Inside Einstein

Dr. Harry Ostrer, professor of pathology, of genetics and of pediatrics, is author of Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People (Oxford University Press), the focus of a feature profile and book review appearing in the April 15, 2012 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

In Memoriam – The Einstein community recently lost two beloved surgeons and faculty members: Dr. Stanley Levenson and Dr. Ralph Ger. Dr. Levenson, who was  distinguished university professor emeritus of surgery, was world-renowned for his advancements in burn treatment. He was revered by students and colleagues, alike, and was 96 at the time of his death. Dr. Ger served as a member of the Einstein faculty for more than 40 years, retiring in 2010. Internationally recognized as a pioneer in myocutaneous flap and laparoscopic hernia surgery, he was better known by generations of Einstein students for his anatomy course, where his erudition and dry sense of humor made it one of the most memorable courses in the curriculum. He was 91.

Appetite for Destruction – In a recent issue of EMBO Reports, Dr. Rajat Singh in collaboration with Drs. Jeffrey Pessin and Gary Schwartz found that impaired autophagy with age in a specific type of neuron within the brain decreases the availability of a hormone that contributes to control of food intake and energy expenditure, leading to obesity. Autophagy is a process by which a cell degrades its own components, and these new findings present an interesting target for strategies to address obesity and metabolic syndrome in aged populations. Drs. Singh and colleagues further discussed the connection between autophagy and metabolic syndrome in a review article published in the journal Diabetes.Dr. Singh is assistant professor of medicine and of molecular pharmacology. Dr. Pessin is professor of medicine and of molecular pharmacology, director of Einstein’s Diabetes Research Center and holds the Judy R. and Alfred A. Rosenberg Professorial Chair in Diabetes Research. Dr. Schwartz is professor of medicine and of neuroscience.