News Archive
May 2008 News Flashes
FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS
Dr. Alvin Mushlin and Colleagues Plan Collaboration in Qatar
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In March Alvin I. Mushlin, M.D., Sc.M., Professor and Chairman of the Department of Public Health, travelled to Qatar to meet with co-investigators from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar and the Hamad Medical Corporation. He went with Ronald G. Crystal, M.D., M.S., Professor and Chairman of the Department of Genetic Medicine at Weill Cornell. With their colleagues in Qatar, Dr. Mushlin and Dr. Crystal have recently begun planning a collaboration to extend the Department's epidemiological study titled “The Impact of Cardiac Risk Factors on Acute Myocardial Infarction and Cerebrovascular Stroke in Qatar: A Case-Control Study” to include gentic analyses. As part of the study, DNA extraction and genetic analysis will be conducted on blood and/or buccal specimens to find single nucleotide polymorphims (SNP), small changes in single genes that affect disease risk, to see if they correlate with cardiovascular disease and its complications. The study so far includes data from 249 Cerebrovascular Accident cases, 468 Myocardial Infarction cases, and approximately 175 controls.
Joseph J. Fins, M.D., Addresses Brain Injury Association Congress in Lisbon and Lectures at the Complutense University in Madrid
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Dr. Joseph Fins, Chief of the Division of Medical Ethics and Professor of Medicine, Public Health, and Medicine in Psychiatry, delivered a plenary address at the Seventh World Congress of Brain Injury of the International Brain Injury Association, in Lisbon, Portugal, on April 11. His address, entitled "From PVS to MCS: Fred Plum's Legacy to Neuroethics," paid tribute to Dr. Plum's work in neurology and his contributions to medical ethics. Dr. Plum, who was the longtime chairman of neurology at Weill Cornell and the Anne Parrish Titzell Professor, and currently University Professor Emeritus, was awarded, in absentia, the inaugural Jennett & Plum Award of the International Brain Injury Association. The award honoring Dr. Plum and the late Bryan Jennett, Scottish neurosurgeon and co-originator of the persistent vegetative state with Dr. Plum, was accepted by Dr. Fins on Dr. Plum's behalf in Lisbon on April 12.
Dr. Fins also presented a lecture at the Faculty of Medicine at The Complutense University in Madrid on April 9th. The lecture, delivered in Spanish, was entitled “Neuroethics & Disorders of Consciousness: From Almodovar to Neuroscience.”
Recent Global Health and Educational Activities of Madelon Finkel, Ph.D.
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This past March Dr. Madelon Finkel, Professsor of Clinical Public Health and Director of the Office of Global Health Education, traveled to Sydney, Australia, to expand the international electives program she initiated with the University of Sydney School of Medicine. At present, Weill Cornell Medical College sends two fourth-year medical students to take an eight-week elective in Australia, with a focus on urban and rural medicine. Working with her colleagues in Sydney, Dr Finkel has established a research collaboration initiative with the medical school. The first collaborative effort will focus on HPV and cervical cancer in Tamil Nadu, India.
Dr. Finkel also traveled to Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, where she presented the Public Health Clerkship to the forth-year medical class. Working closely with Ravi Mamtani, M.B.B.S., M.D., M.Sc., Professor of Clinical Public Health in Qatar, Dr. Finkel adapted the Clerkship to focus more on global health issues compared to the rotation given in New York which mostly concerns the U.S. health care system.
Dr. Finkel has been invited to serve as a judge at Research Day at Lincoln Hospital, an event in which final year Residents present their research project. (Dr. Finkel and Paul Christos, M.S., M.P.H., Lecturer in Public Health, present an eight-hour course in Research Methods to the Residents of Lincoln Hospital as well as at other Network hospitals.)
Dr. Finkel spoke about the global health education program at WCMC to the incoming first-year class on May 10th. Interest in the medical college's global health program is high among the students in the Class of 2012.
Dr. Ravinder Mamtani Wins Best Teaching Award
Congratulations to Ravinder Mamtani, M.B.B.S., M.D., M.Sc., Professor of Clinical Public Health in Qatar, who won the best teaching award for his teaching in Medicine Patients and Society (MPS) 1. Dr. Mamtani was selected for the prize by the
students of the Class of 2011. The award was announced at the annual faculty teaching awards ceremony on May 15, 2008.
