CUMC Celebrates

CUMC CELEBRATES acknowledges faculty, staff, and students at Columbia University Medical

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Center who receive major research grants, who earn prestigious honors, who are elected to honorary societies, or who take leadership positions in professional organizations.

Celebrates also gratefully acknowledges the gifts made by donors and friends of the medical center and highlights faculty who have appeared in the news recently. If you have an award or honor that you would like to have listed in Celebrates, please fill out this online form. Please note: all federal grants are automatically included based on institutional data provided by Sponsored Projects Administration. For more information, send an email to the Celebrates editor. Click on the image at right to print this issue.  

Research Grants / Awards & Honors / Philanthropic Gifts /CUMC in the News  

RESEARCH GRANTS

COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS

Larry Abbott, PhD, Neuroscience, received $750,000 over three years from the Simons Foundation for “Higher-Level Olfactory Processing.” Dr. Abbott also received $584,250 over five years in competitive renewal from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Advanced Graduate Training Program in Theoretical Neuroscience.”

R. Graham Barr, MD, DrPH, Medicine, and Andrew F. Laine, DSc, Biomedical Engineering, received $1,775,739 over four years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Novel Quantitative Emphysema Subtypes in MESA and SPIROMICS.”

Matthew Baldwin, MD, Medicine, received $680,238 over five years from the National Institute on Aging for “Frailty, Palliative Care Needs, and Outcomes in Older Survivors of Critical Illness.”

Jorge Caviglia, MD, PhD, Medicine, received $600,000 over three years from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “TLR4 in Obesity-Driven Liver Fibrosis.”

Angela Christiano, PhD, Dermatology, received $633,594 over three years from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for “Developing an Alopecia Areata Disease Activity Index (ALADIN).”

Henry Colecraft, PhD, Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, and Steven Marx, MD, Medicine, received $2,352,798 over four years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “L-type Calcium Channel Trafficking and Modulation in Heart.”

Sandra Comer, PhD, Psychiatry, received $2,689,877 over five years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for “Risk and Benefits of Overdose Education and Naloxone Prescribing to Heroin Users.”

Frank Costantini, PhD, Genetics & Development, received $2,529,797 over five years in a competitive renewal from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Branching Morphogenesis of Urinary Epithelia: From Genes to Cellular Behaviors.”

John Cunningham, PhD, Neuroscience, received $600,000 over three years from the Simons Foundation for “Spatiotemporal Structure of Neural Population Dynamics in the Motor System.”

Gilbert Di Paolo, PhD, Pathology & Cell Biology, received $440,000 over two years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Deciphering the Metabolism of LBPA and its Function in the Endolysosomal System.”

Lisa Dixon, MD, Psychiatry, received $4,994,696 over five years from the Department of Health and Human Services for “Improving Life Trajectories for Youth with Early Psychosis.”

Stephen Emerson, MD, PhD, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, received $19,337,786 over five years in a competitive renewal from the National Cancer Institute for “Cancer Center Support Grant.”

Ellen Ezratty, PhD, Pathology & Cell Biology, received $712,000 over three years from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for “Function of Primary Cilia during Epidermal Morphogenesis and Tissue Regeneration.”

Adolfo Ferrando, MD, PhD, Institute for Cancer Genetics, received $250,000 over two years from the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for “Mechanisms and Targeted Inhibition of NT5C2 Mutations in Relapsed ALL.” Dr. Ferrando also received $600,000 over three years from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for “Targeting Chemotherapy Resistance in T-ALL.”

David Fidock, PhD, Microbiology & Immunology, received $2,058,504 over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for “Defining P. Falciparum Resistance to Artemisinin-Based Combination Therapies.”

Stefano Fusi, PhD, Neuroscience, received $600,000 over three years from the Simons Foundation for “Computational Principles of Mechanisms Underlying Cognitive Functions.”

Ali Gharavi, MD, Medicine, and Andrew Bomback, Medicine, received $1,994,000 over five years from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities for “Ancestry, Genetic Risk and Health Disparities in Glomerular Diseases.”

Michael Goldberg, MD, Neuroscience, received $2 million over five years in a competitive renewal from the National Eye Institute for “The Neurophysiology of Visual Search: Oculomotor and Visual Mechanisms.”

