Fall 2011
From the Dean
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Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the new academic year. It is already launched by a large number of auspicious events. In fact, it's been more of a blast-off than a beginning.
As you will see in this issue of Momentum, we welcomed 537 new Masters and 34 new Doctoral students this month—the biggest incoming class in our history. We also welcomed seven new faculty members. I hope you will enjoy reading about them below.
We've kicked off the year with events we can all be proud of, and more are on the horizon.
- On September 8, we held a very well attended national conference in Low Library to mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11, understand what we have learned about disaster response and prevention, and consider what we still need to know and do. We were honored to host as speakers FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg, and Dr. Nicole Lurie, assistant secretary of Health and Human Services for Preparedness and Response, as well as numerous other policymakers, scientists, media and thought leaders Read more >>
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New Faces
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Please join us in welcoming new faculty, staff, and researchers.
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Ayaga Bawah, PhD, joined the Heilbrunn Department of Population & Family Health as Assistant Professor. Dr. Bawah is located in Ghana, where he is training staff in health systems research and working with the School's partners at the University of Ghana.
M. James Eliades, MD, MPH, joined the Heilbrunn Department of Population & Family Health as Assistant Professor. Dr. Eliades was previously an attending physician in St. Lukes Roosevelt's Department of Emergency Medicine. Prior to that, he was a medical officer and epidemiologist for the World Health Organization in Bangkok, Thailand.
Stacey Finkelstein, PhD, joins the Department of Health Policy and Management as Assistant Professor. Dr. Finkelstein earned a PhD in Managerial and Organizational Behavior from the University of Chicago.
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Min Qian, PhD, joined the Department of Biostatistics as Assistant Professor. Dr. Qian was previously a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan developing statistical inference methods for medical decision making based on gene expression data.
Shakira Suglia, ScD, joined the Department of Epidemiology as Assistant Professor and a member of the Social Epidemiology cluster. Dr. Suglia was previously Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology at Boston University.
Read more >>
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Quick Facts About the Incoming Class of 2011
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All New Students: 571
- MPH: 460
- Executive MPH: 35
- MS: 42
- PhD: 25
- DrPH: 9
Average Age at Time of Enrollment:
- MPH: 26.1 (median = 25.1)
- GPH: 30.4 (median = 29.3)
- Executive MPH: 44.3 (median = 42.4)
- MS: 29.4 (median = 29.4)
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Age Range: 18-66
Female/Male: 79%/21%
Ethnic/Racial Minorities: 37%*
African-American: 7%
Asian: 20%
Hispanic: 10%
States Represented: 40 (37% from New York)
Countries Represented: 32
Non-U.S. Citizens: 17% (5% Permanent Residents and 12% Non-Residents)
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* Data on race/ethnicity gathered for US Citizens and Permanent Residents only.
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Kudos
Here's a snapshot of promotions, honors, and achievements some of our faculty members have recently earned. If we overlooked you, please contact us.
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Appointed/Elected/Selected
Karestan Koenen, associate professor of Epidemiology and the leader of the Psych/Neuro Cluster, has been elected President-Elect of the International Society for Traumatic Stress (ISTSS). She will assume her position as President in the fall of 2012. With more than 3,000 members, ISTSS is the largest and premiere global organization concerned with research about the consequences of trauma.
Awards
Salim Abdool Karim, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, will be presented the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) Award for Outstanding Senior African Scientist for 2011 at the Sixth EDCTP Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on October 12. This award rounds out a trifecta of recent awards for Dr. Abdool Karim, including the Gold Medal for Science in Medicine from the South African Medical Association awarded in August and the Science-for-Society Gold Medal by the Academy for Science in South Africa.
Quarraisha Abdool Karim, Associate Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, is the recipient of the South African Government's Award - Distinguished Women in Science. The award was made in recognition of her contributions to science broadly but mainly for the CAPRISA 004 Tenofovir gel trial.
Barbara Barlow, Professor Emerita and Special Lecturer in Epidemiology, was named recipient of the 2011 CDC Foundation Hero Award for 25 years of work in the field of traumatic injury to children and injury prevention. Dr. Barlow, Founding Executive Director of the School's Injury Free Coalition for Kids, was selected for activities that exemplify the CDC's mission of promoting health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury and disability.
