A noted educator, administrator and cardiovascular biologist, Dr. David P. Hajjar has been promoted to Senior Executive Vice Dean and Executive Vice Provost of Weill Cornell Medical College.
Dr. Hajjar is the distinguished dean of Weill Cornell's Graduate School of Medical Sciences in New York City, and he is also the Frank H.T. Rhodes Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Biology and Genetics, Professor of Biochemistry, and Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and Graduate School of Medical Sciences. Previously, Dr. Hajjar was Vice Provost and Executive Vice Dean at Weill Cornell. Dr. Hajjar is currently the longest serving Dean in the history of the Graduate School of Medical Sciences.
"This is an exciting time for both the Medical College and the Graduate School of Medical Sciences as we move forward with the new Strategic Plan. Dean Hajjar has led the effort to craft one of the most innovative, encompassing plans that the College has embraced in its history. I decided to promote Dr. Hajjar since he has proven himself to be an extraordinary leader, recruiting top talent in the biomedical sciences who have helped make New York City a world capital for biomedical research, and helped educate the next generation of research scientists," says Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College and Provost of Medical Affairs of Cornell University. "The College and I are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Hajjar's counsel and leadership at this important time in our history."
"I am delighted that a leader of Dean Hajjar's stature has chosen to give such long and distinguished service to Cornell," says Dr. David Skorton, president of Cornell University. "Under his guidance as research dean and Executive Vice Provost at the Medical College, we look forward to continued productive research collaboration between New York and Ithaca. His efforts to date to bring the campuses together have been truly noteworthy."
Under Dean Hajjar's decade of stewardship, from 1997 to the present, the Graduate School has advanced and expanded in every area. For example, under his leadership, the curriculum was revamped; housing and living amenities were improved; stipends were increased (currently the highest in the country); programs and outreach were developed to encourage students to pursue careers in the biological sciences; minority recruitment improved; and class size has tripled in the past 11 years. The GPA (3.6) and the GRE scores (average in the 80s) are the highest in the School's history, and on par with The Rockefeller University and Harvard University.
"I am extremely proud of the faculty and students of Weill Cornell's Graduate School of Medical Sciences, whose dedication and insights continually advance biomedical research for the benefit of humanity," says Dr. Hajjar. "I am also proud of what we have been able to accomplish to date in making the Medical College one of the premier institutions in the country."
Dr. David P. Hajjar
Dr. David P. Hajjar received his B.A., M.S. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry. When he left the University of New Hampshire in 1978, he pursued postdoctoral training at Cornell University, and at The Rockefeller University, where he trained in the laboratory of Christian de Duve. He joined the Cornell Faculty at the Medical College in 1981, and was appointed a full, tenured professor in 1989 – one of the youngest in the history of the Medical College. In 1997, he became Dean of the Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences and the Rhodes Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Genetics. At that time, he became a member of Cornell Medical College's Board of Overseers. In 2000, he was appointed Vice Provost of the Faculty, and in 2003, Executive Vice Dean at the Medical College. He is a distinguished, highly-funded investigator by the NIH who has made significant contributions to cardiovascular research. The Cornell Center of Vascular Biology, which he also directs, is regarded as one of the best in this country. His contribution of over 150 scientific publications has earned him international recognition as a leader in the field of vascular biology, particularly in the regulation of cholesterol trafficking and metabolism. His major research accomplishments include the discovery of the neutral cholesteryl esterase in the vessel wall; identification of the regulatory elements in the cholesteryl esterase enzyme that control cholesterol efflux; discovery of the role of herpesvirus infection in atherogenesis; identification of a major role of eicosanoids and nitrogen oxides in the control of cholesterol metabolism; and identification of CD36 as a major scavenger receptor in oxidized lipoprotein trafficking. He is also the recipient of several awards from Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and the American Heart Association.
Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences
The Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences was founded on the sound premise that the convergence of two great institutions, Weill Cornell Medical College and the Sloan-Kettering Institute, could offer exceptional training for future generations of biomedical researchers. Fifty years and over 1,000 alumni later, Weill Cornell has emerged as a premiere graduate school of biomedical research. The school offers a variety of training opportunities in the biomedical sciences. The graduate school faculty consists of more than 220 faculty members with common interests in graduate education and basic biological and biomedical scientific research. All students accepted to Ph.D. degree-granting programs are awarded a full tuition scholarship, which includes all tuition, tuition fees and health insurance costs. The student body in the Graduate School's Ph.D. program currently numbers 390, including 60 students in this year's entering class. For more information, visit biomedsci.cornell.edu.
Weill Cornell Medical College
Weill Cornell Medical College – Cornell University's Medical School located in New York City – is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Weill Cornell, which is a principal academic affiliate of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, offers an innovative curriculum that integrates the teaching of basic and clinical sciences, problem-based learning, office-based preceptorships, and primary care and doctoring courses. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research in such areas as stem cells, genetics and gene therapy, geriatrics, neuroscience, structural biology, cardiovascular medicine, AIDS, obesity, cancer, psychiatry and public health – and continue to delve ever deeper into the molecular basis of disease in an effort to unlock the mysteries behind the human body and the malfunctions that result in serious medical disorders. The Medical College – in its commitment to global health and education – has a strong presence in such places as Qatar, Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Salzburg, and Turkey. With the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Cornell University is the first in the U.S. to offer a M.D. degree overseas. Weill Cornell is the birthplace of many medical advances – from the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer to the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial for gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, the first indication of bone marrow's critical role in tumor growth, and, most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally-conscious brain-injured patient.
Lezlie Greenberg
leg2003@med.cornell.edu