Estela Area Gomez, PhD, Neurology, received $566,895 over five years from the National Institute on Aging for “Endoplasmic Reticulum Mitochondrial Membranes in Alzheimer’s Disease.”

Tamas Gonda, MD, Medicine, received $766,800 over five years from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Targeting the Microenvironment in Gastric Chemoprevention.”

Lloyd Greene, PhD, Pathology & Cell Biology, received $585,000 over five years in a competitive renewal from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Using Cell-Penetrant Peptides to Target ATF5 in Mouse Glioma Models.”

Alla Grishok, PhD, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, received $1,216,000 over four years from the National Institute of General Medical Science for “Regulation of RNA Processing and Transcription by Endogenous RNAi.”

Wei Gu, PhD, Institute for Cancer Genetics, received $1,440,000 over five years in a competitive renewal from the National Cancer Institute for “Regulation of P53 Acetylation and Deacetylation in Tumorigenesis.”

Margaret Haney, PhD, Psychiatry, received of $451,105 over two years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for “Cycooxygenase-2 Inhibition for Cannabis Withdrawal and Relapse.”

Dawn Hershman, MD, Medicine, received $250,000 from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for “Reducing Overuse, Improving Adherence, and Understanding Barriers to Quality Cancer Care.”

Quan Hoang, MD, PhD, Ophthalmology, received $300,000 over four years from Research to Prevent Blindness for “Career Development Award.” Dr. Hoang also received $1,081,125 over five years from the National Eye Institute for “Novel Approaches in the Therapy of Pathologic Myopia.”

Barry Honig, PhD, Systems Biology, received $1,030,651 over five years in a competitive renewal from the National Science Foundation for “The Molecular Basis of Cadherin-Mediated Cell Adhesion.”

George Hripcsak, MD, Biomedical Informatics, received $489,961 over 17 months from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute for “New York City Clinical Data Research Network.”

Antonio Iavarone, MD, Institute for Cancer Genetics, received $1,849,341 over five years from the National Cancer Institute for “The Mechanisms Driving Brain Oncogenesis by FGFR-TACC Gene Fusions.”

Eric Kandel, MD, Neuroscience, received $800,000 over two years from the Department of the Army for “Translational Mouse Models of PSD and Comorbid Substance Use.”

Kara Kelly, MD, Pediatrics; Andrew Lassman, Neurology; and Alfred Neugut, Medicine, received $3,275,000 over five years from the National Cancer Institute for the “Columbia University Minority/Underserved Site NCI Community Oncology Research Program.”

Andrew Kung, MD, PhD, Institute for Cancer Genetics, received $600,000 over three years from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for “Bringing Anti-NOTCH1 Therapies to the Clinic.”

Ian Kronish, MD, Medicine, received $1,596,660 over four years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “PTSD, Medication Adherence, and Prognosis after Acute Coronary Syndromes.”

Martin Lan, MD, Psychiatry, received $901,800 over five years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Serotonin 1A Receptor PET Imaging and SSRI Outcome in Bipolar Depression.”

Elan Louis, MD, Neurology, received $1,396,195 over five years in a competitive renewal from the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Neuroepidemiology Training Program.”

Olena Mamykina, PhD, Biomedical Informatics, received $499,931 over three years from the National Science Foundation for “CHS: Small: Making Sense of Information in Online Discussion Boards with Novel Social Computing Platforms.”

Diana Martinez, MD, Psychiatry, received $631,800 over five years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for “Using PET to Image the Neurochemistry of Addiction.”

Carol Ann Mason, PhD, Pathology & Cell Biology, received $1,600,000 over four years from the National Eye Institute for “Growth and Guidance of Retinal Axons.”

Mathew Maurer, MD, Medicine, received $424,522 over 19 months from the National Institute on Aging for “DASH-SRD Post Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Hospitalization.” Dr. Maurer, along with Evelyn Horn, MD, Surgery, also received $468,130 over 19 months from the National Institute on Aging for “Can Ventricular Assist Devices Reverse the Frailty Phenotype?”

