Jennifer Williamson, MS, MPH, to be Chief of Staff
Dear Colleagues,
As I mentioned in my letter to the CUIMC community earlier this week, I am pleased to share that Jennifer Williamson, MS, MPH, our associate vice dean of research policy and scientific strategy, will also serve as my chief of staff, supporting initiatives across VP&S and CUIMC.
In this newly created role, Jennifer will focus on advancing our strategic priorities across all mission areas, including the Columbia Initiative for Cell Engineering and Therapy, the Columbia Precision Medicine Initiative, and ongoing efforts in our scientific planning. In addition to these efforts and her work with me, Jennifer will partner with colleagues across our research, education, and administrative units to support progress on many of our CUIMC-wide initiatives.
Jennifer has served as the associate vice dean for research policy and scientific strategy since 2015, working with Mike Shelanski, MD, PhD, to support the clinical and basic science research faculty and the VP&S departments, centers, and institutes with research services and core research facilities to advance interdisciplinary research and new initiatives.
Since joining Columbia in 1998, Jennifer has worked with faculty and administrative leadership in both research and clinical operations. In the lab of Richard Mayeux, MD, she served as the research coordinator and manager of genetic studies of Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegenerative disorders in the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain and the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center. Prior to joining the VP&S Office for Research, she was the director of clinical operations in the Department of Neurology. Additionally, she was genetic counselor for 12 years in the Columbia University Huntington's Disease Center of Excellence.
Jennifer has an MS in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling from Sarah Lawrence College, an MPH in Health Policy and Management from Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, and a BS in Molecular Genetics from the Ohio State University.
On a personal note, I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Jennifer on several initiatives, including the VP&S/CUIMC taskforce on Implementation of Clinical Genomic Medicine, and I look forward to working together to further strengthen our world-class research enterprise. Please join me in welcoming Jennifer to her new role.
Katrina A. Armstrong, MD
Interim President, Columbia University
Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences
Chief Executive Officer of Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Harold and Margaret Hatch Professor of the University