News Briefs

New Treatment Combination for Subdural Hematoma Reduces Risk of Recurrence

A novel combination of surgery and embolization used to treat subdural hematomas, bleeding between the brain and its protective membrane due to trauma, reduces the risk of follow-up surgeries, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and University at Buffalo. Embolization is a minimally invasive procedure that blocks specific blood vessels to stop abnormal bleeding. Since this may be the most common procedure that neurosurgeons perform in the next decade, it could potentially lower health-care costs and improve overall health outcomes for the aging patient population.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy App Improves Anxiety in Young Adults

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian found that a self-guided cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) app, called Maya, significantly reduced anxiety in young adults struggling with mental health challenges. The decrease in anxiety symptoms was clinically and statistically significant at six weeks and continued at the 12-week follow-up period with improvement levels similar to anxiety medication studies. While Maya is not a replacement for seeking professional help, it teaches strategies based in CBT. The app provides skill-building tools and real-time feedback that can help reduce stress and negative thoughts.

Tirzepatide Shows Powerful Diabetes-Prevention Effect in Three-Year Trial

Tirzepatide, a new injectable weight-loss drug with the trade name Zepbound, reduced the risk of diabetes in patients with obesity and prediabetes by more than 90 percent over a three-year period compared with placebo, according to the results of a new study led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian, Yale School of Medicine and other institutions. The results point to the possibility that the drug someday could become the first approved treatment for prediabetes, says study co-author Dr. Louis Aronne, the Sanford I. Weill Professor of Metabolic Research and director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center, which is part of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Grants and Awards

Starr Cancer Consortium Grants

Three teams led by Weill Cornell Medicine scientists have received awards from the Starr Cancer Consortium in its 17th and final annual grant competition. The grants will fund research on the deep mechanisms of common cancers and related treatment strategies. Awardees include: Dr. Ekta Khurana, associate professor of physiology and biophysics, co-leader of the Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics Program at the Meyer Cancer Center; Dr. Jacob Geri, assistant professor of pharmacology, member of the Meyer Cancer Center; and Dr. Anna S. Nam, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, member of the Meyer Cancer Center.

Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

Three Weill Cornell Medicine scientists have been honored with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the U.S. government’s highest commendation for outstanding early-career scientists and engineers. Drs. Steven Josefowicz, Ekta Khurana and Kristen Pleil were among 400 early-career scientists and engineers to receive the award, announced Jan. 14, 2025, by the White House.

Cancer Moonshot Scholar

Dr. Laura C. Pinheiro, an associate professor of health services research in medicine, has been named a Cancer Moonshot Scholar by the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Pinheiro’s research program is focused on reducing health inequities for adults with cancer. The award seeks to increase the number of early-stage investigators and enhance the diversity of the cancer research workforce to accelerate the fight against cancer.

Achievements

National Academy of Medicine

Dr. Silvia Formenti, chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology and the Sandra and Edward Meyer Professor of Cancer Research, and Dr. Massimo Loda, chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the David D. Thompson Professor of Pathology, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

Recognition for Dean Harrington

Dr. Robert A. Harrington, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine, received the TCT 2024 Career Achievement Award during the Cardiovascular Research Foundation’s Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics symposium in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes an outstanding individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the field of interventional cardiology and made a transformative impact on cardiovascular care through clinical excellence, pioneering research and mentorship. Dr. Harrington also received the American Heart Association’s 2024 Chairman’s Award, which honors medical and science professionals who are leaders in the field.

Transformative Research Award

Dr. Randy Longman, director of the Jill Roberts Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease and an associate professor of medicine, and colleagues have received the NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award to develop the tools needed to understand how the gut microbiome drives metabolic pathways. Established in 2009, the award funds innovative but inherently risky research endeavors that have the potential to overturn existing scientific paradigms or create new ones.

New Innovator Award

Dr. Ali Jalali, an assistant professor of population health sciences, was awarded the prestigious NIH Director’s New Innovator Award through its Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative. This highly competitive award supports exceptionally creative, early-stage investigators doing cutting-edge research with the potential to impact significant scientific challenges.

L’Oreal-UNESCO Award

Dr. Hiam Chemaitelly, assistant professor of research in population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, has been honored with the 2024 L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science Middle East Regional Young Talents Award in recognition of her exceptional contribution to infectious disease epidemiology.

HHMI Hanna H. Gray Fellowship

Dr. Jim Castellanos (M.D. ’20, Ph.D. ’18), an instructor in anesthesiology, has been selected as a 2024 Hanna H. Gray Fellow by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Castellanos is one of 25 early-career scientists in the United States selected this year for this prestigious program.