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Here’s a #BehindTheScenes sneak peak of the @CNN’s “Champions for Change” special airing tomorrow at 8pm ET. Tune in to see Dr. Ronald Crystal discuss new advancements in gene therapy for #Alzheimers disease with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

I’ve seen things in my work that most people would never believe. I’ve seen the look of stunned recognition in a family member who has gotten someone partially back—or in some cases nearly fully back—who they were told would never regain any semblance of consciousness. That happens often enough to keep me going. But the frustration is how little this knowledge has been generalized to common, everyday medical practice.

Neurology tends to be a tough specialty. I remember our first day of residency at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, Dr. Jerome Posner and Dr. Fred Plum, MD ’47, said, ‘For neurological patients, you are their last line of defense. Most people don’t understand neurological disease. They are afraid of it. It’s hard to deal with, and this is your job.’ Given how fast the science is, it’s going too slowly. There’s still very little infrastructure allocated to helping people with these disorders of consciousness, and things that were considered common knowledge 25 years ago continue to color how this problem is approached. When I started clinical practice, there was no ‘minimally conscious state’; it wasn’t a category. Now population studies say that 20 percent of people who remain minimally conscious for months after coma will go back to work within five years. That’s what the science of this is going to do—to allow us to support good outcomes when they’re possible. It could be recovery in someone who isn’t able to live an independent life but can interact with their family— and we’ve seen that. Or it could be a patient who looked like they’d never recover consciousness, getting on an airplane and traveling to a foreign country. And we’ve seen that too. Dr. Nicholas Schiff, MD ’92, the Jerold B. Katz Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, does groundbreaking research on consciousness after brain injury #WeAreWCM

#brain #braininjury #consciousness #neurology #CareDiscoverTeach, #WeillCornellMedicine

Dean Augustine M.K. Choi is passionate about the need for diversity in scientific research and patient care. In an interview with Forbes, Dean Choi discusses the importance of immigrants in the U.S. healthcare system. “As an immigrant myself, I’m an example of how immigration is so critical to advancing the U.S. biomedical research and clinical care,” Dean Choi says. “I would love for our trainees to have the same opportunities. I just hope we will have policies that will allow immigrants to really fulfill their potential. It’s good for them and it’s good for the United States.”

Dr. Anjali Rajadhyaksha knew the effects of drug addiction after having her neighbor pass away from drug overdose. Curious how drugs impacted the brain, Dr. Rajadhyaksha went on to become a neuroscientist who studies cocaine addiction. She now works on developing medications that she hopes will eventually help patients. “It really takes teamwork and togetherness, which is what I have in my lab. They’re troubleshooting with me,” said Dr. Rajadhyaksha, an associate professor of neuroscience and of neuroscience in pediatrics. “We are always thinking about that individual who is addicted, and how can we help.” Watch the full video for this story via the link in our bio.

Wen Shen, PhD, Associate Professor of Cell Biology in Radiation Oncology. Shen admits that coming to the U.S. from China to earn a PhD was a tough decision. When the chance presented itself, she was in her early thirties, had a good job, was married with a six-year-old daughter, and had limited English skills. “I was happy with my work and life in China, reluctant to leave home and start a career from the beginning again in a foreign country,” recalls Shen, who grew up in the ancient city of Xi’an and went to university in Nanjing. “I hesitated when I had the opportunity to do PhD studies, but my family gave me very strong support to convince me I should go.” At @illinois1867, Shen struggled to understand the lectures and had to put in hours of study afterward just to catch up—but she managed a straight-A average. Her family eventually joined her, with her husband enrolling as an MBA student and her daughter starting second grade.

After earning her doctorate, Shen spent five years as a postdoc at @columbiamed before starting her own lab at WCM, where she studies how cancer evolves. “I feel very fortunate that I decided to come to the United States,” she says. “Living in a country that is the leader in the biomedical field expanded my ability to do good research.” She’s equally grateful that her daughter—who’s now in dental school at @stonybrooku—was able to attend American schools and have a more diverse educational experience. “A main reason why the U.S. is the leading country in biomedical research is the diversity—the different cultures, the combined efforts of people with different back- grounds,” she says. “People like myself, who come here and benefit from the diverse scientific community, are thankful and willing to return what they learned to the country and to the whole world.” Photo by @stephaniedianiphoto #wcmthegoldendoor #WeAreWCM #cancer #radiology #radonc #CareDiscoverTeach #WeillCornellMedicine