Marlyn Delva, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, was given an award this summer by the Dr. Toribio Bencosme Hospital in Moca, Dominican Republic, for her work with the hospital. Dean Delva was cited for helping to strengthen the hospital's programs through Columbia University and New York University partnerships that include placing 5-10 students from Mailman, P&S, School of Nursing, and the Schools of Social Work of Columbia and NYU there for practica for the past four years.
Linda P. Fried, Dean and DeLamar Professor of Public Health, received the innaugural Silver Innovator Award from the Alliance for Aging Research on September 13 at the annual gala in Washington, D.C. She was presented the award for her work as a powerful advocate for research and medical technology to improve the health and independence of aging Americans at a ceremony attended by 300 members of Congress and key Executive Branch figures.
Mady Hornig, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, and W. Ian Lipkin, the John Snow Professor of Epidemiology, received the 2011 Charles C. Shepard Science Award for Assessment and Epidemiology. Drs. Hornig and Lipkin co-authored the publication "Epidemiologic investigation of immune-mediated polyradiculoneuropathy among abattoir workers exposed to porcine brain," which was cited as the best manuscript or original research published in a peer-reviewed journal by scientists working at CDC or Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Promoted
Diana Hernandez was promoted from Associate Research Scientist to Assistant Professor of Sociomedical Sciences. Dr. Hernandez's research examines structure and social and health disparities, with a focus on HIV in urban communities of color and public policy intervention.
Edgar Rivera Colon was promoted from an Associate Research Scientest to an Assistant Professor of Clinical Sociomedical Sciences. Dr. Rivera Colon's research focuses on structure and social inequalities.
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New Fellowship in Emerging Infectious Diseases Honors Contagion Filmmakers
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Following his collaboration as senior technical adviser for the critically-acclaimed movie Contagion, Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, director of the Center for Infection and Immunity, announced a new fellowship named in honor of the film's creators, director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns.
The Scott Z. Burns and Steven Soderbergh Fellowship in Emerging Infectious Diseases, currently funded with $500,000, will support postdoctoral research in global infectious diseases at CII.
Dr. Lipkin surprised Mr. Burns with the fellowship announcement at a recent screening event. Burns' delighted response: "There was a time when I couldn't get into Columbia."
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New Regional Public Health Training Center
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Marita K. Murrman, Associate Clinical Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, will head a new training center designed to enhance the regional delivery of public health services by strengthening the technical, scientific, managerial, and leadership capabilities of the current and future public health workforce. The center is a joint project of the Mailman School and SUNY Stony Brook's Graduate Program in Public Health. It will provide training to public health personnel in New York City and in Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Rockland and Putnam Counties. The health departments in these counties provide public health services to approximately 60 percent of the entire population in New York State.
The New York City-Long Island-Lower Tri-County Public Health Training Center is funded by a four-year grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Dr. Murrman and colleagues will collaborate with the NYS Department of Health, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and health officials in the relevant counties.
The Center will develop collaborative projects involving faculty members, MPH students, and nearby local health clinics, and establish new field placements for students in partner public health departments, thus building a pipeline for the future public health workforce. It will participate actively in and contribute to joint efforts among Public Health Training Centers nationwide, with other HRSA grant programs and other leading public health organizations.
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9/11+10 Conference Highlights
By Elaine Meyer
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Most people remember exactly where they were on September 11, 2001, but few are aware of how the scientific landscape has changed since then. The tragedy provided a unique window into issues related to disaster preparedness and response and into the health consequences for a population exposed to mass trauma. To revisit what has been learned from the attacks and make recommendations for the future, the Mailman School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) hosted the conference "9/11+10, Science, Policy, and Public Health: Looking Ahead to the Next Ten Years," at Columbia University's Low Library. The September 8th event offered a rare but valuable forum to bring together policymakers, medical practitioners, academics, and members of the media, to discuss the past, present, and future of preparedness.
The tone of the day was set by a presentation from Dr. Glenn Asaeda, Division Medical Director of emergency medical services at FDNY, who was one of the first emergency physicians on scene after the airplane attacks on the World Trade Center. Taking the audience through the events of that morning, he reminded everyone of the magnitude and intensity of the experience, the tragic losses of that day, and the formidable public health response.
Read More >>
See Video >>
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News on Webstreaming and Audio Visual Support
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Webcasting Lectures and Events
The School has added a new lecture capture and streaming system to its list of AV capabilities. MediaSite is a state-of-the-art system that brings to the School live Web streaming of classes and events, interactive polling, and real-time Q&A capabilities.
