2018 Faculty Honors

Rachel Shelton, ScD, MPH, assistant professor of Sociomedical Sciences, was appointed Medical Center’s Associate Director of the Community Engagement Core Resource and Director of Implementation Science Initiatives at the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Columbia University. Shelton, trained in social epidemiology, community-based participatory research, and intervention research, has expertise in addressing cancer-related health disparities. Read more.
Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, MPA, University Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine, the Dr. Mathilde Krim-amFAR Chair in Global Health, and founder and global director of ICAP, was inducted as a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences for her significant contributions to the development and application of science, technology, and innovation in Africa. Read more.
Salim S. Abdool Karim, PhD, CAPRISA Professor of Global Health in Epidemiology and director of the Centre for the AIDS Program of Research, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, was the recipient of the ‘Al-Sumait prize’ by the State of Kuwait for research contributions. Abdool Karim was recognized for his contributions to science in HIV treatment and prevention over the past three decades. Read more.
Gina Wingood, ScD, Sidney and Helaine Lerner Professor of Public Health Promotion, Sociomedical Sciences, received the 2018 Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award for significant achievements in HIV/AIDS prevention. The award was created in 2009 by the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention to honor Ryan White, a rural, Indiana youth, who contracted HIV in 1984. Read more.
Quarraisha Abdool Karim, PhD, professor of Epidemiology, and UNAIDS Special Ambassador for Adolescents and HIV, was the narrator of a documentary, “The Last Mile” – a reflection on responses to the HIV epidemic 25 years since the release of the movie Philadelphia. View here.Karim also delivered the Sheldon Segal Lecture at the Population Council on December 3.
Andrea Baccarelli, MD, PhD, chair and Leon Hess Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, received the Baiocco D’oro Award from the city of Perugia, Italy. The award is given to one individual who has brought distinction to the city. Baccarelli, who did his medical education in Perugia, was recognized for his worldwide reputation in the field of epigenetics and his research on the molecular mechanisms that connect exposures to environmental chemicals to human disease. Read more.
Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, MPA, University Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine, the Dr. Mathilde Krim-amFAR Chair in Global Health, and founder and global director of ICAP at Columbia University, was awarded The New York Academy of Medicine 2018 Stephen Smith Award for Distinguished Contributions in Public Health. El-Sadr was honored for her leadership in combatting HIV and other global health threats, and strengthening health systems worldwide in partnership with governmental and non-governmental organizations at the Academy’s 171st Anniversary Discourse & Awards Ceremony on November 1st. Read more.
Irwin Redlener, MD, professor of Health Policy and Management, was named co-chair of the 9/20 Committee by Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló, a group of public health specialists that assist the government in the management of information regarding fatalities caused by natural and man-made disasters. Read more.
Jeffrey Shaman, PhD, associate professor of Environmental Health Sciences and director of The Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE was the recipient of the 2019 First Prize for Outstanding Research Article from the International Society for Disease Surveillance in the category for Scientific Achievement in recognition of contributions to their fields of research. Shaman and co-authors Sen Pei, Sasikiran Kandula, and Wan Yang were honored for the paper “Forecasting the Spatial Transmission of Influenza in the United States” which developed a system to accurately predict the geographic spread of seasonal influenza in the United States. Read more.
Barbara Barlow, MD, professor emeritus of Surgery in Epidemiology and founder and executive director of the Injury Free Coalition for Kids at Columbia Mailman School, received the 2018 American College of Surgeons (ACS)/Pfizer Domestic Surgical Volunteerism Award from its Board of Governors for her dedication to preventing injuries to the children of Harlem and across the U.S. Read more.
Elaine J. Abrams, MD, ICAP’s senior research director and professor of Epidemiology and Pediatrics at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and the Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, was awarded an NIH grant to develop a multi-component intervention to improve retention in HIV care and adherence to HIV medicines among adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) in Nampula, Mozambique. Abrams is one of eight awardees to share in this $9 million grant program to generate scientific innovation that will yield effective public health interventions for adolescents and young adults affected by HIV in low and middle income countries. Read more.
