The Reporter: December 1997, Vol.8, No.5
REPORTER AT LARGE

J&J Pays Dr. Angela M. Christiano A Visit

Dr. Angela M. Christiano, Herbert Irving Assistant Professor of Dermatology, was awarded a focused giving grant by Johnson & Johnson, which presented the award to her at a luncheon at the Faculty Club in October. This is the first J&J focused giving grant awarded to a Columbia researcher. The award supports basic biomedical research in key universities, colleges, and research institutions around the world. The award supports Dr. Christiano's research project, "Gene Therapy of Inherited Skin Disorders," for three years. She studies the inherited blistering skin disorder known as epidermolysis bullosa(EB). Among those present at the awards luncheon were, from left, Dr. Christiano; Faith Daniels, broadcast journalist and president of the DEBRA Foundation, which supports EB research; Dr. David Bickers, chairman of dermatology; Dr. Herbert Pardes, vice president and dean; and Dr. Satish Parimoo, scientific liaison, Skin Biology Center, Johnson & Johnson.

Dr. Desiree Ratner has been appointed the George Henry Fox Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology. Dr. Ratner, who has been P&S assistant clinical professor of dermatology since April, is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her specialty is Mohs micrographic surgery and dermatologic surgery.

At the October Trustees meeting Dr. Robert A. Solomon, chairman of neurological surgery, was appointed the Byron Stookey Professor of Neurological Surgery.

Dr. Joan M. Leiman, executive deputy vice president for Health Sciences, has been inducted into the Academy of Women Achievers of the YWCA of the City of New York. Dr. Leiman and other incoming members were honored at the YWCA's 24th annual Salute to Women Achievers luncheon in November. The luncheon is the nation's largest tribute to professional and managerial women. The academy was founded 24 years ago to recognize successful, high-achieving women and the organizations that make their advancement possible.

Dr. Herbert Pardes, vice president and dean, was honored by the Institute of Medicine with the 1997 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat Prize for outstanding contributions to the field of mental health. Dr. Pardes is also chairman of the P&S Department of Psychiatry, in which he has been noted for building one of the world's leading research programs in genetics and psychiatric disorders, schizophrenia, and child psychiatric and geriatric disorders.

Dr. Clarice Kestenbaum, director of training in the division of child and adolescent psychiatry at PI and professor of clinical psychiatry at P&S, was honored for her work at a dinner dance in September. The event recognized Dr. Kestenbaum's work in CARING, a culturally sensitive intervention program for children and adolescents in the community who are exposed to violence and physical and emotional illness. The program's innovative and creative techniques with children at risk are a training model at medical centers nationwide.

Carolyn R. Conway has been appointed director of public relations for the Health Sciences Division Office of External Relations. She was formerly manager of media relations. Before joining Columbia in 1995, she worked in public affairs at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore.

Dr. Myles Akabas, P&S assistant professor of physiology and cellular biophysics and medicine, was awarded the Paul F. Cranefield Award of Scientific Merit by the Society of General Physiologists. The award recognizes Dr. Akabas for his studies of the relationship of structure and function in the ion channels of the GABA-A receptor and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, the protein that is defective in children with cystic fibrosis.

New Associate Dean of Grad Students Dr. David Figurski, P&S professor of microbiology, has been named P&S associate dean of graduate students. He succeeds Dr. Phil Feigelson, who held the position of associate dean for graduate affairs for 10 years. Dr. Feigelson is returning to science and scholarship full time as professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics in the Institute of Cancer Research. To assist with the transition, Dr. Jaime S. Rubin, P&S assistant dean for research administration, will serve full time as acting associate dean for graduate affairs over the next several months. Dr. Rubin, with her extensive experience with the graduate program, will be helpful in implementing the new initiative to coordinate the doctoral programs at P&S. Dr. Richard Abbott will continue to serve as the P&S assistant dean for graduate affairs working closely with Drs. Figurski and Rubin.

Dr. Roger G. Pollock, P&S assistant professor of orthopedic surgery, represented the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons on a European traveling fellowship this fall. Dr. Pollock visited eight centers of shoulder surgery in six countries.

