CUIMC Update - December 4, 2024

December 4, 2024

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

News

Columbia Mailman School Lends a Hand in the Community
On Nov. 15, more than 100 faculty, students, and staff at the Mailman School of Public Health participated in Day of Service at 11 community sites across Manhattan and the Bronx.

Is Raw Milk Safe to Drink?
While proponents say raw milk offers health advantages, scientists and medical professionals cite clear concerns about safety. Columbia clinical microbiologist Gregory Berry argues that the pros of raw milk do not outweigh the risks and explains why.

Healthy Aging Initiative Announces Pilot Grant Recipients
The Columbia Healthy Aging Initiative steering committee announced four interdisciplinary teams will receive healthy longevity pilot awards. The winning principal investigators are Daniel Belsky and Vivek Moitra (co-PIs); Jae-eun Kang Miller and Yueqing Peng (co-PIs); Marcela Tamayo-Ortiz; Sarah Tom and Rebecca Kehm (co-PIs); and Yvon Woappi and Cathy Mendelsohn (co-PIs).

Last Chance: Complete the 2024 Well-Being Survey
You are invited to complete the 2024 CUIMC Well-Being Survey by Dec. 5, open to all CUIMC faculty, staff, and postdocs across the four schools. All responses are anonymous and confidential. Every person who completes the survey can enter for a chance to win a complimentary prix-fixe lunch at the Faculty Club for you and a guest, or a gift card for $25. (Note: Personal information provided for the drawing is held separately from survey responses.)

Events

Grants

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

  • Uttiya Basu, Microbiology & Immunology
    $2,785,832 over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for "RNA associated mechanisms for antigen receptor gene diversification during immature B cell development."
  • Wassim Elyaman, Neurology
    $1,008,091 over two years from the Army Medical Research and Materiel Command for "A High Throughput and Multiplex Platform for Engineering TCR-Tregs for ALS Therapy."
  • George Hripcsak, Biomedical Informatics
    $272,196 over two years from the VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System for "Intergovernmental Personnel Agreement: VINCI and ODHSI Coordination."
  • Gerard Karsenty, Genetics & Development
    $2,815,504 over five years from the Hevolution Foundation for "A chemical approach to harness for therapeutic purposes the bone regulation of muscle."
  • Monica Kasbekar, Medicine
    $450,000 over three years from the Edward P. Evans Foundation for "Molecular and functional consequences of age-associated inflammation on development of MDS."
  • Filippo Mancia, Physiology & Cellular Biophysics
    $2,345,285 over five years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for "Structural basis of integral membrane enzyme function."
  • Martin Picard, Psychiatry
    $3,487,774 over five years from the National Institute on Aging for "Mapping Mitochondrial Diversity in the Aging Brain and Immune System."
  • Megan Sykes and Xiaojuan Chen, Medicine
    $600,000 over two years from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International for "Improving pig islet transplant efficacy in a preclinical baboon diabetes model with induced immune tolerance to the xenografts."
  • Stavros Thomopoulos, Orthopedic Surgery
    $2,337,860 over five years from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for "The role of the subacromial bursa in rotator cuff degeneration and healing."
  • Xuebing Wu, Medicine
    $750,000 over three years from the Pershing Square Foundation for "Awakening a heart ribosome in the brain: preventing and treating neurodegenerative diseases with ribosome reprogramming."
  • Shan Zha, Institute for Cancer Genetics
    $3,045,584 over five years from the National Cancer Institute for "The role of HPF1 in radiation and genotoxic cancer therapy."
  • Faris Zuraikat, Medicine
    $2,258,032 over four years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for "SLEAP: a Sleep ancillary to the Long-term Effectiveness of the Anti-obesity medication Phentermine trial."

Honors

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

  • Shunichi (Nick) Homma, Medicine
    Received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, from the Consulate General of Japan in New York. The award recognizes distinguished services to the welfare of Japanese residents and those of Japanese descent and significant service to promote medical education and knowledge in Japan.

Social Media Snapshot

Columbia Medicine (@ColumbiaMed)

Join us virtually THIS THURSDAY at 4 p.m.

Columbia Surgery (@ColumbiaSurgery)

There is endless talk about AI, but when it comes to heart care, what are the newest innovations, and what do they mean for the future? Join us for a live chat on Instagram this Thursday at 4pm! What questions do you want answered? Tell us in this thread. #cardiology

In the News Highlights

  • How Trump’s Win Could Change Your Health Care
    Nov 18, 2024
    CNBC Online
    Just under 8% of the U.S. population is uninsured right now—the lowest rate in American history, said Michael Sparer, a professor at Columbia University and chair of its Department of Health Policy and Management. That figure was 17% when the Affordable Care Act was enacted more than a decade ago, he said. “That rate will start going up again,” Sparer said.
  • Recognizing Nurse Practitioners and the Work They Do in Filling Healthcare Gaps
    Nov 12, 2024
    CBS 13 Baltimore (video)
    Stephen Ferrara, interviewed here, is a professor of nursing and the associate dean of artificial intelligence at the Columbia University School of Nursing.
  • Radio 4: Pausing the Menopause
    Nov 18, 2024
    BBC (audio podcast)
    Ovarian tissue ages faster than any other part of the body. Because of this, lots of ground-breaking anti-aging research tends to start with the ovaries. There are lots of studies underway right now exploring various ways to stop, pause, push back, or even eradicate the menopause completely.
    Zev Williams, interviewed for this BBC podcast, is the Wendy D. Havens Associate Professor of Women's Health at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is also director of Columbia University Fertility Center. Dr. Williams's comments begin at 22:33.