| CUMC Celebrates - May 20, 2008 |
Lee Goldman, M.D.
Executive Vice President, Health and Biomedical Sciences
COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE
Emil Kozarov, MS, PhD, joined the College of Dental Medicine as associate professor of oral biology (in dental medicine) in the Division of Periodontics, Section of Oral and Diagnostic Sciences, effective April 1. A graduate of the University of Sofia in Bulgaria (MS, pharmaceutical chemistry) and the University of Moscow (PhD, molecular biology), Dr. Kozarov completed postdoctoral training in cell biology and microbiology at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He was previously on the faculties of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Florida's Nova Southeastern University.
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MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Renee D. Goodwin, PhD, MPH, has been promoted from assistant professor to associate professor of epidemiology, effective January 1. A faculty member since 1999, Dr. Goodwin is working to clarify the relationship between asthma and mental disorders in children.
Heather Greenlee, ND, PhD, MPH, was named assistant professor of epidemiology January 1. Dr. Greenlee, previously a postdoctoral research scientist in the Department of Epidemiology, has been affiliated with the Mailman School since 2004.
Caroline Korves, ScD, has been named assistant professor of clinical epidemiology, effective January 1. A graduate of the doctoral program at the Harvard School of Public Health, Dr. Korves has been a faculty member since 2006, serving as associate research scientist in the Department of Epidemiology and affiliated with ICAP, the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs.
Stephen S. Morse, PhD, has been promoted from associate professor to full professor of clinical epidemiology as of January 1. A member of the faculty since 1996, Dr. Morse is best known for his work on improving and upgrading disease early warning systems. He is the founding director of Columbia's Center for Public Health Preparedness in the National Center for Disaster Preparedness.
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COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS
Asa Abeliovich, MD, PhD, has been appointed associate professor of pathology and neurology, with tenure. A graduate of Harvard University and MIT, Dr. Abeliovich studies the molecular mechanisms of midbrain dopamine neuron development, function, and survival. Midbrain dopamine neurons are thought to play key roles in learned and addictive behaviors, and degeneration of these neurons underlies Parkinson disease. He also has done considerable work on molecular approaches and stem-cell therapies for Parkinson disease. He joined the faculty in 2000.
Bachir Alobeid, MD, has been promoted to associate professor of clinical pathology. Previously a faculty member at Weill Cornell, Dr. Alobeid has special expertise in the fields of hematopathology, the pathology sub-specialty that focuses on diseases of the blood and the blood-producing organs, such as lymphomas and leukemias.
Govind Bhagat, MD, has been promoted to associate professor of clinical pathology. A 1992 graduate of the University College of Medical Sciences at Delhi University in India, Dr. Bhagat investigates the molecular pathogenesis of non-Hodgkin lymphomas and immune dysregulation in celiac disease.
Karen Duff, PhD, has been appointed full professor of pathology & cell biology. Best known for her groundbreaking work developing mouse models of aging-related human brain diseases, Dr. Duff recently uncovered a process in the brain that may help explain the link between Alzheimer's and stroke. She is a 2006 Potamkin Prize winner for her lifetime achievements in Alzheimer's disease research and is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain.
Lara Harik, MD, joined P&S as assistant professor of clinical pathology. A 2000 graduate of the American University in Beirut, Dr. Harik completed a combined fellowship in anatomy and genitourinary medicine at Emory University and an oncological pathology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Harik's research interests include all of the organ systems of genitourinary pathology, with a particular focus on the bladder.
Robert S. Kass, PhD, the David Hosack Professor of Pharmacology, Columbia University Alumni Professor of Pharmacology, and chair, Department of Pharmacology, has been appointed vice dean for research, succeeding Marian Carlson, who has taken a leave to become a senior scientific officer at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In his new role, Dr. Kass will oversee the strategy, priorities, coordination, and support of all research at P&S while continuing to chair pharmacology. A graduate of the University of Illinois (BSc, physics) and the University of Michigan (PhD, physics), Dr. Kass was recruited to Columbia from the University of Rochester in 1995 to become chair of the Department of Pharmacology. A member of the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior since 1997, he is a noted authority on the structure and function of ion channels that are expressed primarily in the heart.
