Dr. Francis Barany Receives 2014 IFCC Award for Significant Contributions to Molecular Diagnostics
Dr. Francis Barany, professor of microbiology and immunology, has won the 2014 IFCC Award for Significant Contributions to Molecular Diagnostics from the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine.
The award honors distinguished scientists who have made unique and significant contributions to the promotion and understanding of molecular biology, and to its application in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine worldwide. Dr. Barany received the award on June 22 during the IFCC’s International Congress meeting in Istanbul, Turkey.
"I am so honored to be recognized," Dr. Barany said. "I'm alongside scientists who are really much more deserving than I am. It's a very humbling experience."
Dr. Barany is an internationally renowned scientist known for his abundant number of patents in medical diagnostics, particularly his developments in programmable DNA chips and mutation detection. Dr. Barany's contributions to the medical community are reflected in the increased speed and accuracy of diagnosing genetic diseases, infectious pathogens, and identifying cancers.
In addition to his research, Dr. Barany sat as chair of peer review groups for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Barany also co-founded biotech companies iCareDx, Inc. and Coferon, Inc. which are dedicated to commercializing technologies to help physicians detect and treat diseases, such as colorectal cancer.
Dr. Barany’s lab at Weill Cornell Medical College specializes in using advanced DNA technology to help detect as well as characterize molecular changes in both cancers and infectious diseases
"In this field, collaboration is always so important,” Dr. Barany said. "The credit for this award extends well beyond my efforts alone."
The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine is an international, non-political organization for clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine. Its mission is to provide leadership and innovation in science and education, as well as enhance the scientific level and quality of diagnosis and therapy for patients throughout the world.
Additional Awards and Honors
Dr. Tara F. Bishop, the Nanette Laitman Clinical Scholar in Public Health - Clinical Evaluation, an assistant professor of healthcare policy and research and assistant professor of medicine, was awarded the 2014 Mid-Atlantic Society of General Internal Medicine Clinician-Investigator Award. This award is given to one society member each year to recognize early or mid-career clinician investigators for their innovations in research and policy development. Dr. Bishop received the award at the society's regional meeting on March 14 in New York.
Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi, chairman of the Department of Surgery, the Lewis Atterbury Stimson Professor of Surgery and professor of surgery, was elected president of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract during its 55th annual meeting, hosted May 2 – 6 in Chicago. The mission of the society is to advance the science and practice of surgery in the treatment of digestive disease.
Dr. Michael Pesko, the Walsh McDermott Scholar in Public Health and assistant professor of healthcare policy and research, was selected in January by Forbes Magazine for its "30 Under 30 Who Are Changing The World 2014 in Science & Healthcare." Dr. Pesko was selected for his studies of the behavior and motivation of smokers, including his papers on price minimization strategies used by smokers and his article showing that 1 million former smokers resumed smoking after 9/11.
Dr. Roger Yurt, the Johnson & Johnson Distinguished Professor of Surgery and professor of surgery, was named an honorary medical officer of the New York Fire Department in recognition of the outstanding burn care delivered by the William Randolph Hearst Burn Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center to New York firefighters. Dr. Yurt received this honor during a special ceremony hosted by New York Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano in late December.