CUMC Celebrates 2015-2016, Issue 1

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CUMC CELEBRATES acknowledges faculty, staff, and students at Columbia University Medical Center who receive major research grants, who earn prestigious honors, who are elected to honorary societies, or who take leadership positions in professional organizations. Celebrates also gratefully acknowledges the gifts made by donors and friends of the Medical Center and highlights faculty who have appeared in the news recently. If you have an award or honor that you would like to have listed in Celebrates, please fill out this online form. Please note: all federal grants are automatically included based on institutional data provided by Sponsored Projects Administration. For more information, send an e-mail to the Celebrates editor. Click on the image at right to print this issue.

Research Grants/Awards & Honors/Philanthropic Gifts/CUMC in the News

RESEARCH GRANTS

COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS

Cory Abate-Shen, PhD, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, received $2,233,870 over one year from the National Cancer Institute for “Investigating the Cell of Origin of Bladder Cancer.”

Richard Axel, MD, and Jennifer Bussell Schiff, PhD, Neuroscience, received $362,828 over three years from the Simons Foundation for “Simons Society of Fellows.”

Joan Bathon, MD, Medicine, received $400,000 over two years from the Rheumatology Research Foundation for “Predictors of Progression of Atherosclerosis in RA.”

Elana Bernstein, MD, Medicine, received $421,567 over two years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for “Mechanisms of B Cell Responses in Autoimmune Disease: C14-AS01-OSU.”

William Blaner, PhD, Medicine, received $1,800,000 over five years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Postprandial Vitamin A.”

Sandra Comer, PhD, Psychiatry, received $420,030 over two years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for “Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI to Measure Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability in Substance Abusers.”

Ziva Cooper, PhD, Psychiatry, received $1,433,594 over two years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for “Preclinical Synthetic Cannabinoid Vapor Inhalation: Acute and Chronic Effects.”

Carlos Gustavo De Moraes, MD, Ophthalmology, received $1,200,000 over three years from the National Eye Institute for “Structural and Functional Progression of Glaucomatous Damage to the Macula.”

Patricia Ducy, PhD, Genetics & Development, received $387,200 over two years from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for “Cross-Talk Between Skeleton and Pancreas Morphogenesis During Development.”

Jonathan Dworkin, PhD, Microbiology & Immunology, received $1,223,808 over four years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Regulation of Protein Synthesis in Bacteria by Ser/Thr Phosphorylation.” 

Katherine Elkington, PhD, Psychiatry, received $743,985 over three years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for “Family Engagement, Cross-System Linkage to SU Treatment for Juvenile Probationers.”

Charles Emala, MD, Anesthesiology, received $1,600,000 over four years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Targeting Airway Smooth Muscle Chloride Fluxes for Bronchorelaxation.”

Joachim Frank, PhD, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, received $1,199,160 over four years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Experimentally Guided Ribosomal RNA Modeling.”

Eduardo Francisco Gallo, PhD, Psychiatry, received $737,156 over four years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “D2 Receptors in Cholinergic Interneurons: Role in Striatal Circuitry & Motivation.”

Sankar Ghosh, PhD, Microbiology & Immunology, received $440,000 over two years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for “miRNA-mediated Regulation of LPS Tolerance.” Dr. Ghosh also received $435,610 over two years from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for “Understanding the Pathway that Links Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to Mitochondrial Function using a Novel Mouse Model.”

Jon Giles, MD, Medicine, received $396,939 over two years from the Rheumatology Research Foundation for “Adipose Inflammation and HLA Obesity Interactions in Psoriatic Arthritis.”

Joseph Gogos, MD, PhD, Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, received $670,896 over four years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “VPAC2 Receptor Function and its Link to Schizophrenia.”

Lloyd Greene, PhD, Neuroscience, and Gilbert Di Paolo, PhD, Pathology & Cell Biology, received $788,590 over five years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Advanced Graduate Training Program in Neurobiology and Behavior.”

Wei Gu, PhD, Institute for Cancer Genetics, received $1,830,000 over one year from the National Cancer Institute for “HAUSP Inhibitors in p53-Wild Type and p53-Mutant Tumors.”

Paul Emerson Harris, PhD, Medicine, received $2,499,543 over five years from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering for “Imaging Beta Cell Function for Metabolic Surgery.”

