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Department of Pathology News

Genetic Research and Discovery in Jewish Populations

Date: Tuesday, June 11, 2013 @ 8:30 AM

Location: Price Center/Block Research Pavilion

The one-day conference will feature poster sessions and speakers from various research institutions. For details and to register for the event go to http://www.einstein.yu.edu/labs/harry-ostrer/

Cross-Campus Collaborations

DrLiu Pathology’s Role in Liver Transplant Surgery at Montefiore: Offering Patients a New Lease on Life

DrKandDrChen Sidebar:Dr. Qiang Liu Brings 3 Chinese Transplant Surgeons to Montefiore

michael-levi Montefiore’s Clinical Microbiology Lab:Taking Aim at an “Urgent Threat”

Profile: Microbiology’s Go-To Guy: Philip Gialanella, MS, Manager, Clinical Microbiology Lab

Recent Grants

Joan W. Berman, PhD, professor of pathology and of microbiology & immunology, and the Irving D. Karpas MD Chair of Excellence in Medical Research at Einstein, has been awarded a $3.5 million R01 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to study the opioid derivate Bupenorphine as a potential therapy for neurocognitive symptoms in HIV patients.

Thanks to antiretroviral drugs, fewer HIV-infected people experience frank dementia, but more than half of those treated with anti-retrovirals suffer from milder, lifelong HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, or HAND. Joan W. Berman, PhD, has been awarded two NIH grants totaling $7.4 million to study the sequence of events that lead to HAND; examine how certain drugs of abuse increase the risk for HAND; and develop strategies for preventing the disorder.

Dr. Berman and Susan Morgello, MD, of Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, were awarded a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to study a population of white cells known to be responsible for HAND. The researchers will follow the migration of these cells in HIV-positive patients and study the proteins that regulate the transit of white cells across the blood brain barrier. The research may lead to therapies that block HIV-infected white cells from entering the brain. (1R01MH112391-01A1)  

Dr. Berman and Harris Goldstein, MD, have been awarded a five-year, $3.8 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to study the interactions among methamphetamines and other drugs of abuse, antiretroviral therapeutics and HIV infection. The researchers hypothesize that methamphetamines and some anti-retrovirals weaken the integrity of the blood brain barrier, making it easier for HIV-infected white blood cells to enter the brain. Their research will also use a mouse model of HIV. Dr. Goldstein is professor of pediatrics and of microbiology & immunology and director of the Einstein-Rockefeller-CUNY Center for AIDS Research. He holds the Charles Michael Chair in Autoimmune Diseases at Einstein. (1R01DA044584-01)

chandan-guha Chandan Guha MBBS, PhD, has been awarded a five-year, $2.3 million NIH grant to develop measures to prevent radiation-induced vascular injury (RIVI). In collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Dr. Guha and colleagues will test whether the drug Thrombopoietin Mimetic can protect against vascular injuries caused by radiation. Dr. Guha is director of the Einstein Institute for Onco-physics, professor and vice chair of radiation oncology, and a professor of pathology and of urology at Einstein and Montefiore. (1U01AI133608-01)

David Fooksman, PhD, has received a $417,500 R56 grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to investigate myeloid-cell regulation of plasma cell engraftment into bone marrow. Dr. Fooksman is an assistant professor of pathology and of microbiology & immunology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Research

Experimental pathology aims to define disease in terms of fundamental molecular and cellular processes. Research in our Department is focused on critical issues in multiple disease classes. Areas of focus include

Research in each of these areas is highly interactive, and the Department strives for a collegial atmosphere in which collaborations can flourish. This effort is conducted through a variety of department-level activities, including regular meetings to discuss work in progress and a departmental retreat at which students, postdoctoral fellows, residents and faculty all have opportunity to present and discuss their research.

Research Funding Program

The Department of Pathology has established a research funding program to encourage residents and fellows to participate in clinical pilot research projects. Up to $2,000 will be awarded per research project, for projects of up to two years in duration.

