CUIMC Update - Dec. 7, 2020

December 7, 2020

Share this page

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 cumcnews@cumc.columbia.edu. Grants are provided by the Sponsored Projects Administration office.

NEWS

Town Halls to Address Temporary Retirement Program Changes, Campus Issues    
Two virtual forums have been scheduled this week to update faculty, staff and students on a range of important issues: 

Forum on Temporary Changes to the Columbia University Retirement Program: Wednesday, Dec. 9, 11 a.m. - noon

CUIMC and Columbia University human resources leaders will provide an overview of temporary changes to the university’s retirement program, and they will answer your questions. Registration is required via this link using your Columbia email address. All who pre-register will receive a confirmation email before the event with instructions for joining on Zoom.  

The forum will feature:  

  • Bill Innes, Chief Human Resources Officer, CUIMC, and Associate Dean for Human Resources, VP&S
  • Michael Bloom, Assistant Vice President, Benefits and Compensation, Columbia University 

Forum on CUIMC Campus Issues: Friday, Dec. 11, 9-10:30 a.m. 

CUIMC leaders will provide updates on campus operations, recommendations of the CUIMC Task Force for Addressing Structural Racism, the School of Nursing’s response to COVID-19, and CUIMC’s primary care initiative. Registration is required via this link using your Columbia email address. All who pre-register will receive a confirmation email before the event with instructions for joining on Zoom.  

The forum will feature:  

  • Anil Rustgi, MD, Interim Executive Vice President and Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine 
  • Donna Lynne, DrPH, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, CUIMC, Chief Executive Officer, ColumbiaDoctors  
  • Anne Taylor, MD, Senior Vice President for Faculty Affairs and Career Development, CUIMC, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, VP&S 
  • Lorraine Frazier, RN, PhD, Dean, School of Nursing, Senior Vice President, CUIMC 
  • David Buchholz, MD, Senior Founding Medical Director, Primary Care

2021 Required Gateway COVID-19 Testing 
Effective Jan. 4, 2021, a new gateway test is required for all faculty, staff, and students accessing Columbia campuses and other facilities. This includes individuals who have been on campus throughout 2020 and who were previously tested through the gateway testing program. The test must be administered by Columbia University’s COVID Testing Program from Jan. 4 through Jan. 25, 2021. Read more. 

Join the CUIMC Holiday Toy Drive and Competition 
Five teams, two awards up for grabs, and just a few weeks to show your holiday spirit. In lieu of an on-campus toy drive this year, the CUIMC community is invited to raise funds for toys and local community-based organizations. To learn more, watch this video. 

VP&S Pediatrician Co-Authors Guidance for Pediatricians on Helping Children During the Pandemic 
Evelyn Berger-Jenkins, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at VP&S, has co-authored new recommendations to help pediatricians address emotional and behavioral health issues in children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more. 

EVENTS

Virtual Summit: Infection Prevention in Nursing Homes, Dec. 8, 2020, 8 p.m., read more. 

OSR REX Seminar: Women’s Mental Health Matters (Dr. Catherine Monk), Dec. 11, 2020, 12 p.m., read more. 

CUSON & NYP: Joining Forces During COVID-19, Dec. 14, 2020, 5 p.m., read more. 

Office of Work/Life: Upcoming 2020 Virtual Events Hosted by Komae, Music Play for Babies to Preschool on Dec. 8 at 2 p.m., and Setting Your Boundaries: How to Establish Mindful Limits for Home, Work, and Kids on Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. Registration is required for all events. Learn more about the Komae child care app (UNI login required). 

GRANTS

VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS

Donna Farber, PhD, Microbiology & Immunology, will receive $499,880 over three years from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust for a subaward of “Human Atlas of Neonatal Development and Early-Life Immunity.”

Milan Stojanovic, PhD, Medicine, will receive $2,186,625 over four years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Analog-based Approaches to Isolation of Aptamers for Challenging Targets.”

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Sara Casey, DrPH, Population & Family Health, will receive $372,409 over five years from the French Development Agency for a subaward of “Social Empowerment of Chadian Women Through Access to Health Services.”

AWARDS AND HONORS

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IRVING MEDICAL CENTER

Three CUIMC staff members received 2020 Baton Awards, presented on Dec. 3: Janiris Jorge, chief of staff in the CUIMC Executive Vice President’s Office; Dori Lorsch, department administrator for the Department of Health Policy & Management in the Mailman School of Public Health; and D. Anne Stewart, department administrator/chief financial officer for the Department of Emergency Medicine in VP&S. Read more.

VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS

Anna Penn, MD, PhD, Pediatrics, has been chosen to be a member of the American Pediatric Society. 

Helen Blair Simpson, MD, PhD, Psychiatry, received the Julius Axelrod Mentorship Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Read more.

SCHOOL OF NURSING

Pascale Chataigne, Nicole Martinez Santana, and Michaela Rahimi are new HRSA National Health Service Corps Scholarship recipients for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Sarah Phan is the recipient of the Osmosis Health Education Impact Scholarship. Read more.