Laura Beth McIntire, PhD, Pathology & Cell Biology, received $628,150 over five years from the National Institute on Aging for “The Role of a Novel Atypical Monoamine Transporter in Alzheimer’s Disease.”

Alice Prince, MD, Pediatrics, received $1,586,842 over four years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Staphylococcus Aureus Activation of TNF Signaling Pathways.”

Steven Roose, MD, Psychiatry, received $1,874,094 over five years in a competitive renewal from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Research Training in Mood and Anxiety Disorders: From Animal Models to Patients.” He also received $1,339,106 from the National Institute of Mental Health for five years for “Research Training in Late Life Neuropsychiatric Disorders.”

Lisa Saiman, MD, Pediatrics, received $1,033,586 over five years in a competitive renewal from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseasesfor “Training in Pediatric Infectious Diseases.”

Nathaniel Sawtell, PhD, Neuroscience, and Larry Abbott, PhD, Neuroscience, received $720,000 over three years from the National Science Foundation for “From Sensation to Perception: Cellular and Circuit Mechanisms Underlying Prey Detection in an Electric Fish.”

Charles Schroeder, PhD, Psychiatry, received $440,000 over two years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Cortical Dynamics of Anticipation and Preparatory Attention.”

Steven Siegelbaum, PhD, Neuroscience, received $2 million over five years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Genetic Targeting of Hippocampal CA2 Pyramidal Neurons.”

Markus Siegelin, MD, Pathology & Cell Biology, received $936,900 over five years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Overcoming Apoptotic Resistance in Glioblastoma by CP-d/n-ATF5, a Novel Tumor-Specific Therapeutic Compound Targeting the Transcription Factor, ATF5.”

Gary Struhl, PhD, Genetics & Development, received $1,216,000 over four years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Mechanism of Notch Activation by Epsin-Dependent Ligand Endocytosis in Drosophila.”

Lori Sussel, PhD, Genetics & Development, received $408,800 over two years from the National Cancer Institute for “Long Non-Coding RNAs in Pancreatic Cancer.”

Nicholas Tatonetti, PhD, Biomedical Informatics, received $2,117,427 over five years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Drug Effect Discovery Through Data Mining and Integrative Chemical Biology.”

Dennis Vitkup, PhD, Systems Biology, received $750,000 over three years from the Simons Foundation for “Identification and Analysis of Functional Networks Perturbed in Autism.”

Clarissa Waites, PhD, Pathology and Cell Biology, received $440,000 over two years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “High-Throughput Screening Platform for Discovery of Fluorescent Synaptic Markers.”

Timothy Cragin Wang, MD, Medicine, received $1,108,090 over five years in a competitive renewal from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Multidisciplinary Training in Translational Gastrointestinal and Liver Research.”

Nan Wang, PhD, Medicine, received $2 million over five years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “HDL, Platelet Progenitors, Atherosclerosis, and Thrombosis.”

Ronald Wapner, MD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, received $1,374,801 over five years from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for “The Maternal Fetal Medicine Unit Network.”

Howard Worman, MD, Medicine, and Gregg G. Gundersen, PhD, Pathology & Cell Biology, received $479,581 over one year in a competitive renewal from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Nucleoytoplasmic Interactions and Dynamics in Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy.”

Siqin Ye, MD, Medicine, received $688,500 over five years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Patient Health Information Preference and Statin Therapy.”

Chaolin Zhang, PhD, Systems Biology, received $675,000 over three years from the Simons Foundation for “Elucidating Pathogenic Mutations Disrupting RNA Regulation in Autism.”

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Lynn Freedman, MPH, Population and Family Health, received $411,264 over one year from the United Nations Population Fund for “Delivering Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care at Scale: Working with Priority Countries to Generate and Use Evidence for Action.”

Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, Epidemiology, and Lisa Bates, PhD, Epidemiology, received $843,839 over four years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Multi-platform Educational Program in Innovative Methods for the Behavioral and Social Sciences.”

Patrick Kinney, ScD, and Jeffrey Shaman, PhD, Environmental Health Sciences, received $1,262,876 over five years from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for “Interdisciplinary Training in Climate and Health.”

