CUMC Celebrates 2015-2016, Issue 3

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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

Domenico Accili, MD, Medicine, received $2,124,930 over five years from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Mouse Models of Insulin Resistance” in a competitive renewal.

Ottavio Arancio, MD, PhD, Taub Institute, received $724,757 over three years from the Department of the Army for “TBI-Induced Formation of Toxic Tau and Its Biochemical Similarities to Tau in AD Brains.”

David Bell, MD, Pediatrics, received $3,633,300 over five years from the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion for “Male Teen Pregnancy Prevention Project (Male TPP Project).”

Thomas Brannagan, MD, Neurology, received $308,199 over three years from Grifols S.A. for “Peripheral Nerve Disorders Fellowship.”

David Jonathan Brenner, PhD, DSc, Center for Radiological Research, received $33,015,531 over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for “Center for High-Throughput Minimally Invasive Radiation Biodosimetry.”

Constantinos Broustas, PhD, Center for Radiological Research, received $360,000 over three years from the Department of the Army for “Targeting MEK5 Enhances Radiosensitivity of Human Prostate Cancer and Impairs Tumor Associated Angiogenesis.”

Paula Castano, MD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, received $358,353 over three years from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for “Clinical Evaluation of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives.”

Alberto Ciccia, PhD, Genetics & Development, received $450,000 over three years from the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Inc. for “Defining the Molecular Mechanisms of BRACA1-Dependent Tumor Suppression.”

Francine Cournos, MD, Psychiatry, received $14,100,600 over four years from the Health Resources and Services Administration for “Regional AIDS Education and Training Centers.”

Karina Davidson, PhD, Medicine, received $7,098,340 over five years from the National Institute on Aging for “Columbia University Science of Behavior Change Resource and Coordinating Center.”

Charles Emala, MD, Anesthesiology, received $1,347,029 over four years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Mechanisms of Anesthetic Effects on Tachykinin Induced Airway Tone” in a competitive renewal.

Phyllis Faust, MD, PhD, Pathology & Cell Biology, received $460,627 over five years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Pathologomics: Essential Tremor in the Broader Context of Neurodegeneration.”

David Fidock, PhD, Microbiology & Immunology, received $880,000 over three years from the Department of the Army for “Identifying New Chemical Entities that Treat and Prevent Relapsing Vivax and Drug-Resistant Falciparum Malaria in U.S. Military Personnel.”

Zachary Freyberg, MD, PhD, Psychiatry, received $1,198,603 over three years from the Department of the Army for “Central and Peripheral Mechanisms of Antipsychotic Medication-Induced Metabolic Dysregulation.”

Edward Gelmann, PhD, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, received $450,000 over two years from the New York State Department of Health for “Innovations in Prostate Cancer.”

James Goldman, MD, PhD, Pathology & Cell Biology, received $679,999 over three years from the Department of the Army for “Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Epileptogenesis and Seizure Progression in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 1 Deficient Mouse Models.”

Dawn Hershman, MD, Medicine, received $250,000 over one year from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for “Understanding Barriers to Quality Cancer Care” in a competitive renewal.

George Hripcsak, MD, Biomedical Informatics, received $384,800 over two years from Janssen Research & Development for “Development of Standardized Vocabularies to Support Electronic Phenotyping in Observational Research within the OMOP Common Data Model.”

Antonio Iavarone, MD, Institute for Cancer Genetics, received $2,008,060 over three years from the Children’s Tumor Foundation for “Identification, Functional Characterization and Therapeutic Exploitation of the Integrated Landscape of Genetic and Epigenetic Alterations in Glioma from Patients with NF1.”

Daniel Javitt, MD, PhD, Psychiatry, received $840,000 over three years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “tDCS Augmentation of Cognitive Remediation in Schizophrenia.”

