CUIMC Update - September 6, 2023

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 Open Forum: Monday, Sept. 11 at 8 a.m.
All faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend the next CUIMC Open Forum on Monday, Sept. 11 at 8 a.m. to hear from CUIMC leaders and learn about campus initiatives as we begin the new academic year. Register here.

What Extreme Heat Can Do to the Body
As temperatures across the U.S. and Europe continue to hit record highs, Columbia internal medicine specialist Seth Feltheimer, MD, shares tips for preventing and treating heatstroke. Read more.

Hispanic/Latino Communities in NYC Disproportionally Affected by Lead Pipes
A study from the Mailman School of Public Health shows communities with large numbers of Hispanic/Latino residents and those with children who are already highly vulnerable to lead exposure are disproportionately impacted by pipes that may contain lead. Read more.

Columbia Hernia Center Offers Personalized Approach
"The body is an instrument. It’s your livelihood. It’s your life." When dance instructor Alberto del Saz woke up with a tennis ball-sized lump sticking out of his groin, he sought care from the experts at the Columbia Hernia Center. Read about his treatment and recovery.

Keep Your Ears Comfortable on Your Next Flight
"Airplane ear" is caused by the change in cabin pressure during takeoff and descent, which creates a difference in pressure between the air inside and outside of your middle ear. Ana H Kim, MD, shares tips on managing discomfort for adults and kids. Read more.

EVENTS

Student-Run Clinic Social
Sept. 7, 5 p.m., Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center, 104 Haven Ave., 10th Floor Lounge
Register here.

Fair Access and Equity of Individualized Interventions for Ultrarare Genetic Conditions
Sept. 8, 12 p.m., online
Register here.

CUIMC Open Forum
Sept. 11, 8 a.m., Black Building, 650 W. 168 St., Alumni Auditorium
Register here.

Why is Team Science so Hard? The Impact of Academic Culture on Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Sept. 12, 4 p.m., online
Register here.

Security Awareness / Ride Your Bike To Campus
Sept. 14, 10 a.m., Haven Plaza, Haven Avenue between Fort Washington Avenue and 169 Street
Learn more.

"Below the Belt: The Last Health Taboo" Film Screening & Panel
Sept. 14, 5:30 p.m., Black Building, 650 W. 168 St., Alumni Auditorium and Schaefer Awards Gallery
Register here.

ColumbiaDoctors Blood Pressure Screenings With Hypertension Center
Sept. 19, 12 p.m., Haven Plaza, Haven Avenue between Fort Washington Avenue and 169 Street
Learn more.

Bioethics in Film: From Screen to Seminar - "The Silent Child"
Sept. 19, 12 p.m., online
Register here.

Physician Suicide: An Epidemic Hiding in Plain Sight
Sept. 20, 11 a.m., online
Register here.

GRANTS

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Kara Rudolph, PhD, Epidemiology: $442,653 over three years for a subaward from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute for "Causal mediation analysis with machine learning to understand comparative treatment effects."

VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS

Michael Compton, MD, Psychiatry: $2,713,489 over four years from the National Institute of Mental Health for "A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Mental Health Training for Police Officers."

Nancy Green, MD, Pediatrics: $263,001 over five years for a subaward from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for "New York Consortium for Interdisciplinary Training in Kidney, Urological and Hematological Research (NYC Train KUHR) - Professional Development Core."

Hans-Ulrich Klein, PhD, Neurology: $798,897 over five years for a subaward from the National Institute on Aging for "Identifying proteins providing motor resilience to ADRD pathologies and degeneration in older adults."

Carrie Shawber, PhD, Obstetrics & Gynecology: $2,476,780 over four years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for "Protein homeostasis dysfunction in LM and VM pathobiology and therapeutic responses."

Harris Wang, PhD, Systems Biology, and Samuel Sternberg, PhD, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics: $1,499,999 over five years for a subaward from the Army Research Office for "CHARMME: Center for Harnessing Microbiota from Military Environments."

Howard Worman, MD, Medicine: $325,575 over two years from Cytokinetics for "Determine whether NAD+ boosting can improve hemodynamic endpoints in a mouse model of Emery Dreifuss muscular dystrophy and dilated cardiomyopathy."

HONORS

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Salim Abdool Karim, PhD, Epidemiology, received an honorary doctorate from the Durban University of Technology’s faculty of health and sciences.

SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT

IN THE NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

The Wall Street Journal
How We Age—and How Scientists Are Working to Turn Back the Clock
Aug 26, 2023 - The Dog Aging Project, headquartered at the University of Washington, is testing whether rapamycin can extend lifespan in pet dogs. AgelessRx and researchers at Columbia University are among the groups helping to develop clinical trials to test rapamycin’s antiaging potential in people.

The Washington Post
Fruit and Vegetable ‘Prescriptions’ May Lead to Better Heart Health
Aug 29, 2023 - Mitchell S.V. Elkind, the American Heart Association’s chief clinical science officer and a professor of neurology and epidemiology at Columbia University, called the study “a wonderful analysis” that suggests there are benefits to prescription produce programs. But researchers need to conduct a randomized trial, “just like you would do for a drug,” he said.

CNN Online
Marijuana Users Have More Heavy Metals in Their Bodies
Users of marijuana had statistically higher levels of lead and cadmium in their blood and urine than people who do not use weed, a new study found. “Compared to non-users, marijuana users had 27% higher levels of lead in their blood, and 21% higher levels in their urine,” said lead author Tiffany Sanchez, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.