Karestan Koenen, PhD, Epidemiology, received $2,658,163 over four years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Identifying Risk Factors for PTSD by Pooled Analysis of Current Prospective Studies.”

Frederica Perera, PhD, Environmental Health Sciences, received $300,000 over three years from an anonymous supporter for “New York City Children's Environmental Health Research and Community Outreach Initiatives.”

Regina Santella, PhD, and Muhammad Faruque Parvez, PhD, Environmental Health Sciences, received $263,814 over three years from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for “Synergistic Immunosuppression by PAHs and Arsenite.” Dr. Santella and Mary Beth Terry, PhD, Epidemiology, also received $250,000 over one year from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for “Epigenetics and DNA Repair in Breast Cancer Risk.”

Jeffrey Shaman, PhD, Environmental Health Sciences, received $2,553,525 over five years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Development and Dissemination of Operational Real-Time Respiratory Virus Forecast.”

Lindsay Stark, DrPH, Population and Family Health, received $749,948 over one year from the U.S. Agency for International Development for “National Pilot Activity—Measuring Children Outside of Family Care (COFC).”

Melissa Stockwell, MD, Population & Family Health, received $999,827 over four years from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for “PRISM: Personalized Reminders for Immunization Using Short Messaging Systems.”

Yuanjia Wang, PhD, Biostatistics, and Karen Marder, Neurology, received $1,055,475 over three years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Identifying Huntington’s Disease Markers by Modern Statistical Learning Methods.”

COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE

Mildred Embree, DMD, PhD, received $1,215,718 over five years from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research for “NIDCR Dentist Scientist K99: Improve TMJ Fibrocartilage Regeneration Strategies.”

SCHOOL OF NURSING

Kathleen Hickey, EdD, received $2 million over five years from the National Institute of Nursing Research for “iPhone Helping Evaluate Atrial Fibrillation Rhythm Through Technology (HEART).”

Judy C. Honig, DNP, EdD, received $665,280 over two years from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services for “Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship.”

Jeffrey Kwong, DNP, received $1,467,978 over three years from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services for “Elder LGBT Interprofessional Collaborative Care (E-LINC) Program.”

AWARDS & HONORS

CUMC CUMC faculty comprised 17 of the 20 inaugural fellows in the Columbia Public Voices Fellowship program. The program, a collaboration of the Department of Medicine and the OpEd Project created through the support of Robert L. Burch, aims to cultivate national thought leaders among scholars, scientists, and clinicians who can influence public debate.

The CUMC fellows, chosen for 2014–15 through a competitive application process:

COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

SCHOOL OF NURSING

COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE ELECTION

Three P&S faculty members and an adjunct faculty member were elected this year to the elite Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences. CUMC now has 61 faculty members in the prestigious organization.

IRVING INSTITUTE AWARDS

Five faculty members received Irving Institute Imaging Pilot Awards, which support early career investigators using such imaging modalities as magnetic resonance imaging, optical imaging, PET, single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography, and ultrasound.

  • Monica Goldklang, MD, Anesthesiology, “Functional Imaging of Acute Lung Injury.”
  • Vesselin Miloushev, MD, PhD, Radiology, “Advanced Brain Magnetic Resonance T1ƿ  Quantification in Alzheimer’s Disease.”
  •  Timothy Ryntz, MD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, “Can Dynamic MRI Offer Insight Into Underlying Pathophysiology of Idiopathic Menorrhagia?”
  • Gregory M. Sullivan, MD, Psychiatry, “Regional Brain Binding of Vesicular Monoamine Transporter Type 2 (VMAT2) in Major Depressive Disorder: A Pilot PET Study with [F‐18]‐FP‐(+)‐DTBZ.”
  •  Qi Wang, PhD, Biomedical Engineering, “In-Vivo Characterization of Abnormal Cortical Sensory Processing Resulted from Mutation in Autism-Associated Genes using Voltage Sensitive Dye Imaging.”

STUDENT RESEARCH HONORS FROM NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE

The New York Academy of Medicine awarded four College of Physicians and Surgeons students 2014 Student Research Grants. The students presented their research at the 2014 Medical Student Forum:

The Glorney-Raisbeck Medical Student Grants in Cardiovascular Research

  •  Li-Wei Chang, “Developing an Algorithm for Classifying Tissue Types in Myocardial Images Obtained by Optical Coherence Tomography.”

