| CUMC Celebrates - September 27, 2007 |
I am also pleased to welcome an impressive number of outstanding new faculty, as well as to report on many recent honors and promotions for our current faculty. Congratulations to all!
Lee Goldman
EVP & Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine
RECRUITMENTS
College of Physicians & Surgeons
Mailman School of Public Health
PROMOTIONS, APPOINTMENTS
College of Physicians & Surgeons
Mailman School of Public Health
HONORS
College of Physicians & Surgeons
College of Dental Medicine
RECRUITMENTS
Randy Bruno, PhD, has joined the department of neuroscience as assistant professor. Coming from the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg, Dr. Bruno will continue his work analyzing the functional architecture of mammalian thalamocortical circuits (those connecting the thalamus and the cortex of the brain) and its behavioral relevance.
Allen B. Chefitz, MD, has been named assistant clinical professor of surgery (Center for Advanced Surgery, Lawrence Hospital Center). He received his medical degree from the University of Massachusetts and conducted general surgery residency and internship at Montefiore Medical Center. From ‘93-‘99, he was director of surgical quality assurance at Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester. Dr. Chefitz is a specialist in general and laparoscopic surgery. His research spans hernia surgery, breast surgery, and biomaterials.
Christine Chen, ScD, recently joined as assistant professor of clinical occupational therapy. Dr. Chen has done extensive research into the effectiveness of rehabilitation services and the application of psychometric theories to outcome assessments. She is currently testing use of the MAM (manual ability measure), an outcome measurement for hand functioning that she developed and that is being adapted for cross-cultural use. A graduate of National Taiwan University (BA), the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (MA), Tufts (MS in occupational therapy), and Boston University (ScD), she completed an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the SUNY Buffalo and has held academic appointments at Northwestern, SUNY Buffalo, and NYU.
Daniel Chrzanowski, MD, has been appointed instructor in clinical psychiatry, division of child psychiatry. A 2000 graduate of P&S, he completed an internship at Stamford Hospital, a residency in general psychiatry at NYPH/NYSPI, and a fellowship in child/adolescent psychiatry at NYPH. He will serve as assistant residency training director for child & adolescent psychiatry and a consultant (part-time) to the division’s telepsychiatry program, among other responsibilities.
Rachana Gavara, MD, joined the division of general obstetrics & gynecology at the Allen Pavilion this July as assistant clinical professor of obstetrics & gynecology. Dr. Gavara graduated from SA Medical College in Agra, India, and completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in urological oncology at Weill Cornell and a four-year ob/gyn residency at Bronx Lebanon. She is a member of the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology Societies of India and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Amanda Johnson, MD, has been appointed assistant clinical professor of obstetrics & gynecology, division of general ob/gyn, Allen Pavilion. Following medical school at the University of Washington, she completed a four-year residency here. A member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, she is active in developing the ob/gyn educational curriculum.
Nahla Khalek, MD, has joined the division of maternal fetal medicine, department of obstetrics & gynecology, as assistant clinical professor. She received her medical degree from NY Medical College, Valhalla, and completed an ob/gyn residency at Wayne State University, followed by a fellowship in clinical genetics and maternal fetal medicine.
In July, Arno Klein, PhD, joined the molecular imaging & neuropathology division as assistant professor of clinical neurobiology (in psychiatry). He completed his PhD work at Weill Cornell Medical College, under the mentorship of Joy Hirsch, professor of functional neuroradiology and psychology. His area of academic interest and expertise is the development of innovative neuroimaging analysis tools.
Solomon S. Kuah, MD, joins the department of medicine and the Center for Emergency Medicine as instructor in clinical medicine and fellow in international emergency medicine. He received his medical degree from UC-San Diego and completed residency in emergency medicine at Louisiana Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.
Aileen Langston, MD, has been named clinical instructor in the department of obstetrics & gynecology, division of family planning. A graduate of Baylor College of Medicine, she completed internship at the University of Iowa and residency at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Her interests include public and international health and health policy.
Benjamin Ohlstein, PhD, will join as assistant professor of genetics & development in October. He comes from Carnegie Institute of Washington, department of embryology.
