CUIMC Update - March 16, 2022

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

Katrina Armstrong and Anne Taylor: “There’s a broad coalition committed to principles of equity”  
When Katrina Armstrong, MD, the new CUIMC CEO, and Anne Taylor, MD, senior vice president for faculty affairs and career development, sat down to discuss CUIMC’s progress in diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism, the conversation included thoughts on our unique culture, how progress made in integrating women into the fabric of the institution could also help faculty of color, and the importance of clearly defining our values. Listen to the conversation here.  

Hiroo Takayama Appointed Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery  
Hiroo Takayama, MD, PhD, has been named chief of adult cardiac surgery at VP&S and NYP/CUIMC. He is internationally renowned as a “surgeon’s surgeon” and has more than 20 years of experience in treating all forms of heart and aortic problems. Read more.

The Ukrainian Refugee Crisis: Q&A with Mailman’s Monette Zard 
Monette Zard, director of Mailman’s Program on Forced Migration and Health, shares insights into the situation on the ground in Ukraine and what lessons can be drawn from the crisis. Read more

Register Now for “COVID-19 Vaccines: Unfinished Business” 
Registration is now open for Columbia's 2022 global virtual symposium on "COVID-19 Vaccines: Unfinished Business," March 28 - April 1. The five-day event features experts from the VP&S Programs in Global Health along with dozens of world leaders, including an introduction from Katrina Armstrong, MD, as well as Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, director of the CDC; Hon. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, prime minister of the Hellenic Republic (Greece); Meg Tirrell, senior health & science reporter at CNBC; and many more. View the full agenda and register online

Columbia House Calls Program Helps Local Seniors 
A house calls program of the ColumbiaDoctors Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Group, with support from Columbia health professions students, helps local seniors in Washington Heights stay healthy in their homes. Read more

Treating Generations of Families with Colorectal Cancer
During National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March, James Church, MD, director of the Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Center at CUIMC, emphasizes how critical it is to provide and prioritize emotional and psychological support in addition to medical care for families with hereditary colorectal cancer. Read more

How Old Is Too Old to See a Pediatrician?
Emily Avis Redwood, MD, a pediatrician with Columbia Primary Care, offers tips to help patients and their families decide when a child should graduate out of pediatric care and how to find an adult doctor. Read more

GRANTS

VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS

Anne-Catrin Uhlemann, MD, PhD, Medicine, will receive $457,700 over two years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for “Delineating genetic determinants of polymyxin resistance in Serratia marcescens.”

Badri Vardarajan, PhD, Sergievsky Center, will receive $780,586 over five years from the National Institute on Aging for a subaward of “Genome Center for Alzheimer’s Disease (GCAD) - CORE B” and $744,342 over five years from the National Institute on Aging for a subaward of “Genome Center for Alzheimer’s Disease (GCAD) - CORE C.”

Darrell Yamashiro, MD, Pediatrics, will receive $250,000 over two years from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for “Targeting CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins CEBPB and CEBPD in neuroblastoma.”

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Yuanjia Wang, PhD, Biostatistics, will receive $2,007,103 over five years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Machine Learning Methods for Optimizing Individualized Treatment Strategies for Precision Psychiatry.” 

AWARDS AND HONORS

VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS

Kareen Matouk, PhD, Psychiatry, has been selected for the Society for Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychology’s Scholars Program, which is part of the American Psychological Association and focuses on providing mentorship and training in working with gender and sexual minorities.

Olajide Williams, MD, Neurology, has been named a "Rising Leader" by the New York Academy of Medicine. 

EVENTS

Megillah Reading in honor of Purim, March 17, 11 a.m., Hammer Health Sciences Center, room 303, register here

Mental Health Lessons from Women Around the World, March 17, 3 p.m., register here.

Transgender and Nonbinary Health Care Instagram Live Program, March 18, 1 p.m., read more.

Situational Awareness Training for Students, March 21, 4 p.m., register here

COVID-19 and Public Health: Two Years and a Changed Profession, March 22, 11:45 a.m., online and in person at the Vagelos Education Center, register here

The David Seegal Alpha Omega Alpha Visiting Professorship Lecture, “From Fragmentation to Collaboration: Interprofessional Teams in Action,” March 23, 4:30 p.m., Alumni Auditorium, attend in person or register to attend virtually on Zoom webinar

CUIMC Women Roundtable: Imposter Syndrome at Work, March 24, 12 p.m., register here.

Call for Applications: Columbia Global Mental Health Programs 2022-2023 Council Grants Program, through June 1, read more.

For more events, visit the CUIMC Events listing.