The David E. Rogers Fellowship Program

  •  Elizabeth Ackley and Amulya Iyer, “Sexual, Reproductive and Preventive Needs of Young Men in La Romana.”
  •  Nicholas Hutchings, “Identifying Risk Factors for Fragility Fractures among Elderly Armenians: Initiating Treatment and Prevention Strategies.”

Domenico Accili, MD, Medicine, received the Claude Bernard Award during the 50th annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna, Austria, in September. The award, one of the top international honors in diabetes, recognizes contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the field of diabetes and related metabolic diseases.

Michael Borger, MD, Surgery, was appointed the inaugural president of the Heart Valve Society, a fusion of the Heart Valve Society of America and the Society of Heart Valve Disease.

The Science Unbound Foundation awarded Wendy Chung, MD, PhD, Pediatrics, best paper on obesity-related research by an investigator affiliated with the New York Obesity Research Center.

Salvatore DiMauro, MD, Neurology, was recognized with an honorary membership to the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine for his scholarly achievements and clinical excellence.

Lisa Dixon, MD, Psychiatry, will receive the Scientific Research Award from NAMI New York City Metro at its Seeds of Hope gala on Nov.13, 2014. The award recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of mental illness.

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association will present Mitchell S.V. Elkind, MD, with the 2014 C. Miller Fisher, MD, Neuroscience Visionary Award on Oct. 23, 2014, for his work spearheading progress in the field of stroke neurology.

Sean Escola, MD, PhD, Psychiatry, received an Early Independence Award from the NIH to support his work “The Internal States of Neural Circuits: Data Analysis, Modeling, and Disease.”

Mark Hardy, MD, Surgery, received the 2014 American Society of Transplant Surgeons Pioneer Award, which is presented annually to an individual selected for leadership in transplantation or who has made sentinel contributions to the field. It is the highest honor the Society of Transplant Surgeons bestows.

Carl Hart, PhD, Psychiatry, was named winner of the 2014 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award for his book, “High Price.”

Utpal Pajvani, MD, PhD, Medicine, was awarded the David L. Williams Lecture and Scholarship Award at the Kern Lipid Conference in Vail, Colo., in August. The award is given annually to an early career investigator working in the general area of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and atherosclerosis.

Lisa Saiman, MD, Pediatrics, was selected to deliver the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Lecture at IDWeek 2014, a forum for health professionals of varied backgrounds to collaborate, cooperate, and learn from each other’s expertise.

Megan Sykes, MD, Medicine, received the Transplantation Society’s 2014 Award for Outstanding Achievement in Transplantation (Basic Science), presented at the World Transplant Congress on July 28, 2014, in San Francisco.

The American Heart Association renewed the position of Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD, Institute of Human Nutrition, as chair of the Communications and Membership Committee for the Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health of the American Heart Association. She will serve in this role through 2016.

Jeffrey Zitsman, MD, Surgery, was appointed chair of the Committee on Childhood Obesity of the American Pediatric Surgical Association.

Chi Zhang, MD, PhD, Radiation Oncology, was a third-place winner in the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s 2014 Annual Meeting Abstract Awards clinical practice category.

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Melissa Begg, ScD, Biostatistics, was appointed by Provost John H. Coatsworth, PhD, as vice provost for educational programs.

Melissa Begg, ScD; Linda P. Fried, MD; Sandro Galea, MD, DrPh; Ronald Bayer, PhD; and Julia Walker, MPH, received the American Journal of Public Health Paper of the Year Award for their article, “Design of Mailman School Curriculum Renewal.”

Denise Kandel, PhD, Sociomedical Sciences, presented the 120th Shattuck Lecture to the Massachusetts Medical Society with Eric Kandel, MD, Neuroscience, on their New England Journal of Medicine paper, “A Molecular Basis for Nicotine as a Gateway Drug.”

Gerald Oppenheimer, PhD, Sociomedical Sciences, received the American Journal of Public Health Paper of the Year Award for his article, “McGovern's Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Needs Versus the Meat Industry on the Diet-Heart Question (1976–1977).”

