In Vivo - EVP Journal

In Vivo

Stem Cell Initiative
Message from EVP Dr. Lee Goldman
Donald Landry Named Chair of Medicine
In Memoriam
The Surprising Link Between Gut and Bone
The Latest in Stem Cell Research
The Horwitz Prize
The Katz Prize
DNA Altered by World War II Famine
Research Briefs
Nursing Applications Rise Sharply
Appointments, Awards & Honors
Wanted: Outstanding Teachers
New AAAS Fellows Elected
Preventing the Next Pandemic
State Funds to Upgrade VC 7 Clinic
Correction

EVP journal

Dear Colleagues & Students,

As we begin a new year, I want to commend everyone at Columbia University Medical Center for their hard work in 2008 and for the tremendous progress made in all of our missions. We can be confident that 2009 will be a successful year for all of CUMC if we define success as the continuation of our stellar research, high patient satisfaction, and strengthened education programs. It is easy to make such a prediction because of our track record. Consider, for example, some 2008 accomplishments that put us on sure footing for 2009:

Renewing Our
Commitment

   Research: Our faculty discovered a novel molecular pathway in the brain that may explain a well-established link between Alzheimer’s and stroke … discovered a new arenavirus linked to the deaths of three transplant recipients from a single donor … designed a new way to generate bone and other types of tissue … identified a new technique to transform skin cells from an ALS patient into motor neurons … and documented new relationships between the skeletal and endocrine systems. All of these findings reinforced our heritage of rigorous scholarship to improve health.
   Recruitments: We were joined by a new dean of the Mailman School of Public Health and new department chairs from universities around the country as well as from within our ranks.
   Patient care: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and CUMC celebrated the 1,000th liver transplant and 10 years of success for the Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation. We also celebrated 10 years of unique care by the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center and 75 years of vision research and treatment at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute.
   Collaboration: We launched a new stem cell initiative to harness the tremendous intellectual capacity and increasing interest in interdisciplinary stem cell research. We have plans to rename the P&S Department of Rehabilitation Medicine as the Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine to reflect our growing strength in this new and promising area of medical research and treatment.
   New academic programs and initiatives: In 2008, the School of Nursing started offering its new Ph.D. degree, which replaced its Doctorate in Nursing Science degree. Mailman started a new academic program in climate and health. The College of Dental Medicine added a dental education track. P&S educators have moved ahead in planning for a revamped curriculum; the first-year class that enters in August 2009 will be the index class.
   Measures of distinction: Our faculty earned a MacArthur fellowship, Fulbright scholarships, presidential medals, and an inaugural neuroscience prize that complements the Nobel Prize. One faculty member was named to Time magazine’s annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people and another to a list of the country’s 10 most important mental health epidemiologists. Three faculty members were elected presidents of national organizations.
   It is easy to remain optimistic in the wake of these accomplishments. Instead of making resolutions, we can greet the new year by renewing our commitment to make extraordinary research discoveries, treat intractable diseases, care for people in our local neighborhood and around the world, educate a new generation of health-care providers and public health researchers, and export our expertise and aid to communities in need around the world. Our strengths give us the capacity to make a difference each and every year.

Lee Goldman, M.D.