Gerard Karsenty, MD, PhD, Genetics & Development, received $1,789,285 over five years from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Regulation of Glucose Uptake in Osteoblasts by Runx2” and $440,052 over one year from the National Institute on Aging for “Characterization of a Receptor Meditating Adiponectin Functions on Bone.”

Harry Kissileff, PhD, Medicine, received $1,143,580 over three years from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Mechanisms Underlying Predictors of Success from Obesity Surgery.”

Ian Kronish, MD, Medicine, received $1,249,453 over five years from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for “Increasing the Uptake of the USPSTF Hypertension Screening Guidelines in Primary Care.”

Andrew Kung, MD, PhD, Pediatrics, received $1,536,690 over two years from the Sohn Conference Foundation for “Precision Medicine Program for Children with High-Risk Cancers.”

Blandine Laferrere, MD, Medicine, received $1,829,261 over four years from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Metabolomic Biomarkers Predictors of Long-Term Success Following Bariatric Surgery.”

Francis Lee, MD, PhD, Orthopedic Surgery, received $510,867 over five years from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for “Modification of Bone Grafts for Orthopaedic Procedures.”

Seonjoo Lee, PhD, Psychiatry, received $525,600 over four years from the National Institute on Aging for “Statistical Methods for Neural Mechanisms Mediating Cognitive System in Mental Health Research.”

Eduardo David Leonardo, MD, Psychiatry, received $1,592,818 over three years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Developmental Regulation of Mood States by 5-HT1A Heteroreceptors.”

Suzanne Lentzsch, MD, PhD, Medicine, received $600,000 over three years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Phase 1A/1B Study of 11-1 F4 mAb for the Treatment of AL Amyloidosis.”

Francis Levin, MD, Psychiatry, received $736,441 over three years from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration for “Training Medical and Dental Students in SBIRT.”

Jose Luchsinger, MD, Medicine, received $3,238,671 over five years from the National Institute on Aging for “Diabetes Status and Brain Amyloid in Middle-Aged Hispanics” and $1,078,818 over four years from the National Institute on Aging for “Interdisciplinary Research to Understand the Interplay of Diabetes, Cerebrovascular Disease, and Alzheimer’s Disease.”

Mathew Maurer, MD, Medicine, received $785,160 over five years from the National Institute of Aging for “Midcareer Mentoring Award for Patient Oriented Research in Geriatric Cardiology” in a competitive renewal.

Catarina Maria Quinzii, MD, Neurology, received $412,942 over three years from the Department of the Army for “Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Disease Progression.”

Richard Paul Mayeux, MD, Sergievsky Center, received $378,986 over one year from the National Institute on Aging for “Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Consortium” in a competitive renewal and $2,711,980 over five years from the National Institute on Aging for “Genetic Studies of Alzheimer’s Disease in Caribbean Hispanics” in a competitive renewal.

Hiroshi Mitsumoto, MD, Neurology, received $1,196,427 over three years from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for “Case-Control Studies Nested in National ALS Registry to Evaluate Environmental Risks.”

Elizabeth Oelsner, MD, Medicine, received $440,000 over two years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Albuminuria and Incident Chronic Lung Disease Exacerbations in Five Population-Based Cohorts.”

Manuela Orjuela, MD, Pediatrics, received $1,538,165 over three years from the National Cancer Institute for “Methylation and Mutations in RB1 and Variants of Synthetic Folic Acid Metabolism.”

Soojin Park, MD, Neurology, received $1,081,205 over five years from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for “Multiparametric: Prediction of Vasospasm After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.”

Ning Qian, PhD, Neuroscience, received $599,994 over four years from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research for “Characterizing Neural Code from a Minimum-Description-Length Perspective.”

Stephen Rayport, MD, PhD, Psychiatry, received $458,869 over two years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for “Mapping Dopamine Neuron Co-Transmission by Proximity Detection.”

Theodorus G.M. Sandfort, PhD, Psychiatry received $3,570,953 over five years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for “Universal for All, Frequent for Some: HIV Testing in School-Based Health Centers.”