Ruth Ottman, PhD, Epidemiology (in Neurology and the Sergievsky Center) received the American Epilepsy Society’s Epilepsy Research Award for Clinical Science Research. The formal award presentation will be made during the American Epilepsy Society annual meeting on Dec. 6.

Jeffrey Shaman, PhD, Environmental Health Sciences, was named winner of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Predict the Influenza Season Challenge.”

Quarraisha Abdool Karim, PhD, Epidemiology, was elected as a foreign associate to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

The American Political Science Association’s Health Politics and Policy Section named Miriam Laugesen, PhD, Health Policy and Management, recipient of the 2014 Leonard S. Robins Best Paper Award for “Policy Complexity and Professional Capture.”

Stephen S. Morse, PhD, Epidemiology, was appointed for a four-year term to the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity of the NIH by the secretary of Health and Human Services.

COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE

The College of Dental Medicine received a 2014 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, higher education’s oldest and largest diversity-focused publication. CDM was selected based on its exemplary diversity and inclusion initiatives, as well as its ability to embrace a broad definition of diversity. The school will be featured with 82 other awardees in the magazine’s November issue.

Dennis Mitchell, DDS, was appointed senior associate provost for faculty diversity and inclusion by Provost John H. Coatsworth, PhD.

SCHOOL OF NURSING

Elaine Larson, PhD, was selected by the New York Academy of Medicine as the 2014 recipient of the John Stearns Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Clinical Practice. Dr. Larson, a pioneer in promoting hand hygiene for infection prevention and control, is the first nurse to receive this honor

PHILANTHROPIC GIFTS

(Gifts Received July 24–October 3)  

COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS

A foundation made a pledge of $7,500,000 to the Division of Clinical Genetics to advance clinical research into the genetic basis of autism spectrum disorders.

A family foundation made a commitment of $1,000,000 to provide fellowship support to the Division of Cardiology.

A gift of $875,000 was made toward a $10,500,000 commitment to advance research into the mechanisms of brain and gut function and the ways they are affected by nurture.

A family foundation made a gift of $500,000 toward a $5,000,000 commitment to support the new Medical and Graduate Education Building.

A family foundation made a contribution of $500,000 toward a commitment of $2,500,000 to advance cardiology research.

A donor made a contribution of $500,000 to complete a $1,500,000 commitment to provide professorship support to the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain.

A foundation made a gift of $500,000 to the Sackler Institute for the Developmental Psychobiology Parent-Infant Project, to advance research on the developing brain and mind.

A family foundation made a $460,000 contribution to the Department of Psychiatry toward a $2,625,000 commitment to advance care and rehabilitation services at the Lieber Recovery and Rehabilitation Clinic.

A foundation made a contribution of $407,850 toward a $2,000,000 commitment to the Center for Neuroscience Initiatives at Columbia University Medical Center.

An anonymous donor made a contribution of $400,000 to complete a pledge of $800,000 to advance research at the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain.

A donor made a contribution of $300,000 toward a $1,500,000 commitment to provide scholarship support to the Division of Cardiology.

A donor made a commitment of $300,000 to provide scholarship support to the Department of Ophthalmology.

An anonymous donor made a contribution of $250,000 toward a $5,000,000 commitment to the Center for Translational Immunology.

A contribution of $250,000 was made to support the Lewis and Marjorie Katz Cardiology Patient Care Suite in the Division of Cardiology.

A donor made a contribution of $250,000 to the Department of Neurosurgery to advance clinical research and rehabilitation at Columbia’s Spine Center.

A P&S alumnus and her husband, who completed his residency and training at the medical center, made commitments totaling $250,000 to provide scholarship support for the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

A foundation made a contribution of $232,000 toward a $1,160,000 commitment to the Department of Psychiatry to advance efforts to prevent suicide among college students.

A private foundation made a contribution of $201,150 toward an $811,000 commitment to the Department of Psychiatry to support a fellowship and advance research in domestic violence.

A couple made a contribution of $172,500 toward a $1,380,000 commitment to the Department of Ophthalmology to advance research on latent retina dystrophies.