Said Ibrahim, MD, Chief, Division of Healthcare Delivery Science and Innovation. For Ibrahim—growing up in Somalia as one of the ten children of a small-town policeman and a home-maker—an MD degree seemed an unattainable dream. Medical school was reserved for wealthy elites, he explains, and his family lived on his dad’s salary of about $50 a month. So when the famed @cle_state basketball team recruited him in the mid-Eighties—he’s 6-foot-8—he jumped at the chance to attend college in the U.S. But his tryout was a bust: after two solid days of travel, he was taken straight to the gym, where he failed to impress and was told to return to Africa the next day.
Determined to pursue his education, the twenty- two-year-old ventured onto the streets of Cleveland with just $30 in his pocket. Luckily, he met a sympathetic legal aid attorney who helped him enroll at @oberlincollege, where he played basketball and got his BA. He went on to earn an MD from @cwru, an MPH from @harvardchansph, and an MBA from @mitpics. With a passion for “taking care of those who need the most help,” Ibrahim has devoted his career to studying and combating healthcare disparities. Before coming to WCM last year as chief of the newly established Division of Healthcare Delivery Science and Innovation as well as vice chair for strategy and development in the Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, he spent two decades practicing in the Veteran’s Administration system, which he calls “one of the most important safety nets in the U.S.” The nation’s recent shift toward policies that curtail immigration, Ibrahim says, is disheartening. “I believe that what makes the U.S. so special and unique is its diversity,” he says. “But I’m an optimist. I believe this is a phase, and we’ll be back to the usual spirit of America, which is a place that’s welcoming to immigrants.” Photo by @stephaniedianiphoto #wcmthegoldendoor #WeAreWCM #innovation #CareDiscoverTeach #WeillCornellMedicine

Francesca Voza, second year medical student. The French educational system has many virtues, but flexibility isn’t among them. That’s the roadblock that Voza faced when her dreams of becoming a physician came up against the reality of stringent national exams, whose results put her on a track toward a PhD rather than an MD. So Voza—who was born on the French Caribbean island of Martinique and earned her bachelor’s degree (in biology and biochemistry) and master’s (in pharmacology) in Paris—decided to move to the U.S. to pursue medical school. With dual French-American citizenship through her mother, she got a job as a research technician (first at @mountsinainyc, then at @sloankettering) and re-applied for undergrad. “It was a battle because it was hard for the schools to evaluate me with my French transcript,” she explains, “but I finally managed to get in.” She spent several years taking pre-med classes at @huntercollege as a second-degree student while working full time and contributing to several peer-reviewed publications, accruing enough of an academic track record to gain admission to Weill Cornell. “I have no regrets in terms of where I am right now,” says Voza, now in her late thirties. “I just wish it had taken a bit less time.” As a volunteer evaluator and board member at WCM’s Center for Human Rights, Voza says, her language skills come in handy when interviewing asylum seekers from Francophone countries. While she hasn’t yet decided on a specialty, she hopes to contribute to care on her native Martinique in some form. “Medical school is challenging. We’re evaluated on many levels,” says Voza, who has a strong interest in global health and healthcare disparities. “I’m definitely enjoying it. It’s fascinating to apply the material we’re studying to best treat our patients. This is where I wanted to be. Every day I’m so happy to see how much I’ve learned, and how I can make a difference.” Photo by @stephaniedianiphoto #wcmthegoldendoor #meded #CareDiscoverTeach #WeillCornellMedicine

Ruben Niesvizky, MD, Professor of Medicine. Niesvizky came to the United States three decades ago, a poignant postscript to a tale that began when his family first tried to immigrate here two generations earlier. As Jews fleeing pogroms in Eastern Europe, he explains, his grandparents on both sides were turned away due to quotas on immigrants from Poland—the same sort of restrictions that denied many twentieth-century victims of anti-Semitism a safe haven in the U.S. The family ultimately settled in Mexico, where Niesvizky was born and completed his education and medical residency. He came to New York for a fellowship in hematology and stem cell transplant at @mountsinainyc, later shifting to @sloankettering and then to Weill Cornell.

An expert in myeloma, a blood cancer that develops in the bone marrow, Niesvizky is now director of the Multiple Myeloma Center at @nyphospital/Weill Cornell Medicine. He notes that his Spanish fluency has enabled him to connect with patients and families coping with a challenging disease, eliminating the added burden of a language barrier without the need for a translator. “Diseases of the blood are so complicated that explanations in Spanish are always welcome,” says Niesvizky, who’s also fluent in Hebrew and Yiddish. “When patients see my face, they would never think that I speak Spanish, and all of a sudden I speak to them and their eyes change. They can communicate much better, and that increases their confidence and trust.” His unique status as a Mexican-born myeloma expert has also allowed him to establish bridges of research, training, and education between the U.S. and Latin America, where, he notes, physicians who treat blood cancers tend to be generalists. “There is a lot of talent and expertise, but few individuals focus on myeloma itself, and it’s the same for each disease, so it’s enriching for them to see somebody whose focus is disease-specific,” he says. “I often serve as an adviser or teacher in Mexico, and several residents have come here to rotate—and now they are leaders in myeloma there.” Photo by @stephaniedianiphoto #wcmthegoldendoor #WeAreWCM #myeloma #cancer #CareDiscoverTeach #WeillCornellMedicine