Cathy Lee Mendelsohn, PhD, has been appointed associate professor of urologic sciences (in urology, the Institute of Human Nutrition, and pathology), with tenure. Dr. Mendelsohn's work involves detailing how the urogenital system forms and develops, as well as identifying the causes of urogenital malformations in animal and human models. Dr. Mendelsohn received her doctoral degree from Columbia and completed two research fellowships, one at Université Louis Pasteur and the other at Columbia.
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NEW INITIATIVES
SCHOOL OF NURSING
The School of Nursing will transition its Doctorate of Nursing Science program to a Ph.D. degree program, effective Fall 2008. The new PhD program, which will allow greater integration of the school's parallel academic tracks in nursing practice and research, was approved by the Columbia University Senate in February and became official earlier this spring when it was successfully registered with the New York State Department of Education. The School of Nursing is one of only a few schools in the nation to offer both research- and clinically oriented degree programs for nursing students.
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COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS
After successful completion of a pilot phase earlier this year, a group of P&S students has officially opened a health clinic providing free medical care for the homeless in CUMC's northern Manhattan community. Conceived three years ago by Marc Manseau'09 and P&S graduate and current resident Judy Chertok, the Columbia-Harlem Homeless Medical Partnership is supported by the Center for Family and Community Medicine and overseen by supervising physicians James Spears, MD, and Susan Bowers-Johnson, MD, assistant clinical professors of medicine. The clinic, which is located on West 126th Street in West Harlem, attracted nearly 80 patients during its trial period and has received a $2,000 grant from Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical student honor society.
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AWARDS & HONORS
MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, professor of epidemiology (Mailman) and medicine (P&S) and director of the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP), has been named to the World Health Organization's Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Tuberculosis. Dr. El-Sadr is among 20 international TB experts selected to serve on the group, which will advise the World Health Organization on its range of global TB control activities. She begins her three-year term when the group meets in Geneva in mid-June.
Frederica Perera, DrPH, professor of environmental health sciences and director, Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, received an award from the Healthy Schools Network Inc. for her contributions to children's environmental health. Dr. Perera was one of only three individuals officially honored May 12 at an awards dinner and symposium in NYC. The Healthy Schools Network was founded in 1995 for the advocacy and protection of children's health in the school environment.
Carole Vance, PhD, MPH, associate clinical professor of sociomedical sciences, will be awarded the 2007-2008 Faculty Mentoring Award for faculty in the affiliated schools of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The recipient of this award is selected by students to reward and commemorate excellence in the mentoring of PhD candidates. Dr. Vance is being honored at this month's GSAS PhD convocation.
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SCHOOL OF NURSING
Kristine M. Gebbie, RN, DrPH, the Elizabeth Standish Gill Professor of Nursing, has received the 2008 Balderson Lifetime Public Health Leadership Award from the National Public Health Leadership Development Network, a consortium of organizations and individuals dedicated to advancing the practice of public health leadership. The award, named for the network's founder (public health officer Tom Balderson), recognizes individuals who have had widespread impact in the areas of public health and public health leadership over the course of a long career. The National Public Health Leadership Development Network is supported through a cooperative agreement of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Association of Schools of Public Health, and Saint Louis University's public health school.
Elaine Larson, RN, PhD, professor of pharmaceutical and therapeutic research (Nursing) and epidemiology (Mailman), received the 2008 Eastern Nursing Research Society's Distinguished Contribution to Nursing Research Award, given to a senior investigator with a substantial track record of commitment to nursing scholarship. She was honored at the society's 20th annual scientific sessions in Philadelphia.
School of Nursing students also were well represented among the award winners at the Eastern Nursing Research Society's 20th annual scientific sessions:
- Erin Nash'08, Kelly Neal'08, and Kevin New'08 won first place in the BS/MS Student Poster category for their presentation titled "Cancer Mortality and PCE Exposure in Dry Cleaning and Laundry Workers."