Dawn Hershman, MD, Medicine, received $500,000 over five years from the Conquer Cancer Foundation for “Reducing Overuse and Increasing Underuse to Improve the Quality and Safety of Breast Cancer Care.”

Antonio Iavarone, MD, Institute for Cancer Genetics, received $1,917,647 over five years from the National Cancer Institute for “The Role of the LZTRI Ubiquitin Ligase in Stem Cells and Cancer.”

Sarah Janicki, MD, Taub Institute, received $661,500 over five years from the National Institute on Aging for “Relation of Estrogen Pathway Genes to Cognitive Decline in Elderly Women and Men.”

Denise Kandel, PhD, Psychiatry, received $1,704,163 over three years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for “Prescription Drug Use in the U.S. Population: Gateway Effects and Family Patterns.”

Max O’Donnell, MD, Medicine, received $486,000 over three years from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for “Advanced Phenotypic and Genotypic Methods to Predict TB Treatment Response and Measure Emergent TB Drug-Screen.”

Alice Prince, MD, Pediatrics, received $1,600,000 over four years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Calcium Dependent Signaling Pathways in Airway Epithelial Cells.”

Raul Rabadan, PhD, Biomedical Informatics, and Antonio Iavarone, PhD, Institute for Cancer Genetics, received $9,050,220 over five years from the National Cancer Institute for “Topology of Cancer Evolution and Heterogeneity.”

Stephen Rayport, MD, Psychiatry, received $2,943,871 over five years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for “Functional Connectome Analysis of Amphetamine Action at Dopamine Neuron Synapses.”

Reuben Robbins, PhD, Psychiatry, received $471,056 over two years from the National Institute of Nursing Research for “Improving HIV Care with mHealth Tools: An App to Detect Neurocognitive Impairment.”

Yvonne Saenger, MD, Medicine, received $400,000 over three years from Amgen for “Defining Biomarkers of Immune Activation During Anti-PD1+Tvec Therapy.”

Theodorus Sandfort, PhD, Psychiatry, received a postdoctoral research training grant of $428,782 over five years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Behavioral Sciences Research in HIV Infection.”

Ronald Silverman, PhD, Ophthalmology, received $1,867,972 over four years from the National Eye Institute for “Ultrasound Perfusion Imaging in Glaucoma.”

Richard Sloan, PhD, Psychiatry, received $359,754 over two years from the Department of Defense for “Hippocampal and Cognitive Function, Exercise, and Ovarian Cancer: A Pilot Study.”

Julie Spicer, PhD, Psychiatry, received $264,064 over two years from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for “SES & Allostatic Load: Pregnancy Outcomes and Maternal Neurobehavior.”

Gloria Su, PhD, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, received $2,230,104 over one year from the National Cancer Institute for “The Role of Wild-Type Kras in the Context of Tumor Progression and Metastasis.”

Megan Sykes, MD, Medicine, received $1,562,325 over four years from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Immune Response to iPSC-derived Beta Cells in Type 1 Diabetes.”

Alan Tall, MD, Medicine, received $1,615,030 over four years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “ABCA1/G1 and LXRs in Atherosclerosis.”

Andrew Teich, MD, PhD, Pathology & Cell Biology, received $634,500 over five years from the National Institute on Aging for “A Systems Approach to DNA Methylation, Gene Expression, and Cognitive Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease.”

Myrna Weissman, PhD, Psychiatry, received $1,703,348 over two years from the John Templeton Foundation for “Understanding the Role of Belief in the Resilience of Families at Risk for Depression: Religion, Brain Structure, and Function.”

Howard Worman, MD, Medicine, received $1,760,000 over five years from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for “Pathogenesis of Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy.”

Ai Yamamoto, PhD, Neurology, received $2,103,840 over five years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Autophagy and Neurodegeneration.”

Xin Zhang, PhD, Ophthalmology, received $2,000,000 over five years from the National Eye Institute for “Signaling Mechanisms of Lens Development.”

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH 

Elaine Abrams, MD, ICAP, received $2,312,506 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for “Expand Coverage and Improve the Quality of Facility and Community-Based Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) Support for Rollout of Option B+ Services in the Littoral and Center Regions of Cameroon Under PEPFAR - Center Region (NY).”

