Dr. Katherine Hajjar, chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, the Brine Family Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and professor of cell and developmental biology, pediatrics and pediatrics in medicine, was elected as a member of the American Clinical and Climatological Association in October. Members of the association are outstanding physicians selected for their leadership, excellence in their chosen field, their demonstrated high level of integrity and professionalism, and their yearning to nurture a spirit of warmth, diversity and friendship. The association is interested in all clinical and scientific aspects of medicine with an overlapping interest in the impact of global climate change on health and disease.
Dr. John P. Leonard, associate dean for clinical research, the Richard T. Silver Distinguished Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology, professor of medicine and director of the Joint Clinical Trials Office at Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, gave an invited talk at the American Society of Hematology's annual meeting in December entitled "Targeting the epigenome in diffuse large B cell lymphoma." The American Society of Hematology is the world's largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatments of blood disorders.
Dr. Costas A. Lyssiotis, a postdoctoral fellow at Weill Cornell, was awarded the Damon Runyon-Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. The award is given to scientists completing the Damon Runyon Fellowship who have greatly exceeded the foundation's expectations. Dr. Lyssiotis will receive $100,000 to continue his research into how oncogenes affect cellular metabolism in pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Mark Rubin, director of the Institute for Precision Medicine, the Homer T. Hirst III Professor of Oncology in Pathology and professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and pathology in urology, received the Prostate Cancer Foundation's 2013 Mentor of Excellence Award. The award was presented at the annual Prostate Cancer Foundation Scientific Retreat, held Oct. 24-26. The award is granted to individuals who have significantly impacted the careers of the foundation's young investigators. The foundation is a leading philanthropic organization dedicated to funding and accelerating prostate cancer research globally.