CUIMC Update - October 19, 2022
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
Sankar Ghosh Elected to National Academy of Medicine
Sankar Ghosh, PhD, the Silverstein and Hutt Family Professor of Microbiology and chair of the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at VP&S, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Ghosh was elected for his pioneering studies that have implications for the treatment of inflammatory diseases as well as cancer. Read more.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month Reminder: Breast Density
Though women may know if they have dense breasts, many don’t know that having dense breasts comes with a slightly elevated risk of developing breast cancer. Lauren Friedlander, MD, assistant professor of radiology at VP&S, explains what women need to know about dense breasts and the importance of mammography. Read more.
2023 Benefits Open Enrollment Begins Oct. 31
The annual benefits Open Enrollment begins Oct. 31 and goes until Nov. 18. During this period, all eligible officers and support staff may enroll in or change their benefits for 2023. Benefit information forums in November will provide more information. Read more.
How a Dental Hygienist Takes Care of Her Teeth
Mei Lam, a registered dental hygienist and safety coordinator with the College of Dental Medicine, discusses her daily oral health routine and explains the science behind brushing teeth. Read more.
Scaling Up Mental Health Services in Northern Manhattan
Project Engage, an initiative from the Mental Wellness Equity Center led by Milton Wainberg, MD, professor of clinical psychiatry at VP&S, aims to address workforce shortages and increase access to mental health care. In early October, Project Engage finished its first weeklong training of lay community workers to deliver brief, evidence-based interventions for people with mental illnesses and addictions. Read more.
EVENTS
CopeColumbia Presents: “Are the Parents All Right (Part 2) - Navigating the Challenges of Parenting in the Pandemic Era”
Oct. 20, 12 p.m., online
Register here.
LGBTQ+ Faculty Peer Mentoring Presents: “Bridging the Gap - Navigating Your Mentorship Needs”
Oct. 26, 4 p.m., School of Nursing, 7th floor
Read more.
Dean’s Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities presented by Carol Becker, PhD
Oct. 27, 4:30 p.m., Alumni Auditorium, Black Building
Read more.
ACE Master Clinician Mentorship Series: “Managing the 'Un-diagnosable Patient’ - A Multidisciplinary Approach”
Nov. 1, 8 a.m., online
Register here.
Webinar: Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases in Children and Adolescents
Nov. 1, 6 p.m., online
Register here.
Aftershock: Film Screening and Discussion
Nov. 2, 5:30 p.m., Alumni Auditorium, Black Building
Reserve seat here.
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day
Nov. 5, 1 p.m., Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center
Register here.
Distrust and Disparities in Healthcare: Unraveling the Complexity
Nov. 9, 4 p.m., CUIMC Faculty Club and online
Register here.
Archives & Special Collections Exhibit: "New Old Things: Recent Accessions, Archives & Special Collections, 2012-2022"
Through Dec. 16, 2022
Hammer Health Sciences Center, Lower Level 2
For more events, visit the CUIMC Events listing.
GRANTS
MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Terry McGovern, JD, Population and Family Health Research: $400,000 over two years from the Ford Foundation for “Core support for the Global Health Justice and Governance Program's research project on sexual and gender-based violence funding streams focusing on multilateral, bilateral and small donor standards and reported evidence of success and impact.”
VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS
Susan Bates, MD, Medicine: $362,124 over three years from Army Medical Research and Material Command for “Modulating neural signaling in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.”
Elizabeth Bradshaw, PhD, Neurology: $431,216 over two years from the National Institute on Aging for “Investigating the convergence of AD genetics on lipid metabolism and microglia regulation.”
Philip De Jager, MD, PhD, Neurology: $350,000 over one year from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for “Creating and deploying a toolkit for human microglia in neurodegeneration.”
Benjamin Izar, MD, Medicine: $792,000 over three years from the American Cancer Society for “The role of the CD58:CD2 axis in cancer immune evasion and resistance to immunotherapy.”
Francesco Lotti, PhD, Neurology: $290,137 over one year from the Graviton Biosciences Corporation for “Rho kinase inhibition in a mouse model of ALS.”
Umrao Monani, PhD, Medicine: $2,513,995 over five years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Mechanisms and SMN-independent therapies for spinal muscular atrophy.”
Laura Pasqualucci, MD, Institute for Cancer Genetics: $2,375,445 over four years from the National Cancer Institute for “Role of CREBBP missense mutations in lymphomagenesis.”
Martin Picard, PhD, Psychiatry: $405,000 over one year from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Psychobiological regulation of cell-free mitochondrial DNA in human saliva.”
Steven J. Shea, MD, Medicine: $893,087 over four years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for a subaward of “Longitudinal Relationships Among Sleep, Cognition and Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarkers: Discerning Causal Associations, Mediators, and Susceptibility.”
Kiran Thakur, MD, Neurology: $481,378 over two years from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for “CDC Prospective surveillance study of neurological adverse events in the context of COVID 19/COVID 19 vaccination.”
Guang Yang, PhD, Anesthesiology: $382,409 over three years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for a subaward of “Optimization of Clear Optically Matched Panoramic Access Channel Technique (COMPACT) for large-scale deep-brain neurophotonic interface.”
Michael Yin, MD, Medicine: $943,076 over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for “Mentoring Research in Non-infectious Complications of HIV.”
HONORS
VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS
Elizabeth Park, MD, Medicine, received a Distinguished Fellow Award from the American College of Rheumatology and the Association of Rheumatology Professionals. Read more.
MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Helen de Pinho, Population and Family Health, was selected as a 2023 Provost’s Senior Faculty Teaching Scholar. Read more.
SCHOOL OF NURSING
Donald Boyd, PhD '17, received the Novice Faculty Excellence in Didactic Teaching Award from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
IN THE NEWS
CNN Online
Medicare Considers Expanding Dental Benefits for Certain Medical Conditions
Oct 10, 2022 - Dr. Biana Roykh, senior associate dean for clinical affairs at Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine, called CMS’ proposal “a step in the right direction.” But she cautioned that it doesn’t yet address the full extent of dental needs among seniors. “We’re not solving the problems upstream” by tackling the causes of dental decay, including a lack of routine care, she said.
Newsweek
Forget Weed, Wine, and Xanax: Science Has Better Ways to Treat Anxiety
Oct 12, 2022 - It's understandable that parents want to protect their children from situations that frighten or upset them, says Dr. Anne Marie Albano, founder of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders. But, she says, "if we keep rescuing them and fixing things for them, their anxiety perpetuates and grows."
USA Today
Black Saliva, Sore Throat, Shortness of Breath: How Dangerous Is Wildfire Season for U.S. Farmworkers?
Oct 10, 2022 - Wildfire smoke and pollution in general are linked to health problems, and farmworkers can lack access to regular health care, said Joan Casey, an environmental epidemiologist and assistant professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.