics and
Medicine and head of the Division of
Molecular Genetics in the Department
of Pediatrics at Columbia University’s
College of Physicians and Surgeons.
| “The impact is felt—not only in the field as a whole, but in the individual lives that have benefited from the scientific and clinical work they have made possible.” |
The Berrie Center has built a
program of superb state-of-the-art
multidisciplinary care that has helped
thousands of children and adults to
manage diabetes. The Berrie Center
has also developed world-class
research programs that are deepening
understanding of the basic processes
underlying the disease, and providing
promising advances leading to
the prevention, improved treatment,
and ultimately, the cure of diabetes.
The physical and intellectual integration
of these programs within the
Berrie Center are unique and enable
clinicians to provide patients—and
members of our community—with
the most advanced options in
diagnosis, therapy and prevention.
It was through the foresight and
generosity of the Russell Berrie
Foundation, which provided the
founding gift, that the Center was
established. “The Russell Berrie
Foundation’s initial investment in
the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center
has grown in visibility, excellence in
treatment and research efforts and
building a strong patient-centered care
support team,” said Angelica Berrie,
Foundation president and wife of the
late philanthropist and entrepreneur,
Russell Berrie. “Our partnership with
Columbia was sparked by the innovative
holistic ‘care-until-the-cure’ model
Russ Berrie envisioned for anyone living
with diabetes. At a time when more
people will be diagnosed with diabetes,
we need to redouble our efforts to sustain
the excellence of care and research
at the Berrie Center for the sake of all
future patients.”
The Berrie Center is extremely
grateful for the continued dedication
and generosity of its many donors,
who sustain it and allow it to grow.
Together, they remain committed to
furthering the vision of world-class
science and care for diabetes that
inspired its creation.
Toward this end, the Berrie Center began a fundraising campaign in June 2006. The campaign was officially launched at a dinner hosted by Diabetes Advisory Committee co-chairs Joseph M. and JoAnn M. Murphy. The Murphys used this forum to announce their pledge of $1 million to support the Berrie Center’s most urgent clinical and scientific needs. More recently, the Murphys have made another extraordinarily generous gift to the Berrie Center and established the Christopher J. Murphy Professorship in Diabetes Research to endow the salary of the Berrie Center’s research co-director.
The generosity of the Murphys
inspired two other couples to
announce matching gifts that very
night. Robert and Bobbi Reitzes and
Ken and Valerie Lazar each made
$1 million commitments to underwrite
current initiatives at the Berrie
Center. Additional generous gifts to
the Berrie Center have been received
from John and Jodie Eastman; Louise
Eastman Loening; the Milton and
Miriam Handler Foundation, courtesy
of Helaine and Larry Newman;
Andrew Pujol; David and Harriet
Dyer; Richard and Judy Feldstein;
Russell and Bettina Knapp; The
Russell Berrie Foundation, courtesy
of Myron Rosner; Daniel and Harriet
Burke; Ted Sann; Harvey Weinstein,
and many other friends—bringing
our total to more than $7.8 million in
support for the Berrie Center.
“The Berrie Center’s donors have provided exemplary support,” remarked Lee Goldman, M.D., executive vice president for Health and Biomedical Sciences at Columbia University, and dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine. “Their gifts are paying great dividends in an improved understanding of diabetes and the multitude of complications to which it can lead if left untreated. The impact is felt—not only in the field as a whole, but in the individual lives that have benefited from the scientific and clinical work they have made possible— and is a remarkable testament to the generosity of these donors.” |
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To learn more about supporting the Naomi
Berrie Diabetes Center’s campaign, contact
Director of Development Lauren Logan at
212-851-5424.
