Academic Honors & Events

Invaluable Individual — Dr. Michael Reichgott has been awarded the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes individuals whose work has a concrete impact on the quality of medical education in North America. The LCME grants and reviews the accreditation status of medical schools in both the United States and Canada. The accreditation is dependent on a lengthy peer-review process, which requires the efforts of individuals like Dr. Reichgott. The committee established the award in 2012; Dr. Reichgott its third recipient. He will be celebrated at the LCME Leadership Luncheon and Awards Ceremony during the Association of American Medical Colleges annual meeting, to be held in Chicago this November. Dr. Reichgott is chair of the Einstein-Montefiore institutional review board and of Einstein’s conflict of interest committee. He also is professor of medicine.

Exceptional Service & Achievement — Dr. John Blanchard has been elected a fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Founded nearly 140 years ago, the ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a leading source for scientific information. The fellows program recognizes members of the ACS who have made vital contributions to the ACS through service to the society and demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in chemistry. Dr. Blanchard will be officially inducted at the ACS Fellows Ceremony and Reception, at the society's 248th national meeting. Dr. Blanchard is professor of biochemistry and the Dan Danciger Professor of Biochemistry.

Serving Science — Dr. Ana Maria Cuervo has been appointed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the NIH Council of Councils. The council advises the NIH Director on matters related to the activities and policies of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI). The DPCPSI plans and implements initiatives across NIH institutes or centers to address public health challenges, gaps in scientific knowledge and emerging scientific opportunities that it has identified as meriting further research. Dr. Cuervo will serve on the 27-member council through October 31, 2016. She is professor of developmental & molecular biology, of anatomy & structural biology and of medicine. She also holds the Robert and Renée Belfer Chair for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Outstanding Accolade — Ana Julia Cruz received an outstanding career practitioner award at the 2014 State Wide Conference for Career Professionals, held by the New York State Career Development Association. Dr. Yvette Calderon, Dr. Maria Marzan and medical students nominated Ms. Cruz, who manages Einstein’s Community Based Service Learning (CBSL) program, for the award. At the conference, she gave a presentation to career counselors about the CBSL program, which oversees the collaborative efforts of Einstein student groups to provide services and advocacy for underserved populations within the Bronx. The program offers students support, training and guidance to assure they possess the necessary skills for their community engagement projects aimed at addressing social justice and health issues.

Fighting Gynecological Cancers — Dr. Gloria Huang has been selected by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) and the American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Foundation (AAOGF) to receive a 2014 ABOG/AAOGF Bridge Funding Award. Dr. Huang’s lab identifies signaling pathways that are involved in the spread of gynecological cancers and their drug resistance. The $75,000 award will support her research program, “Targeting IGF2 Promoter Activation to Overcome Drug Resistance in Ovarian Cancer,” and Dr. Huang’s travel to the ABOG/AAOGF Scholar’s Retreat, where she will present her work. Dr. Huang is associate professor of obstetrics & gynecology and women’s health and instructor of molecular pharmacology.

Acknowledging Research Efforts – The NIH Director's Blog recently highlighted work from the laboratory of Dr. Saleem Nicola. In the blog, Dr. Francis Collins described the research behind a colorful image, produced by Dr. Nicola’s lab, which also was a winner of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology’s 2013 BioArt competition. The image shows a series of converging rainbow-colored lines that depict a number paths taken by a rat during an experiment designed to understand what happens in the brains of drug addicts and how environmental signals influence their drug-seeking behaviors. Dr. Nicola is associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and of neuroscience.

Dr. John Blanchard was chosen to be the 2014 recipient of the A.I. Scott Medal for Excellence in Biological Chemistry. The award, which will be presented to Dr. Blanchard at a public symposium in October, is given on behalf of the Texas A&M section of the American Chemical Society and the department of chemistry at Texas A&M. Dr. Blanchard is a professor of biochemistry.    

Awarding a Pioneer — Dr. Peter Satir was recently named one of three winners of the 2014 E. B. Wilson Medal, the highest scientific honor given by the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB). The award, which will be presented in December at the ASCB annual meeting, recognizes Dr. Satir’s pioneering work identifying essential components of the cytoskeleton. Dr. Satir discovered how cilia—lash-like cell projections—are able to move using elements of the cytoskeleton. The movement of these projections is critical for the removal of mucus and dirt from the lungs, the transfer of the ovum from the ovary to the uterus, and for the movement of sperm. His research was fundamental to the discovery that defects in these projections cause a number of diseases including polycystic kidney disorder—a common and deadly disease. Dr. Satir is distinguished university professor of anatomy & structural biology.

Neuropathology Notable — Dr. Cedric Raine was invited to take part in an autobiography series published by the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology (JNEN). Through the series, JNEN is featuring the autobiographies of senior members of the neuropathology community who have been noted leaders and contributors to neuroscience and to the American Association of Neuropathologists. Dr. Raine’s autobiography appears in the March 2014 edition of JNEN. He is professor emeritus of pathology, of neuroscience and of neurology. Please Note: A subscription to JNEN is required to access the article. To view the full text, members of the Einstein community can visit the D. Samuel Gottesman Library website (Einstein login and password required).

Prestigious Presentation — Dr. Hannes Buelow has been invited to deliver a presentation at the Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC) seminar in Copenhagen, Denmark. BRIC is a biomedical research facility where scientists focus on understanding the molecular mechanisms that lead to various diseases, including cancer. Dr. Buelow’s presentation will focus on shaping sensory dendrites in C. elegans. He is associate professor of genetics and of neuroscience.