CUIMC Update - October 16, 2024

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

CUIMC Mental Health Awareness Event
Join your colleagues for the CUIMC Mental Health Awareness Event next Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the 50 Haven Lounge and Ballroom. Attendees can participate in mental health workshops, integrative health sessions, and other activities.

School of Nursing White Coat Ceremony Honors First-Year DNP Students
Columbia University School of Nursing honored 125 of its first-year DNP students with their white coats on Friday, Sept. 21.

Complete the 2024 Well-Being Survey
You are invited to complete the 2024 Well-Being Survey, a brief, anonymous survey open to all employees of CUIMC’s four schools and central administration. Anyone who completes the survey can enter for a chance to a win a complimentary prix-fixe lunch at the Faculty Club or a gift card for $25.

VP&S Faculty Recognized at 2024 Honors Luncheon
VP&S faculty who were promoted or received notable appointments, honors, and awards during the 2023-24 academic year were honored at the VP&S Dean’s Honors Luncheon on Oct. 9.

Afternoon of Science Series: Department of Systems Biology
The Afternoon of Science series, which highlights the work of VP&S basic science departments and centers, continued Sept. 25 with presentations by faculty from the Department of Systems Biology.


Events


Grants

Mailman School of Public Health

  • W. Ian Lipkin, Center for Infection and Immunity
    $2,700,000 over two years from the Department of Veterans Affairs for "Blood and plasma sample analyses and consultation on the interpretation of resulting data for a multisite research project, centered in Madison, WI."

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

  • Hachung Chung, Microbiology & Immunology: $750,000 over three years from the Pershing Square Foundation for "Elucidating the role of immunostimulatory dsRNAs in neurodegeneration."
  • Vincenzo Gennarino, Genetics & Development: $3,072,576 over five years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for "Deciphering the role of the Pumilio1 in two distinct neurological diseases."
  • Dawn Hershman, Lisa Kachnic, and Suzanne Lentzsch, Medicine: $2,859,791 over five years from the National Cancer Institute for "Calabresi Clinical Oncology Career Development Program."
  • Minah Kim, Pathology & Cell Biology: $255,000 over three years from the Melanoma Research Alliance for "Spatial Vascular Patterns and Immune Exclusion Mechanisms in Melanoma."
  • Eduardo David Leonardo, Psychiatry: $2,499,559 over five years from the National Institute of Mental Health for "Research Training in Mood & Anxiety Disorders: From Animal Models to Patients."
  • Claire Riley, Neurology: $352,275 over three years from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for "Institutional Clinician Training Award - Riley/Straus-Farber."

Honors

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons


Social Media Snapshot

#CSBiohubNY Launch

Katrina Armstrong, MD, attended the official launch of the #CZBiohubNY earlier this week. Led by @ColumbiaMed’s Andrea Califano, MD, the CZ Biohub brings together researchers to bioengineer immune cells to detect & treat a wide variety of human disorders. https://columbiamed.link/3BI14Ep

Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network (@czbiohub), 

We’re excited to officially launch CZ Biohub New York! With @Columbia, @RockefellerUniv, and @Yale, work is already underway at #CZBiohubNY, building on what’s known about immune cells & leveraging insights to teach our own cells how to fight and win against dangerous diseases.


In the News Highlights

What to Know About Postpartum Psychosis
Oct 9, 2024
The New York Times
Postpartum psychosis is characterized by hallucinations and delusions that cause women to disconnect from reality. “These delusions take over their mind and their body,” said Dr. Margaret Spinelli, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University who has evaluated over 30 women who were on trial for killing their children while experiencing postpartum psychosis. “They are like puppets.”

Biden Announces 10-Year Deadline to Remove All Lead Pipes Nationwide
Oct 8, 2024
CBS News Online
Even low lead levels can cause small amounts of intellectual impairment depending on the child, according to Dr. Adam Blumenberg, emergency medicine physician and toxicology expert at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. "If there's any amount of concerning lead in the child, you really want to figure out where it's coming from and remove the source of exposure. That's always going to be one of the most important things to do," says Blumenberg.

NIH Awards $207 Million for High-Risk, High-Reward Research Projects
Oct 11, 2024
Forbes
The National Institutes of Health has awarded 67 new research grants as part of its High-Risk, High-Reward Research program. The awards, totaling about $207 million, are intended to support “highly innovative scientists who proposed visionary and broadly impactful behavioral and biomedical research projects.” Several universities had multiple faculty members receive awards in various categories, including Yale University (6), Princeton University (4), Columbia University (4), University of Michigan (3), Washington University in St. Louis (3), and Baylor University (3).

The four Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons faculty and their projects are described here.