Bereket Alemayehu, MD, ICAP, received $2,100,004 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for “GH15-1581: Strengthening HIV/TB Laboratory Quality Management Systems and Services in the Kingdom of Swaziland under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) – NY.”

Simon Anthony, DPhil, Center for Infection and Immunity, received $552,503 over one year from the U.S. Agency for International Development for “Predict 2.”

Veronique Bortolotti, MD, ICAP, received $3,000,004 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for “GH15-1572: S. Sudan: Strengthening the Capacity to Scale up HIV Prevention, Care, and Treatment Programs in South Sudan Under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) – NY.”

Helena Duch, PsyD, Population & Family Health, received $421,002 over one year from the Heising-Simons Foundation for “Getting Ready for School: Improving Parent Engagement with an Integrated School Readiness Program.”

Joseph Graziano, PhD, and Greg Freyer, PhD, Environmental Health Sciences, received $547,413 over five years from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for “Undergraduate Research Program to Promote Diversity in EHS.” 

Andrea Howard, MD, ICAP, received $4,200,004 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for “GH15-1583: Strengthening Local Capacity to Deliver Sustainable Quality-Assured Universal Coverage of Clinical HIV/TB Services in Manzini Region, and Provide Central Level Technical Assistance to the National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTCP) in the King.”

Iuliana Ionita-Laza, PhD, Biostatistics, received $400,000 over two years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Applications of Novel Statistical Methods to CNVs in Autism and Schizophrenia.”

Harriet Nuwagaba-Biribonwoha, MD, PhD, ICAP, received $11,000,004 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for “GH15-1580: Strengthening National Epidemiology and Research Capacity to Improve Health Outcomes in the Kingdom of Swaziland under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)-NY.”

John Rowe, MD, Health Policy & Management, received $250,000 over one year from the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for “Enhancing the Impact of the Network on an Aging Society.”

COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE

Panos Papapanou, DDS, PhD, Periodontics, received $480,000 over two years from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research for “Genomic Approaches to the Pathobiology and Classification of Periodontitis.”

SCHOOL OF NURSING

Rebecca Schnall, PhD, RN, Nursing, received $298,483 over two years from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for “Use of mHealth Technology for Supporting Symptom Management in Underserved Persons Living with HIV.”

AWARDS AND HONORS

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

Columbia University Medical Center was selected as one of five sites for the inaugural class of the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders, presented by the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Faculty Research Fellowships in Aging Research

The Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center awarded its first cohort of faculty research fellowships in aging research to:

• Sunil Agrawal, PhD, Mechanical Engineering and Rehabilitation & Regenerative Medicine, “Reducing Risk of Falls in the Old by Training with Controlled Pelvis Force Perturbations.”
• Walter O. Bockting, PhD, Psychiatry, “Social Convoy and Successful Aging Among Lesbian and Gay Older Adults.”
• Gina S. Lovasi, PhD, Epidemiology, “Local Environment, Chronic Disease Onset, and Aging in Place.”
• Edward Owusu-Ansah, PhD, Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, “Boosting Proteostatis to Alleviate Aging Types in Drosophila.”
• Marcella D. Walker, MD, Medicine, “PTH – A Novel, Modifiable Risk Factor for Age-Related Cognitive Decline?”

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching

Two faculty members were awarded 2015 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching at Columbia University Commencement. These awards are presented to current Columbia faculty who have a significant influence on the intellectual development of students at the University.

• Sally W. Aboelela, PhD, RN, Columbia Nursing
• Kenneth M. Prager, MD, Medicine, College of Physicians & Surgeons

President’s Global Innovation Fund Awards

Three CUMC faculty-led projects received President’s Global Innovation Fund awards from Columbia President Lee C. Bollinger.

• Cassie Landers, EdD, Population & Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, “Building a South Asian Public Health Network: A Collaboration of Columbia University’s Global Center, Mumbai, India, and the Mailman School of Public Health”
• Paul Planet, MD, Pediatrics, College of Physicians & Surgeons, “Global Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance and Epidemiology Using Whole Genomes”
• Ursula Staudinger, PhD, Columbia Aging Center, Mailman School of Public Health, “Should I Stay or Should I Go? A Longitudinal and Cross-national Study of the Effects of Retirement on Health”

Hybrid Learning Course Redesign and Delivery Grants

The following CUMC faculty received Hybrid Learning Course Redesign and Delivery Grants from the Office of the Provost. The grants support faculty who are developing innovative and technology-rich pedagogy and learning strategies in the classroom.

