news PS - Columbia University Medical Center

• From the Dean
Dear Readers,
Inside this issue, you will find several examples of
exciting progress here at Columbia: A profile of our
newest Institute of Medicine member, Carol Mason; Tim
Wang’s novel approach to the study
of cancer; an exciting expansion of
our ColumbiaDoctors practice in
midtown Manhattan; an update on the
scholarly projects of our inaugural
class in the new M.D. curriculum;
the experience of the first class
of Columbia-Bassett students
in Cooperstown; and a review of
landmark research performed here
at Columbia that demonstrates how
we can now replace an aortic valve
without surgery. The issue also
profiles two accomplished physicianscientists
and academic leaders:
Paul Marks – a 1949 P&S graduate, former dean of P&S,
and current CUMC Board of Visitors member – and his
son, Andy Marks – our current chair of physiology &
cellular biophysics. In the newly designed alumni section
of the magazine, you can read profiles of three 1980s
alumni who have had fascinating careers in biotechnology:
Ron Cohen, Paul Maddon, and George Yancopoulos.
These examples of our people and our achievements
serve as true measures of our success, but we also
appreciate when external evaluations publicly reinforce
the value of our contributions to the fields of medicine,
education, and biomedical science. In 2011, our National
Institutes of Health awards grew by more than 6 percent,
demonstrating how well our faculty are doing when
competing against their peers for research funding at a
time when the overall NIH budget declined. In education,
we proudly note that the yield for our first-year class –
the percentage of accepted students who enrolled – was
the highest in 35 years. Another indicator is our recordbreaking
philanthropy, which last year topped $200 million
in support that we gratefully acknowledge from alumni,
patients, and other friends.
However, no external assessment exemplifies the
greatness of P&S better than the highest standard we
set for ourselves – our unwavering commitment to
improving health throughout the world with advances in
medical education, scientific research, and patient care.
With best wishes,
Lee Goldman, M.D., Dean
lgoldman@columbia.edu
departments
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Letters
P&S News
Clinical Advances
ECMO for Adults Makes a Comeback
Integrated Arthritis Center: Applying Research to Patient Care
For Sleep Apnea, Robotic Surgery Offers a New Tool
Forestalling Lymphedema, a Preventive Strategy
Graduate School Life
Several students in the Graduate Program in Pharmacology
and Molecular Signaling use sophisticated techniques to lay the
groundwork for the design of more potent and specific drugs.
Alumni News & Notes
Alumni Profile: Biotech leaders Ron Cohen, Paul Maddon,
and George Yancopoulos
In Memoriam
Faculty and alumni who have died
P&S Club Corner
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