| CUMC Celebrates - June 26, 2008 |
This edition of CUMC Celebrates reports yet more examples of how we provide the excellence that justifies the faith of those who have contributed to the campaign. I look forward to continuing our successful partnership and to working together through the completion of the campaign in December 2011, as we raise the funds we need to advance our teaching, research, and clinical missions.
Lee Goldman, M.D.
Executive Vice President, Health and Biomedical Sciences
COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS
Sol Berg has renewed his support for the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Medicine with a gift of $250,000 to support pancreatic cancer research.
Joan Schneeweiss has made a gift of $100,000 to the Department of Medicine to support research at the Joan and Michael Schneeweiss Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center.
George Violin, MD (CC ´63, SIPA ´66, P&S ´67), has made a gift to establish the Violin Family International Travel Award at P&S. The Award will fund travel, conference fees, and biomedical research expenses in Israel for PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members in the basic sciences.
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SCHOOL OF NURSING
The School of Nursing received a bequest of $65,000 from the estate of Regina Driscoll for the Campaign´s Building Fund.
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COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE
Keystone Dental has made an unrestricted gift of $72,000 to the College of Dental Medicine. Unrestricted gifts provide the Dean with the flexibility to direct funds to the area in which they are most needed.
Lois Jackson, DDS ´77, PD ´80, has made a commitment of $50,000 to the Global Externship Program to help offset the cost of domestic and international travel for College of Dental Medicine students. By giving students the opportunity to expand their knowledge of other cultures, the program aims to instill a sense of global community and an appreciation for the need to promote oral health care for poor and underserved people.
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AWARDS & HONORS
MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Ana Abraido-Lanza, PhD, associate professor of sociomedical sciences, will receive the Dalmas A. Taylor Distiguished Contributions Award from the American Psychological Association´s Minority Fellowship Program. The award will be presented to Dr. Abraido-Lanza in August during the APA´s annual convention in Boston.
Two faculty members were recognized with awards at the Mailman School´s graduation ceremonies in May. Allan Rosenfield, MD, dean emeritus, the DeLamar Professor Emeritus of Public Health Practice, professor of population & family health, and professor of obstetrics & gynecology (P&S), received the 2008 Dean´s Distinguished Service Award, given to a group or individual who has made outstanding overall contributions to public health. Paul Brandt-Rauf, MD, ScD, DrPH, chair and professor of environmental health sciences (and professor of medicine in P&S), was honored with this year´s Award for Teaching Excellence, presented by the Class of 2008 to honor a faculty member whose classroom presentation inspires and challenges students and whose contributions through teaching and advising will long be remembered.
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COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS
Congratulations to faculty members honored with awards at this year´s commencement ceremonies:
- P&S Distinguished Service Awards were presented to Vincent J. Butler Jr., MD, professor emeritus of medicine, and Ralph M. Richart, MD, professor emeritus of pathology.
- Charles M. Bohmfalk Awards, given for teaching excellence in pre-clinical and clinical years, were presented to Ann-Judith Silverman, PhD, professor of pathology & cell biology (for pre-clinical instruction), and Wendy Chung, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics (for clinical instruction).
- Joseph Haddad Jr., MD, the Lawrence Savetsky Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, received the 2008 Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, presented annually by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation to a physician who has demonstrated compassionate patient care and served as a humanistic role model for students and young physicians.
- Dr. Harold and Golden Lamport Research Awards, given to especially promising young investigators, went to Boris Reizis, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology, and C. Daniel Salzman, MD, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, for their work in basic and clinical sciences, respectively.
- The Distinguished Teacher Award was presented by the Class of 2008 to Michael S. Yuan, DDS, PhD, associate professor of clinical dental medicine-orthodontics. Dr. Yuan teaches the first-year anatomy course at P&S.
At the 2008 Dean´s Day for Research, held May 14, P&S students were recognized with awards for poster submissions and presentations:
- Mohsin Ahmed (MD/PhD student): "Low efficacy of presynaptic function at perforant path inputs to hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons is enhanced by long-term potentiation"
- Barry Fine (MD/PhD student): "P-REX2a inhibits PTEN lipid phosphatase activity and signaling"
- Wendy Chang ´09: "Histone deacetylase inhibitor LBH589 increases survival motor neuron transcript and protein levels in spinal muscular atrophy patient cells"
- Susan Koreen ´08: "Evaluation of a computer-based system for plus disease diagnosis in retinopathy of prematurity"
- David Wei ´09: "A prospective, randomized clinical trial on unstable distal radius fractures: external fixation, radial column plating, and volar plating"
The latest book by Marianne Legato, MD, professor emeritus of clinical medicine, was released earlier this month. In "Why Men Die First: How To Lengthen Your Lifespan" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), Dr. Legato examines how the twin forces of culture and biology team up to undermine men´s health and longevity.