- Doctoral students Sarah Collins and Pamela de Cordova, together with Lora Peppard'08 and co-authors Leanne M. Currie, RN, DNSc, assistant professor of nursing, and Patricia Stone, PhD, MPH, associate professor of nursing, received a second place prize in the Early Doctoral Student Poster category for their submission, "Implementing Evidence-based Nursing with Student Nurses and Clinicians to Improve Patient Care."
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COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS
Of the 140 African American physicians and surgeons named to Black Enterprise magazine's list of America's Leading Doctors (May 2008 issue), several are Columbia faculty. The magazine's editors consulted with leading associations of physicians, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and leading universities to compile a list of physicians "viewed as a cut above in service and reputation." The magazine last developed a listing in 2001 but said it gave greater weight this year to innovative doctors involved in medical breakthroughs across specialties. Remarkably, about 10 percent of the honored physicians are on the Columbia faculty - a testimony to our commitment to excellence and diversity:
- Spencer Amory, MD, the José M. Ferrer Clinical Professor of Surgery and chief of general surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (specialties: general surgery, laparoscopic surgery, and surgical endoscopy)
- Alfred R. Ashford, MD, professor of clinical medicine and senior associate dean at Harlem Hospital Center (specialty: medical oncology)
- Carolyn Barley Britton, MD, MS, associate professor of clinical neurology (specialty: neurology)
- Ilene Fennoy, MD, MPH, clinical professor of pediatrics-endocrinology and medical director of the Comprehensive Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Program at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital
- Gerald Hoke, MD, MPH, assistant professor of clinical urology and chief of urology at Harlem Hospital Center (specialty: urology)
- Michael E. Jones, MD, instructor in clinical otolaryngology/head & neck surgery (specialties: plastic surgery, reconstructive surgery, otolaryngology, and head and neck surgery)
- Kathie-Ann Joseph, MD, MPH, assistant professor of surgery, director of research in general surgery, and acting medical director of Women of Risk (specialty: oncology)
- Shearwood J. McClelland, MD, MPH, associate professor of clinical orthopedic surgery and director of orthopedic surgery at Harlem Hospital Center (specialties: orthopedic surgery and total joint surgery)
- Donna Mendes, MD, associate clinical professor of surgery at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center (specialty: vascular surgery)
- Lynne Perry-Böttinger, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine (specialty: clinical and interventional cardiology)
- Velvie A. Pogue, MD, associate professor of clinical medicine and chief of nephrology and director of hypertension services at Harlem Hospital Center (specialties: nephrology and hypertension)
- Brian A. Stone, MD, assistant professor of urology (specialties: urologic oncology, neuro-urology, female urology, and erectile dysfunction)
- Anne L. Taylor, MD, professor of medicine and vice dean for academic affairs, P&S (specialty: cardiology)
- Susan Taylor, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology and director, Skin of Color Center at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center (specialty: dermatology)
Arnold P. Gold, MD, professor of clinical neurology and clinical pediatrics and chairman emeritus of the Arnold Gold Foundation, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine at its 39th annual commencement ceremony this month. Dr. Gold also has honorary degrees from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (2001) and Connecticut's Sacred Heart University (2003).
Three members of the Doris Duke Fellowship Program's 2007-2008 class at Columbia were honored with awards at the 49th annual National Student Research Forum, held earlier this spring in Galveston, Texas. Joshua Gonzalez'09 received the award for best poster presentation in physiology research, while David Wei'09 won honors for best overall oral presentations in orthopedics/radiology and physiology. Meghan Sise'09 received two awards: the McLaughlin Award for Best Oral Presentation in Immunology or Infectious Diseases (sponsored by the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity) and the American Medical Association Foundation Award for Overall Excellence in Clinical Research, given for the most outstanding clinical presentation among all forum participants.
