CONFIDENTIAL

JOAN AND SANFORD I. WEILL MEDICAL COLLEGE AND

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES OF

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Minutes of the Joint Meeting of the

Executive and General Faculty Councils

held February 14, 2002 in Weill Auditorium

EFC Present: Dr. Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., Dr. Bruce L. Ballard, Dr. Charles Bardes, Ms. Joanne Blauer, Dr. Frank A. Chervenak, Dr. Oliver Fein, Dr. Marc Goldstein, Dr. Richard Granstein, Dr. Lorraine J. Gudas, Dr. Joseph Hayes, Dr. O. Wayne Isom, Dr. Daniel Knowles, Ellen Krasik, Dr. Peter Marzuk, Dr. Fred Maxfield, Dr. Ralph Nachman, Dr. Maria I. New, Dr. Zev Rosenwaks, Dr. Peter N. Schlegel, Dr. Philip E. Stieg, Dr. Carol Storey-Johnson and Dr. Erich E. Windhager.

GFC Present: Dr. Randi Silver, Dr. William A. Muller, Dr. Aihao Ding, Dr. Bernice Grafstein, Dr. Lonny Levin, Dr. Michael Lockshin, Dr. Louis Maggio, Dr. Teresa Milner, Dr. Hugh D. Robertson, Dr. Richard Schwarz, Dr. David A. Shapiro, Dr. Robert Snow, Dr. Ching-Hwa Sung, Dr. Suresh Tate and Dr. Michael Ushay. 

Also Present: Dr. Mark Albano, Dr. Michael Deck, Ms. Nancy Farrell, Mr. James Kahn, Ms. Carolyn Reid, Mr. Steven P. Rosalie and Dr. E. Darracott Vaughan.

Guests:         Dr. Olaf Andersen and Ms. Susanna Partrick.

Drs. Gotto and Silver convened the meeting at 3:00 p.m.

1.              APPROVAL OF MINUTES.  The General Faculty Council approved the minutes of its meeting held on January 14, 2002.

2.              APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS.  The General Faculty Council approved the recommendations of the Committee of Review as listed in its memorandum dated January 22, 2002.

3.      APPROVAL OF CANDIDATE FOR CHAIRMAN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY.  Dr. Gotto presented and the Councils approved the election of Katherine A. Hajjar, M.D. as Chairman of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology.

     Dr. Hajjar received her A.B. in 1974 in Biochemistry from Smith College and her M.D. in 1978 from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  She joined the WMC faculty in 1984 as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in Medicine, was appointed Associate Professor in 1989, Professor of Cell Biology and Genetics in 1994, and Professor of Pediatrics in 1995.  In 1997 she was appointed the Stavros S. Niarchos Professor in Pediatric Cardiology.  Dr. Hajjar has held many major administrative positions at the Medical College, including; Director of the Pediatric Sickle Cell Clinic, Chair of the Graduate Program in Physiology, Biophysics and Molecular Medicine, Chief of the Vascular Biology Research Laboratory in Pediatrics and Principal Investigator of a Program Project grant in Angiogenesis.  Dr. Hajjar is one of the most highly funded NIH investigators on the WMC faculty and has established a strong, independent research program that is widely recognized and respected.

4.  NAME CHANGE FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF CELL BIOLOGY AND ANATOMY.  Dr. Gotto presented and the Councils approved a request from Dr. Katherine Hajjar to change the name of the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy to “Department of Cell and Developmental Biology”.

5.     BILLING COMPLIANCE UPDATE.  Dr. Joseph Hayes, Associate Dean (Billing Compliance), discussed recent developments related to billing compliance at the Medical College.  Dr. Hayes reported that although the most recent prospective compliance audit results showed decreased average departmental error rates, the Medical College has still not reached its goal of a 0% error rate.      

 

6.     BOARD OF OVERSEERS REPORT.  Dr. Zev Rosenwaks, full-time faculty representative on the Board of Overseers, reported on the Board meetings of January 16 and 25, 2002.

7.   TRI-INSTITUTIONAL M.D.-Ph.D. PROGRAM.  Dr. Olaf S. Andersen, Director of the Tri-Institutional M.D.-Ph.D. Program, updated the Councils on current program activities.

     The Program is now in the recruitment phase for the 2002-2003 academic year.  Dr. Andersen reported that three students have accepted admission to the Program, and that two of these are underrepresented minority students. The Tri-Institutional Program has the highest underrepresented minority acceptance rate among M.D.-Ph.D. programs in the United States.  The new student guide to the Program has been successful in attracting applicants, and has been added to the Program’s website.  Other changes include uniform stipends, benefits and Graduate School course requirements for all M.D.-Ph.D. students, as well as full access to courses in both the Medical College and Graduate School. 

     In response to a question from Dr. Nachman, Dr. Andersen reported that he is compiling a list of the Program’s alumni to track their post-graduate career paths.  Thus far, he has found that approximately 10% have pursued primarily basic science research.  Over 50% are funded with grants from the National Institutes of Health, which is on par with the alumni of the M.D.-Ph.D. Program at Harvard Medical School.  There are five Department Chairmen among the Program’s alumni.  Dr. Andersen reported that the Program’s main competition is from Harvard’s M.D.-Ph.D. Program.

     Dr. Gotto expressed the opinion that the Tri-Institutional M.D.-Ph.D. Program is the finest of its kind in the United States.  He thanked Dr. Andersen for his work on the Program. 

8.      INTERNATIONAL AFFILIATION AGREEMENT.  Dr. Oliver Fein, Associate Dean (Network Affairs), presented for the Councils’ consideration the international affiliation agreement with Group Florence Nightingale Hospitals (GFN), Istanbul, Turkey.

     GFN is a consortium of three private, non-profit hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey, each with its own specialty concentration. All three GFN hospitals are teaching institutions. GFN has recently started a medical school, which is affiliated with the University of Istanbul, and currently seeks an international affiliation with NYPH, Cornell and Columbia for Continuing Medical Education (CME) of its faculty through visits of WMC faculty to Istanbul, and for the referral of patients for medical care.  Both GFN and WMC have agreed to consider a future exchange program for medical students.

     The Councils deferred action on this item to their March meetings. 

9.   GFC CHAIRMAN’S REPORT.  Dr. Randi Silver reported that a new sub-committee to evaluate CME Credit at the Medical College will be established.  Dr. Silver asked the GFC to consider topics for next year’s GFC-sponsored course. 

10.     DEAN’S REPORT.  Dr. Gotto reported on the status of departmental chairmanship searches.  Negotiations with the candidate for the Chairmanship of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics are far along.  Negotiations continue with two candidates for the Chairmanship of the Department of Pediatrics, which he hopes to conclude in the near future.

     The Dean will meet with Medical College alumni in California at an upcoming alumni event.  Dr. Gotto noted that he will highlight the Medical College students and the M.D.-Ph.D. Program at this function.  

     Rockefeller University has appointed Dr. Thomas P. Sakmar Acting President for a one-year term.  Dr. Gotto noted that Dr. Sakmar has shown great interest in developing Tri-Institutional programs. 

     Dr. Gotto announced the release of The Cornell Illustrated Encyclopedia of Health, edited by WMC faculty.

11.     ADJOURNMENT.  The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m.