Yvonne Saenger, MD, Medicine, received $300,000 over three years from Amgen Inc., for “Defining Biomarkers of Immune Activation During Anti-PD1+Tvec Therapy.”

Steven J. Shea, MD, Medicine, received $1,251,812 over five years from the Health Resources and Services Administration for “Columbia University Physician Faculty Development in Primary Care Program: 7/1/15–6/29/20” and $516,720 over five years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) – Field Center” in a competitive renewal.

Catherine Schevon, MD, PhD, Neurology, received $966,136 over three years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Neural Populations, High Frequency Oscillations, and EEG Seizures.”

Charles Schroeder, PhD, Neurological Surgery, received $409,988 over two years from the National Eye Institute for “Neurophysiology of Active Vision in Humans.”

Adam Sonabend, MD, Neurological Surgery, received $2,000,000 over five years from the Office of the NIH Director for “TOP2A Effects on Transcription in Gliomas: Implications for Personalized Therapy.”

Kazuki Sugahara, MD, PhD, Surgery, received $300,000 over two years from the American Association for Cancer Research for “Clinical Development of a Tumor-Penetrating Peptide or Enhanced Pancreatic Cancer Therapy.”

David Sulzer, PhD, Neurology, received $2,375,000 over three years from the JPB Foundation for “Cellular and Physiological Mechanisms of Parkinson’s Disease Pathogenesis” and $250,000 over one year from the National Parkinson Foundation Inc. for “Neuroinflammation via T-Cell Response in Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Diseases.”

Megan Sykes, MD, Medicine, received $8,700,001 over three years from Lung Biotechnology Inc. for “A Tolerance Approach to Xenotransplantation” and $1,200,000 over two years from the Department of the Army for “Establishment of Donor Chimerism Using Allogeneic Bone Marrow with AMP Cell Co-Infusion.”

Saeed Tavazoie, PhD, Systems Biology, received $3,163,304 over five years from the National Human Genome Research Institute for “Massively Parallel Mapping of all Molecular Interactions in a Single Tube.”

Elizabeth Clarice Verna, MD, Medicine, received $607,941 over four years from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Bacterial Translocation and the Intestinal Microbiome in Recurrent Disease Following Liver Transplantation.”

Elaine Wan, MD, Medicine, received $654,210 over five years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Role of Vascular Ion Channels in Heart Failure and Cardiovascular Diseases.”

Chunhua Weng, PhD, Biomedical Informatics, received $3,436,628 over four years from the National Human Genome Research Institute for “Columbia GENIE (GENomic Integration with Ehr)” and $473,600 over two years from Janssen Research & Development for “Measuring the Impact of Generalizability of Clinical Trial Inclusion Criteria to Real-World Populations and Observational Studies of the Effects of Medical Products.”

Howard Worman, MD, Medicine, received $2,195,100 over five years from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for “Nuclear Movement LINC Complex and Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy.”

Kazuhiko Yamada, MD, PhD, Surgery, received $333,510 over one year from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for “Approaches to Tolerance of Allogeneic Kidney and Islet Transplants.”

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Simon Anthony, PhD, Center for Infection & Immunity, received $1,137,637 over four years from the U.S. Agency for International Development for “PREDICT-2 Davis.”

Veronique Bortolotti, MD, ICAP, received $8,400,004 over five years from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for “Increase Access to Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Services in the Democratic Republic of Congo under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).”

Pam Factor-Litvak, PhD, Epidemiology, received $1,310,188 over five years from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for “Training Program in Environmental Life Course Epidemiology.”

Ruth Finkelstein, ScD, Columbia Aging Center, received $467,837 over three years from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for “Age Boom Academy.”

Lynn Freedman, MPH, Population and Family Health, received $2,095,080 over three years from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for “Promoting Respectful Maternity Care Through Birth Companions.”