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The Murphy Family Continues Legacy of
Support for the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center
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| JoAnn M. and Joseph M. Murphy |
Donors are an indispensable ingredient in Columbia University Medical Center’s formula for success, and few have been as unflagging in their support as Joseph M. and JoAnn M. Murphy. The Murphys, parents of two children with type 1 diabetes, were among the families whose dedication and advocacy led to the establishment of the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center in 1997. Their generous support of the Berrie Center continues and the Murphy family has now funded a professorship in memory of Christopher J. Murphy, who passed away in 2001 from the cardiovascular complications of diabetes. The Murphys’ children, Mary, Joseph Jr., Carolyn, and Patricia, have joined their parents to fund this research professorship in recognition of their brother Chris’ dedication and commitment to finding a cure for diabetes.
The Christopher J. Murphy
Professorship in Diabetes Research will
establish an endowed chair to support
the work of the research co-director of
the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, a
position currently occupied by Rudolph
L. Leibel, M.D. Dr. Leibel is an internationally
recognized expert on the regulation
of body weight and the molecular
genetics of type 2 diabetes.
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Murphy
have also pledged $1 million in current-
use funding to meet the Berrie
Center’s most critical needs for the
clinical and research programs. The
Murphy’s have been co-chairs of the
Diabetes Advisory Committee since
the inception of the Berrie Center
and, along with Angelica Berrie, lead
its fundraising campaign.
“The Murphys have been an invaluable well-spring of support for our work investigating the underlying mechanisms of diabetes,” remarked Dr. Leibel. “We are truly indebted to them and grateful for their unflagging support of the Berrie Center programs.
“The influence of the Murphy
family permeates so much of what we
do at the Berrie Center,” said Robin
S. Goland, M.D., who co-directs the
Berrie Center with Dr. Leibel. “Our
commitment to our patients and our
belief that we will ultimately prevail
over this disease owes so much to their
passionate support and dedication.”
Joseph M. Murphy is chairman and director of Country Bank in New York City and Value Investors, Inc. He is also a member of CUMC’s Board of Visitors Executive Committee. JoAnn M. Murphy is a vice chair of Country Bank, and the owner and principal broker of Ellinghouse and Stacy. She is involved in numerous nonprofit and philanthropic endeavors and is the recipient of The Brother John G. Driscoll Award for Heroic Humanitarian Service. Christopher J. Murphy was director and executive of Country Bank.
“The Murphy family lends meaning to the word inspiration,” said Lee Goldman, M.D., executive vice president for Health and Biomedical Sciences and dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine. “They are tireless allies in the fight against diabetes. We can all draw strength from their example.” |
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To learn more about supporting the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, contact Director of Development Lauren Logan at 212-851-5424.
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Six New Members Join CUMC Board of Visitors
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Augmenting what is already an influential body of advisors to its faculty and administration, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) has appointed six new members to its Board of Visitors. The recently inducted members include Eugene Braunwald, M.D., Gail Cassell, Ph.D., Kenneth A. Forde, M.D., William A. Peck, M.D., John W. Rowe, M.D., and G. Lynn Shostack.
Now in its third year, the Board enlists distinguished individuals in the corporate, medical, scientific and philanthropic spheres to provide strategic counsel to Medical Center leadership. It is chaired by P. Roy Vagelos, M.D., who also serves as chairman of CUMC’s capital campaign, Defining the Future.
“It is with pleasure and gratitude that we welcome our new members, all
of whom promise to continue to provide high-level guidance as we chart our
future as an institution,” said Dr. Vagelos. “Their standing in the respective
professional circles to which they belong is a strong indicator of our stature in
academic medicine. I look forward to working closely with them.”
CUMC takes pride in its close engagement with the larger community of friends and supporters, who are the foundation on which all of the Medical Center’s activities flourish. Accordingly, the Board of Visitors was established to formalize this relationship with volunteer leadership. The Board of Visitors meets to exchange ideas and discuss matters relating to the capital campaign and other campus initiatives.
Medicine, business, finance, and science are amply represented in the current group of appointees to the Board of Visitors. Dr. Braunwald is the Distinguished Hersey Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and chairman of the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Study Group. He was longtime chairman of the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
After leading the Department of Microbiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where her department ranked first in funding from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Cassell now serves as vice president, scientific affairs, and distinguished Lilly research scholar for infectious diseases at Eli Lilly and Company.
