Two Weill Cornell Medicine physician-scientists, Dr. Hooman Kamel and Dr. Robert Peck, have been elected members of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) for 2026.
Comprised of more than 3,500 physician-scientists serving in the upper ranks of academic medicine and the life sciences industry, the ASCI is one of the country’s oldest non-profit medical societies. Members are lauded for translating innovative laboratory findings into clinical advancements in their respective fields. Drs. Kamel and Peck will be officially inducted at the organization’s annual meeting in April.
“I’m very excited and grateful for this honor, and it makes me appreciative of the tremendous amount of support I’ve had at Weill Cornell over the last 15 years,” said Dr. Kamel, the Helen and Albert Moon Professor of Neurology and vice chair for research in the Department of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Dr. Hooman Kamel
Dr. Kamel’s research focuses on preventing strokes, especially those linked to blood clots and atrial fibrillation. Much of his work examines how to safely use blood thinners in people at high risk of stroke as well as for bleeding.
Dr. Kamel recently completed the NIH-funded ARCADIA trial (Atrial Cardiopathy and Antithrombotic Drugs in Prevention after Cryptogenic Stroke), which compared the blood thinner apixaban (Eliquis) to low-dose aspirin for preventing recurrent strokes in people with atrial cardiopathy, a condition affecting the upper chambers of the heart that may raise stroke risk. Published in JAMA, the study found that apixaban and aspirin treatment result in similar rates of stroke and bleeding events.
“Since I started training as a neurologist, my main motivation has been to try to prevent people from having brain injuries, and specifically stroke,” said Dr. Kamel, who is also director of the Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Unit and a professor of neuroscience in the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine. “As neurologists, we see the devastating effects—the disability, the deaths—that strokes can have, and many strokes are preventable.”
Dr. Peck is an associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine. His research focuses on improving health care in resource-poor populations in Africa, particularly for chronic diseases such as HIV, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Dr. Robert Peck
“It’s such an honor to be elected to the ASCI,” said Dr. Peck, who is also the associate director of training at the Center for Global Health at Weill Cornell and was the first onsite Weill Cornell faculty member at the Weill Bugando School of Medicine in Mwanza, Tanzania. “This would not have been possible without the incredible support that I have received over the past 17 years from Mr. Sandy Weill and the Office of the Dean at Weill Cornell Medicine.”
Dr. Peck and his colleagues recently completed a clinical trial that evaluated whether a low-cost, strengths-based case management program for hospitalized people with HIV in Tanzania could improve the odds of successful antiretroviral therapy and HIV viral load suppression after hospital discharge, and lower the risk of mortality. Published in JAMA, the study showed the support program didn’t reduce deaths, but did link HIV patients to treatment sooner. They were also more likely to continue getting care and had persistently higher rates of viral suppression up to two years after discharge.
“We’re trying to address some of the social and economic barriers that prevent people with HIV to link to antiretroviral therapy,” Dr. Peck said. “We’re excited about expanding our strengths-based case management model beyond Tanzania to improve outcomes for hospitalized patients with HIV after they leave the hospital.”
Drs. Kamel and Peck both credit the mentorship and support they’ve received at Weill Cornell Medicine for helping them earn election to the ASCI. Each said they’re enthusiastic about the opportunities for networking and collaboration that membership provides.
“One of the most exciting things about science is being able to work with smart people and think of new strategies to help people around the world,” Dr. Peck said.
Dr. Kamel agreed. “It’s wonderful to be part of a group of such accomplished clinical investigators, scientists and researchers,” he said. “One of my favorite parts of science is the opportunity to connect with other people trying to move the field forward.”