A donor made a gift of $150,000 to the Department of Surgery to advance plastic, craniofacial, and reconstructive research in the Division of Plastic Surgery.

A family made a contribution of $100,000 toward a $500,000 commitment to advance research and clinical initiatives in the Departments of Surgery and Medicine.

A corporate foundation made a contribution of $100,000 to support scholarships at the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

A donor made a gift of $100,000 to the Department of Pediatrics to support the IFAP Global Health Program.

A donor made a gift of $100,000 to advance research in the Department of Urology.

A donor made a $100,000 gift to the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism to advance research into the origin of pediatric endocrine disease.

COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE

An alumnus made a bequest of $128,328 to provide scholarship support to the College of Dental Medicine.

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

A corporation made a pledge of $2,500,000 to the Department of Epidemiology. A donor made a contribution of $1,500,152 toward a $6,000,000 pledge to establish a new professorship and center for public health promotion.

SCHOOL OF NURSING

An alumnus of the School of Nursing made a gift of $700,000 to name the Northern Terrace of the rooftop garden of the School’s new building.

A foundation has awarded $200,000 to the School of Nursing to support undergraduate scholarships, scholarships for graduate students in oncology, and a palliative and end-of-life care fellowship.

A foundation has awarded $100,000 to name two patient examination rooms in the simulation suite of Columbia Nursing’s new building.

CUMC IN THE NEWS: AUGUST 3 –OCTOBER 3, 2014

  SCIENCE

The Littlest Patient–October 3, 2014

The worst day of Kenneth Olive’s career began unremarkably. He woke up in his two-bedroom apartment in Harlem and tag-teamed breakfast for his 1-year-old son as he and his wife raced to get ready for work. At the 116th Street subway stop nearby, Olive hopped on a C train uptown to 168th Street. His lab is about a block away, in the cancer center at the heart of Columbia University’s medical complex.

REUTERS

Early Gluten Exposure No Protection Against Celiac Disease–October 1, 2014

“From now on, it will be hard for anyone to continue to recommend the introduction of gluten specifically at the age of 4 to 6 months,” the timetable tested in one of the studies, according to an accompanying editorial by Drs. Jonas Ludvigsson of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and Peter Green of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City.

NEW YORK TIMES

Tourists Urged to Avoid Ebola Zone in West Africa September 25, 2014

"The risk of infection…is very small," said Prof. Stephen S. Morse. "On the other hand," he said firmly, "if you don’t have to go there, don’t."

REUTERS

Emergency Contraception May Not Be Available to All Young Men – September 23, 2014 “We give a significant amount of lip service for men to be responsible in the couple and there are a number of ways for them to do that,” Dr. David Bell told Reuters Health. … Bell, the study’s lead author, is from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. He's also the medical director for the Young Men’s Clinic, part of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's Family Planning Clinic.

TIME

Phthalates During Pregnancy Linked To 70% Increased Asthma Risk – September 17, 2014

"Virtually everyone in the U.S. is exposed to phthalates," says Prof. Robin Whyatt. "Our data indicates that inhalation is a significant route of exposure."

NBC NEWS

Who Knew? All European Jews Are 30th Cousins or Closer–September 9, 2014

The findings bolster the mainstream view that the ancestors of European Jews were people from the Levant and local Europeans, said study researcher Itsik Pe’er, an associate professor of computer science and systems biology at Columbia University.

NEW YORK TIMES

Study Finds That Brains With Autism Fail to Trim Synapses as They Develop – August 21, 2014

The researchers, from Columbia University Medical Center, looked closely at an area of the brain’s temporal lobe involved in social behavior and communication. Analyzing tissue from 20 of the brains, they counted spines — the tiny neuron protrusions that receive signals via synapses — and found more spines in children with autism.

NEW YORK TIMES

New Drug Helps Some Bald Patients Regrow Hair –August 17, 2014

After trying various treatments, Brian enrolled this year in a study at Columbia University Medical Center testing whether a drug approved for a bone marrow disorder could help people with alopecia. One of the study’s leaders, Angela Christiano, is a dermatology professor and geneticist who herself has alopecia areata.

See more headlines in the CUMC Newsroom.

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