Ian Lipkin, MD, Center for Infection & Immunity, and Mady Hornig, MD, Center for Infection & Immunity, received $766,163 over one year from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for “Microbial Discovery and Immunity in ME/CFS.”

Gina Lovasi, PhD, Epidemiology, received $2,361,009 over four years from the National Institute on Aging for “Communities Designed to Support Cardiovascular Health for Older Adults.”

Barun Mathema, PhD, Epidemiology, received $259,723 over two years from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for “Genomic Epidemiology of TB in a High TB/HIV Endemic Area to Reveal Transmission Patterns.”

Lisa Metsch, PhD, Sociomedical Sciences, received $266,815 over one year from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for “Florida Node Alliance of the Drug Abuse Clinic Trials Network.”

Jasmine McDonald, PhD, Epidemiology, received $696,790 over five years from the National Cancer Institute for “Childhood Infection and Pubertal Timing.”

Ian McKeague, PhD, Biostatistics, received $797,000 over four years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Post-Selection Inference and Trajectory Analysis.”

Frederica Perera, DrPH, PhD, received $3,242,500 over 20 years from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for “The Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health.”

Eric Schrimshaw, PhD, Sociomedical Sciences, received $2,611,208 over four years from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities for “Cultural Script Interpretation and HIV Risk in a Diverse Sample of Young Urban MSM.”

Ursula Staudinger, PhD, Columbia Aging Center, received $450,000 over two years from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for “Do Mentally Stimulating Activities at Work and Beyond Optimize Cognitive Aging.”

Mary Beth Terry, PhD, Epidemiology, and Rachel Miller, MD, Environmental Health Sciences, received $4,498,306 over five years from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for “Pregnancy and Prenatal PAHs and Other Environmental Exposures and Breast Cancer.”

Pamela Valera, PhD, Sociomedical Sciences, received $563,004 over three years from the National Cancer Institute for “Cancer-Health Disparities in Incarcerated Men.”

Lawrence Yang, PhD, Epidemiology, and Ezra Susser, MD, DrPH, Epidemiology, received $3,072,538 over five years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Characterizing Cognition Across the Lifespan in Untreated Psychosis in China.”

 

 

AWARDS & HONORS

CUMC

 CUMC Administrators Network (CAN) Baton Awards:

Three members of the administrative staff received Baton Awards at the December CAN meeting. The award was created in 2009 to recognize exceptional members of the administrative staff who exemplify the spirit of teamwork. The winners:

• Michael Alberto, Faculty Club, CUMC Facilities
• Iris Cirino, central sterilization unit, College of Dental Medicine
• Yu-hui Ferng, School of Nursing’s Office of Global Initiatives.

 COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS

 Faculty elected as fellows to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS):

•  Robert Burke, MD, Pathology & Cell Biology
• Andrea Califano, Dr., Systems Biology
• Michael Shadlen, MD, PhD,Neuroscience
• Steven Siegelbaum, PhD,  Neuroscience

National Cancer Institute Outstanding Investigator Awards, which are intended to support and encourage leaders in cancer research, were given to

• Andrea Califano, Dr., Systems Biology
• Jean Gautier, PhD, Genetics & Development

Kenneth A. Forde Diversity Alliance Awards were presented at the second annual Dr. Kenneth A. Forde Diversity Alliance Reception sponsored by the P&S Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs and the P&S Alumni Association. The four awardees:

• Gerald E. Thomson, MD, Medicine, Diversity Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award
• Linda Aponte-Patel, MD, Pediatrics, Faculty Diversity Award
• Iheanacho Obinnaya Emeruwa, MD (P&S’14), Medicine, Resident Diversity Award
• Ashley White-Stern, P&S’18, Student Diversity Award

Cory Abate-Shen, PhD, Systems Biology, has been named winner of the 2015 James Family Foundation and Partner Fund Management Bladder Cancer Research Innovation Award in support of research investigating epigenetic regulation of bladder cancer progression.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) gave Melissa R. Arbuckle, MD, PhD, its Building Bridges and Spanning Boundaries Award for the National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative. The award highlights policies, programs, and structures that encourage basic research and research-focused training collaborations.