Madeleine Thomson, PhD, a research scholar in the Mailman School’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences, and faculty member in the IRI at Columbia’s Earth Institute, published “Climate Information for Public Health Action” with Simon Mason, a scientist at the IRI.
Physician, researcher and public health champion Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, from Egypt, director of ICAP and professor of Epidemiology and Medicine, was named by CNN as One of Nine immigrants who helped make America great. El-Sadr was also honored by the IDSA (Infectious Diseases Society of America) Foundation as “The Next Woman of Infectious Diseases and profiled on the Foundation’s website. Read more.
Marina Catallozzi, MD, MSCE, David Bell, MD, MPH, and Dawn Hershman, MD, MS, were named Best Doctors 2018 by New York Magazine. Administered by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., results are based on a peer-review survey of physicians who they consider the best in their field in terms of professional qualifications, reputations, and skills in dealing with patients. Read more.
Miriam Laugesen, PhD, associate professor of Health Policy and Management, was named to the Executive Committee of the AcademyHealth Education Council for a three-year term. The Council advises the Board of Directors and Academy Health leadership on trends in the educational needs of its members and provides counsel on strategies for their professional development in health services research. Read more.
Lisa Rosen-Metsch, PhD, Dean of the School of General Studies and Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, was selected as the Mentor of the Year for 2018 by the Mailman School junior faculty of the Department of Sociomedical Sciences.
Marina Catallozzi, MD, MSCE, was awarded the Mailman School of Public Health 2018 Teaching Excellence Award and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons 2018 Distinguished Teaching Award.
Madeleine Thomson, PhD, senior research scholar in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, is a co-editor of a PLOS Medicine's special issue on Climate Change and Health. Read more.
Mark L. Hatzenbuehler, PhD, associate professor of Sociomedical Sciences and Sociology, received the American Psychological Association (APA) Distinguished Scientific Contribution Division 44 Award for his theoretical and empirical contributions to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender psychological issues. Read more.
Meghan M. FitzGerald, DrPH, adjunct assistant professor of Health Policy and Management, was named to the Board of Directors of the healthcare services company Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC). Read more.
Carolyn Westhoff, MD, professor of Epidemiology and Population and Family Health, was named to Good Housekeeping's List of 10 Women Over 50 Who Prove It's Never Too Late to Change the World as The Breakthrough Researcher. Westhoff was selected for being a leader in contraceptive research and family planning services. Read more.
Rachel Shelton, ScD, MPH, assistant professor of Sociomedical Sciences, was named an Editorial Board member for the journal Health Education & Behavior beginning March 2018 for a three-year term.
Linda P. Fried, MD, MPH, dean of the Mailman School of Public Health and Delamar Professor of Public Health, received the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Congress of Frailty and Sarcopenia at their annual conference.
John Rowe, MD, the Julius B. Richmond Professor of Health Policy and Aging, was featured in the PBS documentary special "Incredible Aging: Adding Life to Your Years" which was aired in March 2018 and hosted by Meredith Vieira.
The paper "Ambient Fine Particulate Matter, Outdoor Temperature, and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome" by Andrea Baccarelli, MD, PhD, Chair and Leon Hess Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, was selected as one of the ten 2017 Articles of the Year by the American Journal of Epidemiology and the Society for Epidemiologic Research.
Cassie Landers, EdD, MPH, assistant professor of Population and Family Health, contributed to the proposal Changing the Way We CareSM by Maestral International, which received a $15 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation 100&Change Competition. Landers is a senior partner at Maestral, which is a global leader in supporting the development and strengthening of child protection and social welfare systems for children in adversity. Read more.
Research by Nicole Schupf, PhD, DrPH, professor of Epidemiology, about older moms and healthy cellular aging was the most popular research article for 2017 in the Friday Letter: Year in Review of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH). Read more.