CUIMC Update - Nov. 1, 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

Town Hall: Addressing Structural Racism at CUIMC 
The CUIMC community is invited to a town hall on Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. on Zoom about campus-wide efforts to address racism, including the outstanding work that has been done so far and future plans for continuing work by faculty, staff, and students. Register here.

Research Leads to Regulation on "Forever Chemicals"
New federal efforts to limit exposures to PFAS compounds are based on a growing body of research on their harms to human health, including studies and standards published by Mailman environmental health scientists. Read more

Columbia Scientists and Team of International Experts Awarded $9M to Investigate Early Parkinson's
New technology will allow scientists at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute to uncover what happens in the brain during the early stages of Parkinson's disease, which could lead to earlier diagnosis and better therapies for the disease. Read more

Rapid At-Home COVID Tests: What You Need to Know
Gregory Berry, PhD, associate professor of pathology & cell biology at VP&S, explains what rapid at-home tests can—and cannot—do to help keep us and those around us safe from COVID. Read more

In Case You Missed It: Campus Update Forum
Last week’s campus update forum discussed information regarding COVID-19 and the fall 2021 term, including flu and COVID booster shots for faculty, researchers, and staff. View recording

The Pandemic Broke Kids' Sleep Schedules. Here's How to Fix Them.
While many children across the United States are settling back into a regular routine, many are enduring bleary-eyed mornings and struggling to focus—side effects of the harsh toll the pandemic took on sleep schedules. Carin Lamm, MD, director of the Pediatric Sleep Disorders Center at CUIMC and associate professor of pediatrics at VP&S, offers tips for parents struggling to get their kids back on a healthy sleep schedule. Read more.

Aspirin: Making Sense of Changing Guidelines
People without cardiovascular disease have long accepted the guidance that daily low-dose aspirin lowers their odds of having a first heart attack or stroke. But a proposed update to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines will likely limit daily aspirin for prevention to a more restricted group. Andrew Moran, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine at VP&S, explains what patients need to understand about the proposed change in guidelines. Read more.

Mailman and VP&S Research: Excess Risk of Self-Injury Linked to Autism
People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at substantially increased risk of self-injury and suicide, according to a study by researchers at Mailman and VP&S. Research published in JAMA Open Network found the odds of self-harm in people with ASD were over three times that of people without ASD. Read more.

Why Are Humans so Good at Learning?
For more than a decade, neuroscientist Franck Polleux, PhD, professor of neuroscience and principal investigator at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute, has been exploring the significance of human’s unusual DNA and copied genes. Working with colleagues at the Zuckerman Institute, Polleux's team has uncovered evidence linking one particular copied gene to our mental abilities. View video.

GRANTS

VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS

Christine Garcia, MD, Medicine, will receive $1,840,010 over four years from the Army Medical Research and Materiel Command for “COVID-19 Lung Injury, ARDS, and Thrombosis: Acute Disease and Long-Term Subphenotypes.”

Christopher Makinson, PhD, Institute for Genomic Medicine, will receive $349,161 over four years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for a subaward of “Guanidinium Toxins as Molecular Probes for NaV Study.”

Marta Olah, PhD, Neurology, will receive $1,252,831 over three years from the National Institute on Aging for “Interrogation of a Human Microglia Phenotype Associated with Alzheimer's Disease.”

Sabrina Simoes, PhD, Taub Institute, will receive $445,500 over two years from the National Institute on Aging for “Endosomal Dysfunction, a New Source of Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease.”

AWARDS AND HONORS

Dawn Hershman, MD, Medicine, and Melissa Accordino, MD, Medicine, have received the 2021 Real-World Data Impact Award from the American Cancer Society and Flatiron Health for their research investigating the toxicity and efficacy of oral antineoplastic drugs. Read more.

EVENTS

2022 Benefits Open Enrollment Information Forums, Nov. 3-10, view sessions.  

Academy of Clinical Excellence Master Clinician Mentorship Series - Session 1 “Etiquette of Consultation,” Nov. 3, 8 a.m., register here.  

School of Nursing General Virtual Information Session, Nov. 3, 3 p.m., register here.

Columbia Life Science Accelerators: Virtual Information Session, Nov. 3, 4 p.m., register here.

Ob/Gyn Grand Rounds, Nov. 4, 7:30 a.m., register here.

Conversation with Jonathan & Aubrie: Authentic, Equitable Assessment, Nov. 4, 11 a.m., register here

CSCI Seminar Series with Christine Seidman, Nov. 4, 11:30 a.m., register here.

BME Seminar: Milan Yager, MPA, Executive Director, AIMBE, Nov. 5, 11 a.m., register here.

BHP Presents: “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” performances Nov. 4-6, information: thepsclub@cumc.columbia.edu

School of Nursing Office of Student Life's Virtual Bingo Night, Nov. 9, 6 p.m., register here.

CUIMC HR and Employee Resource Groups Present: Mental Health, Equity & Resilience, Nov. 18, 1:30 p.m., register here

For more events, visit the CUIMC Events listing.