Academic Honors & Events

Where Finance and Diversity Meet—Damien Jackson, director of student finance, has been appointed to the American Association of Medical Colleges' Committee on Student Financial Assistance, which provides guidance on legislative and regulatory issues regarding loans and scholarships. He will also serve as liaison from that committee to the larger Committee on Student Diversity Affairs, whose topic is medical student diversity with respect to student recruitment, admissions, retention and graduation. Mr. Jackson was a logical choice for both appointments: Since joining Einstein in 2009, he has shared his financial expertise with pre-med students from underrepresented groups and their families by participating in programs such as the yearly Summer Undergraduate Mentorship Program parents’ workshop.

Board Appointment —Roman Perez-Soler, M.D., was appointed as a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Board of Scientific Counselors for Basic Sciences and Epidemiology. This prestigious honor recognizes his contributions and leadership in cancer research; he will serve on the board through 2020. Dr. Perez-Soler is professor of medicine and of molecular pharmacology, deputy director of the Albert Einstein Cancer Center, and co-leader of the Experimental Therapeutics program at Einstein.

HIV Educator Award—Peter Selwyn, M.D., has received the HIV Medicine Association’s 2015 Clinical Educator Award. On the HIV/AIDS front lines since the 1980s, Dr. Selwyn has been involved in clinical care, program development, research and teaching; his pioneering efforts have improved community-based primary care and palliative care, and benefited underserved populations. Dr. Selwyn was nominated for a National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize for his 1998 memoir of the first decade of the epidemic, Surviving the Fall: The Personal Journey of an AIDS Doctor. Deeply invested in educating the next generation of HIV clinicians, Dr. Selwyn has influenced countless students and trainees. Dr. Selwyn is professor and chair of family and social medicine at Einstein and Montefiore; professor of epidemiology & population health, of medicine and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Einstein; and director of the office of community health at Montefiore.

Lifetime Achievement Award—Lawrence Brandt, M.D., has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Peggy Lillis Foundation, which educates the public and shapes policy regarding Clostridium difficile infection. Dr. Brandt pioneers fecal transplantation to treat C. difficile colitis, a potentially life-threatening inflammation of the colon that commonly affects older adults, often during or after antibiotic use. Dr. Brandt’s other accomplishments include performing the first endoscopic removal of a gastric polyp; demonstrating that gastrointestinal bacteria may inhibit vitamin B12 absorption; and establishing that metronidazole can heal perineal Crohn’s disease. A Master of the American College of Gastroenterology and prolific author of scientific papers and books, Dr. Brandt has received Distinguished Educator awards from the American Gastroenterological Association and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. At Einstein, Dr. Brandt is professor of medicine and of surgery, and a member of the Leo M. Davidoff Society, which recognizes excellence in teaching.  He also is division chief emeritus of gastroenterology at Montefiore.

Well-Positioned in Professional Societies—Shalom Kalnicki, M.D., was recently installed on the board of the Radiosurgery Society and on the executive committee of the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiation Oncology Programs. Dr. Kalnicki is professor and chair of radiation oncology at Einstein. He is also professor of urology.

Strong Showing by Radiation Oncology—At the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 57th annual meeting, Einstein’s department of radiation oncology and Institute for Onco-Physics made nine presentations. Topics included the correlation between socioeconomic status, patient compliance and outcomes (Dr. Madhur Garg); PET-CT in functional radiation planning, which won second prize in resident papers (Dr. Andrew Lee, mentor Dr. Nitin Ohri); metabolomics profiling of radiation therapy effects (Dr. Chandan Guha); the first animal model of radiation effects on a normal brain, with genetic correlates, focusing on hippocampal sparing in rats (Dr. Wolfgang Tome – who became the first physicist ever highlighted in an ASTRO basic science laboratory session); and radiation and improved outcomes in retroperitoneal sarcomas (Dr. Shiv Desai, mentor Dr. Garg). The Einstein contingent also hosted the first meeting of the Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center, National Cancer Institute and Montefiore-Einstein Consortium for Research and Clinical Trials in Carbon Ion Therapy.

bHLH Proteins in Development and Disease—A review paper in the November 20 issue of Developmental Cell by Einstein’s Drs. Nicholas Baker and Lan-Hsin Wang , describes the evidence connecting human diseases with two transcription proteins that are important during development. The E-proteins and inhibitor of DNA-binding (ID) proteins each pair up with basic Helix-loop-Helix proteins to affect development. They have been implicated in common health conditions (such as schizophrenia, atherosclerosis, diabetes and osteoporosis) as well as rare ones (including Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome, Rett Syndrome and Fuchs corneal dystrophy). Dr. Baker is professor of genetics, of developmental and molecular biology and of ophthalmology and visual sciences. Dr. Wang is an associate in genetics.

ASCO Nominating Committee—Joseph Sparano, M.D. has been named to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Nominating Committee. Dr. Sparano, who has been an ASCO member since 1991, will serve in this position from 2016 to 2019 and will serve as chair of the committee in 2018-2019.  Dr. Sparano has served on ASCO’s Scientific Program Committee, as a program committee track leader on the Cancer Education Committee, and as member of the Best of ASCO Planning Committee. Founded in 1964, ASCO is the world's leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. Dr. Sparano is professor of medicine and of obstetrics & gynecology and women's health at Einstein, vice chair of medical oncology at Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care and associate director for clinical research at the NCI-designated Albert Einstein Cancer Center.  

Elected to Fellowship—The Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science has elected Dr. Robert Burk as a new AAAS Fellow. The honor recognizes individuals whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished. Dr. Burks selection honors his tremendous contributions to the understanding of HPV biology and pathogenesis. Dr. Burk is professor of pediatrics, of microbiology & immunology, of obstetrics & gynecology and women's health and of epidemiology & population health, and he is vice chair of translational research in pediatrics.

Elected to Fellowship—The Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science has elected Dr. Victor Schuster as a new AAAS Fellow. The honor recognizes individuals whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished. Dr. Schuster’s selection honors his outstanding contributions to medicine and biochemistry, including the critical identification of the prostaglandin transporter, and for contributions as a distinguished educator and physician. Dr. Schuster is senior vice dean at Einstein.