Gunisha Kaur ’06, MD ’10, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology. “We didn’t come on a refugee program,” says Kaur, “but essentially, we came as refugees.” In the mid-Eighties, when Kaur was a toddler, she and her family—part of India’s Sikh minority—moved to the U.S. to escape increasing religious, ethnic, and political strife in their native Punjab region. She, her parents, and an older brother settled into a two-bedroom apartment near the University of Iowa, where her father got a postdoc in a genetics lab—and while many refugees face far worse circumstances, it was still a step down. “Had he stayed in India, his career trajectory would have been very different,” Kaur notes. “He would have had his own lab and several floors of research capacity.” Money was so tight that Kaur recalls scrounging in the couch cushions for change to buy gas to get her dad to work until his next paycheck. “It’s so vivid to me, those memories of being an immigrant,” she says. “Especially when you come as refugees, you have very limited means—but it doesn’t matter. You’re escaping something, and no matter how stressful life might be, it’s better than where you were.” As Sikhs, the men in Kaur’s family wear turbans and beards. As a result, they have sometimes been the targets of threats or violence—in India, her father was beaten by a mob and left for dead—or everyday bias such as regularly getting pulled out of line for extra screening at the airport. Kaur’s background and experiences drive her dedication to an unorthodox specialty: studying the ongoing pain endured by survivors of torture. She also volunteers at WCM’s Center for Human Rights, which prepares medical affidavits for asylum seekers. “When my family came here, not many people were able to escape that unstable environment,” she says. “Because of that, I’ve always felt a strong responsibility to be a voice for those who aren’t able to escape.” Photo by @stephaniedianiphoto #wcmthegoldendoor #WeAreWCM #globalhealth #anesthesiology #CareDiscoverTeach #WeillCornellMedicine

Ayman Al Jurdi, MD ’15, a third year resident in internal medicine, earned his medical degree from WCM’s Qatar location, but training in the U.S. was always on his radar. Time on the New York campus is part of the educational experience for @weillcornellqatar students, and Al Jurdi spent several months doing electives here; he also worked in a WCM stem cell lab and did research on liver cancer at @cornellvet in Ithaca. That solidified his desire to do his residency in the U.S., as do most WCM-Q alumni. “What drew me is seeing that doctors here are not only really good with their scientific knowledge, they’re connected with patients,” says Al Jurdi, whose older brother preceded him at WCM-Q. “I saw how many resources there were, and I wanted to train in a place where the cutting-edge stuff was available— and also for a cultural experience. Weill Cornell is very diverse: even in my residency class, we have people from nine or ten countries and from all over the U.S. People are understanding of everyone and interested in each other’s background. You feel accepted.” During his first year in New York, he was named his program’s top intern—and next year, he’ll serve as chief resident. He aims to follow his residency with training in nephrology and transplant nephrology, then gain experience in practice in the U.S. before returning to Qatar. One lesson he has learned in residency, he says, is the importance of engaging patients in making decisions about their own care, a cultural difference he has observed between the two nations. “Here in New York when we’re trying to decide on a diagnostic or treatment workup and there’s more than one option, we’ll have a discussion with the patient about the pros and cons, taking into account the patient’s values,” he says. “In Qatar, many patients leave decisions about their healthcare up to their physicians out of trust, and follow their recommendations without being as involved in the decision- making. It’s not going to be easy, but the concept of shared decision-making is something I hope to bring back with me.” Photo by @stephaniedianiphoto #wcmthegoldendoor #CareDiscoverTeach #WeillCornellMedicine

At Weill Cornell Medicine, an institution that not only has a global reach but a truly global character, immigrants make untold contributions to the clinical and scientific enterprise. Starting tomorrow, we will highlight six members of our community—four faculty, a medical student, and a resident at @nyphospital /Weill Cornell—who came to the U.S. seeking opportunities unavailable to them in their home countries. Their diverse backgrounds and life experiences have informed their work and enriched the institution—adding to the body of scientific knowledge, and ultimately benefiting patients here and around the world. And their stories embody the ideals of Emma Lazarus’s famous poem The New Colossus; emblazoned inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, it welcomes newcomers with a lamp, lifted “beside the golden door.” Their stories first appeared in Weill Cornell Medicine magazine Vol. 17, No. 2 Photo by @stephaniedianiphoto #wcmthegoldendoor #CareDiscoverTeach #WeillCornellMedicine

We are so proud of all of our graduates who went through school as parents. We salute you and the families and friends who supported you throughout your studies. #WCM2018 #WeAreWCM #family #parents #commencement #MedEd #CareDiscoverTeach #WeillCornellMedicine

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