Dr. Forde is José M. Ferrer Professor Emeritus and a recognized leader in the field of gastrointestinal and endoscopic surgery. As a CUMC surgeon, researcher, and teacher, he has received numerous awards and accolades. He recently was appointed to the Columbia University Board of Trustees.
Dr. Peck formerly held the deanship at the Washington University’s School
of Medicine in St. Louis. He also served as executive vice chancellor for medical
affairs and president of the Washington University Medical Center. Today, he
conducts research into the social and economic dynamics of healthcare as the
director of the University’s Center for Health Policy.
Dr. Rowe brings wide experience from healthcare, academia, and business, having served as chairman and chief executive officer of Aetna, Inc. Prior to that, he was president and CEO of Mount Sinai NYU Health, one of the nation’s largest academic healthcare organizations and president of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Medical Center. Previously, Dr. Rowe was professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Rowe is currently a professor at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, where he also has been a longtime member of the Board of Overseers.
Finally, Ms. Shostack’s career has included leadership positions in the banking, real estate and investment industries. She is presently the owner and president of Gardner Capital Corporation, a private investment firm. Ms. Shostack recently made a $3 million commitment to establish the David A. Gardner New Initiatives Fund, in memory of her late husband. The Fund makes possible the Dean’s Pilot Project Grant at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, as well as a pilot project that involves faculty from all four CUMC schools. Both initiatives encourage collaborative, multidisciplinary research that will attract major NIH funding.
“We are proud to have enlisted such leaders of the business, academic and medical communities to help us realize our mission of excellence in patient care, research, and education,” said Lee Goldman, M.D., executive vice president for Health and Biomedical Sciences and dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine. “Our success is reflected in the stature of those who volunteer to help guide our progress as an institution. All of us at CUMC will benefit immensely from their good will and advice.” |
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To learn more about supporting research through the Dean’s New Initiatives Fund, contact Vice President of Development Susie Stalcup at 212-342-0096.
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P&S First Year Students Travel to Millennium Villages through
Support of the Houston Family Foundation
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P&S students Matthew Wessell and Judy Chertok
gather medical information in the Tanzania Millennium Village. |
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The students are traveling across the
globe to spend eight to ten weeks
learning and working in some of the
world’s most impoverished areas as
part of the Columbia Earth Institute–
U.N. Millennium Villages Project.
The pilot program, funded by a Houston Family bequest and matched by the Harold Brown Endowment for Global Health Education, provides the means for medical students to make the trip to a Millennium Village during the summer between their first and second years of study.
The Earth Institute launched the first Millennium Village in 2004 in western Kenya. The important venture applies holistic intervention to assist villages in emerging from extreme poverty and covers areas such as health, agriculture, and biodiversity. “We are extremely grateful for the generous support of the Houston Family Foundation, and the matching funds from the Harold Brown Endowment,” said Lisa Mellman, M.D., P&S Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs.
| It takes a special breed of student to travel far beyond the realm of conventional medical training in order to help the world’s poor. This summer, a team of energetic students from the College of Physicians & Surgeons—the first four grant recipients of the newly established Houston Family Fund and the Harold Brown Endowment for Global Health Education— are setting out to do just that. |
“This gift will give our students a wonderful chance to learn firsthand about the complex challenges in healthcare and infrastructure faced by those in underdeveloped countries.”
“This is a wonderful student-driven project,” says Jamie Houston, who is entering his fifth year of a dual degree M.D./M.P.H. program at P&S and the Mailman School of Public Health. “However, there is not much funding available for students in their first and second years—it’s mostly NIH research funding. This is a great way to support first year students and to give them a wonderful opportunity that will help their career development.”
Mr. Houston garnered his family’s
support of the project after meeting
Sonia Ehrlich Sachs, M.D., a pediatrician
who was integral to the
development of the program and
whose husband is world-renowned
Jeffrey Sachs, Ph.D., director of the
Earth Institute and Special Advisor
to United Nations Secretary-General
Ban Ki-Moon. “Medical students will
be joining the local health teams in
the remote villages of sub-Saharan
Africa and they will become engaged
in health research and in implementation
of health related interventions.
