Dr. Schafer Receives Prestigious Williams Award: Two Decades of Progress in Internal Medicine
Dr. Andrew I. Schafer, the E. Hugh Luckey Distinguished Professor of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College
Dr. Andrew I. Schafer, the E. Hugh Luckey Distinguished Professor of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, received the Association of Professors of Medicine's highest honor — the Robert H. Williams, MD, Distinguished Professor Award — at the association's winter meeting earlier this year.
The award acknowledges outstanding leadership by a chair of a department of internal medicine at a medical school. According to the official announcement, it is considered to be "the most prestigious prize in the field of academic internal medicine." The nominating committee noted that Dr. Schafer "'is the single department chair who has had the most significant impact on academic internal medicine over the past two decades."
Dr. Schafer has furthered a strategic vision for the Department of Medicine, including a number of transformative programs encompassing all divisions within the Department. Editor of the book, "The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?" he has also pursued solutions to creating a supportive academic environment for the young physician-scientist. As part of this overarching goal, the Association acknowledged his "outstanding" service in the "development and leadership of the Association of Professors of Medicine Physician-Scientist Initiative," a program that has resulted in a collaborative effort with 13 of the National Institutes of Health agencies. The effort has led to a set of recommendations titled, "Revitalization of the Nation's Physician-Scientist Workforce."
"Entering the 21st century, the extraordinary pace of discovery in biomedical sciences and the rapid technological advances in clinical practice have created a widening knowledge gap — even language barrier — between practicing physicians and laboratory scientists," said Dr. Schafer, a member of the Association since 1997 who served as its president last year. "It is important to understand the other contemporary factors — demographic, sociologic and economic — that have increasingly discouraged physicians from entering research careers."
Dr. Skorton Wins National Award for Advocacy with Government Officials
Cornell President Dr. David Skorton
Cornell President Dr. David Skorton has been honored with a national award for his work with government officials on behalf of state and land-grant universities.
Dr. Skorton won the Exemplary President in Governmental Relations Award from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities' Council on Governmental Affairs March 1. He was cited for more than two decades of "sustained excellence" in governmental relations with public higher education. He brings to the job of university president "an unparalleled passion, energy, sincerity and sense of purpose," the council's award letter read.
Dr. Skorton has advocated for intelligent immigration reform, especially the DREAM Act. He has also been an "articulate voice" for increased funding for student financial aid, increased access to higher education and intelligent management of resources and expenditures.
"I am deeply honored to receive this award on behalf of the Cornell community," Dr. Skorton said. "I am pleased that the advocacy by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and other higher education associations to advance the National Endowment for the Humanities, student financial aid and other issues is being recognized."
A physician and scientist, Dr. Skorton was especially cited as a passionate voice for increased support for the humanities.
"At no time in this nation's history has it been more important to nurture, protect and put the ideas and provocations of the arts and humanities front and center," the letter said. "Your leadership on behalf of the National Endowment for the Humanities among your colleagues and before Congress has been an inspiration to the academic community and to the public."
Dr. Skorton was also credited for his "frequent and effective" interactions with members of Congress and the executive branch, during which he has advanced the urgency of university-based research, research ethics and the protection of human participants in research.
He has testified before Congress on a variety of issues, including potentially volatile ones related to academic freedom, a safe working and living environment, the place of civil disobedience on campus, and the future environment and accessibility of publicly supported institutions of higher education.
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities is a research and advocacy organization of public research universities, land-grant institutions and state university systems with member campuses in all 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. The Association's Council on Governmental Affairs is the principal point of contact between Association institutions and their congressional delegations as well as federal agencies.
Additional Awards and Honors
Dr. Manjula Bansal, associate professor of clinical Pathology and laboratory Medicine, was a featured speaker at the Association of Orthopedic Surgeons meeting in Pune, India, and at the Indian Society of Hip and Knee Surgeons in Hyderabad, India in April.
