Ali Gharavi, MD, Appointed Chair of the VP&S Department of Medicine
Dear Colleagues:
We are pleased to announce that, following an extensive national search, Ali Gharavi, MD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Medicine at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and physician-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center following his highly successful term as interim chair. His appointments are effective immediately. Dr. Gharavi’s service to Columbia and NewYork-Presbyterian has been exemplary and we are delighted that he has agreed to take on these important leadership roles on a permanent basis.
Dr. Gharavi is the Jay Meltzer, MD, Professor of Nephrology and Hypertension. He has served as chief of the Division of Nephrology since 2014 and director of the Center for Precision and Genomics in the Department of Medicine since 2019. During his tenure as a division chief, Dr. Gharavi oversaw a major expansion of the clinical programs and achieved a five-fold increase in extramural research support. Under his guidance, the Nephrology Division also established a pioneering program for precision nephrology.
Dr. Gharavi joined Columbia in 2003 to develop a research program focused on the molecular genetics of kidney diseases. His work has led to the discovery of genes and risk loci for IgA nephropathy and congenital kidney defects. His research on IgA nephropathy has identified new biological pathways that have now been successfully targeted for treatment of this disease. His work has also demonstrated the utility of clinical sequencing for the diagnosis and management of patients with kidney disease. His overarching goal is to bring personalized genomic medicine to all specialties of internal medicine.
Dr. Gharavi was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation and to the Association of American Physicians. He received the Judson Daland Prize for Outstanding Clinical Investigation from the American Philosophical Society, the National Medical Award from the Kidney and Urology Foundation of America, and the Homer Smith Award from the American Society of Nephrology.
The Columbia University Department of Medicine has a long and illustrious history. Since the founding of the medical faculty in 1767, the Department of Medicine has led the country in clinical care, education, and research. Over the past century, the department claims seven Nobel laureates from among its trainees and faculty and has developed a well-deserved reputation for exceptional clinical care and rigorous education. The department has been in the top five for NIH funding each year since 2015, and faculty members continually attract honors for clinical excellence, education, and community service. Dr. Gharavi follows in this role Donald W. Landry, MD, PhD, who led the Department for 16 years, during which he led the doubling of the faculty and a 300% increase in NIH-funded research.
We extend our thanks to Mary D’Alton, MD, and all the members of the search committee for their unwavering commitment to finding the best possible person for this important role.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Gharavi. We could not be more fortunate to have his visionary and compassionate leadership in this important role at this critical time.
Sincerely,
Katrina Armstrong, MD
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences, Columbia University
Steven J. Corwin, MD
President and Chief Executive Officer, NewYork-Presbyterian