Rebecca Pagan, PhD, has joined as instructor in clinical psychiatry, division of child & adolescent psychiatry. She received a PhD at the New School for Social Research and completed a fellowship in adolescent psychoeducational treatment at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She also completed an internship in clinical psychology at Metropolitan Hospital Center, and three externships in clinical psychology (Beth Israel Medical Center, South Beach Psychiatric Center, and Mount Sinai Medical Center). Her interests include the effects of trauma on children.
Kiran Pandit, MD, MPH, was recently appointed instructor in clinical medicine in the department of medicine and the Center for Emergency Medicine. A graduate of P&S and Mailman, she completed residency in emergency medicine at NYPH. Her academic interests include international health.
Susana Park, MD, has joined the department of obstetrics & gynecology, Center for Women’s Reproductive Care, as assistant professor of clinical obstetrics & gynecology. A graduate of Albany Medical College, Dr. Park completed a four-year ob/gyn residency and a three-year fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at UMDNJ. Her research is funded through Pfizer’s women’s health program.
Devendra Patel, MD, has been appointed assistant clinical professor of obstetrics & gynecology in the division of general ob/gyn. Dr. Patel received his medical degree from Topiwala National Medical College (Bombay University) and completed a four-year ob/gyn residency at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital/Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Matthew Perkins, MD, MBA, MPH, has been named assistant professor of clinical psychiatry and serves as director of the child & adolescent psychiatry division’s telepsychiatry program. He earned a medical degree at the University of Utah and an MPH from Mailman. He completed internship and residency in psychiatry at the University of Arizona, a child/adolescent psychiatry fellowship and residency at the University of Utah, and a child/adolescent public psychiatry fellowship at P&S. Dr. Perkins was a National Institute of Mental Health research fellow from 2004-07.
Sandra Pimentel, PhD, has joined the division of child & adolescent psychiatry as assistant clinical professor. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from Temple University and completed a child and adolescent psychiatry post-doctoral research fellowship at CUMC/NYPH. She is currently a cognitive behavioral therapist at the CU Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders.
Adam Ratner, MD, MPH, was named assistant professor of pediatrics and microbiology earlier this year. He joined from the University of Pennsylvania. His research specialization is the bacterial colonization of human airways.
Joanna Robin, PhD, has been appointed assistant clinical professor of psychiatry, division of child & adolescent psychiatry. Her PhD is from Temple University. She completed an American Psychiatric Association internship in child clinical psychiatry at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and a postdoc fellowship in clinical psychology at NYSPI. She is a cognitive behavioral therapist and assistant director (administrative), CU Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders.
Neurologist and best-selling author (Awakenings) Oliver Sacks, MD, has joined CUMC as professor of clinical neurology and clinical psychiatry. Dr. Sacks spent 42 years at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. His appointment took effect July 1.
In July, Noa’a Shimoni, MD, joined the division of family planning, department of obstetrics & gynecology, as clinical instructor. Dr. Shimoni earned her medical degree at UMDNJ and completed a residency in urban family practice at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her interests include community health.
Miguel R. Silva, MD, has joined as assistant clinical professor of surgery (Center for Advanced Surgery, Lawrence Hospital Center). He comes from Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College, where for the past ten years he was clinical instructor of surgery. A graduate of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Dr. Silva conducted his internship and residency at Montefiore. He completed a preceptorship in colorectal surgery and a fellowship in advanced laparoscopic surgery at Baptist Hospital, Miami. His clinical specialties include minimally invasive surgery and bariatric surgery.
Lori Sussel, PhD, has been named professor of genetics & development (Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center), as of July. Dr. Sussel completed her PhD degree at Columbia in 1993. Her prior affiliations include the departments of pediatrics (Barbara Davis Center) and biochemistry & molecular genetics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
Christopher M. Tedeschi, MD, has joined the department of medicine and the Center for Emergency Medicine as instructor in clinical medicine. Dr. Tedeschi graduated from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/UMDNJ and completed a residency in emergency medicine at NYPH. His academic interests include wilderness medicine.
Ravi Ubriani, MD, has joined the department of dermatology as assistant professor of clinical dermatology. He received his medical degree from University of Pennsylvania, where he also completed a dermatology residency. His interests are in disorders of the nail – including tumors of the nail, melanoma of the nail, inflammatory diseases of the nail, and related procedures – and general dermatology.