Kim Alexander, L.C.S.W., Appointed Interim Administrative Director of Clinics
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Kim Alexander, L.C.S.W., has been appointed Interim Administrative Director of the Medication Assisted Substance Abuse Programs of the Division of Community and Public Health Programs. These include the Adolescent Development Program and the Adult Services Clinic. The position of Administrative Director was previously held by Eugenia Curet, Ph.D., who retired in April. Mr. Alexander has worked closely with Dr. Curet for the past 6 1/2 yrs. He brings with him 25 years of experience in the field of Addiction Medicine.
Linda M. Gerber, Ph.D., Presents Poster at Human Biology Association Meeting
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Dr. Linda Gerber, Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology in Medicine, presented a poster called “Differences Between Blacks and Whites in Sleep Quality and Architecture” at the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Human Biology Association in Columbus, Ohio, April 9-10, 2008. Dr. Gerber was the first author of the study. The complete author reference is Gerber, L.M., Ogedegbe, G.O., Schwartz, J.E., Spruil, T., Eguchi, K., Gerin, W., and Pickering, T.G.
Dr. Nicholas Schiff Named to "Time 100"
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Nicholas Schiff, M.D., Associate Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience and Public Health, was selected by Time Magazine for its annual list of the 100 “World’s Most Influential People.” Dr. Schiff was chosen for groundbreaking research into the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the minimally conscious state in conjunction with investigators at Weill Cornell (Dr. Fins), Cleveland Clinic Foundation (Dr. Ali Rezai) and JFK-Johnson Rehabilitation Ceneter( Dr Joseph T. Giacino). The profile of Dr. Schiff was written by Michael Kinsley, who underwent DBS in 2006 to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The "Time 100" list is divided into five categories: Leaders & Revolutionaries; Heroes & Pioneers; Scientists & Thinkers; Artists & Entertainers; and Builders & Titans. Dr. Schiff is among only 19 individuals worldwide to be included in the category Scientists & Thinkers.
Dr. Lewis Drusin Inducted Into Honorary Public Health Society
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Lewis M. Drusin, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Clinical Public Health and Clinical Medicine, has been inducted into Delta Omega, the national honorary public health society. He was inducted as a member of the Beta Iota Chapter of the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Graduate Program in Public Health. Membership in Delta Omega reflects the dedication of an individual to the promotion of the health of all people and the advancement of public health.
Curtis Hart, M.Div., Appointed to Lecturer Positions at Union Theological Seminary
Curtis Hart, M.Div., Lecturer in Public Health in the Division of Medical Ethics, has been appointed Lecturer in Field Education at Union Theological Seminary. Reverend Hart currently leads a seminar there on professional formation in conjunction with students' ministry field placements.
He will also be a Lecturer in the Program in Psychiatry and Religion at Union, teaching a course in Spring 2009 in conjunction with the Weill Cornell Department of Psychiatry entitled, "Contemporary Issues in Ministry in Mental Health."
Alan Kopman Becomes Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives
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Dr. Ravinder Mamtani Speaks at Awareness Session on Bird Flu in Qatar
Ravinder Mamtani, M.B.B.S., M.D., M.Sc., Professor of Clinical Public Health, gave a presentation to health care workers in Qatar on the topic of avian influenza (H5 N1) during an awareness day organized by the National Health Authority (NHA), April 7. He examined two main themes: the epidemiology of avian flu in birds, and the infections that have occurred in human beings. He looked at the geographical distribution of clusters of cases of H5 N1; explored the lethal nature of the disease in humans, with a mortality rate as high as 60 percent; and summarized the conditions that might precede a pandemic, notably a mutation in the virus. The event was covered by the newspapers Gulf Times and The Peninsula, both based in Qatar.
Dr. Amy Sandridge and Weill Cornell Medical College Students in Qatar Honor Ministry of Interior Employees
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On April 20, 2008, 21 employees of the Ministry of Interior, State of Qatar, were honored at the Doha campus by Amy Sandridge, Ph.D., Lecturer in Public Health in the Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, and Weill Cornell Medical College students Juman Takeddin, 2010; Eba Al Kaabi, 2011; and Youssef Francis, 2013. The Ministry employees were recognized for their participation in the Qatar Foundation Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) grant, Consanguinity in Qatar: Knowledge, Attitude and Practice. Dr. Sandridge and her three students had been awarded the UREP grant in March 2007 and completed data collection January 31, 2008. UREP grants are similar to the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates Program. Takeddin, Al Kaabi, and Francis interviewed 361 randomly selected Qatari nationals on their attitude towards consanguinity and their knowledge about the risks, perceived benefits, and practice of intra-familial marriage by themselves and by their parents. At the Appreciation Ceremony, a selection of the data were presented to the Ministry of Interior employees who particularly assisted in the implementation of the study. Maya Hammoud, M.D., Senior Associate Dean for Education and Associate Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, presented certificates of appreciation to the Ministry Employees. In Brigadier General Al Ali’s thank you remarks he promised the Ministry’s continued support of all Weill Cornell Medical College projects.
