News | Page 16 | Weill Department of Medicine

Quality & Patient Safety: A Conversation with Dean Robert Harrington and Dr. Robert Min

In recognition of Patient Safety Awareness Week, the Weill Department of Medicine's Quality & Patient Safety team helped coordinate a fireside-style chat with Dean Robert Harrington and Dr. Robert Min for faculty, staff and students titled "Igniting the Future of Quality and Patient Safety" in Uris on March 13.The discussion highlighted the importance of creating an environment that allows for questions and collaboration. Both Dean Harrington and Dr. Min shared past experiences that led... Read More

Possible Biomarker Identified for Crohn’s Disease with Arthritis Type

People with Crohn’s disease and related joint inflammation linked to immune system dysfunction have distinct gut bacteria or microbiota, with the bacterium Mediterraneibacter gnavus being a potential biomarker, according to new study by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers.The study, published Feb. 13 in Gut Microbes, also demonstrated that the gut microbiota of people with Crohn’s and axial spondyloarthritis, which is joint inflammation of the spine and lower back, differs from individuals with... Read More

Vanessa Dudley and Princess Osma Recognized for their Dedication to Equity and Inclusion as Staff Equity and Inclusion Council

As they near the end of their term on Weill Cornell Medicine’s Staff Equity and Inclusion Council (SEIC), Vanessa Dudley and Princess Osma, both research staff members in the Weill Department of Medicine’s division of General Internal Medicine, are being remembered for making a lasting impact on the division’s commitment to promoting equity and inclusion in the Weill Cornell Medicine community.Vanessa, Research Program Manager on division chief Dr. Monika Safford’s research team, was named SEIC... Read More

Diet, Microbes and Fat: A New Pathway Controlling Levels of Body Fat and Cholesterol

Beneficial gut microbes and the body work together to fine-tune fat metabolism and cholesterol levels, according to a new preclinical study by investigators from Weill Cornell Medicine and the Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University’s Ithaca campus.The human body has co-evolved with the beneficial microbes that live in the gut (termed the microbiota), resulting in mutually favorable relationships that aid in the digestion of food and absorption of essential nutrients required for... Read More

Dr. Shahin Raffi Named Research Honoree at the Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) Greater New York Metro 51st Promise Gala

Dr. Shahin Raffi was recently selected as the Research Honoree at the Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) Greater New York Metro 51st Promise Gala, held Nov. 14, 2024. Dr. Raffi is working to develop an alternative method for delivering insulin-producing cells to replace the islets lost in type 1 diabetes. Current islet transplantation relies on delivery of islet cells to the liver; however, this results in a high percentage of cell loss due to inflammation and cell stress. Dr. Raffi's work aims... Read More

Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine Leadership Transition

Dr. Fernando J. Martinez, Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (PCCM), has accepted the role of Academic Chief of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine and Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational Research at the University of Massachusetts and will be leaving Weill Cornell Medicine at the end of June.Dr. Martinez has made numerous contributions to the WDOM and to PCCM over the last 10 years and has positively impacted all aspects of our mission. He joined the... Read More

Dr. Safford Receives $7.9 Million Grant from NHLBI for the REGARDS-MI Study

Dr. Monika SaffordDr. Monika Safford, Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine, WDOM, has received a new R01 grant in the amount of $7.9 million from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute that will extend funding in support of her REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke – Myocardial Infarction (REGARDS-MI) research program.The REGARDS-MI study is an ancillary study to the large national REGARDS cohort study based at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). This... Read More

Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILC2s) Essential in Protecting Barrier Tissues from Parasitic Infections

Dr. David ArtisDr. Artis and team continue to illuminate the role of ILC2s, a family of white blood cells, with a new discovery published in Nature that has resolved an ongoing controversy.Discovered by multiple groups about 12 years ago, ILC2s, which are present in barrier tissues, play an essential role as sentinels and serve as first responders in fighting various infections. The Artis lab has shown that ILC2s help to protect these tissues from parasitic infections as well as damage... Read More

Dr. Lachs Honored by the Medicare Rights Center

Dr. Mark LachsDr. Mark S. Lachs has been honored by the Medicare Rights Center for his longtime leadership in the field of gerontology.One of three honorees, Dr. Lachs’ career was highlighted at the Center’s 2022 Annual Awards Event held at the Mandarin Oriental in Manhattan on October 17, 2022. Dr. Lachs is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in the field of geriatrics and the author of the book, Treat Me, Not My Age. He has also created critical models of care for the aging... Read More

Dr. Artis and Colleagues Discover Pain-Sensing Gut Neurons that Protect Against Inflammation

Dr. David ArtisPublished in Cell (October 14, 2022), Dr. David Artis and colleagues have discovered that there are pain-sensing gut neurons which protect against inflammation.These pain-sensing neurons protect against inflammation in the gut, apparently by secreting a molecule called substance P, as well as the associated tissue damage. The process involves regulating the microbial community that lives inside the intestines. It was also discovered that people who have inflammatory bowel disease... Read More