Joseph P. Underwood, MD, has been appointed instructor in clinical medicine, joining the department of medicine and the Center for Emergency Medicine. Dr. Underwood earned his medical degree at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/UMDNJ and completed a residency in emergency medicine at NYPH. His interests include medical education and clinical operations management.
Emily White, MD, has been appointed instructor in clinical medicine, division of family planning, department of obstetrics & gynecology. Dr. White graduated from SUNY Brooklyn College of Medicine and completed a four-year residency at Women and Infants Hospital/Brown University. She is a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Ai Yamamoto, PhD, is joining the division of movement disorders, department of neurology, as assistant professor. Dr. Yamamoto will build an independent research program on the neurobiology of Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, focusing on the cell biology of abnormal protein aggregation common to both disorders.
Richard Younge, MD, has joined the Center for Family and Community Medicine as assistant professor of medicine. He earned an MD from UCSF and an MPH from UC- Berkeley and completed a family medicine residency in Montefiore’s social medicine program. Dr. Younge served as medical director of the Montefiore Family Health Center, chair of the department of family medicine, SUNY Brooklyn, and the senior VP and chief medical officer, Affinity Health Plan. Here he will design service and research projects that address health care problems in West Harlem and Washington Heights.
Laurie C. Zephyrin, MD, has joined as assistant professor of clinical obstetrics & gynecology, division of general obstetrics & gynecology, Allen Pavilion. Dr. Zephyrin received her medical degree from NYU and completed ob/gyn residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She has been a fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars program, a White House fellow and a special assistant to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
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Lisa Bates, PhD, has joined as assistant professor of epidemiology and population and family health. She will work in the recently inaugurated Center for The Study of Social Inequalities and Health and facilitate collaboration between the department of epidemiology and Columbia’s Earth Institute, serving as epidemiology advisor to the Millennium Villages Project.
Moazzem Hossain, MD, MPH, has been named assistant clinical professor of population and family health. Dr. Hossain is a nutrition and child survival advisor at UNICEF headquarters in New York.
Maya Rom, PhD, has been appointed as a lecturer in the Heilbrunn Department of Population & Family Health. Dr. Rom recently received her doctoral degree from the department of sociomedical sciences at Mailman.
Claire Wang, MD, ScD, has been named assistant professor of health policy and management. Dr. Wang evaluates the population distribution of risk factors and their disease burden, using mathematical models to inform health policy. Her current activities include developing a simulation model of colorectal cancer and studying the impact of obesity and smoking on mortality, as well as the role of diet and physical activity on childhood obesity.
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Alex Carballo-Dieguez, PhD, has been promoted to professor of clinical psychology in psychiatry. His research focuses on sexual risk behavior of men having sex with men (especially, those of Latin American ancestry), primary prevention in couples of mixed HIV serostatus, partner notification of HIV exposure, and microbicide acceptability. He is a consultant to the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Universitywide AIDS Research Program and serves on the editorial board of AIDS and Behavior.
Fred Chang, MD, PhD, has been promoted to professor of microbiology.
Sabrina Cherry, MD, has been promoted to associate clinical professor of psychiatry.
Janis Cutler, MD, co-chair of the clinical faculty committee at P&S, was promoted to professor of clinical psychiatry and appointed director of the division of medical student education, department of psychiatry.
Anke A. Ehrhardt, PhD, has been named vice chair for academic affairs for the department of psychiatry and NYSPI. Dr. Ehrhardt is professor of medical psychology in psychiatry and has directed the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at NYSPI since co-founding it in 1987.
Hilda Hutcherson, MD, associate dean for diversity and minority affairs, was promoted earlier this year from assistant professor of clinical obstetrics & gynecology to clinical professor of obstetrics & gynecology.
Laura Johnston, PhD, has been promoted to associate professor of genetics & development. Earlier this year she received the Harold and Golden Lamport Award for excellence in basic science research. Her lab examines how developing organs grow – and cease growth – and looks at the relationship between pattern specification and growth regulation. The goal is to define the organ-intrinsic growth regulatory program in molecular terms.
John Koester, MD, professor of clinical neurobiology and behavior (in psychiatry) has been named interim chair of Columbia’s new department of neuroscience.