Thomas G. Pickering, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and co-director of the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health, received the Franz Volhard Award and Lectureship at the annual meeting of the International Society of Hypertension in Berlin, Germany, this month. The award is given biennially to honor an individual whose research remains of current interest. The title of Dr. Pickering´s lecture was "Should Doctors Measure Blood Pressure?" His father, Sir George Pickering, MD, received the award in 1974.
Anne L. Taylor, MD, vice dean for academic affairs, is the 2008 recipient of the University of Iowa Cardiology Fellow Society Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Taylor´s research, with NIH support, has focused on cardiovascular disease in African Americans and women as well as the transfer of knowledge about cardiovascular disease prevention from academic medicine to communities. Dr. Taylor did cardiology research training at the University of Iowa in addition to fellowships at Johns Hopkins and the University of Chicago.
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SCHOOL OF NURSING
At this year´s School of Nursing graduation ceremonies, the following faculty members were recognized with honors and awards:
- Leanne M. Currie, RN, DNSc, assistant professor of nursing, was honored with the school´s Outstanding Young Researcher Award, given to a junior faculty member who demonstrates strong commitment to a research career and shows promise in developing a significant program of funded research, with the overall goal of improving the quality of patient care.
- Karen Desjardins, DNP, MPH, assistant professor of clinical nursing, received the Dean´s Distinguished Faculty Award, given to a faculty member who has shown especially strong academic leadership and clinical acumen.
- Janice Smolowitz, DNP, EdD, associate professor of clinical nursing, was presented with the Dorothy H. and Thomas L. O´Neil Distinguished Faculty Award. The O´Neil Award honors a faculty member who exemplifies the multidimensional nurse scholar, a professional who educates with enthusiasm, mentors with grace and commitment, seeks answers to important clinical questions, and remains focused on the ultimate goal of quality patient care.
- Tracy Andrews, MSN, CCRN, instructor in clinical nursing; Rachel Lyons, DNP, assistant clinical professor of nursing; and Kara Ventura, DNP, assistant professor of clinical nursing, were honored with the Outstanding Attending Nurse Award. This prize recognizes faculty members who demonstrate exceptional service to the school and contribute to its mission by educating and mentoring future generations of expert nurse clinicians.
Patricia Stone, PhD, MPH, associate professor of nursing, has been selected for fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing. The induction ceremony will be held in Scottsdale in November.
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COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE
Martin J. Davis, DDS, associate dean for student and alumni affairs and professor of dental medicine-pediatric dentistry, was honored by the American Student Dental Association with its 2008 Faculty Award, given to acknowledge and celebrate exemplary service and dedication to dental students and the dental profession. Dr. Davis received his award May 20.
Wayne Stephens ´09 has been selected as a representative for the American Dental Association´s House of Delegates at the organization´s annual meeting, scheduled for October in San Antonio. Current president of the American Student Dental Association, Mr. Stephens will represent and advocate for the needs of dental students nationwide.
At this year´s College of Dental Medicine commencement ceremonies, Michael S. Yuan, DDS, PhD, associate professor of clinical dental medicine-orthodontics, was recognized with the Edward V. Zegarelli Teaching Award for excellence, dedication, and inspiration in teaching.
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GRANTS
CUMC
During fiscal 2007, CUMC received more NIH funds than any other academic medical center in New York City and in the state. CUMC was awarded more than $343 million in NIH research grants last year, placing the medical school and medical center in the top 10 nationally for NIH funding. The state ranked as the third highest NIH-funded state in the nation in 2007 (after California and Massachusetts) with a total of $1.9 billion for nearly 4,800 grants.
Seven CUMC faculty members -- and one future member of Mailman´s Department of Biostatistics -- were awarded Columbia University Professional Schools Diversity Research Fellowships, part of a $2 million initiative by CU President Lee Bollinger to promote and develop careers of diverse junior faculty. Fellowship recipients announced this year:
- Jaqueline Gottlieb, PhD, assistant professor of neuroscience (in psychiatry), P&S: Dr. Gottlieb will study the neural mechanisms that control selective attention, reward, and plasticity.
- Roseanna Graham, DDS, MA, assistant professor of clinical dental medicine-restorative dentistry, College of Dental Medicine: Dr. Graham will test the reliability, validity, and usefulness of a multidisciplinary objective structured clinical examination in dental education. The exam is used in medicine to examine such competencies and skills as communication, clinical examination, medical procedures, prescribing, and interpretation of results.
