CUIMC Update - July 12, 2023
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
You're Invited: CUIMC Ice Cream Social
Join CUIMC colleagues for a free frozen fruit or ice cream bar and live jazz on Tuesday, July 18, from noon to 2 p.m. in Haven Plaza. During the event, stop by the Velocity tent to learn more about Columbia’s Ride to End Cancer. Learn more.
VP&S Afternoon of Science Series Kicks Off
The first Afternoons of Science at VP&S gave the Department of Genetics & Development and the Institute for Cancer Genetics the opportunity to share their research and thoughts about the future. The two events, part of a year-long scientific prioritization process for VP&S, featured engaging question-and-answer sessions following each individual presentation. Read more.
40 Years of Fertility Treatment at Columbia: Then and Now
In its 40-year history, Columbia University's fertility center has pioneered many firsts in the field of fertility treatment, starting with helping the first woman in New York City over age 40 have a baby via IVF. Learn more about the center’s innovations and firsts.
Grant Will Support Columbia Dental's Community Patient Care
The College of Dental Medicine will use a three-year grant from the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation to expand services and access to care for underserved patients in Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx. The grant will enable CDM to fill in gaps in eligible services that, even with the significantly reduced fees offered in the student clinics, patients may not be able to afford. Read more.
Columbia Research Explores Link Between Heart Failure and Cognitive Decline
Heart failure may lead to cognitive decline by creating a tiny calcium leak inside the brain’s neurons, according to a study led by Andrew R. Marks, MD, chair of the Department of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics at VP&S. The finding could open the door to new treatments for the condition, called cardiogenic dementia. Read more.
EVENTS
Film Works Alfresco at Haven Plaza: Inside Out
July 14, 7 p.m., Haven Plaza, Haven Avenue between Fort Washington Avenue and 169 Street
Learn more.
Situational Awareness Training from Columbia Public Safety
July 17, 4 p.m., online
Register here.
ColumbiaDoctors Outreach With Nurse Practitioner Group and Primary Care
July 18, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Haven Plaza, Haven Avenue between Fort Washington Avenue and 169 Street
Learn more.
Social Media and Kids: Columbia Experts Discuss What's "In the News"
July 18, 6 p.m., online
Register here.
TraineeHub Grantsmanship Series: The Writing and Uses of Specific Aims
July 19, 4 p.m., online
Register here.
ColumbiaDoctors Outreach With Dentistry and the Hypertension Center
July 25, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Haven Plaza, Haven Avenue between Fort Washington Avenue and 169 Street
Learn more.
Request for Nominations: Mentor of the Year Award
Aug. 3, online
Learn more.
GRANTS
COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE
James Fine, DMD: $300,000 over two years from Zimmer Biomet for "2021-23 Fellowship."
MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Yuanjia Wang, PhD, Biostatistics: $2,490,460 over four years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for "Statistical Methods for Integrating Mixed-type Biomarkers and Phenotypes in Neurodegenerative Disease Modeling."
VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS
Hasan Abaci, PhD, Dermatology: $503,973 over three years from the National Science Foundation for "Restoring the Mechanosensation in Engineered Skin using Controllable Cellular and Extracellular Cues."
Jonathan Barasch, MD, Medicine: $893,763 over five years for a subaward from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for "New York Consortium for Interdisciplinary Training in Kidney, Urological and Hematological Research (NYC Train KUHR)."
Constantinos Broustas, PhD, and Helen Turner, PhD, Center for Radiological Research: $2,600,506 over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for "Development of a Novel Therapeutic for Mitigating Radiation-Induced Microbiome Dysbiosis and Acute Gastrointestinal Syndrome."
Lawrence Kegeles, MD, Psychiatry: $1,836,281 over five years for a subaward from the National Institute of Mental Health for "A Multimodal Imaging Study of Dopamine in Early Psychosis."
Vilas Menon, PhD, Neurology: $1,146,737 over four years for a subaward from the National Institute on Aging for "Spatial dysregulation of the lipidome in Alzheimer's disease human and mouse brain."
Catherine Spina, MD, PhD, Medicine: $2,635,968 over three years from Johnson & Johnson Innovation, LLC for "Interrogation of the Adenosine Signaling Axis in Primary Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Tumors."
HONORS
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IRVING MEDICAL CENTER
Noemie Elhadad, PhD, VP&S Biomedical Informatics; Sarah Rossetti, PhD, VP&S Biomedical Informatics; and Max Topaz, PhD, School of Nursing, were elected fellows in the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics.
VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS
Yelena Akelina, DVM, Orthopedic Surgery, received the Sun Lee Award at the 16th Congress of the International Society of Experimental Microsurgery.
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
IN THE NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
CBS New York
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin takes part in CPR training session at Yankee Stadium
Jul 6, 2023 - Dr. Sachin Agarwal, with Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, led the CPR training session. He said it's about much more than just chest compressions. "I think finding courage and sort of like your values to move forward and think about saving a life today. God has given you an opportunity to do something, the gift of life. So just dive in," Agarwal said.
USA TODAY
You've heard of Ozempic, but do you understand how it works?
Jul 6, 2023 - Dr. Judy Korner, an endocrinologist and the founder and director of the Metabolic and Weight Control Center at Columbia University, says that Ozempic mimics the hormone GLP-1, which helps the pancreas release insulin. “GLP-1 goes to the pancreas, and helps the pancreas make insulin – but only when the body needs insulin. So when glucose levels rise, the body needs more insulin, and GLP-1 or Ozempic (its mimicker) helps the pancreas release insulin,” Korner explains.
Science
Rare link between coronavirus vaccines and Long Covid–like illness starts to gain acceptance
Jul 3, 2023 - Small fiber neurons also have the ACE2 receptor on their surface, so in theory rogue antibodies could contribute to neuropathy. But Matthew Schelke, a neurologist at Columbia University who has treated small fiber neuropathy in both Long Covid and postvaccine patients, says pinning down a connection won’t be easy. Even when unusual antibodies turn up in someone’s blood, “it’s extremely difficult to know if any of these are pathogenic or if they are just bystanders,” he says. Other immune system components that fuel inflammation may also harm nerves, he notes.
Postvaccination illness is “a long, relentless disease,” says Lawrence Purpura, an infectious disease specialist at Columbia University who is also Subaiya’s partner—and who treats both Long Covid patients and those with chronic symptoms after vaccination.