2014 Faculty Honors

HIV researcher Quarraisha Abdool Karim, PhD, professor of Epidemiology, was awarded the 2014 TWAS-Lenovo Science Prize—the most prestigious annual prize of the World Academy of Sciences. Abdool Karim was recognized for her groundbreaking research on HIV/AIDS prevention, particularly in rural South Africa and in young women in Africa.
Irwin Redlener, MD, professor of Health Policy and Management and director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia’s Earth Institute, was awarded the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, which "recognizes an individual whose life example has significantly mitigated the social determinants of health in the United States or abroad, and whose commitment to service influences and inspires others."
A paper by John Santelli, MD, MPH, professor and chair of the Department of Population and Family Health, has been selected as a paper of the year by the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on School Health. "Measuring School Health Center Impact on Access to and Quality of Primary Care,” is published in the December 2013 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo selected Robert Fullilove, EdD, professor of Sociomedical Sciences, to a task force that will work to implement the plan to end the AIDS epidemic in New York. Consisting of experts and community advocates from across the state, task force members will perform public outreach and awareness campaigns in support of the effort to reduce the number of new HIV infections to 750 per year by the year 2020.
The FDI World Dental Federation appointed Ira B. Lamster, DDS, professor of Health Policy and Management, as the next editor of the International Dental Journal, effective January 1, 2015.
Quarraisha Abdool Karim, PhD, professor of Epidemiology and a HIV researcher, has been awarded the 2014 TWAS-Lenovo Science Prize—the most prestigious annual prize of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), based in Trieste, Italy, for her groundbreaking research on HIV prevention in women.
Diana Hernández, PhD, assistant professor of Sociomedical Sciences, was selected as a JPG Environmental Health Fellow from the Harvard University School of Public Health. The fellowship program was established to promote a new generation of environmental health scholars who are committed to using comprehensive approaches to address health disparities in disadvantaged communities. Hernandez, one of nine professors in the inaugural cohort of fellows, was selected for her accomplishments and commitment to underserved populations.
Quarraisha Abdool Karim, PhD, associate professor of Epidemiology and associate scientific director, CAPRISA (Center for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa) was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science (IOM). Abdool Karim is an infectious diseases epidemiologist whose main research interests are in understanding the evolving HIV epidemic in South Africa.
The American Political Science Association, Health Politics and Policy Section, named Miriam Laugesen, PhD, assistant professor of Health Policy and Management, recipient of the 2014 Leonard S. Robins Best Paper Award for "Policy Complexity and Professional Capture."
Stephen S. Morse, PhD, professor of Epidemiology, was appointed by Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) of the National Institutes of Health. As a key advisory group to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the director of the National Institutes of Health, and the heads of all federal departments and agencies that conduct or support life science research, the committee provides leadership and recommends strategies on biosecurity issues. Morse was appointed for a four-year term, ending June 14, 2018.
Ken Cheung, PhD, associate professor, and Melanie Wall, PhD, professor of Biostatistics, have been elected Fellows of the American Statistical Association—statistics' highest honor, which recognizes recipients for their outstanding contributions and leadership in the statistical science field. They will be inducted at the Joint Statistical Meetings conference in Boston this August.
Jeremiah Barondess, MD, professor of Clinical Epidemiology and New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) president emeritus, received the Urban Health Champion Award for his leadership and long tenure as the Academy’s first full time president. During his presidency, Barondess established NYAM’s profile and thought leadership in urban health, launched the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies, which conducted research on HIV/AIDS and other critical health issues, and created the Journal of Urban Health, which remains an important publication in epidemiology and public health.
Global publisher Thomson Reuters, a leading source of information for professionals, named Dean Linda P. Fried, MD, MPH, “one of 2014’s most influential scientific minds.” Dean Fried was recognized for her cutting edge work in the field of social sciences, which “peers recognize as vital to the advancement of their science.”
Roger Vaughan, DrPH, received Columbia University’s 2014 Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching, a recognition awarded to only five of the University’s 3,800 full-time faculty.
Norman Kleiman, PhD, was honored by the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology for Outstanding Clinical Research Paper in 2013. The award acknowledges the essential, best-in-class research that is conducted in interventional radiology and published within JVIR.
Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, received Columbia engineering school’s Michael Pupin Medal for Service to the Nation in Engineering, Science, or Technology. The award was presented to El-Sadr by University Provost John Coatsworth at an awards dinner hosted by the Engineering School.
Ronald Bayer, PhD, and Amy Fairchild, PhD, MPH, were named to leadership positions at World Health Organization’s (WHO) Bioethics Collaborating Centers. Bayer will chair WHO’s Network of Bioethics Collaborating Centers, which worked with the World Health Organization on the ethical challenges of HIV treatment prevention, tuberculosis control, and vaccination. Fairchild was appointed co-chair of a working group charged with crafting Guidelines on Ethical Issues in Public Health Surveillance and will guide the work of approximately 30 experts who represent more than a dozen high-, middle-, and low-income countries.
Pamela Valera, PhD, MSW, has been elected to serve on the board of directors of Disability Rights New York (DRNY), the State’s Protection and Advocacy and Client Assistance Program for people with disabilities.
W. Ian Lipkin, MD, was named recipient of Villanova University’s 2014 Mendel Medal in recognition of his groundbreaking work in the development of genetic methods for microbial surveillance and discovery. Previous medalists have been Nobel Laureates, Lasker and MacArthur awardees, and recipients of the National Medal of Science.
The Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) selected a paper by Norman Kleiman, PhD, as its Outstanding Clinical Research Paper in 2013. The award acknowledges the essential, best-in-class research that is conducted in interventional radiology and published within JVIR. The paper “Radiation-Associated Lens Opacities in Catheterization Personnel: Results of a Survey and Direct Assessments” was chosen by a review of all manuscripts published in 2013 and voted by the editorial board members.
LAI Foundation, Inc. selected Robert Fullilove, ED, to receive its Life Changes Award 2014. Fullilove will be honored for his work as a community leader and activist in field of HIV/AIDS at the Foundation's annual event: "A Future Filled with Hope."
David Bell, MD, MPH, was chosen for TheGrio 100, an annual list of leaders in health, politics, the arts, education, pop culture, and science/technology, for his work in adolescent medicine and advocacy for young men to have access to high-quality healthcare services.
An article by Prakash Gorroochurn, PhD, "Errors of Probability in Historical Context" was named one of the most memorable writings on mathematics and featured in the anthology The Best Writing on Mathematics 2013, published by Princeton University Press.
Joseph Graziano, PhD, is the recipient of the 2014 Career Achievement Award from the Metal Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology. He was selected for his National Institutes of Health-funded research program that examines the health effects of exposure to inorganic arsenic and his work on the development of Succimer, the drug that is now widely used to treat childhood lead poisoning.
Mary Bassett, MD, MPH, was appointed by Mayor Bill De Blasio as health commissioner for New York City on January 16, 2014. She will be taking on this role after the successful tenure of Mailman School board member Tom Farley, who was commissioner for the last four-and-a-half years.