CUIMC Update - Sept. 21, 2020

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 cumcnews@cumc.columbia.edu. Grants are provided by the Sponsored Projects Administration office.

NEWS

Don't Miss it: Broadway Performers Salute CUIMC at Employee Appreciation Event on Wednesday
All faculty and staff are invited to a virtual celebration this Wednesday, Sept. 23, in recognition of CUIMC's collective accomplishments during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event features performers from the casts of Hamilton, In the Heights, Wicked, Aladdin, The Lion King, and more. Screenings will take place at 12:30-1:30 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. Registration isn't required. You can view the event at the times above at https://columbiauniversitylive.com/employeeappreciation

VP&S Hosts National Physician Suicide Awareness Day Event
Last week, the Columbia and Cornell medical campuses came together for a special virtual presentation, "Suicide Prevention: Combating a Leading Cause of Death in Physicians." The webinar featured a panel discussion on physician suicide and honored the memory of the late Lorna Breen, MD. Read a recap and watch the webinar.

VP&S Faculty Advisory Deans Available for Mentoring
A new initiative from the VP&S Office for Women and Diverse Faculty offers the opportunity for all VP&S faculty to meet with senior VP&S Faculty Advisory Deans for the purposes of career advancement guidance, CV review, and mentorship. Special considerations are given for the needs of women and diverse faculty. Meetings with the faculty advisory deans may be scheduled virtually or in person. Read more.

College of Dental Medicine Welcomes Class of 2024
The 88 members of the College of Dental Medicine’s incoming class began their dental education with a virtual White Coat Ceremony and orientation week. Read more.

Free Seminar Series on Policymaking During COVID-19
All Columbia faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend the free seminar series, “COVID-19: Policymaking in the Throes of a Global Crisis,” co-hosted by Mailman School of Public Health, the School of International and Public Affairs, and the Earth Institute. Seminars will be held on Wednesdays throughout fall 2020. Register online.

School of Nursing Hosts Upcoming Virtual Events
The School of Nursing invites the CUIMC community to attend virtual events on timely topics, including Recognizing Unconscious Bias in the Workplace on Sept. 23 and Alumni on the COVID-19 Front Lines on Sept. 25.

GRANTS

VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS

Miguel Arce, PhD, Sergievsky Center, will receive $261,255 over two years from the National Institute on Aging for “Factors of Resilience to Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Among Latinx: The Role of Bilingualism.”

Mitchell Elkind, MD, Neurology, will receive $281,128 over five years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Neurology Research Education and Mentorship Program.”

Sheng-Han Kuo, MD, Neurology, will receive $2,164,254 over five years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Targeting Cerebellar Excitatory Synapses for Tremor Progression.”

Utpal Pajvani, MD, PhD, Medicine, will receive $2,092,361 over four years from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Notch, Type 2 Diabetes and NAFLD.”

Martin Picard, PhD, Psychiatry, will receive $3,839,066 over five years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Mitochondrial Regulation of Stress Reactivity in Humans.”

Jet Vonk, PhD, Sergievsky Center, will receive $261,539 over two years from the National Institute on Aging for “Preclinical Markers of Alzheimer's Disease Using Psycholinguistic Semantic Measures.”

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Gen Li, PhD, Biostatistics, will receive $1,539,486 over five years from the National Human Genome Research Institute for “Tensor Array Methods for RNA-Seq Analysis.”

AWARDS AND HONORS

VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS

Julia Iyasere, MD, Medicine, will direct NewYork-Presbyterian’s new Center for Health Justice. The center was formed to address longstanding health disparities due to race, socioeconomic differences, limited access to care, and other complex factors that disproportionately impact the well-being of our communities.

SCHOOL OF NURSING

Maura Abbott, PhD, received the Above and Beyond Award presented by the ColumbiaDoctors Quality and Patient Safety Department.

Billy Caceres, PhD, received the NIH Sexual & Gender Minority Early Stage Investigator Award from the Department of Health & Human Services.