It is a good way to learn
about the serious disease burden in
tropical Africa and to see how health
interventions, along with access to
agricultural inputs and clean water
and better infrastructure provide
a practical and low cost way out of
extreme poverty,” explains Dr. Sachs.
The first four students— Michael Bouton, Christopher Boyle, Alexandra Grino, and C. Daniel Schnorr— were selected because they have either demonstrated experience in the global health of the underdeveloped world, or because they have shown a remarkable ability to address the goals of the Millennium Villages Project as part of the project team.
Christopher Boyle is traveling to Kigali, the capital and largest city of Rwanda. “I’m especially interested in conflict resolution and development. I have a long-term interest in understanding reconciliation and how to develop in a country like Rwanda that went through something as traumatic as the 1994 genocide.”
Dan Schnorr, who intends to pursue
a career in international medicine,
is looking forward to the experience.
“The Millennium Villages Project is in
the spotlight of development workers
all over the world. I will be working
with some of the most inspirational
thinkers of our time in confronting
what is the most important challenge
of our time. What more could someone
in my position ask of his medical
education?”
Jake Doll, a second year student, was instrumental in coordinating the effort. “I worked in the Millennium Village of Ruhiira, in southwest Uganda, assisting the health team in developing clinical services in the village. I learned even more about the challenges of global health and the development of healthcare systems in my two months in the village, than I did during my first two years of medical school,” said Mr. Doll, who feels that international rotations are critical to raising awareness about global health. “P&S students are interested in studying abroad, but the opportunities and funding often aren’t sufficient. Being part of the Columbia and New York City communities allows many great opportunities to work and study abroad, and it is great that the Houston/Brown fellowship will allow students to take advantage of these opportunities. I hope the success of this program will lead to increased opportunities for students and a broader engagement of international health issues at P&S.”
Edgar Housepian, M.D., professor emeritus of Clinical Neurological Surgery and special advisor for International Affiliations to the vice president for Health Sciences and dean of the Faculty of Medicine, is on the student selection committee; he stresses the importance of introducing students to issues of international health early in their medical education. “The College of Physicians and Surgeons has a long tradition of offering overseas electives to fourth year students and this experience has led many to careers which have made significant contributions to global health,” he explains. “Columbia alumni and global health pioneers such as Allan Rosenfield, M.D. [dean of the Mailman School of Public Health], John Bryant [former deputy assistant secretary for international health in the Department of Health and Human Services], and Nobel Laureate Baruch Blumberg [senior NASA advisor who discovered the hepatitis B vaccine], are just a few of the visionaries who traveled overseas during their early years of studying medicine.”
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Pictured left to right: Dan Schnorr,
Alexandra Grino, Edgar Housepian, M.D., and Jake Doll. |
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For more information on making a bequest to support the Millennium Villages Project, contact Senior Director of Development Michelle Cass at 212-304-7226.
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The Lyme Disease Association and Time For Lyme Endow First University-based Lyme Disease Research Center in the World
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Pictured left to right: Jeffrey Lieberman, M.D.,
LDA President Patricia Smith,
Actress Mary McDonnell,
Time For Lyme Co-Presidents
Diane Blanchard and Deborah Siciliano,
and Brian Fallon, M.D., MPH |
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Columbia University Medical Center, in partnership with Time for Lyme, Inc., (TFL), and The Lyme Disease Association, Inc., (LDA), has launched the Lyme and Tick-borne Diseases Research Center, a new venture that is bringing hope to many who are afflicted with the disease. The two major non-profit organizations have jointly committed $3 million to the Department of Psychiatry to endow the Center—the first university-based, multi-departmental Lyme disease research center in the world to focus on chronic Lyme disease.
“The trademarks of these two organizations are dedication, talent, and perseverance,” said Jeffrey Lieberman, M.D., chairman of CUMC’s Department of Psychiatry and director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute. “Both TFL and LDA remain unparalleled in their dedication to championing the fight against Lyme disease,” he said.