• Laurel Abbruzzese, EdD, Physical Therapy, “Promoting Interprofessional Collaborative Practice in Geriatric Care through a Technology-enhanced Hybrid Course Re-Design”
• Jonathan Barasch, MD, PhD, Pathology & Cell Biology, College of Physicians & Surgeons, “Introducing Simulation for Active Learning in Preclinical Medical Education”
• Amy Fairchild, PhD, Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, “The Core Week in Review: Hybrid Learning for Creating Enduring Understanding”
• Shantanu Lal, DDS, College of Dental Medicine, “Comprehensive Online Archived Care Heuristic (COACH) for Dental Education”
• Silvia Martins, MD, PhD, Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, “Principles of Epidemiology: A Flipped Classroom Proposal”
• Miriam Rabkin, MD, MPH, ICAP, Mailman School of Public Health, “Hybrid Approaches to Global Health Research Training”
• Bryan Winn, MD, Ophthalmology, College of Physicians & Surgeons, “Evaluation of an Engaging, Interactive, Online Learning Tool for Ophthalmology”

Natalie Brito, PhD, Robert Wood Johnson Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Interdisciplinary Center for Innovative Theory and Empirics, was named an Emerging Research Scholar for the Bridging the Word Gap Research Network, which is a national collaboration to identify intervention practices to promote child language development and improve outcomes for children in poverty.

Clara Leon, Government and Community Affairs, was honored by the Fresh Youth Initiatives for her leadership and achievements in the Washington Heights community.

COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Fellows 

Two two medical students were selected as medical research fellows by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The students will conduct a full year of mentored biomedical research training as part of the annual $2.8 million Medical Research Fellows Program.

• Joseph Bayne, ’16
• Arin Kim ’16 

2015 Mentor of the Year Awards

The Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, in collaboration with the CUMC Office of Academic Affairs, awarded 2015 Mentor of the Year awards to the following faculty members, who will be honored at the annual Dean’s Honors Day in September:

• Rita Charon, MD, PhD, Medicine
• Frank Lowy, MD, Pathology & Cell Biology
• Al Neugut, MD, PhD, Medicine

2015 Irving Scholars

The following five faculty members were selected as 2015 Irving Scholars. Each will receive a three-year career development award and named professorship.

• Ali Jabbari, MD, PhD, Dermatology, “Longitudinal T-Cell Receptor Repertoire Profiling in Patients with Alopecia Areata Treated with JAK Inhibitors”
• Fay Kastrinos, MD, Medicine, “Development and Validation of a Genetic Risk Assessment Model for the Identification of Individuals with a Hereditary Susceptibility to Pancreatic Cancer”
• Krzysztof Kiryluk, MD, Medicine, “Precision Genomics in Solid Organ Transplantation”
• Joanna E. Steinglass, MD, Psychiatry, “Neural Targets in Anorexia Nervosa: What Drives Food Choice?”
• Nicholas Tatonetti, PhD, Biomedical Informatics, “Systems Pharmacology to Predict Adverse Drug Reactions”

National Academy of Sciences Election 

Two faculty members were elected to the National Academy of Sciences 

• Rodney Rothstein, PhD, Systems Biology and Genetics & Development
• Riccardo Dalla-Favera, MD, Pathology & Cell Biology, Medicine, Genetics & Development, Microbiology & Immunology, and Institute of Cancer Genetics

Research Initiatives in Science and Engineering (RISE) Awards

Four faculty are on teams that received RISE awards from Columbia’s Office of the Executive Vice President for Research. These awards support interdisciplinary and collaborative faculty teams as they pursue early-stage, highly imaginative research.

