Dr. Norman Kleiman Honored for Outstanding Clinical Research Paper

The Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) selected a paper by the Mailman School of Public Health’s Norman Kleiman, PhD, associate research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, as its Outstanding Clinical Research Paper in 2013. The award which includes a monetary prize by the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation is acknowledgment of the essential, best-in-class research that is conducted in interventional radiology and published within JVIR. The awardees were chosen by a review of all manuscripts published in 2013, voted by the editorial board members, and selected by the editor-in-chief.

The paper titled “Radiation-associated Lens Opacities in Catheterization Personnel: Results of a Survey and Direct Assessments” revealed the high frequency of the disease, not only for interventional cardiologists but also in the room staff that despite working farthest away from the X-ray tube, also have a high percentage of radiation-induced damage. Importance of the frequency of radiation-induced opacities is such, that the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) reduced occupational annual dose limit from 150 to 20 mSv in 2011. Awareness of the possibility of getting this type of radiation injuries help increase care and lead to adoption of all necessary radiation protection measures.

Dr. Kleiman works at the intersection of public health, radiation research and ophthalmology, often using the eye as a model system to study the effects of environmental exposures, and ionizing radiation in particular, on human health. He is a technical cooperation expert for the International Atomic Energy Agency and serves on scientific committees of the National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP) and the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). 

About Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health

Founded in 1922, Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health pursues an agenda of research, education, and service to address the critical and complex public health issues affecting New Yorkers, the nation and the world. The Mailman School is the third largest recipient of NIH grants among schools of public health. Its over 450 multi-disciplinary faculty members work in more than 100 countries around the world, addressing such issues as preventing infectious and chronic diseases, environmental health, maternal and child health, health policy, climate change & health, and public health preparedness. It is a leader in public health education with over 1,300 graduate students from more than 40 nations pursuing a variety of master’s and doctoral degree programs. The Mailman School is also home to numerous world-renowned research centers including ICAP (formerly the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs) and the Center for Infection and Immunity. For more information, please visit www.mailman.columbia.edu.