Time For Lyme began nine years ago, born from the passion of mothers of children who suffered from Lyme disease. Its goals were to mobilize the federal government to effectively address Lyme disease and educate the public about its impact on children and families. “Time For Lyme’s outreach and awareness efforts have been instrumental in its successful fundraising campaigns; this has resulted in the organization’s financial strength and its significant contribution toward this Center,” added Dr. Lieberman.
The Lyme Disease Association is one of the most well-known nonprofit national supporters of Lyme research. LDA sponsors a fully-accredited medical conference that focuses on Lyme prevention and education and raises support for a fund that provides assistance to uninsured children who have been diagnosed with Lyme disease. LDA’s early funding of a pilot research project sponsored by Columbia’s Department of Psychiatry helped leverage a $4.8 million NIH grant for studying the effects of long-term Lyme disease treatment using state-of-the-art brain imaging.
Although it ranks as one of the
fastest growing vector-borne diseases
in the country, Lyme disease often is
invisible and undiagnosed. When it
strikes, the symptoms are far from
invisible, however, and often involve
debilitating and chronic neurological
and cognitive problems, especially for
children, who are most vulnerable.
“We still don’t understand the pathophysiology
of Lyme disease,” said
Brian Fallon, M.D., MPH, director of
the Center. “Our new research center
will bring together basic scientists
and clinical leaders who will strive to
answer the critical questions we have
about the causes of chronic persistent
symptoms, and how to treat them.
We are extremely grateful to Time
For Lyme and to the Lyme Disease
Association, who have lent tremendous
support to the Medical Center
through the years.”
“This center has been our dream,”
said LDA President Patricia V. Smith.
“We are honored to bring it to fruition
in the hallowed halls of Columbia
University Medical Center. We discovered
thirty years ago that doctors were
afraid to treat patients with Lyme
disease. Since then, battles have raged
and patients have died. Today marks
the beginning of a new era in the
battle against Lyme disease.”
“The future is promising and full
of hope, thanks to all of our supporters
who have helped make this Center
possible,” said TFL co-president
Diane Blanchard. The organization’s
other co-president, Deborah Siciliano
added, “We are indebted and eternally
grateful to Columbia and its team of
physicians and to our benefactors for
their steadfast support.”
Oscar-nominated star of Battlestar Galactica and spokesperson for LDA, actress Mary McDonnell joined CUMC faculty, donors, and friends during the symposium to celebrate the Center’s official opening on April 30th. “Lyme disease causes profound and debilitating heartbreak,” she explained. “Patients are often marginalized— culturally, politically, and sometimes medically. People who have Lyme disease often feel alienated and lonely. I am so grateful to all of you who are fighting this battle with verve and brilliance.”
Held in the New York Psychiatric
Institute’s Hellman Auditorium, the
symposium was moderated by Dr.
Brian Fallon, who addressed controversies
in Lyme disease. Among the
speakers was C. Ben Beard, Ph.D.,
Chief of the Bacterial Zoonoses
Branch of the Division of Vectorborne
Infectious Diseases of the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, (CDC), who addressed
the incidence and spread of Lyme
disease in the United States.
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For more information about the Lyme and Tick-borne Diseases Research Center, call 212-543-6510.
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Out & About
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New Partnership Supports Brain Research
 
A celebration marking a new partnership between the London-based Gray Matters Foundation and the Department of Psychiatry—took place at the Rainbow Room May 2. The Foundation plans to establish an annual fellowship in the genetics of brain development and psychotic disorders. The effort is part of the Lieber Center for Brain Disorder’s initiative to help shed light on severe mental illnesses. The event featured Sylvia Nasar, Columbia University Knight Professor of Business Journalism and author of A Beautiful Mind.
Pictured left to right: Farah and Vadjihe Moinian, Jeffrey Lieberman, M.D., Sylvia Nasar, and Shirin Moinian.
