Dr. Leonard Girardi, professor of cardiothoracic surgery, has been named to the newly created O. Wayne Isom Professorship of Cardiothoracic Surgery. This professorship honors Dr. O. Wayne Isom, the Terry Allen Kramer Professor and chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. Under his leadership, the cardiothoracic surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have performed more than 20,000 open-hear procedures, with results ranking the Hospital as one of the best in the country.
Dr. Girardi is a leading cardiothoracic surgeon, with expertise in aneurism surgery. He also specializes in coronary revascularization and valvular surgery. His numerous honors include the Stephen Gold Award for Humanitarianism in Medicine and the National Marfan Foundation Award. Dr. Girardi serves as a reviewer for top journals in the field and is a grant reviewer for the American Heart Association.
Dr. Girardi joined the Medical College faculty in 1994. He graduated from Cornell University Medical College (now Weill Cornell Medical College) in 1989 and completed his residencies in thoracic surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and in general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery at NewYork-Presbyerian/Weill Cornell.
Dr. Mark A. Rubin
Dr. Mark A. Rubin, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, has been named the Homer T. Hirst III Professor of Oncology in Pathology. As a surgical and experimental pathologist, Dr. Rubin combines his expertise in the morphology of urologic diseases, particularly prostate disease, with outstanding approaches to science. He has developed a nationally recognized research program in prostate cancer focused on the development of molecular biomarkers to distinguish more and less aggressive stages of prostate cancer. Utilizing this approach, he and colleagues made the landmark discovery of genetic arrangements that could serve as therapeutic targets in prostate cancer.
Dr. Rubin has published in more than 170 peer-reviewed journals, as well as numerous books, book chapters and reviews. His prestigious pathology awards include the 2003 Arthur Purdy Stout Society of Surgical Pathologists Annual Prize and the 2004 Young Investigator Award from the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology.
Dr. Rubin was recruited to Weill Cornell in 2007 to serve as vice chairman for experimental pathology and was appointed professor of pathology and laboratory medicine with tenure in 2008. He currently also serves as director of Translational Research Laboratory Services and was recently named associate director for translational research at the Weill Cornell Cancer Center. Dr. Rubin received his M.D. degree in 1988 from Mount Sinai School of Medicine; he completed his residency in anatomic pathology at Georgetown University Medical Center and a clinical fellowship in anatomic pathology at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Dr. Elizabeth Jacobson, assistant professor of clinical medicine, has been appointed as the Bonnie Jacobson Sacerdote Clinical Scholar in Women's Health. Clinical Scholar awards are granted to outstanding junior researchers and/or clinicians for an initial period of three years and may be renewed for an additional three years.
Dr. Elizabeth Jacobson
Dr. Jacobson received her medical degree from UMDNJ–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in 1990. She was appointed assistant professor of medicine in 1996 and assistant professor of clinical medicine in 2002. Upon joining Weill Cornell, Dr. Jacobson spent several years working as a clinical scientist, mostly in HIV research, in the Division of Immunology at Weill Cornell. Since 2002 she has focused her efforts on clinical practice and teaching as a faculty member within the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center. In 1998, she developed the Women's Health Elective for fourth-year medical students, intended to introduce students to medicine specific for women. For her commitment to medical education, she was awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2008. Dr. Jacobson is interested in expanding elective courses, and in developing well-honed, model electives for students that encompass exposure to both clinical care and research.