Sharon Gutman, PhD, OTR, associate professor of clinical occupational therapy (in rehabilitation medicine), has been appointed to a three-year term as editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, the premier professional publication for occupational therapists, effective July 1.
Jennifer Hallock'10 has been selected for the 2008-2009 NIH/Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars Program. This initiative, now going into its fifth year, matches U.S. graduate students with international students in the health sciences, creating partnerships and an international community of global health research scholars. These pairs of scholars receive one year of mentored clinical research training at NIH-funded research centers in developing nations. Ms. Hallock's fellowship on oncology research will take place at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia. She was one of only 33 American students - and 66 individuals worldwide - chosen for the program this year.
Doris Duke Fellow Joann Kang'09 received top honors in the clinical science research category at the American Medical Student Association's 13th annual poster session at the association's 58th annual convention in Houston. The title of Ms. Kang's presentation was "Development of a Genotyping Microarray (Disease Chip) for the Screening of Corneal Dystrophies and Keratoconus."
Mehmet Oz, MD, professor of surgery, vice chairman of cardiovascular services, and director of the Cardiovascular Institute at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, has been named to Time Magazine's fifth annual list of the world's most influential thinkers, the 2008 TIME 100.
Paul Planet, MD, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in pediatrics, has been honored with the St. Jude Fellowship Award by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. This three-year $240,000 award, funded by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and jointly sponsored by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and St. Jude's, is presented to only one physician annually. Fellows are expected to carry out a program of rigorous, high quality basic investigation in pediatric infectious diseases.
David P. Roye Jr., MD, the St. Giles Foundation Professor of Clinical Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery and director of the pediatric orthopedic division of Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, has received two honors. At a gala event in April, Dr. Roye was recognized by the Children of China Pediatrics Foundation for his humanitarian work in providing medical care to children in Chinese orphanages. Dr. Roye is chief medical director of the organization, which has been instrumental in commissioning hundreds of surgeries for Chinese orphans, correcting such birth defects as spina bifida, cleft lip and palate, crossed eyes, webbed hands, and club foot. In addition, Dr. Roye was named the 2008 "Professional of the Year" in pediatric orthopedics in Strathmore's Who's Who, a registry and network celebrating and connecting top professionals in a variety of fields. This distinction is awarded to only one individual per year in each discipline.
Two faculty members affiliated with CUMC have been elected members of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. Gary Struhl, PhD, professor of genetics & development, and Carol Prives, PhD, the DaCosta Professor of Biology at Morningside and a member of CUMC's Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, were selected for NAS membership, one of the highest honors given to a scientist or engineer in the United States, in recognition of the excellence in their original scientific research. Dr. Struhl's work focuses on how cell and body patterns are organized, as well as how spatial signals polarize cells and control growth, during animal development. Dr. Prives' research involves probing the structure and function of p53, a pivotal tumor suppressor protein.
Stephen Trokel, MD, professor of clinical ophthalmology, was elected to the Ophthalmology Hall of Fame by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. Dr. Trokel was selected for, among other things, his pioneering work in the development and application of excimer lasers, a type of ultraviolet laser, in corneal refractive surgery, making laser eyesight correction a realistic alternative to glasses and contacts for millions worldwide. Dr. Trokel was inducted into the society April 5 at its annual symposium and congress in Chicago.
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GRANTS
COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE
The College of Dental Medicine has received a $1 million grant from the New York State Health Care Initiatives Pool to support the college's offsite patient care programs, including expansion of the dental facility within the Edward W. Stitt School, and to purchase a new mobile dental van to take oral health care services to the children of Northern Manhattan.
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MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, professor of epidemiology (Mailman) and medicine (P&S) and director, International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP), received $151,000 from the Rockefeller Foundation to fund an international conference in Bellagio, Italy. The meeting will be organized by ICAP and the World Health Organization and will explore the impact of HIV-specific funding and programming on broader health systems in sub-Saharan Africa.