Research Faculty

Amanda Beck, DVM

Geoffrey Childs, PhD

Joan W. Berman, PhD

Mahalia Desruisseaux, MD, PhD

Amy Fox, MD

David Fooksman, PhD

Rachel Hazan, PhD

Lawrence Herbst, DVM, PhD

Huan Huang, MD

Sunhee C. Lee, MD

Fernando Macian, MD, PhD

Maja Oktay, MD, PhD

Harry Ostrer, MD

Thomas J. Ow, MD

Michael B. Prystowsky, MD, PhD

Moshe Sadofsky, MD, PhD

Laura Santambrogio, MD, PhD

Bridget Shafit-Zagardo, PhD

Herbert Tanowitz, MD

Louis Weiss, MD

Awards, Honors & Appointments

Michael B. Prystowsky, MD, PhD, FCAP, Professor and University Chair of Pathology at Montefiore Einstein, has received the College of American Pathologists (CAP) President’s Honor. The award, which recognizes “outstanding and dedicated service to Pathology and to the College of American Pathologists,” was presented by Richard C. Friedberg, MD, PhD, FCAP, outgoing CAP President, at the CAP annual meeting in October. Dr. Friedberg thanked Dr. Prystowsky -- a longtime CAP fellow, a governor of the College, and a past chair and current vice chair of its Council on Education -- for his “thoughtful assessments” and “calm and analytical discussion, counsel and debate.” He added, “Michael’s enthusiasm to educate is legendary, and he has been a tremendous asset to the educational mission of the CAP. Residents around the world have benefitted from his analytical mind.” Photo: Dr. Michael Prystowsky, right, with Dr. Richard Friedberg, immediate past president, College of American Pathologists, at the 2017 CAP annual meeting.

Mark Suhrland Mark J. Suhrland, MD, director of cytology at Montefore and a professor of pathology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has received the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Foundation’s 2017 Herbek Humanitarian Award. The award was presented to Dr. Suhrland by Karim Sirgi, MD, CAP Foundation President, at the 2017 CAP annual meeting held in National Harbor, MD, in October. The Herbek award is bestowed on a CAP Fellow who provides outstanding direct patient services to individuals in underserved communities through a See, Test & Treat program. The award includes a grant which Dr. Suhrland will use to fund the production of public health brochures aimed at educating parents about the importance of HPV vaccinations for pre-teens and teens. The brochures will be distributed to attendees at Montefiore’s See, Test & Treat event in spring 2018. Photo: Dr. Karim Sirgi, CAP Foundation president, left, presents Herbek Humanitarian Award to Dr. Mark Suhrland, at CAP17. Read more.

Laura Santambrogio, MD, PhD, professor of pathology, of microbiology & immunology, and of orthopaedic surgery at Einstein, has had a busy spring, summer and fall. In May, Dr. Santambrogio was an invited speaker at the American Association of Immunologists annual meeting in Washington, DC, where she also served as leader of the Immunology Teaching Interest Group and organized the Block Symposium on Antigen Processing and Presentation. In July, she was an invited speaker at a Symposium on Proteostasis and Aging, in San Francisco. In September, she served as co-organizer of the 9^th International Conference on Annexins, held in Cold Spring Harbor, NY. In October, she was an invited speaker at Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA; Instituto Galeazzi, Milan, Italy; and Instituto Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.

James_Szymansi Randin Nelson, MD, and James Szymanski, MD, are recent recipients of the AABB-Fenwal Transfusion Medicine Fellows (TMF) Scholarship Award. Funded by Fresnius Kabi, the TMF Awards Program recognizes professionals with a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree who are current fellows in a Transfusion Medicine program or training program that includes at least one continuous year in Transfusion Medicine training. Recipients receive a $1,500 honorarium.

Drs. Nelson and Szymanski are both graduates of the Montefiore Einstein Pathology Residency Program. Dr. Nelson completed his residency in 2014 and went on to do a two-year fellowship in Transfusion Medicine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. He recently joined Montefiore Einstein as director of the Stem Cell Processing Laboratory and assistant director of Transfusion Services. Dr. Szymanski completed his residency in 2016. He is presently a fellow in Transfusion Medicine at the NIH.