Oath Shirt Raises Funds for Scholarship
The sale of T-shirts bearing Weill Cornell Medical College's revised Hippocratic Oath has raised over $1,500 for the Dean's Scholarship Fund. Dr. Joseph Fins, Chief of the Division of Medical Ethics and Professor of Medicine, Public Health, and Medicine in Psychiatry, chaired the committee that revised the oath in 2005. He requested that a percentage of profits from the shirt sales benefit medical student scholarships. More about the T-shirt sales from the Dean’s Bulletin.
NEW GRANTS
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Yuhua Bao, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Public Health in the Division of Health Policy, has received a two-year Pfizer Scholars Grant in Health Policy for her proposal, " Drug Coverage Expansion vs. Medication Management: The Case of Antidepressant Treatment for Older Patients" The project will assess the comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of two policy strategies to improve appropriate use of pharmaceuticals, medication management and improved pharmacy benefit coverage, using depression treatment among the elderly as a case example.
FACULTY AND STAFF PUBLICATIONS
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Inmaculada de Melo-Martín, Ph.D., M.S., Associate Professor of Public Health in the Division of Medical Ethics, is the author of a newly published article titled “Genetic research and reduction of health disparities” (New Genetics and Society, 27[1] [2008]:57-68.) The article evaluates whether genetic research helps to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities, and it explores how attention to genetic variation as the solution to health inequalities can actually hinder efforts to improve health status among disadvantaged groups.
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Paul Christos, M.S., M.P.H., Lecturer in Public Health, and Madhu Mazumdar, Ph.D., M.A., M.S., Professor and Chief of the Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, were co-authors of “Treatment of Late Infantile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis by CNS Administration of a Serotype 2 Adeno-Associated Virus Expressing CLN2 cDNA,” published on line May 13, 2008, in Human Gene Therapy. The lead author was Ronald G. Crystal, M.D., M.S., Professor and Chairman of the Department of Genetic Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.
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The article describes a gene therapy clinical trial to treat Batten disease (Late Infantile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis), an autosomal recessive, neurodegenerative disease that affects the central nervous system and is fatal by age 8 to 12 years. In the study, neurological surgeons from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, led by Drs. Mark Souweidane and Michael Kaplitt, injected a harmless gene-bearing virus into the brain of patients. The genes were incorporated within the genetic material of the cells and were found to have significantly slowed disease progression. Read the Medical Center press release on the study. The story has been covered by Bloomberg News, Reuters India, ScienceDaily.com, MedicalNewsToday.com, Bioresearchonline.com, and Chattahbox.com.
The second edition of Developmental Theories Through the Life Cycle, a book by Sonia Austrian, D.S.W., M.S., was published in January 2008. Dr. Austrian, Associate Professor of Clinical Public Health and Associate Professor of Public Health in Clinical Psychiatry, was until last year Director of the Employee Assistance Program Consortium.
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Lawrence M. Scheier, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology in Public Health (Courtesy) in the Division of Prevention and Health Behavior, co-edited The Complete Writing Guide to NIH Behavioral Science Grants, released in 2008 by Oxford University Press. The other co-editor was William Dewey, pharmacologist and toxicologist at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Dr. Scheier was also a co-author of an article entitled “A Psycho-Economic Model of Ecstasy Consumption and Related Consequences: A Multi-Site Study With Community Samples,” published in Substance Use & Misuse, (42:11, pp 1651-1684).
Larry Z. Liu, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Public Health (Courtesy) in the Division of Outcomes and Effectiveness Research, co-authored an article recently published online in Lung Cancer. The article, titled “Dietary factors, food contamination and lung cancer risk in Xuanwei, China,” discusses the role of environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from burning coal in increasing lung cancer risk, both via inhalation and ingestion of contaminated food.
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The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence requested a copy of the article in Addictive Behaviors by Jennifer A. Epstein, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Public Health, and Gilbert J. Botvin, Ph.D., Professor and Chief of the Division of Prevention and Health Behavior, entitled “Media resistance skills and drug skill refusal techniques: What is their relationship with alcohol use among inner-city adolescents?” The agency plans to distribute the study to all its affiliates and board members for use in their prevention and training efforts. Also, a radio spot titled "Overpower underage drinking" featuring Dr. Epstein was posted May 15 on the the Department of Health and Human Services website. Listen to the audio file or read the transcript.
