CUIMC Update - September 3, 2025

September 3, 2025

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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

CUIMC’s History of Resilience and Change
Jim McKiernan, senior vice dean for clinical affairs and CEO of ColumbiaDoctors, and Katherine Satriano, head of archives and special collections, shared some key moments of resilience, innovation, and transformation across the University and medical center’s history with the community at the special campus event, “Columbia University and CUIMC: A History of Resilience and Change.” The event was hosted by the Office of Well-Being as a part of their Community & Connection Learning Series, aimed at cultivating empathy and community.

Focused Ultrasound Helps People with Essential Tremor
Columbia neurosurgeon Gordon Baltuch, who specializes in the surgical treatment of movement disorders, is a pioneer in the use of focused ultrasound for the treatment of essential tremor and one of most experienced practitioners of the technique in the U.S. Dr. Baltuch performed his 500th focused ultrasound procedure in August.

Aiden’s Story: Celebrating a Transplant Anniversary by Giving Back
For Aiden Pryluck, being 11 means performing rock music, playing ice hockey, enjoying sleepaway camp, and celebrating a decade since his successful liver transplant by launching a fundraising campaign.

AI Streamlines Complex Dental Clinic Scheduling
Steven Erde, assistant professor of oral health informatics, and Marc Pusey, CDM’s chief of software architecture and engineering, created a complex AI prompt that synthesizes the many moving parts of student and faculty calendars to achieve the most efficient clinic schedule, while simultaneously reducing the administrative burden on clinic staff

Haven Athletic Center: Wellness Meets Community
Located in the heart of the CUIMC campus, the Haven Athletic Center is more than a gym—it’s a welcoming space for fitness, renewal, and connection. With modern equipment, group classes, a sauna, pool, and more, Haven Athletic Center supports every aspect of your wellness journey. Membership is open to all CUIMC affiliates and partners. Visit at 50 Haven Avenue or go online to learn more or schedule a tour.

Events

Grants

Mailman School of Public Health

  • Ann Nigra, Environmental Health Sciences
    $833,291 over four years for a subaward from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Water Contaminants and Cardiovascular Risk: the Jackson Heart Study.” 
  • Xiao Wu, Biostatistics
    $473,199 over three years from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for “Establishing a unified evaluation and implementation framework to inform heat-health warning systems.” 
  • Adina Zeki Al Hazzouri, Epidemiology
     $1,766,503 over five years for a subaward from the National Institute on Aging for “Hypertension, Blood Pressure Targets, and Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Risk and Disparities among Nationally Representative US

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

  • Adam Brickman, Taub Institute
    $276,450 over five years for a subaward from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Risk and Resilience, Clinical presentation, and Biomarker Profiles of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and Related Dementias: The DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project II.” 
  • Edmond Chan, HICCC
     $946,000 over three years from the American Cancer Society for “A novel approach to potentiate monoclonal antibodies for gastric cancer and beyond.” 
  • Fay Kastrinos, Medicine
    $1,253,875 over five years for a subaward from the National Cancer Institute for “"FITting" non-invasive testing into Lynch syndrome colorectal cancer surveillance: a multi-center, prospective trial.” 
  • Karen Marder, Sergievsky Center
     $251,050 over five years for a subaward from the National Institute on Aging for “Understanding Ambulatory Care Utilization in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ACUA).” 

Honors

Mailman School of Public Health

  • John Beard, Health Policy and Management
    Received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Celebrating Excellence in Intrinsic Capacity from JFA/ICFSR Intrinsic Capacity, Frailty and Sarcopenia Research.
  • Merlin Chowkwanyun, Sociomedical Sciences
    Was featured in the PBS: American Film documentary “Clearing the Air: The War on Smog,” which aired Tuesday, August 26.  
  • Guohua Li, Epidemiology
    Published a collection of poems entitled Gorman Ponds: A Haiku Journal, a perspective on what it means to be human. 
  • John Rowe, Health Policy and Management
    Recognized by the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) with the Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Productive Aging. The award presentation will take place at GSA’s 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting, November 12 to 15 in Boston. 

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Social Media Snapshot

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In the News Highlights

  • What Does It Take to Get Men to See a Doctor?
    Aug. 25, 2025
    The New York Times
    Right now, men in the United States, whether infants or elders, are more likely to die at younger ages than their female counterparts. Male life expectancy at birth is currently 75.8 years - 5.3 years less than it is for women. While living longer doesn't guarantee that those extra years are healthy or meaningful, life expectancy remains a rough proxy for overall health.
    Helen Ouyang, author of this NYT Magazine article, is an associate professor of emergency medicine at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
  • Warning Stroke: What It Is and Symptoms to Look For
    Aug 26, 2025
    BuzzFeed
    Transient ischemic attacks are also commonly referred to as “ministrokes.” But Dr. Joshua Willey, a stroke neurology expert at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, said this problematic term minimizes the emergent nature of the condition. The phrase “warning strokes,” on the other hand, highlights that this condition is an emergency, just like a “regular” stroke, he said.
  • N.Y.C. Covid Cases Appear to Be Rising. So Are Inquiries on Vaccines.
    Aug 29, 2025
    The New York Times
    Dr. John van Bockxmeer, a primary care physician and an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University, has noticed an influx of messages from patients with runny noses, chills and coughing — classic Covid symptoms. “Monday in particular, we had several calls and messages from patients who are positive for Covid-19,” Dr. van Bockxmeer said. “I’m receiving lots of calls to the clinic and lots of messages with patients who’ve tested at home.” 
    Dr. Rushabh Shah, an emergency medicine physician at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, said that while he had seen more patients with Covid in the emergency room this summer, case numbers weren’t nearly as high as they had been in the spring. He advised that New Yorkers remain vigilant because Covid numbers can fluctuate at any moment.