Columbia University Presents Ribbon Cutting For The Paul Milstein Institute For Surgical Science

Columbia University Presents Ribbon Cutting for

the

Paul Milstein Institute for Surgical Science

WHAT:

To celebrate the completion and reopening of the renovated Paul Milstein

Institute for Surgical Science

in the Division of Surgical Science, the Columbia University Department

of Surgery is hosting a ribbon-

cutting ceremony and champagne toast.

Guided by principal investigators, guests may tour the Institute and view

poster presentations describing

ongoing research projects within each laboratory.

WHEN &

Tuesday, June 11, 2002, 5:30 to 7 p.m.

WHERE:

Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons

630 West 168th Street

17th Floor, Room 501

New York, New York

WHO:

Gerald D. Fischbach, M.D., dean, Columbia University College of Physicians

& Surgeons

Eric A. Rose, M.D., chairman, Columbia University Department of Surgery;

surgeon-in-chief, NewYork-

Presbyterian Hospital

Harvey Colten, M.D., vice president and senior associate dean for translational

research, Columbia University

College of Physicians & Surgeons

Ann Marie Schmidt, M.D., division chief, Paul Milstein Institute for Surgical

Science

Paul Milstein, benefactor

WHY:

The Paul Milstein Institute for Surgical Science houses clinical and basic

research projects focusing on

a wide range of topics, including diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, tumor

immunology and angiogenesis,

and organ preservation. It comprises a network of coordinated laboratories,

each with its own director and

area of interest, but which often shed light on progress in other laboratories

within the division.

About the Paul Milstein Institute for Surgical Science

The Paul Milstein Institute for Surgical Science, part of the Division

of Surgical Science, includes a designated Center for Diabetes Complications

funded by a $3 million grant from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The center’s goal is to study how vascular, kidney and periodontal diseases

develop and progress as complications of Type 1 diabetes. The Institute

also encompasses a vascular biology program funded in large part by the

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), of the NIH.

The Institute also includes the following laboratories:

Plastic Surgery

Arnold S. Breitbart, M.D., director

Dr. Breitbart conducts clinical studies involving stem-cell research,

gene therapy, tissue engineering, and

bone substitutes to advance treatment of diabetic wounds and bone and

skin reconstruction.

Liver Disease and Transplantation

Jean C. Emond, M.D., director

Dr. Emond’s work aims to optimize strategies to expand the limits of

liver regeneration and investigate

therapeutic targets for devastating liver injury, like those imposed

by ischemia or ingestion of toxins.

Receptor for AGE (Advanced Glycation Endproducts)

Ann Marie Schmidt, M.D., director

Dr. Schmidt’s work focuses on the AGE receptor (RAGE), a key molecule

located on cell surfaces.

Because RAGE is found in many disorders – from diabetes and Alzheimer’s

disease to atherosclerosis and

cancers and autoimmune diseases – it is the focus of research in several

of the Institute’s laboratories.

Diabetes Research

Kevan Herold, M.D., director

Dr. Herold investigates the role of RAGE in the development of diabetes

and islet transplantation as a

treatment for diabetes and will study the effectiveness of an immune

suppressive drug in the prevention of

diabetes.

Colorectal Disease

Emina H. Huang, M.D., director

Dr. Huang studies the role of the RAGE receptor in chronic colonic

inflammation and tumor development.

Heart Disease

Yoshifumi Naka, M.D., director

Dr. Naka investigates the role of RAGE in restenosis after arterial

injury; the occurrence of vein graft disease

as a complication of coronary artery bypass grafting; and the role

of RAGE in left ventricular function after

myocardial infarction.

Transplantation Immunology

Mark A. Hardy, M.D., director

Dr. Hardy’s research team explores mechanisms by which the host response

to transplantation may be

attenuated, thereby ensuring the survival and vitality of transplanted

organs with minimal toxicity to the

recipient.

Pediatric Oncology

Jessica Kandel, M.D., director; Herbert Irving Assistant Professor

of Surgery

Dr. Kandel investigates the role of the p53 tumor suppressor gene in

Wilms tumors.

Cancer Immunology

Howard L. Kaufman, M.D., director

Dr. Kaufman explores vaccines that may prevent the formation and/or

development of malignant tumors.

Heart Disease and Atrial Fibrillation

Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., director

Dr. Oz's primary research goal is the advancement of the surgical management

of heart failure and the

development of new techniques to treat atrial fibrillation.

Cardiovascular Surgery

Henry M. Spotnitz, M.D., director

Dr. Spotnitz’s research focuses on improving the methods of myocardial

protection for ICD (implantable

cardiac defibrillator) testing and heart transplantation and the effects

of surgery for congenital disease on

systolic and diastolic properties of the left ventricle and ventricular

geometry.

Minimally Invasive Surgery

Richard L. Whelan, M.D., director

Dr. Whelan explores the role of a plasma protein in immunosuppression

found in laparotomy and traditional

“open” surgery and also researches perioperative and immediate postoperative

anti-tumor immunotherapy.

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