Elan Louis, MD, MSc, was promoted earlier this year from associate professor to professor of neurology (Sergievsky Center) and epidemiology (Mailman). Dr. Louis has received continuous NIH funding here as a faculty member since 1995. Both a clinician and a researcher, he focuses on degenerative CNS disorders of involuntary movement and has studied the epidemiology, familial aggregation, brain metabolism and neuropathology of essential tremor. He has also established an essential tremor DNA/brain bank here.
Diana Martinez, MD, has been promoted to associate professor of clinical psychiatry.
Hunter McQuistion, MD, has been promoted to associate clinical professor of psychiatry.
Alice Medalia, PhD, has been promoted to professor of clinical psychology (in psychiatry).
Yuval Neria, PhD, was promoted earlier this year from associate clinical professor of medical psychology to associate professor of clinical psychology (in psychiatry and epidemiology), P&S and Mailman.
Maria A. Sullivan, M.D., Ph.D, has been promoted to associate professor of clinical psychiatry.
Michael Vitale, MD, was recently named the Ana Lucia Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery.
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Ying-Kuen (Kenneth) Cheung, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics, has been awarded tenure.`
Moise Desvarieux, MD, PhD, has been promoted from assistant to associate professor of epidemiology.
Christina Hoven, DrPH, has been promoted from assistant to associate professor of clinical epidemiology (in psychiatry).
Zhezhen Jin, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics, has been awarded tenure.
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Paul Appelbaum, MD, Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine and Law and director, division of psychiatry, law and ethics, has been appointed to the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Health Research and the Privacy of Health Information. He also chairs a working group on clinical research ethics for a national consortium of universities receiving NIH clinical and translational science awards. Dr. Appelbaum was recently reappointed chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Psychiatry and Law.
Robyn Barst, MD, professor of pediatrics, division of cardiology, held a visiting professorship at the University of Bologna School of Medicine (Bologna, Italy) in June.
Laxmi Baxi, MD, professor of obstetrics & gynecology, has been appointed an accredited representative of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the NY office of the United Nations.
Alan Brown, MD, associate professor of clinical psychiatry (P&S) and epidemiology (Mailman) and deputy director, department of epidemiology of brain disorders, NY State Psychiatric Institute, has been appointed to the editorial board of Schizophrenia Bulletin.
Lorna Breen, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine, was recently elected to the board of directors of the American College of Emergency Physicians, NY chapter.
Gary Brittenham, MD, James A. Wolff Professor of Pediatrics and chief, pediatric hematology, has been appointed to the expert panel of the NIH’s Conference on Best Practices in Transfusion Medicine for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease. The conference takes place this month.
This summer, Mary D’Alton, MD, chair of obstetrics & gynecology and Willard C. Rappleye Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was appointed as assistant secretary of the NY Obstetrical Society and as secretary of the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society.
Bruce Dohrenwend, PhD, professor of social science, department of psychiatry (P&S), and professor of epidemiology (Mailman), and colleagues were given an award for best publication from the mental health section, American Sociological Association. His team was honored for its paper "The Psychological Risks of Vietnam for U.S. Veterans: A Revisit with New Data and Methods," published in Science in 2006.
Andrew Dwork, MD, associate professor of pathology (in psychiatry), received a permanent appointment as visiting professor of pathology from the University Saints Cyril & Methodius, Skopje, Macedonia.
Alexander Glassman, MD, professor of psychiatry and chief of clinical psychopharmacology, NYS Psychiatric Institute, was awarded the Anna-Monika Prize, recognizing his work on the onset of major depression associated with acute coronary syndromes. The Anna-Monika Foundation was founded in 1964 to promote experimental research on the causes of depression. A winner is chosen every two years.
Laurence Greenhill, MD, Ruane Professor of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, has been named president-elect of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Cynthia Gyamfi, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics & gynecology, will be inducted as a fellow in the NY Obstetrical Society this October.
Christopher Henderson, PhD, professor of pathology (in neurology, neuroscience, and the Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease), was honored with the Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research by the American Academy of Neurology and the ALS Association earlier this year. The Sheila Essey Award acknowledges specially significant contributions to ALS research. Dr. Henderson received a $25,000 prize toward his work on cellular approaches to defining therapeutic targets in ALS.
Robert Klitzman, MD, associate professor of clinical psychiatry, was named in July by NY Governor Elliot Spitzer to the ethics committee of the Empire State Stem Cell Board. The board was established to help oversee and administer $600 million in funding for the Empire State Stem Cell Trust Fund, promoting stem cell research in NY State.
