Awards

Columbia Clinician Takes KUFA Award for Third Year Running

Lloyd E. Ratner, MD

Dr. Lloyd E. Ratner has been awarded the 2006 National Medical Award in Transplantation from the Kidney and Urology Foundation of America. The award honors Dr. Ratner for his contributions to the care of patients and for his innovations in the field of renal transplantation. A nationally and internationally recognized leader in the field of transplantation, Dr. Ratner performed the world's first laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy, the world's first dual renal transplant, orchestrated the nation's first paired kidney exchange, and developed the first successful protocol for the desensitization of highly sensitized patients with living kidney donors.

Previous Columbia clinicians to receive this award are David Cohen, MD, Medical Director of Renal and Pancreatic Transplantation at NYPH/Columbia, who received it in 2005, and Mark A. Hardy who received the award in 2004.

2006 Blakemore Prize and Awards

The Columbia University Department of Surgery Blakemore Prizes/Awards for 2005-2006 were presented at a dinner for new and departing house staff, which took place on June 22, 2006 at the New York Athletic Club.

Drs. Pat Sylla and Steve Xydas shared the Blakemore Prize for the best body of research performed by a graduating senior resident.

Drs. Ryan Davies, Isaac George, and Mark Russo received the Blakemore Awards for outstanding research by general surgery house staff.

2006 "Rising Star Award"

Dr. Guarrera received the 2006 "Rising Star Award" from the International Liver Transplantation Society. The award was presented in Milan, Italy in May, 2006.

2006 Resident Research Competition

Dr. Joey C. Papa wins first prize in fifteenth Surgery Residents' Research Competition, Dr. Christian Petrulio takes second

The competition was held in the P&S Alumni Auditorium May 26, 2006. There were eight 8-minute presentations. Members of the Department of Surgery Research Committee and Leadership group scored the presentations.

Dr. Fou Receives Second "Women at Risk" Breast Surgery Fellowship

On October 13, 2005, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center announced that the second Women At Risk (WAR) Breast Surgery Fellowship has been awarded to Dr. Adora Fou. A one-year appointment, the Fellowship promotes advanced training in the treatment and prevention of breast disease. Dr. Fou's current research focuses on risk management of breast cancer using ductal lavage, a new technique designed to evaluate breast cytology in high-risk women.

Research Start-Up Grants Awarded

On October 10, 2005, the Research Committee announced the recipients of 20 start-up grants. The results of many of these investigations will be revealed during the Residents' Research Competition in May 2006.

Honors and Awards

• Tracey D. Arnell, MD

  Bohmfalk Award for Teaching in the Clinical Years

• Brian Cohen, MD

  Department of Surgery House Staff Award

• Kenneth A. Forde, MD

  George Berci Lifetime Achievement Award from SAGES (Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons), 2005

  Honorary Fellow of the Caribbean College of Surgeons, 2005

  On November 10, 2004, Dr. Forde was named a Townsend Harris Medalist for 2004 by the Alumni Association of the City College of New York. Presenters included Al Roker and Eli Wallach, '38 MSE. Joseph Stein, '34 was a fellow medalist.

  2004 Jessie Banks Foundation Outstanding Life Achievement Award

  2003 Science & Technology Award from the American Red Cross of Westchester County at its Fourth Annual Jerome H. Holland Power of Humanity Celebration Dinner

  Physician of the Year, NewYork-Presbyterian Department of Nursing, Columbia University Medical Center

• Paul H. Gerst, MD

  2004 ACGME Parker J. Palmer "Courage to Teach" Award

• Mark A. Hardy, MD

  Awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Hallym University in Korea

• Kathie-Ann P. Joseph, MD

  "40 Under 40" rising stars for 2005, Crain's New York Business

  "Power Women of 2005," New York Moves Magazine

  Awarded grants by Women at Risk and the Jean Sindab African American Breast Cancer Research Program to study biological markers in African-American women diagnosed with DCIS (early breast cancer).

  2004 AACR Minority Scholar Award in Cancer Research
  
  Southwest Oncology Group Hope Foundation/Ortho Biotech Young Investigator

• William Kim, PhD

  Career Development Award, American Diabetes Association

• James F. McKinsey, MD

  Outstanding Teacher Award for 2004, Association for Surgical Education

• Nicholas J. Morrissey, MD

  Nicholas J. Morrissey, MD received $150,000 from Boston Scientific to study neointimal hyperplasia in arteriovenous and arterial grafts.

• Ravi Ramasamy, PhD

  Harold and Golden Lamport Award for Excellence in Clinical Research

• John F. Renz, MD, PhD

  American Surgical Association Foundation Fellowship Award

• Eric A. Rose, MD

  Principal investigator of a $17 million SCCOR grant awarded by the NIH.

• Jeanne Rubsam, RN, MS, CPNP

  Named the New York State Trauma Coordinator of Distinction at the December 2004 meeting of the New York State Division of the American Trauma Society.

• Ann Marie Schmidt, MD

  Mary Jane Kugel Award

• Deborah Schwarz-McGregor, RPA

  healthpoints Summer 2004 issue, platinum award for 'best external newsletter from an educational institution,' MarCom Creative Awards

• Craig R. Smith, MD

  Practitioner of the Year Award, Society of Practitioners, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia Campus

• Charles J. H. Stolar, MD

  Scout of the Year Award, 2005
  Boy Scouts of America

• Warren Widmann, MD

  Attending Physician of the Year
  (NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center Nursing School Award)

• Shi Du Yan, MD

  Zenith Fellows Award for 2005-2007, Alzheimer's Association

• Shi-Fang Yan, MD

  Dr. Shi-Fang Yan, assistant professor of surgical science, has been awarded an RO1 grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for her work on the role of protein kinase C-beta and its downstream targets in restenosis (re-narrowing of the arteries). This work has important implications for the management of atherosclerosis and complications of angioplasty in human subjects.

MarCom Creative Awards Honors 'healthpoints' with Platinum Award

healthpoints

The Summer 2004 issue of healthpoints won the platinum award for 'best external newsletter from an educational institution' in the MarCom Creative Awards 2004 Competition. Created and distributed by the Department of Surgery's Office of External Affairs at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), healthpoints provides medical information for healthcare consumers. The award-winning, 16-page issue highlighted innovative clinical trial work currently underway within the Department of Surgery.

"Surgical Innovations" Named Best Brochure by Public Relations Society of New York

The New York chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA-NY) presented the 2003 Big Apple Award for Best Brochure to the Columbia University Department of Surgery for the multimedia Surgical Innovations Report: A Physician's Resource. The publication highlights the Department's latest advances in robotic surgery, minimal-access procedures, and research initiatives. It includes two CD-ROMs that present narrated video presentations of the central parts of 34 surgical procedures.

JDRF Names Surgical Science Grant

Ann Marie Schmidt, MD Division Chief

Naming Recognizes Dr. Schmidt's Contribution to Diabetes Research

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) has honored Dr. Ann Marie Schmidt. Dr. Schmidt's Innovative Grant, funded by JDRF and entitled, "A new model of diabetic microvascular complications," has been named In Memory of Janice Clouse Innovative Grant. In this way, JDRF recognizes the important contribution of Dr. Schmidt's work to the field of diabetes research.