CUIMC Update - November 13, 2024

November 13, 2024

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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

Columbia Biobank Expansion Set to Pay Dividends
With the opening of the state-of-the-art BRIDGE facility on Nov. 4, Columbia will be able to store up to 12 million patient samples connected with health data to accelerate medical discovery.

Demystifying Prostate Cancer for Men’s Health Month
One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, making it essential to know the facts. Columbia urologist G. Joel DeCastro debunks some of the most common myths surrounding this disease.

Political Polarization Poses Health Risks, New Analysis Concludes
Research from the Mailman School of Public Health shows that political polarization poses significant health risks—by obstructing the implementation of policies aimed at keeping Americans healthy, discouraging individual action to address health needs, and boosting the spread of misinformation.

What Is Fluoride, and Why Is It Important for Our Teeth?
Columbia pediatric dentist Aaron Myers draws on years of experience treating patients to explain the role fluoride plays in our oral health.

Bridging the Language Gap: Cultivating Spanish-Speaking Mental Health Practitioners
The demand for Spanish-speaking mental health practitioners has never been greater. Columbia psychiatrist Catherine Castro is committed to closing the gap between patients who need Spanish-language care and the number of health professionals available to provide it, recognizing that language barriers can prevent individuals from receiving mental health care.

Events

Grants

Mailman School of Public Health

  • Rebecca Kehm, Epidemiology
    $747,000 over three years from the National Cancer Institute for "Characterizing the role of adolescent physical activity in early onset breast cancer risk for women across the familial risk continuum."

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

  • Dietrich Egli, Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center
    $1,200,000 over three years from the W. M. Keck Foundation for "Causes and Consequences of DNA Replication Stress in Human Embryonic Development."
  • Chi-Min Ho, Microbiology & Immunology
    $750,000 over three years from the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation for "Structure and mechanism of the cytosome: a malarial micropore with a central role in antimalarial drug resistance."
  • Ryan Moy, Medicine
    $658,000 over three years from the Army Medical Research and Materiel Command for "Overcoming immunotherapy resistance in CCNE1-amplified stomach cancer."
  • Anil Rustgi, HICCC
    $3,700,000 over three years from the MacMillan Family Foundation for "Addressing and Solving Cancer Health Care Disparities in NYC and Northern NJ."

Honors

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

  • Chanelle M. Diaz, Medicine, was selected as one of eight clinician leaders for the inaugural class of the Health Equity Fellowship by the United Hospital Fund. She will be working with Make the Road New York to implement immigration-informed care with an emphasis on trust building and connecting non-citizen patients to preventive care and community-based resources.

Social Media Snapshot

Columbia Medicine | This week marked the launch of the BRIDGE—Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s groundbreaking Biobank Resource for Investigating... | Instagram

In the News Highlights

  • Exploring the Loneliness Epidemic: From Professional Cuddlers to Social Clubs
    Nov 5, 2024
    ABC News Online
    Chronic loneliness—prolonged feelings of loneliness and social isolation—affects not only your mental health but also has physical consequences. "It can do everything from increase rates of high blood pressure, heart disease, increased rates of dementia, and actually decrease how long we live," Dr. Kelli Harding, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, told Nightline. "It's as risky for health as, you know, smoking 15 cigarettes a day."
  • Keep Fluoride in New York Water? Mayor Adams Hesitates, Then Weighs In.
    Nov 7, 2024
    The New York Times
    “Mayor Adams supports keeping fluoride in New York City’s water supply as recommended by his public health officials and experts,” his spokeswoman, Kayla Mamelak Altus, said. Aaron Myers, senior associate dean for clinical affairs at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, said that fluoridated water particularly benefits those with the least access to regular dental care.
  • Just 5 Minutes of Exercise Could Help Lower Blood Pressure, Study Suggests
    Nov 6, 2024
    NBC News Online
    The new study “adds more evidence supporting the idea that even a small amount of movement can have a meaningful effect on cardiovascular health,” said Dr. Arun Manmadhan, an assistant professor of medicine at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. The idea of vigorous exercise can be daunting to people who are out of condition, Manmadhan said. “This study tells us that a starting point of five to 10 minutes a day can help,” he added.