Jennifer Levine, MD, MSW, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics, division of oncology, was named an AFLAC scholar for her work as medical director of the Center for Survivor Wellness, Herbert Irving Child and Adolescent Oncology Center.
In August, Rogerio Lobo, MD, professor of obstetrics & gynecology and director, Center for Reproductive Sciences, was named recipient of the North American Menopause Society’s Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals ET/EPT Research Award for 2007, which recognizes researchers who have advanced understanding of the role of hormone therapy in menopause.
J. John Mann, MD, the Paul Janssen Professor of Translational Neuroscience (in Psychiatry and in Radiology), received the International Association for Suicide Prevention’s Stengel Research Award in August. Established in 1977, the award honors a leading investigator for work in suicidology.
Andrew Marks, MD, professor and chair, department of physiology and cellular biophysics, has been named president of the Harvey Society. Founded in 1905, the Harvey Society sponsors a distinguished seven-lecture series in NYC annually, featuring leading biomedical researchers from around the world. Most Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine have presented Harvey lectures.
Brian D. McCabe, PhD, assistant professor of physiology and cellular biophysics, has been appointed to the editorial board of PLoS ONE, a peer-reviewed scientific research publication from the Public Library of Science.
Sharon Oberfield, MD, professor of pediatrics and director, division of pediatric endocrinology, has been appointed a member of the clinical guidelines subcommittee of the Endocrine Society and of the pediatric endocrinology self-assessment subcommittee, American Board of Pediatrics.
Elizabeth Olson, PhD, assistant professor of otolaryngology/head & neck surgery and biomedical engineering, was named to a three-year term as associate editor of the Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology.
Kiran Pandit, MD, MPH, instructor in clinical medicine, was elected to the board of directors of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine in India.
Harold Pincus, MD, vice chair for strategic initiatives, department of psychiatry, has been named to a two-year term as chair of the NIH’s Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Evaluation Steering Committee. He was previously interim chair.
Adam Ratner, MD, MPH, assistant professor of pediatrics and microbiology, has been appointed to the peer review panel of the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute, which was established with settlement funds from a tobacco class-action lawsuit to study the impact of secondhand smoke on flight attendants.
Gorazd Rosoklija, MD, PhD, associate professor of clinical psychiatry, was elected to lifetime membership in the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts this past spring.
Herbert J. Schlesinger, PhD, professor of clinical psychology in psychiatry, has received the George Goldman Merit Award (for excellence in teaching) from the Association for Psychoanalytic Medicine.
This spring, David Shaffer, MD, Irving Philips Professor of Child Psychiatry and chief, division of child and adolescent psychiatry, was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. He will also become president-elect of the International Academy for Suicide Research, beginning in 2009, and has been named chair of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s research working group.
Howard Shuman, MD, professor of microbiology, will spend two months in Israel in the ‘07-‘08 academic year, under a visiting professorship from Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
B. Timothy Walsh, MD, William and Joy Ruane Professor of Pediatric Psychopharmacology, department of psychiatry, was named to the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-V task force as chairman of the eating disorders working group.
Myrna Weissman, PhD, professor of epidemiology in psychiatry, received the Society of Biological Psychiatry’s Gold Medal Award, honoring her for pioneering research in the field of biological psychiatry.
Carolyn Westhoff, MD, professor of obstetrics & gynecology (P&S) and epidemiology (Mailman), has been appointed to the Accreditation Committee on Graduate Medical Education. ACGME establishes national standards for graduate medical education; she will also sit on its obstetrics & gynecology residency review committee.
Priya Wickramaratne, PhD, associate professor of clinical biostatistics (in psychiatry), was appointed editor-at-large of the statistics and methodology section, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, this past spring.
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Philip Josephs, CDM '08, has been selected as the Student National Dental Association’s representative to the National Dental Association.
Wayne Stephens, CDM ’09, has been elected president of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA). In addition, Neeru Singh, CDM ’08, has been chosen as ASDA’s delegate of the year. The ASDA is a national student-run organization that protects and advances the rights, interests, and welfare of students pursuing careers in dentistry.
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Masthead photos: (from L. to R.: Oliver Sacks, Debbie Barrington, Anke Ehrhardt, Wayne Stephens)
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