The system is currently configured for use in the 8th floor auditorium in the Rosenfield Building. However, it is portable and is plug-and-play for rooms equipped with video, audio, and slide feeds or it can be used with a camcorder. Note: Those interested in using the system offsite will need to arrange 3rd party AV support.
For more information about using the Mediasite system, please contact IT at (212) 342-5339. You can also visit the website at: sonicfoundry.com/mediasite/.
Expanded AV Support from IT
The Office of Information Technology now provides audio visual support for classes and special events between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Services include:
- Assistance to faculty or event organizers in setting-up projector, laptop, lapel mics, tabletop mics, etc.
- Troubleshooting technical problems with AV systems, media systems, and computers
- Expediting equipment substitutions if possible to provide immediate resolution of system failures
- Working with faculty/event organizers to identify third party AV vendors as needed
- Training faculty and staff in equipment use
To coordinate AV support or training for your class or event, simply call: (212) 342-5339.
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In The News
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Our faculty members make news almost every day. Below are some recent examples. If you have a study coming out or a newsworthy event to promote, please contact Stephanie Berger (sb2247@columbia.edu) for help with media relations.
Contagion: Ian Lipkin was the senior technical advisor on the critically-acclaimed film. His involvement was covered by Dr. Oz Show, Charlie Rose Show, Minnesota Public Radio, The New York Times (op-ed), TIME, MSNBC.com, Slate, Scientific American, The New York Times, and more.
9/11 +10: Science, Policy, and Public Health, Looking Ahead to the Next Ten Years -- September 8 conference hosted by the Department of Epidemiology & National Center for Disaster Preparedness was covered in TIME, NPR, PRI, Wall Street Journal, AP, Huffington Post (op-ed), Newsday.
Hurricane Irene: Irwin Redlener discussed the country's readiness and NYC disaster preparedness activities in the following media outlets: CBS News, Wall Street Journal (AP), WCBS, ABC Good Morning America, WPIX, ABC News, Huffington Post.
Pthalate Exposure Study: Robin Whyatt and others at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health published a study in Environmental Health Perspective that links prenatal phthalate exposure to decreased mental and motor development and increased behavioral problems at age three. It was covered by the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, WebMD, MSN News, Michigan Radio and others.
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Select Upcoming Events
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Tue, Oct 4
3:00-4:00 pm
Creating Learning Communities Online
Educator Training Workshops, open to all faculty, staff and doctoral students
Mon, Oct 10
12:30-1:45 pm
Revisiting School-Based Health Center Evaluation: New Methods, New Findings
John Santelli, MD, MPH, Erica Gibson, MD, Mara Minguez, MD
Speaker(s): John Santelli, MD, MPH, Erica Gibson, MD, Mara Minguez, MD
The Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health
Tue, Oct 11
3:00-5:00 pm
Bridging the Divide: A discussion on the 2011 JAIDS Supplement moderated by Wafaa El-Sadr (ICAP) and Kevin De Cock (CDC)
Speaker(s): Kevin DeCock, MD; Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH; Elaine Abrams, MD; Gregg Gonsalves; Miriam Rabkin, MD, MPH; Margaret Kruck, MD, MPH
International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs
Thu, Oct 13
3:40-4:00 pm
The Levin Lecture Series: Bump Hunting in the Epigenome
Speaker(s): Rafael Irizarry, PhD
Department of Biostatistics,
Johns Hopkins University
Thu, Oct 13
4:00-5:30 pm
Challenges in Public Health
Speaker(s): Richard Parker, Marni Sommer and other contributing faculty
Department of Sociomedical Sciences
and Center for the Study of Culture, Politics, and Health
Mon, Oct 19
10:30-12:00 pm
Frank A. Calderone Prize in Public Health Lecture:
Public Health in a Time of Government Austerity
Harvey V. Fineberg, MD, PhD
Grand Rounds on the Future of Public Health
RSVP (pre-registration is required)
Wed, Oct 26
4:00-5:30 pm
Columbia University Epidemiology Grand Rounds (CUEGR)
Tobacco in the 21st Century: National and International Challenges and Opportunities
Speaker(s): Gary Giovino, PhD
Department of Epidemiology
For more events and to notify the community about an upcoming event that you are organizing, visit the events calendar online.
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