Dianna Dragatsi, MD, Psychiatry, received NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s 2015 Physician of the Year Award for her commitment to making care better for psychiatric patients in the emergency department.

Anne Gershon, MD, Pediatrics, received the Alexander Fleming Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Infectious Disease Society of America. The award recognizes a career that reflects major contributions to the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge about infectious diseases as well as a lifetime of leadership in the field of infectious disease.

Eric Kandel, MD, Neuroscience, received the Leo Baeck Medal at the Leo Baeck Institute’s annual dinner in recognition of his ground-breaking work in neuroscience as well as for his keen observation of the history of ideas.

Susan Klepper, PhD, Physical Therapy, received the Distinguished Educator Award from the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals. The award is presented to a member who has demonstrated sustained excellence in teaching of health professional students, medical students and/or fellows, with a focus on rheumatology-related content.

Judith Kribelbauer, PhD student, Systems Biology, received a three-year HHMI International Student Research Fellowship. Only 45 students worldwide received this honor this year.

Roberto Lewis-Fernandez, MD, Psychiatry, was named president-elect of the World Association of Cultural Psychiatry at its fourth World Congress in Jalisco, Mexico. The WACP is the largest international cultural psychiatry organization in the world.

Matthew Lovett-Barron, PhD, Neuroscience, received the Donald B. Lindsley Prize in Behavioral Neuroscience, which is awarded in recognition of an outstanding PhD thesis in the area of general behavioral neuroscience.

Soojin Park, MD, Neurology, received a Big Data to Knowledge Mentored Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health Office of the Director for the project, “Multiparametric Prediction of Vasospasm after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.”

Yvonne Saenger, MD, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, was recognized by the National Cancer Institute with an NCI Cancer Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award.

Gaetano Santulli, MD, PhD, Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, received a Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institutes of Health for “Targeting Intracellular Calcium Leak as Novel Therapy for Diabetes.”

Daniel Schechter, MD, Psychiatry, recently received the following four awards: the Hayman Prize from the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) and the Norbert and Charlotte Rieger Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Award from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry for his work, “On Traumatically Skewed Intersubjectivity”; the IPA Research Award for his paper “Negative and Distorted Attributions Towards Child, Self, and Primary Attachment Figure Among Post-Traumatically Stressed Mothers: What Changes with Clinician Assisted Video Feedback Exposure Sessions (CAVES)”; and the Gertrude von Meissner Foundation Research Award from the University of Geneva Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland, in support of his project, “Effects of Maternal Violence Exposure on the Mother-Toddler Relationship and on Subsequent Individual Differences Among Children.”

Ravi J. Shah, P&S student, was selected by the New England Journal of Medicine as lead moderator of a discussion on influential medical students. The journal also interviewed him for a series on the five most influential medical students.

Janet R. Sparrow, PhD, Ophthalmology, was given the Board of Trustees Achievement Award by the American Academy of Ophthalmology for contributions made to the academy, its scientific and educational programs, and to ophthalmology.

Hiroo Takayama, MD, PhD, Surgery, was honored at the Harboring Hearts annual gala in recognition of his leadership in cardiac care.

Elaine Wan, MD, Medicine, received a Mentored Career Development Award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Role of Vascular Ion Channels in Heart Failure and Cardiovascular Diseases.”

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, ICAP, was named the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Mathilde Krim-amfAR Chair of Global Health, a professorship endowed through the generosity of the Hess Foundation and of amfAR The Foundation for AIDS Research.

Linda P. Fried, MD, dean, was named to “Next Avenue 2015 Influencers in Aging,” a list of 50 innovators who are changing how we age and think about aging in America. Dr. Fried was also named to the Milken Institute’s newly created Center for the Future of Aging Advisory Board.

