Events

The Herbert and Florence Irving Institute for Cancer Dynamics will continue its seminar series on the topic of mathematical sciences underpinning cancer research. The monthly seminars take place on the second Wednesday of the month, 2:00-3:00 PM EST. The presentations are open to the Columbia community (in person and online) and to researchers outside Columbia (via Zoom). On Wednesday, February 11th (2:00 PM ET), IICD welcomes Dr. David Cheek from Harvard University. Seminar hosted by Dr. Simon Tavaré. The seminar will take place in person in Schermerhorn Hall 603 (Morningside Heights campus). If you wish to attend the seminar remotely, please register using the following link: https://columbiauniversity.zoom.us/meeting/register/5z2CNEXuR7KDIiJYUmIM4Q Title: Age Distinguishes Selection from Causation in Cancer Genomes Abstract: Which mutations cause cancer? This question is central to cancer biology and treatment development. Towards answers, hundreds of thousands of cancer genomes have been sequenced, and signals of positive selection in cancer genomes have implicated hundreds of genes as putative drivers. However, positive selection does not imply cancer causation: positively selected mutations pervade normal aging tissues, even in the absence of cancer. Here, we develop a probabilistic framework to disentangle selection in normal tissue and causation of carcinogenesis. We derive an estimator for mutations’ effects on cancer risk based on a comparison of cancer and normal tissue genomes, which we apply to the blood, esophagus, and colon. We show mathematically and empirically that stronger cancer-causing mutations are enriched in younger patients, enabling cancer-causing mutations to be identified from patient age distributions. We show moreover that the age-dependence of purported causal mutations in acute myeloid leukemia can be explained largely by normal blood evolution, challenging the long-standing notion that childhood cancers require distinct mutations. Broadly, our framework separates carcinogenesis from normal tissue aging, improving the assessment of cancer risk conferred by mutations. Bio: David Cheek is a Research Fellow in Genetics at Harvard Medical School. His education was in mathematics at the universities of Oxford (undergraduate) and Edinburgh (PhD). Now he studies somatic evolution and carcinogenesis through the probabilistic lenses of branching processes. If you would like to meet one-on-one (possibly via Zoom) or attend the lunch or dinner with the speaker, please contact the event organizer.

This event honors the legacy, contributions, and continued impact of Black leaders in healthcare. By engaging with archival materials and contemporary scholarship, we invite you to explore how Black leadership influenced clinical practice, public health, education, and community-based care, and how those contributions continue to inform and inspire the work we do today.  Locations include Learning Lab 104, the Knowledge Center, and the Columbia School of Nursing Rooftop Space. 10:30 – 11:30 AM | Hammer Health Science - Hammer Learning Lab 104 Archival Tours: Explore rare materials highlighting Black contributions to health care in guided small group tours of CUIMC’s Archives & Special Collections at the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library.  Space is Limited 12:00 – 1:00 PM | Location - TBD Black History in Healthcare: Dr. Ashley Graham-Perel and Dr. Bob Fullilove will explore how black communities, institutions, and professionals have shaped health care in the U.S. 1:00 – 2:30 PM | Columbia School of Nursing Rooftop Space Community Lunch & Conversation: Join us at the School of Nursing for lunch, networking, and continued conversation. REGISTER HERE Advanced registration is required. All CUID holders are welcome to register and join. This event is sponsored by Columbia University School of Nursing’s Office of Engagement and Community Affairs in collaboration with the African, Black, and Caribbean Employee Resource Group.

Register Here (Registration is required)   All CUIMC faculty are invited to join a discussion on the Columbia University tenure evaluation process led by the Office of the Provost. Speakers: Katrina Armstrong, MD Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences Harold and Margaret Hatch Professor in the Faculty of the University Eugenia Lean, PhD Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures Columbia University Angela V. Olinto, PhD Provost  Rutherfurd Professor of Astronomy and Professor of Physics Columbia University  Daichi Shimbo, MD      Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Senior Vice President for Faculty Affairs, Columbia University Irving Medical Center Professor of Medicine

Wednesday, February 18th, 2026 on Zoom https://columbiacuimc.zoom.us/j/97466127228?pwd=x1M9abmOKzRFMkdhEBbT9CvuP090Wi.1 Meeting ID: 974 6612 7228 Passcode: 775003 Morning 10:30 – 11:10 am Matthew King, PhD (Harvard Medical School and Washington University in St. Louis) Organize to Optimize: How intrinsically disordered proteins and condensates coordinate biochemical reactions in a partitionless nucleus 11:15 – 11:55 am Ankita Jha, PhD (National Institutes of Health) Blebology: Decoding bleb driven signaling in cancer disease progression 12:00 – 12:40 pm Jingchuan Luo, PhD (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) The What, Where, and When of Protein Synthesis: Decoding the Logic of Subcellular Translation Afternoon 1:30 – 2:10 pm Mabel Lam, PhD (Stanford University) From membranes to memories: Myelin membrane trafficking in development and neuroplasticity 2:15 – 2:55 pm Mike Lange, PhD (University of California, Berkeley) Lipid Droplet Quality Control: A New Frontier in Cell Biology 3:05 – 3:45 pm Shanshan Liu, PhD (Rockefeller University) Decoding the Principles of Metabolic Homeostasis in the Secretory Pathway 3:50 – 4:30 pm Andrew Moore, PhD (HHMI Janelia Research Campus) Cables, Clouds, and Comet Tails: How the Actin Cytoskeleton Orchestrates Mitochondrial Inheritance