From left: Dr. Katherine Hajjar, Dr. Antonio Gotto, and Madeline and Kevin Brine in the Department's Papanicolaou Library.
On the evening of March 29, a reception marking the formal opening of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology's newly renovated offices and laboratories was held in the Department's Papanicolaou Library. The new space includes improved office and conference capacity as well as laboratories designed to accommodate the research of the Department's faculty.
Dr. Monn Monn Myat describes her research during tours of the Department's renovated laboratories.
Dr. Katherine Hajjar, chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, welcomed guests, including Dr. and Mrs. Antonio Gotto; College departmental chairs and senior administration; students; and several College Overseers.
"The history of this department reflects the history of cell biology itself," Dr. Hajjar told guests. The forbearer of today's Department of Cell and Developmental Biology was the Department of Anatomy, established in 1898 under Chair George Woolsey, M.D. In 1982, during the tenure of Chair Donald A. Fischman, M.D., the department was renamed the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy. Most recently, it was reborn as the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology under the direction of Dr. Hajjar, who was named chair in 2002.
Dr. Katherine Hajjar welcomes guests.
During remarks given by Dr. Gotto, the establishment of the Kevin and Madeline Brine Professorship, endowed by Weill Cornell Overseer Kevin Brine and his wife, Madeline, was announced. It is anticipated that the professorship will be fully endowed by 2006, at which time Dr. Hajjar is expected to be named the Kevin and Madeline Brine Professor.
Following remarks by Dr. Hajjar, Dr. Gotto and Overseer Kevin Brine, guests were invited to tour the Cell and Developmental Biology Laboratories. Newly recruited Cell and Developmental Biology faculty members Dr. Yutaka Nibu, Dr. Monn Monn Myat, Dr. Geri Kreitzer, Dr. Arun Deora and Dr. Anna Di Gregorio described their labs and research to the visitors.
Photos by Marie Wallace.