- Kara J. Gross, MD, postdoctoral clinical fellow in pediatrics, P&S: Dr. Gross will explore how the enteric and central nervous systems contribute to the development of necrotizing enterocolitis, a gastrointestinal illness primarily affecting premature infants that involves infection and inflammation leading to the destruction of all or part of the bowel.
- Lourdes Hernández-Cordero, DrPH, MPH, assistant professor of sociomedical sciences, Mailman School of Public Health: Dr. Hernández-Cordero will explore the application of harm-reduction principles and strategies to the use of public spaces.
- Qing Fan, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology and pathology, P&S: Dr. Fan will combine X-ray crystallography with biochemical techniques to determine how GABA receptors recognize extracellular stimuli and become activated upon binding with ligands, substances capable of forming complexes with biomolecules to serve biological purposes. GABA receptors are a class of receptors that respond to the amino acid known as gamma-aminobutyric acid, the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system.
- Gissette Reyes, MD, instructor in medicine-preventive medicine & nutrition (P&S): Dr. Reyes will examine lipoprotein metabolism in metabolically healthy and metabolically abnormal obese postmenopausal women.
- William Stewart, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, who will join Mailman´s Department of Biostatistics in September: Dr. Stewart will use his funds for a project titled "Whole-Genome Deletion Discovery: A Powerful Tool for Mapping Deletions with Increased Resolution."
- Laurie Zephyrin, MD, assistant professor of clinical obstetrics & gynecology, P&S, and assistant professor of clinical population & family health and clinical health policy & management, Mailman: Dr. Zephyrin will perform an economic assessment of obstetric fistula repair practice in the African country of Eritrea.
MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Faith Lamb-Parker, PhD, assistant clinical professor of population & family health, received $110,000 over two years from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund to develop a model of care and support for vulnerable young children and families affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty in rural areas of South Africa.
David Rosner, PhD, the Ronald H. Lauterstein Professor of Sociomedical Sciences and director of the Center for the History and Ethics in Public Health, and Gerald Markowitz, PhD, adjunct professor of sociomedical sciences, have received $150,000 from the National Science Foundation to investigate the history of childhood lead poisoning in America from the 1970s through the early 21st century. Using oral histories, archival records, legal documents, and traditional historical methodologies, Drs. Rosner and Markowitz will attempt to enhance public understanding of this complex episode in environmental and scientific history. Dr. Rosner is also the recipient of a two-year $161,000 grant from the National Library of Medicine to examine the history of homelessness and mental illness in the United States, using New York and Los Angeles as case studies. He will specifically look at the environmental conditions and factors, including national, state, and local policy decisions, that have led to homelessness in these cities, especially among the severely mentally ill. The goal of this research is to extrapolate findings to other urban areas in the United States and illuminate the context within which key policy and program planning decisions are made, resulting in development and design of more effective interventions for this critically needy population.
Regina M. Santella, PhD, professor of environmental health sciences, has been awarded a five-year $8.7 million funding extension by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to support the continued work of the Center for Environmental Health in Northern Manhattan, which Dr. Santella directs.
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COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS
The Department of Pediatrics has selected five physician-scientists to share $360,000 in inaugural research grants issued by the John M. Driscoll Jr., MD Children´s Fund, established in 2005 by its namesake, the former pediatrics chair, to support especially promising junior faculty.
- Wendy Chung, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics-molecular genetics: Dr. Chung will undertake gene-sequencing studies related to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in children. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart muscle thickens and makes it more difficult for the heart to work effectively, is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in people under age 30.
- Kara J. Gross, MD, postdoctoral fellow in pediatrics-GI, hepatology, and nutrition: Dr. Gross will examine the control of intestinal inflammation in necrotizing enterocolitis with the anti-inflammatory neuropeptides oxytocin and vasoactive intestinal peptide.
- Adam J. Ratner, MD, MPH, assistant professor of pediatrics-infectious diseases and assistant professor of microbiology: Dr. Ratner will explore novel strategies for the prevention of preterm birth.
- Maria Luisa Sulis, MD, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics-oncology: Dr. Sulis will pinpoint new oncological events responsible for the development of T-cell leukemia.
- Kimara L. Targoff, MD, instructor in pediatrics-cardiology: Funds will help facilitate Dr. Targoff´s research into the regulation of cardiac development by Nkx genes in the zebrafish embryo. Findings are expected to enhance understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying human congenital heart disease.