 Jennifer Hirsch, PhD, Sociomedical Sciences, was a featured lecturer at the University of Virginia Law School’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, Intimacy Lectures.

Quarraisha Abdul Karim, PhD, Epidemiology, was named one of five “exceptional laureates” of the 2016 L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Award.

Frederica Perera, DrPH, PhD, Environmental Health Sciences, received the 2015 Advocate Award from the Environmental Advocates of New York in recognition of research on the health and development impacts of prenatal and early childhood exposure to pollutants.

Reneé Wilson-Simmons, DrPH, Health Policy and Management, was the keynote speaker at the University of Cincinnati’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science & Training Community Engagement Speaker Series, “Poverty and Health: Children and Families in Crisis.”

COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE

The College of Dental Medicine won first place in the Columbia Giving Day alumni participation challenge, resulting in a $25,000 challenge award from the University Trustees.

Two postdoctoral prosthodontic residents won table competitions at American College of Prosthodontics meetings.

• First prize went to Michael Lituchy, DDS, at the ACP New York Section meeting for his poster, “Fatigue Resistance of Various Thickness Lithium Disilicate Occlusal Veneers Luted to Enamel and Dentin Substrates.” Anthony Randi, DDS, Prosthodontics was his mentor for the project.

• Hsin Yu Kuo, DDS, won third place for her poster, “Assessment of the Changes in Retention and Surface Topography of Unsplinted, Solitary Abutments and Attachments in Maxillary Four Implant Retained Complete Removable Overdentures.” Dr. Kuo was mentored by John Cavallaro, DDS, Prosthodontics, and Nurit Bittner, DDS, Prosthodontics.

Joseph McManus, DDS, received a special recognition award from the Shils Fund in recognition of his work improving access to care and public oral health. Samuel Zeichner, DMD, Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology, was named the 2015 Erwin Morscher Visiting Professor by the High Tech Research Center of the University of Basel Faculty of Medicine in recognition of his achievements in digital imaging.

SCHOOL OF NURSING

 Catherine Cohen, nursing student, was appointed as a student member to the science committee of the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (CANS).

Jacqueline Merrill, PhD, Biomedical Informatics, was appointed to the Health Policy Advisory Council of the American Association of the Colleges of Nursing.

Allison Norful, nursing student, was appointed as a student member to AcademyHealth’s Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues Board.

PHILANTHROPIC GIFTS

COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS

A donor made a $2,000,000 commitment to endow and establish a professorship in the Department of Medicine and a $500,000 contribution toward the pledge.

A donor made a $2,000,000 contribution to the Division of Nephrology to advance kidney disease research at the Center for Glomerular Diseases.

An anonymous donor made a $1,000,000 contribution toward a $5,000,000 commitment to the Center for Translational Immunology.

A bequest of $1,000,000 was realized to support corneal research in the Department of Ophthalmology.

An anonymous donor made a contribution of $650,000 to complete a $1,300,000 pledge to advance research at the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain.

A donor made a $500,000 pledge to support the new Medical and Graduate Education Building.

A family foundation made a $460,000 contribution to the Department of Psychiatry toward a $2,625,000 commitment to advance care and rehabilitation services at the Lieber Recovery and Rehabilitation Clinic.

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

An anonymous donor made a $300,000 gift to support the Global Mental Health Program at Columbia University Medical Center.

A contribution of $250,000 was made toward a commitment of $1,500,000 to the Department of Psychiatry to advance research and clinical care in non-verbal learning disabilities in the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

A donor made a $250,000 commitment to support the new Medical and Graduate Education Building.

A private foundation made a $250,000 pledge to support epilepsy research at the Institute for Genomic Medicine.

A $250,000 commitment was made to provide endowed support for junior investigators in the Division of Cardiology.

A donor made a $250,000 pledge to support research and medical education in the Department of Medicine.