In celebration of its 75th jubilee, the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, chose to award a number of special Jubilee Medals to alumni whose distinguished achievement "fittingly embodies the spirit of this faculty." Two of those recipients were Dr. Zena Stein, professor emeritus of public health, and Dr. Mervyn W. Susser, the Gertrude Sergievsky Professor Emeritus, both from the class of 1950. Drs. Stein and Susser, who are husband and wife research collaborators, attended the jubilee award ceremony in August.

Dr. Pat Molholt, associate dean of scholarly resources for Health Sciences, has been elected to the board of directors of the American Society for Information Science (ASIS). ASIS counts among its membership some 4,000 information specialists who share a common interest in improving the ways society stores, retrieves, analyzes, manages, archives, and disseminates information.

Hughes investigator Dr. Wayne A. Hendrickson was awarded the Aminoff Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The prize rewards documented, individual contributions in the field of crystallography. Dr. Hendrickson, P&S professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics, was honored for his contributions to phase determination of macromolecular crystal structures.

Wilson Daniel has been appointed manager of the Student Learning Center following the retirement of Ronald J. Brier. Mr. Daniel was previously a technical assistant in the Department of Physiology.

Dr. Casilda Balmaceda, P&S assistant professor of neurology, was invited to present two platform sessions at the 49th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology last summer.

Two School of Dental and Oral Surgery faculty members have received awards from the National Dental Association this year. Dr. Marlene Moss-Klyvert, associate professor of clinical dental and oral surgery, received the service award and Dr. Dennis Mitchell-Lewis, assistant professor of clinical dental and oral surgery, received the outstanding achievement award.

Dr. Mitchell C. Benson, P&S professor of urology, has been appointed the George F. Cahill Professor of Urology. Dr. Benson has been a member of the P&S faculty since 1984 and was most recently professor of urology. He is also director of urologic oncology at CPMC. The Cahill professorship was first established in 1957 in honor of a former chairman of the Department of Urology.

Dr. Edgar Housepian, P&S professor emeritus of clinical neurological surgery and special adviser for international affiliations, and Dr. John Nercessian, P&S assistant professor of orthopedic surgery, were presented honorary doctor of medicine degrees from Yerevan State Medical University in Armenia this summer. The degrees were presented in honor of the medical services they have given to Armenia for the past decade. Dr. Housepian also was inducted into Armenia's National Academy of Sciences for his earlier collaborative neurophysiology research. He is the first doctor of medicine to receive the honorary doctor of science degree from the academy.

Nancy Duthie, administrator in the Faculty of Medicine dean's office, represents P&S at the Deans' Assistants Group, a national organization whose members are from AAMC medical schools. Ms. Duthie, a DAG founding member, is editor of the DAG newsletter and other print media used by members from 56 institutions in 27 states and Puerto Rico.

CPPN, the Columbia-Presbyterian physician network, has a new director: Richard Mulry who replaces Nancy Bocuzzi, who resigned in August to become assistant dean for practice development in the School of Nursing. Mr. Mulry was formerly CPPN manager, operations and finance.

Mayeux Receives Alzheimer's Award  Dr. Richard Mayeux was honored Oct. 15 at the 13th annual Rita Hayworth Gala, an Alzheimer's Association event. The association's medical award recognized Dr. Mayeux as a "true pioneer." Dr. Mayeux is the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry and professor in public health. He has led many Alzheimer's studies that trace the epidemiology of this deadly disease.  The Rita Hayworth Galas help raise funds for the association's research programs and family-support activities. Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, daughter of the late Rita Hayworth, is general chair of the galas. Ms. Hayworth died in 1987 of Alzheimer's disease. The galas honor medical and scientific leaders, private citizens, and corporations that contribute to finding the cause of and cure for Alzheimer's. Princess Yasmin presented the medical award to Dr. Mayeux, second from right, who was accompanied to the event by Columbia colleagues, from left, Dr. Steven Shea, Hamilton Southworth Professor of Medicine at P&S; and Dr. Katherine Nickerson, P&S assistant clinical professor of medicine; and his wife, Dr. Nancy Green, far right.