Dr. Antonio Gotto (left), dean of the Medical College, and Dr. Herbert Pardes (right), president of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, with speakers Dr. Felice Schnoll-Sussman and Dr. Ellen Scherl at the March 4 meeting of the NewYork Weill Cornell Council.
The NewYork Weill Cornell Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on March 4, with a reception and a presentation entitled "A Gastroenterologist's Perspective: Advances in Digestive Health."
More than 75 members and their guests engaged in a lively question-and-answer session with Drs. Ellen Scherl and Felice Schnoll-Sussman. Both physicians are assistant professors of medicine at Weill Cornell and attending physicians at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Scherl is the director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, and Dr. Schnoll-Sussman will be on the staff of NewYork Weill Cornell's Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health.
Dr. Scherl began her presentation by describing the exciting advances in genomic science that are taking place at Weill Cornell, and how the faculty is working to translate that research into clinical care. She spoke about advances in treating inflammatory bowel disease, and how these discoveries could break new ground in treatment for a wide variety of diseases.
Dr. Schnoll-Sussman talked about the future of treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal cancer, highlighting the use of new diagnostic technology and the potential benefits of "friendly bacteria" in fighting disease. She also spoke about the success of awareness efforts in the media for colon cancer prevention, and the special involvement of Katie Couric in the Jay Monahan Center, which is named for Ms. Couric's late husband.
The NewYork Weill Cornell Council is a shared advocacy group for Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and an important forum for educating friends, donors and members of the community on medical developments that affect them directly.