Dr. Augustine Choi, the Weill Chairman of the Weill Department of Medicine, the E. Hugh Luckey Distinguished Professor of Medicine and a professor of medicine and of genetic medicine, gave the J. Burns Amberson Lecture during the American Thoracic Society's 2015 International Conference, which took place May 15-20 in Denver. The lecture is named in honor of Dr. James Burns Amberson, an international authority on chest disease and tuberculosis. It is given each year by a leader in basic or clinical research, or in clinical care. The society is the world's leading medical association dedicated to advancing the clinical and scientific understanding of pulmonary diseases, critical illnesses, and sleep-related breathing disorders.
Dr. Juan Cubillos-Ruiz, an assistant professor of microbiology and immunology in obstetrics and gynecology, was awarded the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund's 2015 Ann Schreiber Mentored Investigator Award in February. The award provides funding for trainees working under the supervision of a mentor who is a recognized leader in the field of ovarian cancer research. Dr. Cubillos-Ruiz, whose mentor is Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell, was selected for research focused on understating how ovarian cancer co-opts XBP1 function in T cells to inhibit anti-tumor immune responses. The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund awards grants to researchers working to better understand, identify, treat and ultimately cure ovarian cancer.
Dr. David P. Hajjar, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and of biochemistry, delivered the Jefferson Science Fellow Distinguished Lecture at the National Academy of Sciences on April 22 in Washington, D.C. His lecture was entitled "How the Brain and Liver Rule the Heart: Impact by the New 'Magic Bullets' on Heart Disease." The lecture series serves as an innovative model for engaging the American academic science and engineering communities in U.S. foreign policy.
Dr. Stephen B. Johnson, a professor of healthcare policy and research, was appointed in January to serve on the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management's Accreditation Council for Health Informatics. The commission is an independent accrediting organization dedicated to serving the public interest by establishing and enforcing quality accreditation standards for health informatics and health information management educational programs.
Dr. Arash Salemi, an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery, was appointed in February to the New York Academy of Medicine's Selection Committee for the Glorney-Raisbeck Fellowship in Cardiovascular Diseases. The fellowship is awarded to young physician investigators to support research projects that seek to better understand the causes, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. 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.