Reducing Biopsies in Prostate Cancer
Weill Cornell Medicine has received a projected $4 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to conduct a clinical trial testing whether a new imaging approach could reduce the need for biopsies to monitor prostate cancer. The five-year grant will evaluate whether adding an imaging modality called Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen — Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography to active surveillance regimens can rule out the presence of cancer that requires treatment.
Grants and Awards
Excellence in Medical Education Awards
Weill Cornell Medicine faculty and staff were honored with Excellence in Medical Education Awards at a ceremony in June. Dr. Joseph Safdieh, Richard P. Cohen, M.D. Senior Associate Dean for Education, presented the awards, which are given at the end of each academic year to celebrate the honorees’ extraordinary contributions to the education mission and for making the Weill Cornell Medical College experience exceptional for students. The winners represent a wide range of departments across the institution, with categories recognizing teaching, distinguished service and leadership.
Leaders of Tomorrow
Weill Cornell Medicine has selected the newest class of fellows for the Healthcare Leadership Fellows Program. Launched in 2012 and aimed at identifying the institution’s “leaders of tomorrow,” the competitive program provides funds to support leadership training and educational opportunities for fellows. It also provides individual mentoring, small group meetings with nationally known leaders and networking opportunities with current and past fellows. The 2025–2026 cohort includes seven fellows across varying specialties.
Gaining INSIGHT Through Patient Data
The INSIGHT Clinical Research Network, a database of more than 23 million patient health records, has received $13.5 million in renewed funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Dr. Rainu Kaushal, INSIGHT principal investigator, senior associate dean of health data science and chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences, co-leads INSIGHT with Dr. Mark G. Weiner, professor of clinical population health sciences and clinical medicine, and Dr. Thomas R. Campion Jr., chief research informatics officer and professor of research in population health sciences.
Achievements
RAMS Medical Student Education/Innovation Award
Rana Barghout, now a fourth-year medical student, was awarded the RAMS Medical Student Education/Innovation Award by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine in recognition of her dedication, leadership and innovative work in academic emergency medicine.
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Virginia Pascual, director of the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Children’s Health and the Ronay Menschel Professor of Pediatrics, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Tri-Institutional Breakout Award
Dr. Nikolaos Koundouros, a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Pharmacology, has been awarded a 2025 Tri-Institutional Breakout Award for Junior Investigators.
Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine Scholar
Dr. Arnab Ghosh, assistant professor of medicine, has been selected as an Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine Scholar.
Established Investigator Award
Dr. Teresa Sanchez, associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and associate professor of neuroscience in the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, has been awarded the highly competitive Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association.
Pershing Square Foundation’s 2025 Ovarian Cancer Challenge Grant
Dr. Juan R. Cubillos-Ruiz, the William J. Ledger, M.D. Distinguished Associate Professor of Infection and Immunology in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Dr. David Lyden, the Stavros S. Niarchos Professor in Pediatric Cardiology, have been named inaugural recipients of the Pershing Square Foundation’s 2025 Ovarian Cancer Challenge Grant.
American Surgical Association Honor
Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi, chair of the Department of Surgery, has been named president-elect of the American Surgical Association.
Grants and Awards
Ritu Banga Healthcare Disparities Research Awards
Four investigators received the Ritu Banga Healthcare Disparities Research Awards, recognizing innovative research that will help close care gaps in clinical settings.
Awardees include:
Dr. Nitya Gulati, John D. and Lili R. Bussel Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hematology, member of the Meyer Cancer Center
Dr. Jialin Mao, assistant professor of population health sciences, member of the Meyer Cancer Center
Dr. Yiwey Shieh, Nanette Laitman Clinical Scholar in Healthcare Policy and Research/Prevention-Women’s Health, member of the Meyer Cancer Center
Dr. Alpana Shukla, associate professor of research in medicine, endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism
