CUIMC Update - Aug. 30, 2021
CUIMC Update is a weekly e-newsletter featuring medical center news and the accomplishments of our faculty, staff, and trainees. Please send your news, honors, and awards to cuimc_update@cumc.columbia.edu. Grants are provided by the Sponsored Projects Administration office.
NEWS
Awards Recognize Contributions of Academic Affairs Leader Anne Taylor
Since joining Columbia in 2007, Anne Taylor, MD, vice dean for academic affairs in VP&S and senior vice president for faculty affairs and career development for CUIMC, has created programs to support professional development of all faculty, including programs designed for women. Programs Dr. Taylor created led to VP&S receiving the NIH Prize for Enhancing Faculty Gender Diversity in Biomedical and Behavioral Science in August. And in November, Dr. Taylor will receive the Association of American Medical Colleges’ 2021 Group on Women in Medicine and Science Leadership Award for an Individual. Read more.
COVID-19 Safety Protocols for Fall 2021
The University has put in place a comprehensive COVID-19 safety plan for the fall 2021 term as faculty, staff, and students return to campus. Foremost among these protocols is adherence to the Columbia Community Health Compact at all times, including when off campus. Additional key safety measures include vaccination mandate, face covering, testing, training, daily attestation, facility enhancements, and restrictions on travel, visitors, and gatherings and events. Access the plan.
Jeannette Wing, PhD, Appointed Executive Vice President for Research
Jeannette Wing, PhD, has been appointed Executive Vice President for Research at Columbia University, effective Sept. 1, 2021. Dr. Wing joined Columbia in 2017 as the Avanessians Director of the Data Science Institute. Under her leadership, the Institute has supported important research initiatives in personalized medicine and climate change. In recognition of racial equity gaps in data science the Institute launched a Racial Equity Action Plan. As EVP for Research, she will manage and grow Columbia’s research activities to align with challenges and opportunities ahead. Read more.
Memorials at Columbia To Remember Those Lost During the Pandemic
This fall, visual memorials will be created for the CUIMC and Morningside campuses to acknowledge the loss of loved ones due to and during the ongoing pandemic. Submit a remembrance by Sept. 20 for the memorial space to honor a loved one who has passed during the pandemic. The memorials are part of the program series, "Columbia Reflects: Days for Reflection and Hope," on Sept. 20-21.
Experimental Opioid Vaccine Being Tested at Columbia
The first experimental vaccine to be tested in the United States for treatment of opioid use disorder is being studied in a trial led by Sandra Comer, PhD, professor of neurobiology in the VP&S Department of Psychiatry. The experimental vaccine is designed to prevent oxycodone from getting into the brain, where it causes a euphoric feeling, or “high.” Read more.
During a live trivia competition, 11 faculty and staff vied for year-long bragging rights as champion of the 2021 Employee Appreciation trivia challenge. VP&S transplant surgeon Joshua Weiner, MD, was crowned champion. Read more.
In Case You Missed It: Return to Campus Update
Last week’s Return to Campus Update Forum focused on classroom instruction and campus readiness for faculty, researchers, and staff. View recording.
GRANTS
VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS
Chia-Wei Cheng, PhD, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, will receive $726,895 over three years from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Elucidating the Role of Fasting in Intestinal Stemness and Tissue Regeneration.”
Jae-eun Miller, PhD, Psychiatry, will receive $746,486 over two years from the National Eye Institute for “Imaging the Circuit Mechanisms of Perceptual Learning in the Visual Cortex.”
Jianlong Wang, PhD, Medicine, will receive $729,000 over three years from the Army Medical Research and Materiel Command for “Deciphering the Stemness Code for Breast Cancer Metastasis” and $646,253 over two years from the New York State Department of Health for “IIRP and IDEA in Stem Cell Research (Round 5).”
AWARDS AND HONORS
VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS
Four Psychiatry teams are recipients of the 2021-2022 Global Mental Health Council Grants Program. The program funds new investigators and new ideas in global mental health. Read more.
EVENTS
Return to Campus Update: Classroom Edition for faculty, researchers and staff, Aug. 31, 4 p.m., register here.
CUIMC Women Roundtable Discussion on Mentorship/Sponsorship, Sept. 14, 1 p.m., register here.
Anti-Racism Speaker Series: Waverly Duck, PhD, Sept. 16, 10 a.m., register here.
School of Nursing White Coat Ceremony, Sept. 17, 3 p.m., register here.
Annual HIPAA & Security Briefing for faculty, researchers, and management staff, Sept. 29, 2 p.m., register here.
For more events, visit the CUIMC Events listing.