Maya Maja H. Oktay, PhD, MD, has been promoted to the rank of Professor of Pathology. Dr. Oktay is a co-author of a study recently published in Science Translational Medicine (To read more, see Recently Published Research).

Nicole Panarelli Nicole C. Panarelli, MD, has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Pathology.

LeanaSeranno Leana Serrano-Rahman, MPH, (MT) ASCP, (CQA) ASQ, Blood Bank Manager, Moses, Weiler and Wakefield Divisions, is the lead author of a study, “Blood Management: One Hospital System Experience,” which was selected for display at the annual meeting of the AABB, held in San Diego, CA, in October. The study showed how an interdisciplinary committee successfully collaborated to reduce blood-product expenditures at Montefiore by nearly $1M in 2016 (as compared to 2015) despite higher patient volumes and a more complicated patient mix. Ms. Serrano-Rahman’s co-authors are Mallika Gupta, MBA, MPH, senior business operations consultant, Performance Excellence department; Susan Solometo, former vice president, Clinical Services; Ronald P. Walsh, MD, associate director, Transfusion Services; and Joan M.Uehlinger, MD, director of Transfusion Services at Montefiore and professor of pathology and of medicine (hematology) at Einstein. Ms. Serrano-Rahman represented the group in a poster session at the AABB meeting. The abstract will be printed in Transfusion, the AABB journal.

RECENTLY PUBLISHED RESEARCH

In recent months, research studies by Pathology Department faculty members and trainees have been published in prestigious, peer-reviewed scientific journals. View a sampling of these articles here.

TRAINEE SPOTLIGHT

Matias Jaureguiberry-Bravo, PhD 5^th Year:

Exploring a Novel Approach to Preventing HIV-Associated Brain Disorders

NEW FACES

Welcome!

New Faculty

Debora Nautcsh Deborah Nautsch, MD, , has joined the Department of Pathology, in the Division of Surgical Pathology at Montefiore Medical Center, Montefiore New Rochelle and Montefiore Mount Vernon. Dr. Nautsch comes to us from InCyte Diagnostics in Yakima, WA. She earned her medical degree at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 2011, and completed a Pathology Fellowship in GI/Liver at Montefiore in 2016.

Jennifer Oliver-Krasinski, MD, has joined Montefiore Einstein as an attending physician in pediatric pathology, division of surgical pathology.

Shwerta Gera Shweta Gera, MD has joined Montefiore Einstein as an attending physician in cytology. Dr. Gera completed a fellowship in cytology at Montefiore Einstein in June 2017.

Randin Nelson, MD, a 2014 graduate of the Montefiore Einstein Pathology Department’s residency program, has joined Montefiore Einstein as director, Stem Cell Processing Laboratory, and assistant director, Transfusion Services.

New Residents

Ridin Ridin Balakrishnan, MD. Dr. Balakrishnan comes to the Montefiore Einstein from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.

Angela-Baldwin Angela Baldwin, MD, MPH. Dr. Baldwin earned her medical degree at Howard University College of Medicine and her MPH at University of California San Francisco.

Mohammad-Barouqa Mohammad Barouqa, MD. Dr. Barouqa is a graduate of the University of Jordan Faculty of Medicine in Amman, Jordan.

Lin-Wang Lin Wang, MD, PhD. Dr. Wang received his medical degree from Heibei Medical University in Shijiazhuange, Heibei, China, and his PhD from the University of California San Francisco.

2017 - 2018 Fellows

Beamon Agarwal, MD, PhD Hematopathology	Abul Azad, PhD Molecular Genetics, ABMGG	Aegean Chan Burnett, MD Dermatopathology	Mohammad Eskandari, MD Molecular Genetics	Sonali Lanjewar, MD Women’s Health
Patricia Raciti, MD Dermatopathology	Gloria Ramos-Rivera, MD Cytopathology	Saed Sadeghi, MD Hematopathology	Sheila Segura, MD Cytopathology	Wei Zhang, MD, PhD GI/Liver

Welcome Back!

