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Four Einstein Faculty Members Receive Tenure

During his report to the Senate on Wednesday, June 17, 2009, Dr. Allen M. Spiegel, The Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein, announced that four faculty members have been approved for tenure, recognizing their exemplary contributions to expanding our scientific knowledge and aptitude in translating research findings into applications that can help humankind. The newly tenured professors are: Jeffrey Segall, Ph.D., Betsy Herold, M.D., Mark J. Czaja, M.D., and Kami Kim, M.D.

Jeffrey Segall, Ph.D.
Betty and Sheldon Feinberg Senior Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research; Professor of Anatomy & Structural Biology
Dr. Jeffrey SegallDr. Jeffrey Segall recently was named the Betty and Sheldon Feinberg Senior Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research. He also is professor of anatomy and structural biology at Einstein. Since the mid-1990s, Dr. Segall has been studying cell motility, particularly as it applies to cancer metastasis, or how cancer spreads. In addition to studies on breast cancer, Dr. Segall is collaborating with other Einstein faculty to apply the methods he and his collaborators have developed to other cancers, including glioblastoma and head and neck cancer. He joined the Einstein faculty in 1989 as an assistant professor of anatomy and structural biology, and was appointed associate professor in 1995 and professor in 2000. He earned his bachelor�s degree from Harvard University in 1979; his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 1984; and his postdoctoral training at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Munich, Germany.

Betsy Herold, M.D.
Professor of Pediatrics, of Microbiology & Immunology, and of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women�s Health
Dr. Betsy HeroldDr. Betsy Herold has been a member of the Einstein faculty since 2007. A professor in the departments of pediatrics, microbiology & immunology, and obstetrics & gynecology and women�s health, she directs a basic and translational research program at Einstein focusing on the development of vaginal microbicides to prevent transmission of HIV and HSV-2. HSV-2 is associated with most cases of genital herpes worldwide and is a major co-factor fueling the HIV epidemic.  Dr. Herold and her colleagues are pursuing the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the synergy between these two pathogens and in discovering novel targets for the development of new prevention strategies   Her lab also plays a leading role in developing novel preclinical and clinical biomarkers predictive of the safety and efficacy of candidate microbicides.  Dr. Herold previously served as professor of pediatrics and of microbiology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, as well as chief of pediatric infectious diseases. She began her academic career as an assistant professor of pediatrics and virology at the University of Chicago. She received her bachelor�s degree from Brown University and her medical degree from University of Pennsylvania Medical School.

Mark J. Czaja, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Dr. Mark J. CzajaDr. Mark J. Czaja is professor of medicine, in the division of hepatology at Einstein. He came to Einstein as a fellow in gastroenterology/hepatology in 1983 and joined the faculty in 1987. His research attempts to understand the molecular mechanisms of liver cell injury and death in order to better prevent the hepatic failure that develops from human liver disease. He has discovered that toxic liver injury results from alterations in cell signaling pathways that sensitize liver cells to death from the cytokine tumor necrosis factor, rather than from the direct biochemical effects of the toxin. Dr. Czaja�s research also has delineated mechanisms that underlie the development of hepatic lipid accumulation, or steatosis, and its progression to the liver disease known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. As part of this work, conducted with Dr. Ana Maria Cuervo at Einstein, he has recently described a novel function for the pathway of autophagy in the regulation of hepatocyte lipid storage. Dr. Czaja received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his M.D. from the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Kami Kim, M.D.
Professor of Medicine; of Microbiology & Immunology
Kami KimDr. Kami Kim is professor of medicine, in infectious diseases, and of microbiology & immunology. She joined the Einstein faculty in 1995, as an assistant professor, and was promoted to associate professor in 2002 and to professor in 2007. Her research focuses on understanding how the organisms Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium species (malaria) cause clinical disease in humans. Using genetic, biochemical, and cell biology approaches, she and colleagues seek to develop new treatments for these parasitic infections, which combined affect more than a half-billion people worldwide. Thus far, Dr, Kim�s team has characterized the epigenetic characteristics of Toxoplasma gondii and is developing other initiatives to understand how pathogens influence epigenetic gene expression of infected human cells. They also are investigating potential targets for drug therapy. Dr. Kim received her bachelor�s degree from Harvard University and her medical degree from the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed a clinical fellowship in infectious diseases at UCSF, followed by postdoctoral fellowships in parasitology at San Francisco General Hospital-UCSF and in microbiology and immunology at Stanford University. During these fellowships she also served as an attending physician at the San Francisco County Tuberculosis Clinic and at San Francisco General Hospital.

Posted on: Wednesday, July 01, 2009