• Barclay Morrison, PhD, Biomedical Engineering, and Steven Kernie, MD, Pediatrics and Pathology & Cell Biology, “A Novel Biomechanically Based Approach for the Treatment of Brain Swelling after Injury”
• Sameer Sheth, MD, PhD, Neurological Surgery, “Neurobiology of Robust Speech Perception in Human Auditory Cortex”
• Timothy Bestor, PhD, Genetics & Development, “Single-Cell, High-Resolution Methylation Profiling for Personalized Medicine”

Cory Abate-Shen, PhD, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, was awarded the 2015 James Family Foundation and Partner Fund Management Bladder Cancer Research Innovation Award for “Epigenetic Regulation of Bladder Cancer Progression.”

Mitchell Benson, MD, Urology, was honored for excellence in prostate cancer research by the TJ Martell Foundation at the New York Golf Classic in July.

Edward J. Ciaccio, PhD, Medicine, was selected by Elsevier BV to be the founding editor-in-chief for its new journal, “Informatics in Medicine Unlocked.”

Jennifer Crespo, DPT, Physical Therapy, won the American Physical Therapy Association’s Minority Scholarship Award, in recognition of her academic excellence, professionalism, and participation in minority affairs activities.

Douglas DeLong, MD, Medicine, was named chair of the Board of Governors of the American College of Physicians until May 2016.

Abbey Fingeret, MD was awarded the 2015 Outstanding Resident Teaching Award from the Association for Surgical Education. 

Michael Goldberg, MD, Psychiatry, gave the keynote neuroscience lecture at Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Deepthiman Gowda, MD, Medicine, was selected as a Macy Faculty Scholar. The Macy Faculty Scholars Program is a highly competitive faculty development program that selects from a national pool of applicants nominated by medical and nursing school deans.

Dawn L. Hershman, MD, Medicine, received the 2015 Comparative Effectiveness Research Professorship in Breast Cancer from the American Society of Clinical Oncology/Conquer Cancer Foundation and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Gerard Karsenty, MD, PhD, Genetics & Development, was selected to receive the Roy O. Greep Award for Outstanding Research from the Endocrine Society.

Minoree Kohwi, PhD, Neuroscience, was selected as a 2015 Rita Allen Foundation Scholar. The program supports basic biomedical research. The program embraces innovative research with above-average risk and groundbreaking possibilities. Dr. Kohwi’s project is titled, “How Does Genomic Shuffling Shape Brain Development?”

Roberto Lewis-Fernandez, MD, Psychiatry, became the president of the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture. 

Alice Medalia, PhD, Psychiatry, received an Inspiring Hope Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Council of Behavioral Health.

Lori Mosca, MD, PhD, Medicine, received the Physician of the Year Award of the American Heart Association.

Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, DPhil, Medicine, was given the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation’s distinguished service award at its Scientific Breakthroughs Symposium. He also received the American Association for Cancer Research Distinguished Public Service Award and was nominated for an Emmy for the PBS documentary series based on his book, “Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies.”

Arthur G. Palmer III, PhD, was awarded the 2015 Günther Laukien Prize for his solution NMR studies of protein dynamics and thermodynamics and for his work elucidating molecular motions on time scales.

Anne L. Taylor, MD, Medicine, was given the University of Iowa Department of Internal Medicine Distinguished Achievement Award in recognition of significant contributions to internal medicine.

Myrna Weissman, PhD, Psychiatry, presented at “A Tribute to Marshall Nirenberg,” held in honor of her late husband at the National Library of Medicine.

Josh Willey, MD, Neurology, was honored at the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Young Professionals Red Ball in recognition of his early career contributions to the field of stroke care and research.

SCHOOL OF NURSING

Elizabeth Gross Cohn, PhD, Nursing, was recognized by the White House as a Champion of Change for her work in precision medicine. Her research focuses on the ethical and social issues at the intersection of precision medicine and health disparities.

Jeffrey Kwong, DNP, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program, was named a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE

New York State Dental Foundation Student Recognition Awards

Two third-year dental students were given awards in recognition of their excellence in academics and demonstrated commitment to serving vulnerable and at-risk populations:

• Brianne Donohue, ’16
• Chelsea Townes, ’16

Alexis Cohen, DDS, Pediatric Dentistry, received the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Resident Recognition Award, presented to residents doing innovative and interesting activities in the field of patient care, research, teaching/education, and/or community service.

Michael Fogge ’17 received the New York Academy of Medicine’s Margaret E. Mahoney Fellowship, a summer opportunity to conduct research investigating health care delivery transformation for vulnerable populations.