An article in the Spring 2008 issue of Weill Cornell Medicine (“Hard Choices,” pp. 15-16) profiled Dr. Joseph Fins, Chief of the Division of Medical Ethics and Professor of Medicine, Public Health, and Medicine in Psychiatry; and Dr. Elizabeth Nilson, Assistant Professor of Public Health and Medicine; on their role in the Ethics Consultation Service of NewYork Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Fins founded and directed the service, which helps patients and their families to make a variety of difficult medical decisions.
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The April issue of the Medical College’s Science Briefs included a description of the recent article by Inmaculada de Melo-Martín, Ph.D., M.S., Associate Professor of Public Health in the Division of Medical Ethics, and Dr. Anita Ho of the University of British Columbia. Their work, entitled “Beyond informed consent: the therapeutic misconception and trust,” appeared in the March 2008 issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics.
Upcoming Department Seminars and Conferences
All divisions of the Department sponsor seminars in which current or prospective research is discussed. The departmental grand rounds, the Medical Ethics seminars, the Biostatistics and Epidemiology conferences, and the Outcomes and Effectiveness Research in Progress seminars have been approved for Continuing Medical Education credit. Unless otherwise noted, the following presentations will take place in the third floor conference room of the Kips Bay Building, 411 East 69th Street. Please call Maritza Montalvo at 746-1264 for more information. For more upcoming events, please see the Department of Public Health Academic Calendar.
May 22, 2008, 3 – 4 p.m.
Outcomes & Effectiveness Research/Health Policy Research-in-Progress Seminar
Hassan Ghomrawi, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Instructor in Public Health
Division of Health Policy
“Impact of Recovery Expectations on Functional and Satisfaction Outcomes in Total Joint Replacement: Developing a Research Proposal”
May 22, 2008, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Medical Ethics Seminar Series
D. Micah Hester, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Medical Humanities & Pediatrics
University of Arkansas Medical School
“Purpose, Participation, and Practice:
The Promises and Perils of 'Pragmatic Bioethics'”
*Note time change
June 5, 2008, 3 – 4 p.m.
Outcomes & Effectiveness Research/Health Policy Research-in-Progress Seminar
Rainu Kaushal, M.D., M.P.H.
Associate Professor of Public Health and Pediatrics
Chief, Division of Quality & Clinical Informatics
Executive Director, HITEC
Weill Cornell Medical College
"Community-Based Health IT Research in New York State"
June 11, 2008, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Medical Ethics Seminar Series
Menschel Audit (Co-Sponsored by the Hospital for Special Surgery)
Howard Brody, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Institute for the Medical Humanities
Professor, Family Medicine
University of Texas Medical Branch
“Power, Narrative and Meaning in Healthcare”
*Hospital for Special Surgery
535 East 70th Street, 2nd floor
June 12, 2008, 3:30 – 5 p.m.
Medical Ethics Seminar Series
Mary Simmerling, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Public Health
Assistant Dean for Research Integrity
Weill Cornell Medical College
“When Duties Collide: The Medical Excuse in Living Donor Transplantation”
June 17, 2008, 12 – 1 p.m.
Public Health Grand Rounds
Alvin I. Mushlin, M.D., Sc.M.
Chairman, Department of Public Health
The Nanette Laitman Distinguished Professor of Public Health
Weill Cornell Medical College
Public Health Physician-in-Chief
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center
“Technology, Innovation, and
Evaluation in U.S. Healthcare Today”
June 19, 3 – 4 p.m.
Outcomes & Effectiveness Research/Health Policy Research-in-Progress Seminar
Kosali Ilayperuma Simon, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
William White, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Policy Analysis and Management
and the Sloan MHA Program, Cornell University
Bruce Schackman, Ph.D.
Chief, Division of Health Policy
Department of Public Health
“What Do Consumers and Businesses Want in State Health Insurance Reform? Evidence from Surveys and Focus Groups in New York State, 2008”
June 24, 1 – 2 p.m.
Special Research Seminar
Laith Abu-Raddad, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in Theoretical Epidemiology
Program in Biostatistics and Biomathematics &
Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
“Infections other than those sexually transmitted may have fueled HIV infectious spread in sub-Saharan Africa”