Robyn Gershon, DrPH, professor of clinical sociomedical sciences, has been awarded $443,000 over two years by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to determine the risk of excessive noise exposure associated with aging subways and other forms of mass transit in New York City.
In conjunction with the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs, David Hoos, MD, MPH, assistant professor of clinical epidemiology, has received $775,000 over five years from the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STDs, and TB Prevention. Funds will be used to initiate comprehensive HIV prevention, care, and treatment services for injection drug users and other most-at-risk populations in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
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COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS
Cory Abate-Shen, PhD, professor of urology, has received a one-year $146,000 grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to study the relationship between the MSX1 homeobox gene and embryo growth and development in vertebrates.
Ottavio Arancio, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pathology, has been granted $173,000 over two years by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to clarify the molecular mechanisms of synaptic dysfunction by amyloid peptides, focusing on how amyloid induces neurological changes, particularly with regard to neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity, in the hippocampus, strongly implicated in learning and in the acquisition of memories. Findings are expected to contribute to the design of therapies for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Mitchell S. Cairo, MD, professor of pediatrics, medicine, and pathology, has received two grants from the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation. A three-year $2.5 million award will support four overarching research projects: studies focusing on molecular genetics and target discovery in childhood leukemias and lymphomas; natural killer cell receptor biology and therapeutics; genetic reengineering of cord blood and peripheral blood immune cells; and cord blood stem cell regenerative biology and regulation. A $600,000 grant will underwrite the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation Clinical Consortium, a collaboration Dr. Cairo spearheads. The consortium consists of Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA, and Children's Hospital of Orange County.
Julide T. Celebi, MD, associate professor of clinical dermatology, is the recent recipient of two grants. The first, a two-year $161,000 award from the National Cancer Institute, will be used to identify molecular markers differentiating Spitzoid melanomas from benign growths called Spitz nevi to reduce misdiagnosis and predict patient outcome. The second, a one-year $100,000 grant from the Overland Park, Kan.-based Harry Lloyd Charitable Trust, will facilitate greater understanding into the reasons behind - and significance of - the amplification of the chromosome 5p15 in melanoma.
Jeanine D'Armiento, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine-molecular medicine, has received a five-year $500,000 established investigator award from the American Heart Association to clarify the mechanisms of smoke-induced injury in vascular smooth muscle cells. Dr. D'Armiento and collaborators in her laboratory have shown that smoke can induce metalloproteinase (MMP) expression and that increased MMPs contribute to aneurysm formation. Defining how smoke impacts and contributes to the regulation of MMPs in the vessel wall will therefore greatly improve our understanding of aneurysms and potentially provide novel interventions in this disease.
Gilbert Di Paolo, PhD, assistant professor of pathology, has received a three-year $178,000 extension of funding from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to clarify the role of phospholipids in the proper trafficking of synaptic vesicles in nerve terminals, a process essential to neurotransmission. Dr. Di Paolo also has been awarded $225,000 over three years by the McKnight Endowment for Neuroscience to test a novel approach for rapid chemically induced modulation of PIP2 metabolism at the synapse. PIP2 is a lipid with a well-established multifaceted role in membrane trafficking and synaptic signaling.
Michael E. Goldberg, MD, the David Mahoney Professor of Brain and Behavior in Neuroscience, Neurology, Psychiatry, and Ophthalmology, has been awarded $1.9 million over five years by the National Eye Institute to study the neurophysiology of visual search, with a special emphasis on the neurological mechanisms underlying eye movements.
Stavroula Kousteni, PhD, assistant professor of medicine-endocrinology, has received a five-year $1.6 million grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Funds will be used to examine the impact and influence of hormones - specifically, the administration of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and sex steroids such as androgens and estrogens (as well as a combination of PTH and estrogen) - on the periosteum, a fibrous sheath that covers bones, contains blood vessels and nerves that provide nourishment and sensation to the bone, and greatly affects bone strength.