Francina Wearing, College of Dental Medicine Clinic, was recognized by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer with a proclamation for her volunteer work with the Girl Scouts. Ms. Wearing also received honors from Sen. Bill Perkins and Assemblyman Danny Farrell for her contributions to the community.

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Tow Scholars

Four faculty members were named Tow Scholars in recognition of outstanding and innovative research and thought leadership:

• Katherine Keyes, PhD, Epidemiology
• Jeffrey Shaman, PhD, Environmental Health Sciences
• Yuanjia Wang, PhD, Biostatistics
• Patrick Wilson, PhD, Sociomedical Sciences

Ayaga A. Bawah, PhD, Population & Family Health, was nominated by the President of Ghana to serve on the board of the Tamale Teaching Hospital of the University of Development Studies in northern Ghana, which has responsibility for developing a new School of Medicine and a School of Public Health.

Ryan Demmer, PhD, Epidemiology was named the recipient of the 2015 Assistant Professor Teaching Award.

Greg A. Freyer, PhD, Environmental Health Sciences, received the 2015 Teaching Excellence Award for his stimulating classroom presentations.

Robert Fullilove, EdD, Sociomedical Sciences, gave the 13th annual commencement address to the graduates of the Bard Prison Initiative, where he is the senior adviser for public health programs.

Helen-Maria Lekas, Sociomedical Sciences, received the 2015 Faculty Mentoring Award at Columbia University, given by the entire PhD student body of Columbia University through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

L.H. (Bertie) Lumey, MD, PhD, Epidemiology, gave the eighth annual George H. Graham Lecture at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Human Nutrition, titled “The Long Shadow of the Dutch Famine.”

Frederica Perera, DrPH, PhD, Environmental Health Sciences, was the recipient of the 2015 Heinz Award for the Environment for pioneering the field of molecular epidemiology and research on the health consequences of prenatal and childhood exposures to hazardous chemicals.

Virginia Rauh, ScD, Population & Family Health, was named the 13th MIND Institute Distinguished Lecturer (UC Davis), an award given to leading researchers in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Les Roberts, PhD, Population & Family Health, received the Robert H. Kirschner Award for Global Activism from the Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center in recognition of his health and human rights activism.

David Rosner, PhD, Sociomedical Sciences, gave the Garrison Lecture at the 88th annual meeting of the American Association for the History of Medicine on “Trying Times: Reflections on History, the Courts, and Defining Disease.”

Andrew Rundle, DrPh, Epidemiology and Y. Claire Wang MD, ScD, Health Policy & Management, received the Dean’s Excellence in Leadership Award for “Leadership on Public Health Fights Obesity: A Month on the Science of Nutrition.”

Claire Wang, MD, ScD, Health Policy & Management, was named a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow for 2015-2016.

Kate Weinberger, the first graduate of the Mailman School of Public Health’s PhD program on Climate and Health, was invited to speak at the White House in June, contributing her expertise on public health training to the conversation on climate change and human health.

PHILANTHROPIC GIFTS

COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS

Herbert and Florence Irving made a gift of $50,000,000 to establish the Herbert and Florence Irving Fund for Cancer Genomics. In addition, they are funding seven new professorships in honor of these physicians: Linda Lewis, MD, Neurology; LeRoy Rabbani, MD, Cardiology; Stanley Chang, MD, Ophthalmology; David Bickers, MD, Dermatology; Ralph Blume, MD, Rheumatology; Jeffrey Ascherman, MD, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, and Jeffrey Stein, MD, Medicine. It will also provide support for two new Irving Scholars focused on cancer research.

A donor made a contribution of $6,666,000 toward a $10,000,000 commitment to the Target ALS Fund.

A couple has made a gift of $2,510,000 to establish an endowed professorship in the Department of Pediatrics.

A family fulfilled a $2,000,000 commitment to the Division of Cardiology’s Center for Advanced Cardiac Care, to advance heart failure research and medical education.

A foundation made a contribution of $975,000 to complete a $1,950,000 commitment to the Department of Surgery to construct the new Organ Care & Recovery Unit for the lung transplant program.

An organization made a $600,000 contribution toward a $1,200,000 commitment to the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to support the recruitment of an autism investigator.

