Update on the Department of Molecular Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing with news that Cory Abate-Shen, PhD, is stepping down as chair of the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Abate-Shen has been an exemplary chair, strengthening the department in significant and lasting ways. We are exceedingly fortunate that she has served in this leadership role for the past five years.
At the time of her appointment in 2019, Dr. Abate-Shen was the first woman appointed to chair a VP&S basic science department in more than 30 years. As chair she has worked to re-invigorate and modernize the department with a new strategic vision and a major investment in recruitment and infrastructure. Under her leadership, several new recruits, including Nikhil Sharma, PhD, Yonghao Yu, PhD, Carla Concepcion-Crisol, PhD, and Dian Yang, PhD, joined the department and are helping the department continue its place at the forefront of basic science research.
Dr. Abate-Shen is also a committed teacher and mentor. During her tenure as chair, she significantly revamped the graduate program in molecular pharmacology and therapeutics and launched an initiative in chemical biology with the Department of Chemistry. The joint venture will unite an intellectual community with shared interests in chemical biology to accelerate discoveries based on the application of innovations in chemistry to important biological problems.
As we look to the future of the department, we are pleased to announce that Henry M. Colecraft, PhD, currently the John C. Dalton Professor and associate vice chair in the Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics and Professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, has agreed to serve as interim chair. Dr. Colecraft is an international leader in the molecular physiology of ion channel proteins that underlie signaling in nerve cells and the heart. He has directed the Ion Channel Physiology & Disease Lab since 2001. He also serves on the Scientific Research Advisory Committee and the implementation committee for the Vagelos Institute for Biomedical Research Education.
A cornerstone of Dr. Colecraft’s work has been his efforts to bring basic science research from the lab to the market, working to ensure that new therapies reach patients faster. He founded two companies, Stablix Inc. and Flux Therapeutics, to commercialize targeted protein stabilization; he serves as a scientific adviser to both companies. In 2023, he was named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
Dr. Abate-Shen will remain on the faculty and continue her important clinical, educational, and mentoring efforts in the department. We will share more details about the search for the next chair in the near future.
Please join us in thanking Dr. Abate-Shen for her leadership and in welcoming Dr. Colecraft to his interim leadership role.
Sincerely,
Katrina A. Armstrong, MD
Interim President, Columbia University in the City of New York
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences
Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences
James McKiernan, MD
Interim Dean, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
CEO of ColumbiaDoctors