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Pediatrics Leader Honored with Gala Tribute
Family and friends paid tribute to John M. Driscoll, Jr., M.D. in honor of his 40 years of service in the Department of Pediatrics, the last 15 years as its Chairman, at a dinner on May 22nd at the Pierre Hotel. Clare Matschullat surprised attendees with the announcement that her family’s foundation would endow a professorship in the names of Dr. Driscoll and his wife, Dr. Yvonne Driscoll, as “a gift from our family to yours.”
Pictured left to right: Yvonne T. Driscoll, M.D., John M. Driscoll, Jr., M.D., and Clare Matschullat
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Rudin Scholars Honored
 
CUMC held a reception in April for the Rudin Scholars from the Center for the Study of Society and Medicine, P&S, the Mailman School of Public Health, Programs in Occupational and Physical Therapy, and the School of Nursing. Now in its 37th year at Columbia, the Rudin Scholars Program, jointly funded by the Louis and Rachel Rudin Foundation and the Samuel and May Rudin Foundation, supports tomorrow’s finest health care professionals.
Pictured above are the Rudin Scholars with clinical professor of medicine Jay I. Meltzer ‘53 (second from right), and Mark L. Bodden, vice president and program director of the Rudin family foundations.
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Insights on Medical Education
Molly Cooke, M.D., FACP, senior scholar of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, shared insights from the Foundation’s national study on 21st Century clinical education during the Thomas Morris Symposium on Medical Education held March 21 at the P&S Alumni Auditorium. Dr. Cooke is professor of medicine and director of the Academy of Medical Educators at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr Cooke is pictured here with Dr. Thomas Morris.
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Class of 2007 Celebrates Commencement
The College of Physicians and Surgeons held Commencement ceremonies on May 16. Pictured here, speaker Paul Farmer, M.D., Ph.D., medical anthropologist and physician at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, addresses the Class of 2007. Dr. Farmer helped found Partners In Health, an international health organization that advocates on behalf of the world’s poorest populations.
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First Incumbent of the Paul A. Marks Professorship
in Basic Sciences Honored
Lee Goldman, M.D. hosted a reception May 17 at the Donald F. Tapley Faculty Club Dining Room in honor of Gerard Karsenty, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Karsenty, chairman of the Department of Genetics and Development is the first incumbent of the Paul A. Marks Professorship in the Basic Sciences. Dr. Marks was the first chairman of the Department of Human Genetics and Development, which was founded in 1969.
Pictured left to right: Lee Goldman, M.D., Joan Marks, M.S., Paul Marks, M.D., Gerard Karsenty, M.D., Ph.D., and his wife Patricia Ducy, Ph.D., assistant professor in pathology.
Note: The Winter/Spring issue of todate misstated Dr. Marks’ tenure at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. Dr. Marks was president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering from 1980 to 1999.
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Create a Legacy that Makes a Difference
Until December 31, 2007 you can use your IRA to make a charitable gift:
• The new tax law enables donors to make a charitable gift to Columbia using IRA funds without incurring income taxes for the year 2007.
• If you are 70 and a half or older in 2007, you can transfer up to $100,000 from your IRA to charity without classifying that withdrawal as income.
Please contact Michelle Cass, Senior Director of Development or Rachel Weiss-Berger, Director of Development at 888.277.9375 or e-mail givingwell@columbia.edu.
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The Newsletter for the Columbia University Medical Center’s Defining the Future Campaign
Editorial Board: Susie Stalcup, Vice President for Development;
Noreen Hoffmeister, Director of Constituent Strategy
Contributing writers:
Roy Abrams, Noreen Hoffmeister
Design: h george design, inc., NYC
Please contact us with questions and suggestions:
Office of Development
Columbia University Medical Center
100 Haven Ave., Suite 29D
New York, NY 10032
212-304-7200
To have your name removed from CUMC fundraising mailing lists, please contact:
Britton Ward
Columbia University Medical Center
100 Haven Avenue, Suite 29D
New York, NY 10032
212-304-7200, or email: bw2159@columbia.edu
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