Dr. Edward F. DiCarlo, associate professor of clinical Pathology and laboratory Medicine, received the Corrine Farrell Award for the best platform presentation at the meeting of the International Skeletal Society in Coronado, California. In addition, he will receive an Excellence in Teaching Award this spring from Weill Cornell Medical College.
Dr. Matthew E. Fink, professor of clinical Neurology and vice chairman for clinical services in the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience enter chair here, was elected as a new Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. He was honored on Tuesday, April 24, at a special luncheon during the Academy's annual meeting in New Orleans.
Dr. Michael J. Klein, chairman of the Department of Neurology and professor of Pathology and laboratory Medicine, chaired the members meeting of the International Skeletal Society and co-moderated the symposium of the International Society of Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology in Vancouver, Canada, in March. He also served on the World Health Organization's consensus committee for the classification of tumors of bone and soft tissue in Zurich, Switzerland in April.
Dr. David C. Lyden, the Stavros S. Niarchos Associate Professor in Pediatric Cardiology, associate professor of Pediatrics and associate professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, was selected in March to receive the I.J. "Josh" Fidler Innovation Award from the Metastasis Research Society at its International Metastasis Research Society Conference in Brisbane, Australia. Dr. Sharayne Mark, an internal medicine resident, is a 2012 Pioneers In Diversity award winner. Dr. Mark will receive The Louis Wade Sullivan, M.D. Award for Excellence in Public Health Advocacy from Weill Cornell on June 14.
Dr. Frederick R. Maxfield, the Vladimir Horowitz and Wanda Toscanini Horowitz Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience and professor of Biochemistry, was appointed chair of a new Taskforce on Mentorship of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in January. Dr. Maxfield was also selected to present the keynote lecture in honor of Alexander Novikoff at the 2012 Gordon Research Conference on Lyosomes and Endocytosis in June.
Dr. Sushmita Mukherjee, assistant professor of Biochemistry, was honored in February with a cover picture of multiphoton laser-guided selective ablation of rat spermatic cord nerve in the Journal of Urology, highlighting a research article titled "Multiphoton Imaging and Laser Ablation of Rodent Spermatic Cord Nerves: Potential Treatment for Patients with Chronic Orchialgia." In addition, she was honored with the best research abstract titled, "Real-time, in vivo multiphoton microscopy imaging is a promising tool to identify prostate tissue during rat survival surgery," at the European Association of Urology in February. That same month, she received editorial board membership of the Dataset Papers in Cell Biology (Datasets International) and editorial board membership of IntraVital (Landes Bioscience). Lastly, Dr. Mukherjee mentored a high school senior who was a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search in January.
The Pediatric Neurointensive Care Unit received part of the award for the Adam Williams Traumatic Brain Injury Initiative. Weill Cornell was selected among many progressive trauma centers for its quality of care in the treatment of traumatic brain injury. The award recognized both pediatric and adult neurology at Weill Cornell. The pediatric portion of award will help fund the Pediatric Neurointensive Care Unit.
Dr. Jeffrey M. Perlman, professor of Pediatrics and a pediatrician at the Phyllis and David Komansky Center for Children's Health at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, was recognized as NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell's Physician of the Year.
Dr. Christine Salvatore, assistant professor of Pediatrics, gave a special Grand Rounds lecture at Staten Island Hospital April 12 titled, "The Myths About Mycoplasma pneumoniae."
Dr. Peter N. Schlegel, the James J. Colt Professor of Urology, professor of reproductive Medicine and chair of the Department of Urology, received in the Barringer Medal from the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons in April.
Dr. L. Gary Steinberg, assistant professor of Pediatrics, received an Excellence in Teaching Award from Weill Cornell Medical College in April.
Dr. J. David Warren, associate research professor of Biochemistry, received editorial board membership of Scientifica in February.
Dr. Melanie Wilson-Taylor, assistant professor of Pediatrics and a pediatrician at the Phyllis and David Komansky Center for Children's Health at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, was the recipient of the Patient Centered Care Physician of the Year at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. In addition, she received the 2011 Patient Centered Care Physician Champion Award in January 2012.