A donor made a $500,000 contribution toward a $20,000,000 commitment to support the campus revitalization initiative.

A P&S alumnus made a $500,000 commitment to support the new Medical and Graduate Education Building.

A foundation made a contribution of $375,000 toward a $7,500,000 pledge to the Division of Clinical Genetics in the Department of Pediatrics to advance clinical research into the genetic basis of autism spectrum disorders.

A family foundation made a contribution to complete a $325,000 commitment to the Department of Pediatrics to support the IFAP Global Health Program.

A family foundation made a $307,500 contribution to advance research and care in the Department of Pediatrics.

A foundation made a $300,000 contribution toward a $1,500,000 commitment to provide professorship support to the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University Medical Center.

A family gave $218,940 to support the second annual Columbia Children’s Gala, which was held at the Metropolitan Opera on April 19, 2015.

A company made a $200,000 contribution to the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center to advance research in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and other hematologic malignancies.

A foundation made a contribution of $200,000 to provide fellowship support to the Division of Cardiology.

A couple made a $131,946 contribution toward their new pledge of $250,000 to support the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center in the Division of Pediatric Orthopedics.

A donor made a $125,000 contribution to complete a $250,000 pledge toward the new Medical and Graduate Education Building.

A foundation made a contribution of $125,000 in support of pediatric oncology at Columbia.

A donor made a $120,240 gift to the Department of Neurology to advance research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

A donor made a $100,000 contribution to the Department of Medicine to advance cardiology research.

A contribution of $100,000 was made to advance research at the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain.

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

A corporation made a gift toward the establishment of the Julius B. Richmond Chair of Health Policy and Aging.

An individual donor made a gift of $125,000 toward a $500,000 pledge to New Ventures.

A foundation made a gift of $100,000 toward a $600,000 pledge providing support for early to mid-career scientists.

SCHOOL OF NURSING

An alumnus of the School of Nursing made a charitable gift annuity of $112,034 to establish an endowed scholarship fund.

An alumnus of the School of Nursing made a gift of $100,000 to name a conference room on the fifth floor of the new building. 

CUMC IN THE NEWS 

NBC TODAY

Beautiful Ballerina: NYC Ballet Creates Dance Program for Kids with Disabilities — July 16, 2015

 Armoza then reached out to Pearl’s surgeon, Dr. David Roye Jr., the executive director at the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center, who connected her...

NEW YORK TIMES

Little Research Is Done in Africa by or for Nurses — July 13, 2015

The research is limited, said Elaine L. Larson, a Columbia nursing professor and co-author, because many articles are done by doctoral candidates with no grant money...

CNN 

PTSD May Increase Heart Attack, Stroke Risk in Women — June 30, 2015

“This study raises awareness that the effects of PTSD don't just stop in the head ...,” said Jennifer A. Sumner, a psychologist at the Columbia...

NBC NEWS

Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Obama Health Care Law— June 25, 2015

“... if this had gone the other way, then millions of people would have lost health insurance,” said Tal Gross, a health policy expert at Columbia...

THE ATLANTIC 

Prison Born — July 1, 2015

Starting in 2003, a team of researchers led by Mary Byrne, a professor at the Columbia University School of Nursing, followed 100 children and their mothers... 

WASHINGTON POST ONLINE

Scientists Have Discovered How the Month You’re Born Matters for Your Health —June 15, 2015

Mary Regina Boland, Nicholas Tatonetti and other researchers at the Columbia University Department of Medicine examined records for an incredible 1.75 million patients born between 1900 and 2000 who had been treated at Columbia University Medical Center.

WALL STREET JOURNAL

Restaurants Pan New York City's Plan for High-Salt Labels —June 10, 2015

Lee Goldman, a cardiologist and dean of Columbia University Medical Center, agreed with the city, saying the available evidence shows people probably don’t need more than 2,300 mg a day. 

ABC NEWS 

Study: Fewer Kids Have Severe Mental Problems; More Get Help —May 20, 2015

“There's a public perception that there are more and more kids who have these disorders, and the new report challenges that,”[Dr. Mark] Olfson said.

TIME

How Bats Could Influence the Future of Air Travel —April 30, 2015

The researchers from Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University and the University of Maryland say their findings could help people design aircraft...

See more in Weekly Media Reports available online.

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