Eight VP&S Faculty Members Honored for Service to Columbia

Each year, the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) selects faculty members to receive awards at graduation. Due to changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the graduation ceremony for the VP&S Class of 2020 was a virtual event without the familiar sight of faculty accepting their awards in person at the ceremony. This year’s eight awardees:

Penelope Boyden, PhD, professor emerita of pharmacology, who received the VP&S Distinguished Service Award in Basic Science

F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, MD, MPH, professor emeritus of medicine, who received the VP&S Distinguished Service Award in Clinical Science

Arthur G. Palmer III, PhD, the Robert Wood Johnson Jr. Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, associate dean for graduate affairs, and interim chair, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, who received the the Charles W. Bohmfalk Award for Pre-Clinical Years

Julia Iyasere, MD, MBA, assistant professor of clinical medicine, who received the Charles W. Bohmfalk Award for Clinical Years

Elise Desperito, MD, assistant professor of radiology at CUMC, who received the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award

Dritan Agalliu, PhD, assistant professor of pathology & cell biology (in neurology), who received the Doctor Harold and Golden Lamport Research Award in Basic Sciences

Bernard Chang, MD, PhD, associate professor of emergency medicine, who received the Doctor Harold and Golden Lamport Research Award in Clinical Sciences

Marina Catallozzi, MD, MSCE, associate professor of pediatrics and of population and family health at CUMC, who received the Distinguished Teacher Award given by the Class of 2020

“To know this Class of 2020 has come through VP&S as intelligent, caring, humanistic, giving, selfless doctors who put the needs of others before their own confirmed what I already knew about VP&S-trained physicians,” said Catallozzi, who addressed students in a prerecorded message at the virtual ceremony. “You are tough … COVID did push you into your roles earlier than we expected and you more than rose to the challenge.”