Anissa Abi-Dargham, MD, professor of clinical psychiatry (in radiology) and chief, division of translational imaging, is one of 15 recipients nationwide of 2008 Distinguished Investigator Awards from NARSAD, the Mental Health Research Association. Dr. Abi-Dargham will receive a one-year, $100,000 grant to conduct PET scanning studies of excess dopamine transmission in prodromal schizophrenia, the early signs and symptoms of schizophrenia that precede the characteristic manifestations of acute illness. Dr. Abi-Dargham will study whether dopamine transmission can predict disease onset. Dr. Abi-Dargham was among four additional recipients of NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Awards for 2008; the first group of recipients announced in April included J. John Mann, MD, the Paul Janssen Professor of Translational Neuroscience (in Psychiatry and Radiology) in P&S, and Ezra Susser, MD, DrPH, the Anna Cheskis Gelman & Murray Charles Gelman Professor and chair of epidemiology (Mailman) and professor of psychiatry (P&S).
Domenico Accili, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Diabetes & Endocrinology Research Center, has received a five-year $1.7 million renewal of funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of beta cell failure, the leading cause of the development of type 2 diabetes in people with insulin resistance.
Victoria Arango, PhD, professor of clinical neurobiology in psychiatry, and Hadassah Tamir, PhD, professor of clinical neurobiology in psychiatry, have been awarded $2.2 million over five years by the National Institute of Mental Health to investigate the signaling pathways of the 5-HT1A serotonin receptor, implicated in the pathology of anxiety, major depression, and suicide and necessary for the long-term viability of brain networks.
Amy Atkeson, MD, postdoctoral clinical fellow in medicine-pulmonary, allergy & critical care, is the recipient of a one-time $25,000 research grant from the Stony Wold-Herbert Fund. Under the auspices of Robert Basner, MD, associate professor of clinical medicine-pulmonary, allergy & critical care, Dr. Atkeson will test the hypothesis that the nocturnal use of a technique known as P-NIV (polysomnography-directed nocturnal non-invasive positive pressure ventilation) will improve upon current therapies in promoting daytime respiratory function, quality of life, and overall survival in ALS patients.
Jonathan M. Barasch, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine-nephrology, has received a three-year $270,000 research grant from the March of Dimes to further his research on NGAL, a type of growth factor he identified as being overexpressed in kidney disease. Dr. Barasch will focus on the mechanisms of NGAL induction in neonatal kidney failure.
The pediatric oncology developmental therapeutics program led by Julia Glade Bender, MD, Irving Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, has received three grants: a two-year $250,000 award from Alex´s Lemonade Stand, a $100,000 grant from the Jamie Deutsch Foundation, and a $250,000 award from the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. The developmental therapeutics program initiative incorporates basic, clinical, and translational research to define, assess, and adapt novel therapeutic targets for childhood cancers.
Jahar Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, professor of clinical medicine-pulmonary, allergy, and critical care, received two competitive funding renewals from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: a five-year $2.3 million funding extension to advance studies of lung endothelial barrier regulation and a four-year $1.6 million continuation of funding to extend microscopic imaging studies of alveolar function, the activity of the tiny air sacs that serve as the sites of oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange in the lungs. Additional findings from both studies are expected to shed greater light on the mechanisms of acute lung injury, identifying targets and providing the necessary foundations for the development of new therapies for lung repair.
Jonathan Dworkin, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology, has been awarded a two-year $443,000 exploratory grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to further investigate the process by which bacteria construct their cell wall, the structure that determines and maintains their shape. Although this phenomenon is the target of many existing antibiotics, including penicillin, bacteria are becoming resistant to these drugs so understanding the underlying process could hasten development of more effective medications for bacterial infections.
Adolfo A. Ferrando, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and pediatrics (in the Institute for Cancer Genetics), has been awarded $1.7 million over five years by the National Cancer Institute to analyze the interaction between the NOTCH1 gene and the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, establishing the significance of this relationship with regard to T-cell transformation and therapy response in childhood cancers known as T-cell lymphoblastic leukemias.
Robert Foronjy, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine, has received a $100,000 clinical innovator award from the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute to study the regulation of smoke-induced inflammation by changes in oxidation state (known as Redox or reduction/oxidation reactions).
Ira J. Goldberg, MD, the Dickinson W. Richards Jr. Professor of Medicine, has been awarded a five-year $2.4 million extension of funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for the postdoctoral training program in arteriosclerosis research. The program is now in its 31st year of NIH funding.
Wei Gu, PhD, professor of pathology (in the Institute of Cancer Genetics), has been granted a five-year $1.5 million continuation of funding by the National Cancer Institute for work on clarifying how regulation of the p53 tumor suppressor protein by acetylation and deacetylation, reactions that introduce and eliminate acetyl functional groups, respectively, factors into tumor development.
