CUIMC Update - May 11, 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

A Preview of (In-Person) Graduation Ceremonies 
After two years of virtual ceremonies, graduates of the Class of 2022 throughout Columbia will be able to attend the large Columbia commencement at Morningside and CUIMC ceremonies in person. Read more

Four VP&S Scientists Named 2022 Schaefer Scholars
Four scientists at VP&S—two early-career faculty and two visiting scientists—have been named 2022 Schaefer Research Scholars: Benjamin Izar, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at VP&S; Edward Owusu-Ansah, PhD, assistant professor of physiology & cellular biophysics at VP&S; Denis David, PhD, professor of pharmacology, University Paris-Saclay, France; and Shimon Marom, MD, PhD, professor and the Pearl Seiden Chair in Sciences, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. Read more

CUIMC Observes National Nurses Week
Columbia Nursing Dean Lorraine Frazier, RN, PhD, reflects on the school's accomplishments as our community celebrates National Nurses Week through May 12. This year marks the School of Nursing’s 130th anniversary. Read more

Telehealth for Talk Therapy
Many mental health problems can be addressed via telehealth, says Columbia psychiatrist Deborah Cabaniss, MD, and there are things you can do to make the most of your sessions. Read more

Personalized Therapies for People with Rare Genetic Forms of ALS
A new initiative led by Columbia University and the n-Lorem Foundation will develop personalized therapies for individuals with “nano-rare” genetic forms of ALS and treat them for free throughout their lives. Read more

GRANTS

VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS

Angela Christiano, PhD, Dermatology, will receive $648,215 over two years from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for “Immunomonitoring and Microbiome Analysis in Alopecia Areata Patients Undergoing Fecal Microbiota Transplantation.”

Claudia Doege, MD, Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, will receive $846,372 over three years from Boehringer Ingelheim for “Functional interrogation of BMI GWAS loci in human stem cell-derived POMC neurons in vitro.”

Qing Fan, PhD, Molecular Pharmacology & Therapeutics, will receive $2,005,480 over five years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Molecular mechanism of dimeric G protein-coupled receptor signaling.” 

Manu Johny, PhD, Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, will receive $445,500 over two years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Next-generation Light-programmable Actuators of Voltage-gated Ca2+ channels.”

Raul Rabadan, PhD, Systems Biology, will receive $6,804,000 over seven years from the National Cancer Institute for “Towards a quantitative understanding of tumor evolution” and $649,998 over two years from STAND UP TO CANCER for a subaward of “Multiomic Analysis of Immune System and Microbiota Influence on Temporal and Spatial Evolution of Tumor Microenvironments.”

AWARDS AND HONORS

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IRVING MEDICAL CENTER 

Alden A. Bush (Nursing), Varna Kodoth (Mailman), Lillian Liao (VP&S), and Michelle Nadine Skelton (CDM) are among the 19 students from across Columbia University who were named 2022 Campbell Award winners. Read more

VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS

Jeanine D’Armiento, MD, PhD, Anesthesiology and Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, and Marisa Spann, PhD, Psychiatry and Pediatrics, were selected to receive 2022 Faculty Service Awards from Columbia University. Read more.

Craig Blinderman, MD, Medicine, has received a 2022 Hastings Center-Cunniff Dixon Physician Award.

Devon Rupley, MD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, was selected to receive a 2022 Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching from Columbia University. Read more

EVENTS                   

CUIMC Women in Science Lecture Series "Perfectly Imperfect Pathways to Success: a Mentoring Mosaic," May 11, 4 p.m., register here.  

ADHD Update: What Pediatricians & Families Should Know, May 17, 6 p.m., register here

Columbia Science and Health Equity Lecture Series "Race, Place, and COVID-19 Sex Disparities" with Dr. Sarah Richardson, May 25, 4 p.m., register here.

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

Financial Empowerment Workshop Series: Make your Money Work for You—Grow Your Wealth (Investing 101), June 7, noon, register here

For more events, visit the CUIMC Events listing.