Bing Han, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow in Pathology, Division of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, has joined the Weiss Laboratory. Dr. Han comes to Einstein from the State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, where he earned his doctoral degree. He previously trained in the Weiss Laboratory as a visiting student.

Congratulations!

Newly Minted PhDs

The following graduate students successfully defended their doctoral theses:

Nicole Anayannis PhD

Mentor: Michael B. Prystowsky, MD, PhD

Thesis Topic: “HPV-16 E2 Disruption and E6 and E7 Expression in Relation to Clinical Outcome in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma”

Nicole Anayannis Ignacio Guerrero-Ros, PhD

Mentor: Fernando Macian-Juan, MD, PhD

Thesis Topic: “Lipid Challenge Negatively Affects Macroautophagy and Results in Reduced CD4 + T Cell Function”

Mike Veenstra, PhD

Mentor: Joan W. Berman, PhD

Thesis Topic: “Mechanisms of Viral Seeding and Inflammation of CNS: Potential Therapeutics and Biomarkers for NeuroAIDS”

RamaYakubu Rama R. Yakubu, PhD

Mentor: Louis M. Weiss, MD, MPH

Thesis Topic: “The Arginine Monomethylome of Toxoplasma gondii and an examination of the role of MAG-1”

Dr. Yakubu, an MD/PhD candidate, is currently working toward his medical degree at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Recent Programs and Events

Welcome Breakfast for New Residents - July 5

The five incoming residents received a warm welcome from the Pathology Department’s faculty, residents and staff. Click to view photo.

Residents Farewell Dinner - June 8

Outgoing residents Evan Himchak, MD; Etan Marks, DO; Lauren McLemore, DO; Gloria Ramos-Rivera, MD; and Elizabeth Stuart Richards, MD, were honored at a festive celebration held at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, NY. Michael Prystowsky, MD, PhD, Professor and University Chair of Pathology at Montefiore and Einstein, congratulated the residents, thanked them for their outstanding dedication and service, and wished them well.

All five residents were accepted to prestigious fellowship programs: Dr. Himchak in hematopathology (ACGME) at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA; Dr. Marks in hematopathology at NYU Langone Health; Dr. McLemore in surgical pathology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX ; Dr. Ramos-Rivera in cytology at Montefiore. Dr. Richards is currently completing a fellowship in gastrointestinal and hepatopathology, University of Washington, Seattle. She will begin a second fellowship in general surgical pathology at Stanford University.

The Davidoff Society Student Award went to Drs. Evan Himchak, Etan Marks and Gloria Ramos-Rivera, for their outstanding service as chief residents. Dr. Amy S. Fox presented the Resident Research Award to Dr. Marks.

Pathology Department Annual Retreat 2017 - May 30

Highlights of this year’s Pathology Department Annual Retreat included a poster session featuring the work of 30 students, post-docs, residents and fellows; oral presentations by predoctoral fellows Alex K. Ray (Mentor: Dr. Bridget Shafit-Zagardo), Rama R. Yakubu (Mentor: Dr. Louis M. Weiss), Matias Jaureguiberry-Bravo (Mentor: Dr. Joan W. Berman) and Mike Veenstra (Mentor: Dr. Joan W. Berman). Keynote speaker Alex Y. Huang, MD, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics, pathology, BME and general medical sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, gave an inspiring presentation on “Cdk5 and PD-L1: Modulators of Immune Responses.” Click to view photo gallery.

See, Test & Treat 2017 - May 13

Funded by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Foundation, See, Test & Treat offers uninsured and underinsured women from the Bronx free cancer screenings, onsite test results and referrals to follow up care. The Pathology Department spearheads this annual program at Montefiore in collaboration with the Departments of Radiology and of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health. Click to read more and view photos.

Medical Laboratory Professionals Week 2017 - April 23 - 29

The Montefiore-Einstein community marked this year’s Medical Laboratory Professionals Week with a series of educational programs and social events. Themed All-Stars Laboratory Team: Teaming Up for Patient Care, activities were held on all campuses to honor the diverse and dedicated group of individuals from the Montefiore-Einstein Pathology Department who staff our medical laboratories. Click to view photo gallery.