Dr. Anna-Riitta Fuchs, professor emeritus of reproductive biology, was presented with the "Carl G. Hartman Award" by the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) during its 36th annual meeting held in Cincinnati on July 19-22, 2003. The award, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, recognizes Dr. Fuchs' outstanding contribution to the understanding of parturition—the process of giving birth. Dr. Fuchs' study of parturition began in the 1950s and has led to the publication of nearly 200 referenced journal articles, numerous chapters in textbooks, and visiting lectureships around the world. Dr. Fuchs is a founding member of the SSR and actively involved in promoting women in science.
Dr. Antonio Gotto, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College and world-renowned authority in the field of cardiovascular medicine, was named recipient of the "2004 Okamoto Award" by the Japan Vascular Disease Research Foundation at a ceremony in Portland, Oregon, on May 16. The award, established in 1985 in memory of Dr. Kozo Okamoto, is the highest honor bestowed by the foundation. Dr. Okamoto developed Spontaneous Hypertensive Rats, which served as the genetic model of hypertension in humans and is widely accepted in medical research. The "Okamoto Award" acknowledges Dr. Gotto's achievements in the area of vascular disease research.
In addition, Dr. Gotto presented the Craig Borden Lecture at Northwestern University on May 18. The special lectureship honors the late Dr. Craig Borden, a distinguished faculty member of Northwestern University. Dr. Gotto's lecture was entitled "Past, Present, and Future Perspectives of Statin Use."
Dr. Mary Jeanne Kreek, adjunct associate professor of medicine and public health and world-renowned authority on addiction research, was awarded with the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons Alumni Association's 2004 gold medal for distinguished academic achievement in medicine. The award, presented during the Alumni Reunion Weekend on May 15 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, represents the highest honor given by the Alumni Association. Dr. Kreek received her doctorate from Columbia in 1962. Her primary affiliation is with The Rockefeller University, where she is a professor and head of the Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases.
Dr. Herbert Pardes, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital—Weill Cornell's chief clinical affiliate—was installed as chairman of the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) on May 26. The GNYHA represents more than 250 not-for-profit hospitals and continuing-care facilities in New York as well as New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island. As chairman, Dr. Pardes will help shape GNYHA policies, projects and advocacy efforts, including fighting federal cutbacks to hospitals and nursing homes, helping the uninsured gain access to health care, helping GNYHA members access funding, and helping member hospitals with their emergency-preparedness training. Dr. Pardes will also serve as chairman of GNYHA Ventures Inc., the association's for-profit subsidiary, in addition to several GNYHA Ventures associates and the non-profit Greater New York Hospital Foundation Inc.
Dr. Timothy Ryan has been awarded a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue the tri-institutional training program in chemical biology. The program, which comprises combined faculty from Cornell University, Weill Cornell Medical College, The Rockefeller University and the Sloan-Kettering Institute, will address the challenges of melding two disciplines, chemistry and biomedical research, with diverse scientific cultures and approaches. The program currently has 30 students enrolled.
Gerald Simons, a surgical physician assistant in the Weill Cornell Medical College Physician Assistant Program, has completed a second two-year term as president of the American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants (AASPA). Mr. Simons holds the record for longest sitting AASPA president since the organization formed more than 30 years ago. The AASPA represents more that 12,000 physician assistants working in surgery.
Dr. Lisa Staiano-Coico, formerly vice provost at Weill Cornell Medical College and executive director of the Tri-Institutional Research Program, has been named dean of the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University in Ithaca, effective July 1. Dr. Staiano-Coico retains her tenured faculty appointments as professor of microbiology in surgery, professor of public health and professor of microbiology in dermatology at Weill Cornell.
Walter Wriston, a member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Board of Trustees for more than 30 years, received the "Community Service Award" from the NewYork Weill Cornell Council at a celebratory dinner on June 3. The award, in recognition of Mr. Wriston's longstanding commitment and contributions to NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical College, was presented by Jeffrey Greenberg, chairman of the Council. Mr. Wriston is a founding member of Cabaret, the Medical Center's annual fund-raising benefit, and also chairs the Whitney-Harkness Society, the Hospital's planned-giving organization. The NewYork Weill Cornell Council consists of community leaders committed to promoting the interests of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and Weill Cornell Medical College.
Weill Cornell Medical College was recently awarded several federal National Institutes of Health grants totaling more than $2.7 million, which were recognized in a letter to Dean Gotto from Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, representative of the 14th district of Manhattan where the Medical College is located. Among the studies receiving federal support:
National Center for Research Resources
Mass Spectrometry Systems for High Throughput Proteomics
National Institute of Aging
Role of G Protein Signaling in Control of Aging
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Alternative Respiratory Chains of M. Tuberculosis
New Family of Secreted Adhesive Proteins in Plasmodium
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Genetic Control of Skeletal Development by Pbx1
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease
Molecular Basis of Sex Steroid Action in Prostate Cancer
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Anesthetic Effects on Thalamic Synaptic Transmission
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Neurovascular Coupling in Hypertension
August 16, 2004