Barron Lerner, MD, PhD, the Angelica Berrie-Gold Foundation Professor of Medicine (P&S) and Public Health (Mailman), has been awarded a three-year $150,000 grant by the National Library of Medicine to complete a scholarly work on the social and cultural history of drunk driving.
Rudolph Leibel, MD, professor of pediatrics and medicine and co-director, Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, and Michael Rosenbaum, MD, associate professor of clinical pediatrics, have received a four-year $1.6 million extension of funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for continued investigation into the physiology of body weight control. Their earlier work has shown that relative deficiency of the hormone leptin contributes to weight regain after significant loss. Drs. Leibel and Rosenbaum will build upon these findings, further elucidating how leptin functions in the weight-reduced state and testing the use of hormone replacement to reverse some of these changes. Particular emphasis will be placed on fMRI imaging studies of functional changes in the brain, a collaboration with Joy Hirsch, PhD, professor of functional neuroradiology, neuroscience, and psychology.
Andrew Marks, MD, professor and chair, Department of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, is the recipient of a four-year $1.6 million renewal of funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for ongoing studies probing the molecular basis of heart failure. The overall goal of this project, now in its 10th year, is to identify cellular and molecular triggers that promote heart failure and to determine novel molecular-level therapeutic strategies to treat them.
Robert H. Remien, PhD, associate professor of clinical psychology (in psychiatry) and research scientist in the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, has received $225,000 from the National Institute of Mental Health to develop and pilot test a multimedia-based social support intervention for adherence to HIV care in South Africa. He is working with several clinical and academic collaborators from the Mailman School of Public Health, P&S, and the Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning, and from South Africa, including the University of Cape Town Department of Psychiatry and the City and Provincial Departments of Health in Cape Town.
C. Daniel Salzman, MD, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, has been awarded $1.6 million over five years by the National Institute of Mental Health. Funds will be used to explore how the brain facilitates reinforcement learning in a variety of situations and contexts, with a special emphasis on characterizing the relationship between the amygdala and the orbitofrontal cortex, two areas known to play significant roles in driving adaptive cognitive, behavioral, and physiological responses in humans.
Michael M. Shen, PhD, professor of medicine-oncology and genetics & development, has received two grants. The first, a $1.1 million National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases award up for renewal in 2011, facilitates ongoing studies into normal and abnormal molecular regulation and function of adult stem cells in the mouse prostate to yield insights into the origin of "cancer stem cells" during prostate cancer development, the biological processes leading to age-related defects in stem cell maintenance, and the relationship between aging and prostate disease. The second grant, a two-year $603,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute, funds ongoing molecular analyses of metastatic prostate cancer in mice.
Andrew Tomlinson, PhD, professor of genetics & development in the Center for Neurobiology & Behavior, has been awarded $1.6 million over four years by the National Eye Institute. Funds will be used to investigate and detail, via an animal model (flies), the patterning and signaling mechanisms by which peripheral specializations are produced in the eye, with the ultimate goal of furthering general understanding of retinal differentiation and its implications for human disease and vision.
Darrell Yamashiro, MD, PhD, Irving Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and assistant professor of pathology (in surgery), has received a five-year $1.7 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to test vascular endothelial growth factor, a signaling protein that is involved in blood vessel development (angiogenesis) and expressed in virtually all human cancers, as a target and potential drug candidate against neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer with a poor prognosis.
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GIFTS
COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS
Angioblast Systems has made a gift of $552,000 to support clinical stem cell research and other activities of Columbia's Specialized Center of Clinically Oriented Research (SCCOR) program in the Department of Surgery.
Susan and Gary Rosenbach renewed their pledge of $100,000 to the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology to fund fellowship training.
The Ned and Emily Sherwood Family Foundation has made a commitment of $250,000 to support the work of young investigators in the Division of Cardiology.
The Department of Pediatrics Division of Cardiology raised $260,000 for fellowship training at its annual "Heartbeat Cabaret" fundraiser in March.
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Masthead photos: (From L.: Renee Goodwin, Alfred Ashford, Laura Zeidenstein, Emil Kozarov)
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