A donor made a $250,000 gift to advance pediatric research in the Division of Cardiac Surgery.

A company made a $250,000 contribution to the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center to advance research in myelodysplastic syndrome and other hematologic malignancies.

A donor made a $212,500 contribution toward a $1,250,000 pledge to provide fellowship support to the Department of Ophthalmology.

A foundation made a $200,000 contribution to the Department of Psychiatry to advance brain tumor research at the Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology.

A donor made a $157,756 gift to the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University to enhance clinical care and research programs.

A foundation made a $150,000 contribution toward a $250,000 commitment to support the new Medical and Graduate Education Building.

A foundation made a $110,478 gift to the Division of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery to advance clinical research and patient care at the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center.

A donor made a contribution of $101,269 toward a $300,000 commitment to advance research on lymphoma and other hematological cancers at the Center for Lymphoid Malignancies.

An anonymous donor made a contribution of $100,000 toward a $1,000,000 commitment to provide scholarship support to the College of Physicians & Surgeons.

A donor made a $100,000 contribution to complete a commitment of $300,000 to support an annual clinical retina fellowship in the Department of Ophthalmology.

A private foundation made a $150,000 gift to the Department of Ophthalmology to advance research on medical and surgical treatments for glaucoma.

A donor made a $100,000 pledge to the Department of Surgery to support research on vascular disease.

A donor made a $100,000 gift to Columbia’s cardiac programs to advance clinical research on cardiovascular disease.

A donor made a $100,000 pledge to the Department of Medicine to support research on gastrointestinal malignancies.

A donor made a $100,000 gift to the Department of Psychiatry to support research on childhood developmental disorders in the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

SCHOOL OF NURSING

The School of Nursing received an $11,100,000 grant from the Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare to house the center at Columbia Nursing’s new building, beginning in 2017. This is the largest single grant in the school’s 123-year history.

A foundation made a donation of $166,000 to name two exam rooms in the new School of Nursing building and underwrite simulation equipment.

An alumna of the School of Nursing made a gift of $150,000 to augment an endowed scholarship, as well as provide leadership support for the Annual Fund.

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

A trust made a gift of $1,000,000 to support the mental health components of the New York Public Library Bridge Up Program.

A foundation made a gift of $500,000 toward the establishment of a new Global Health professorship in epidemiology.

 

 

CUMC IN THE NEWS

FORBES

Animal Venom Database Could Be Boon To Drug Development – November 29, 2015

 “To create the database, assistant professor of biomedical informatics Nicholas Tatonetti and graduate student Joseph Romano first searched through 22 million medical research papers for references to therapeutic uses of venom.”

 WASHINGTON POST

Scientists Manipulate Mice’s Taste Buds Through Brain Cells – November 18, 2015

 “Columbia University Medical Center reports that scientists have found that taste ultimately comes from the brain, not the tongue, and they have manipulated mice brain cells to change the way something tastes to a mouse.”

 CBS NEW YORK

Dr. Max Gomez: Vitamin Baby – October 29, 2015

“Dr. David Goldstein explains the role of genomic medicine in diagnosing a toddler’s rare illness.”

NBC NEWS

Cancer Drug Could Be Baldness Remedy, Too  –  October 23, 2015

“While cancer treatments are usually associated with hair loss, some specialized drugs called JAK inhibitors can actually help hair grow. Angela Christiano and colleagues at Columbia University have been testing them as treatments for a rare form of hair loss called alopecia areata.”

WALL STREET JOURNAL

Ebola Survivor, Caregivers Unite One Year Later – October 20, 2015

“Craig Spencer, the New York doctor who survived the Ebola virus, returned to Bellevue Hospital Center on Tuesday to enjoy a victory lap with dozens of his caregivers.”

See more in Weekly Media Reports available online.

Past issues of CUMC CELEBRATES: http://ps.columbia.edu/celebrates/