Rui Jiang, MD, associate research scientist in medicine-general medicine, has been awarded $374,000 over three years by the National Institute on Aging. Dr. Jiang will study associations of several dietary factors and related biochemical markers and gene variants with lung function and lung density in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and the Cardiovascular Health Study.
Harold Kaplan, MD, professor of clinical pathology, and Barbara Rabin-Fastman, senior staff associate in pathology, have received a 15-month $100,000 grant from the Massachusetts-based National Patient Safety Foundation. Using data from near-miss and no-harm medical event reports, they will determine the most effective ways to classify steps taken to mitigate, recover from, and prevent medical errors and will develop a matrix linking medical errors with their most effective reduction strategies.
David R. Kaufman, PhD, associate research scientist in biomedical informatics, has received a two-year $467,000 award from the National Institute of Nursing Research to develop a health literacy instrument for older adults that employs state-of-art computer-adaptive testing methods and technology. The goal is to produce a highly sophisticated tool that will help clinicians screen for knowledge of health issues among their patients, enabling them to tailor health education materials.
Kara Kelly, MD, associate professor of clinical pediatrics, and Manuela Orjuela, MD, Sc.M, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics and of clinical environmental health sciences (Mailman), have been awarded a $150,000 grant by the American Institute of Cancer Research to study the effects of dietary folate intake and treatment-related toxicity on children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Jose Luchsinger, MD, a Florence Irving Associate Professor of Medicine and associate professor of epidemiology (Mailman), has received a three-year $1.7 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to test the use of the insulin-reducing diabetes drug Metformin as a countermeasure against cognitive decline in overweight and obese persons who have mild cognitive impairment and may be at high risk for Alzheimer´s disease.
Umrao Monani, PhD, assistant professor of neurology, has received a four-year $1.4 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to explore whether the development of spinal muscle atrophy, a devastating condition characterized by profound muscle weakness and known to be the leading genetic killer of infants and toddlers, is exclusively dictated by motor neuron dysfunction or if other cell types are primarily responsible.
Elizabeth Olson, PhD, assistant professor of otolaryngology/head & neck surgery and of biomedical engineering, has been awarded a $34,000 supplement by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders to support her studies of auditory mechanics using measurements of pressure and motion.
Michael M. Shen, PhD, professor of medicine-oncology and of genetics & development, has received a five-year $1.7 million competitive renewal from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for long-term studies of the regulation of Nodal pathway activity and clarifying its role in patterning the mouse embryo. Nodal is a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) superfamily of polypeptides, known to be involved in stem cell differentiation and patterning of the germ layers (the three primary layers of cells from which the various organs and tissues of an organism develop) during embryonic development.
Andrew Tomlinson, PhD, professor of genetics & development in the Center for Neurobiology & Behavior, has received a two-year $213,000 supplement from the National Eye Institute to continue his retinal studies of the fly, using tissue and genetic studies and molecular biology and biochemistry approaches to determine the exact nature of the signals that organize peripheral specializations in the eye. Dr. Tomlinson will attempt to identify the genes or proteins that are turned on in the peripheral regions and how they interact to direct the differentiation of specialized retinal structures.
Melodie Winawer, MD, MS, assistant professor of neurology, has received $1.7 million over five years to study the underlying genetics governing seizure susceptibility in mouse models. Findings are expected to translate to human epilepsy studies, yielding insights into the disease process and transforming therapeutic strategies for the illness.
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SCHOOL OF NURSING
Joyce Anastasi, PhD, DNP, the Helen Pettit Professor of Clinical Nursing, was awarded $400,000 over three years by the Health Resources and Services Administration´s Advanced Education Nursing Program to develop and implement a subspecialty master´s degree program in herbs, nutraceuticals, and supplements.
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APPOINTMENTS & PROMOTIONS
COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS
Richard P. Sloan, PhD, has been named the Nathaniel Wharton Professor of Behavioral Medicine (in Psychiatry), effective May 1. A renowned cardiovascular psychophysiologist, Dr. Sloan is at the forefront of research correlating psychological and psychiatric characteristics such as depression and hostility with coronary heart disease. He is also a leading critic of attempts to link healing to religion and prayer, authoring the book "Blind Faith: The Unholy Alliance Between Religion and Medicine" (St. Martin´s Press) in 2006.
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Banner photos from left: Roseanna Graham, Lourdes Hernández-Cordero, Janice Smolowitz, and a scene from the P&S 2008 Dean´s Day for Research
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