Paul Albert, assistant director for research and digital services in the Samuel J. Wood Library, was winner of the Best Demonstration Award at the 2012 edition of the Joint Conference of Digital Libraries hosted in June in Washington D.C. The demonstration was for the open source semantic application, VIVO.
Dr. Alexander Aledo, associate professor of clinical pediatrics, became a member of the New York Academy of Medicine in November. The Academy addresses the health challenges facing the world's urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to policy leadership, innovative research, evaluation, education and community engagement.
Dr. Lawrence Casalino, chief of the Division of Outcomes and Effectiveness Research in the Department of Public Health and the Livingston Farrand Associate Professor of Public Health, has been appointed to the Health Research and Educational Trust's Board of Trustees and the American Hospital Association's Committee on Research. In addition, Dr. Casalino recently served on several panels, including the Department of Health and Human Services panel, "Evaluation of the Department of Health and Human Services Delivery System Reform Efforts and Affordable Care Provisions." Dr. Casalino also served on the National Cancer Institute's panel, "Evaluation of the NCI Provider Survey Initiative," and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's panel, "Collecting Data on Physicians and Their Practices."
Dr. Owen Davis, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and professor of reproductive medicine, is the recipient of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Service Milestone Award, awarded annually to recognize and thank members who have dedicated hours of time and service to shape the Society into the leading organization for reproductive medicine.
Dr. Scott Ely, associate professor of clinical pathology and laboratory medicine, received the M. Desmond Burke Award for outstanding contributions to resident education in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. This award is voted on by residents and is the only award given by the Department of Pathology.
Dr. Madelon L. Finkel, professor of clinical public health, has been re-appointed to the World Health Organization's expert advisory panel on drug evaluation, which reviews the latest scientific evidence on the efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness of medicines. Dr. Finkel also recently received an Excellence in Teaching Award from Weill Cornell Medical College.
Dr. Joseph Fins, the E. William Davis, Jr., MD Professor of Medical Ethics, professor of medicine, professor of public health, professor of medicine in psychiatry and chief of the Division of Medical Ethics in the Department of Public Health, received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Wesleyan University, presented to alumni in recognition of achievement in their professions. Dr. Fins was also elected to be a trustee emeritus for life.
Mark Funk, associate director for resources management at the Samuel J. Wood Library, presented the Janet Doe Lecture at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association in May. This annual award supports a lecture by a distinguished member of the profession who will offer a unique perspective on either the history of philosophy of medical librarianship. The Janet Doe Lecture is one of the highest honors the Association has to offer. Mark's lecture, entitled "Our Words: Our Story," was a textual analysis of words used in the professional journal of the Association from 1961 through 2010.
Lindsay Gibbon, a fourth-year medical student and student committee member of the Music and Medicine Initiative, has been honored as a recipient of the 2012 Japanese Medical Society of America Nishioka and Honjo Scholarships. Gibbon was selected for her outstanding work in support of relief efforts for the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Through web media, Lindsay helped publicize fundraising efforts for the Kokoro no Care Mental Health Program, an initiative to rebuild and modernize mental health care systems in the area of Japan affected by the disaster. She was also instrumental in organizing the Weill Cornell-Juilliard Music and Medicine Initiative's Tribute to Japan benefit concert, which raised thousands of dollars for relief efforts.
Dr. Hugh Hemmings, professor of anesthesiology, professor of pharmacology and Distinguished Research Professor in Anesthetic Mechanisms, was elected as a fellow to the Royal College of Anaesthetists in May. The Royal College of Anaesthetists is the professional body responsible for the specialty throughout the United Kingdom, and it ensures the quality of patient care through the maintenance of standards in anaesthesia, critical care and pain medicine.
Bryan Iorgulescu, a second-year medical student who has been researching novel therapies for pediatric brain tumors with Dr. Mark M. Souweidane, has been awarded a Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine for the 2012-2013 school year. The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation awards distinguished fellowships that foster medical students' passions for pursuing careers in clinical research. Iorgulescu's fellowship, with UCSF's Dr. Manish Aghi, will build upon Dr. Souweidane's pioneering research on innovative treatment approaches for devastating brain tumors, including convection-enhanced delivery, immunotherapies and virotherapies.
Dr. O. Wayne Isom, chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, professor of cardiothoracic surgery and the Terry Allen Kramer Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery; Dr. Richard Pasternak, clinical professor of medicine; and Dr. Philip Stieg, chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery and professor of neurological surgery, were three of 20 area leaders named "Champions of Heart & Stroke" by the American Heart Association. Champions spearheaded fundraising efforts to raise more than $1.75 million at the 2012 New York City Heart Ball hosted on June 19.
Dr. Krishna Juluru, assistant professor of radiology, has been appointed chairman of the Radiology Society of North America's Medical Imaging Resource Center Committee. The Radiological Society of North America is an international society of radiologists, medical physicists and other medical professionals, with more than 48,000 members across the globe.
Dr. Robert Kim, assistant professor of medicine and the David S. Blumenthal Assistant Professor of Medicine, is the recipient of the Senior List Award by the Weill Cornell Medical College of Qatar 2012 class, which is awarded to two clinical faculty members for preclinical teaching efforts.
Dr. Christopher Mason, assistant professor of physiology and biophysics, was featured in a two-part profile by the New York Genome Center for his work on non-human primate genomic, gene patenting policy and other activities. The Genome Center is an independent, non-profit organization that leverages the collaborative resources of leading academic medical centers, research universities and commercial organizations.
Dr. Immaculada de Melo-Martin, associate professor of public health and associate professor of public health in reproductive medicine, has been appointed to the ethics committee of the Empire State Stem Cell Board. The mission of the Board is to foster a strong stem cell research community in New York state and to accelerate the growth of scientific knowledge about stem cell biology and the development of therapies and diagnostic methods under the highest ethical, scientific and medical standards for the purpose of alleviating disease and improving human health.
Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy, a urology resident at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, was awarded first prize for laboratory research in a national essay contest conducted by the American Urological Association for his research titled "Multiphoton Microscopy: Potential Clinical Application to Guide Testicular Sperm Extraction." He received the award during the Association's annual meeting in Atlanta in May.
Dr. Bryan Schneider, the Madeline and Stephen Anbinder Clinical Scholar in Hematology/Oncology and assistant professor of medicine, served as co-chair of the poster discussion session for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, hosted June 1 - June 5 in Chicago, Ill.
Dr. Theodore H. Schwartz, professor of neurological surgery, associate professor of neurological surgery in neurology and professor of neurological surgery in otolaryngology, was named chairman of the research committee for the North American Skull Base Society. Founded in 1989, the North American Skull Base Society is a professional medical society that facilitates communication worldwide between individuals pursuing clinical and research excellence in skull base surgery.
Jiaqui Yao, a research associate in the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, was awarded a travel award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Association of University Professors of Neurology and the American Neurological Association to attend the "Combining Research and Clinical Careers in Neuroscience" symposium hosted in May in Washington, D.C.
Submit your awards and honors to WCMCAwards@med.cornell.edu.