Path Talk
Commentary by
David B. Roth, Irene Diamond Professor of Immunology and Chair of the Department of Pathology
NYU Pathology: Looking Back on 2008-2009
September 10, 2009
Our new academic year began in September, and I thought that this represents a suitable occasion to reflect on our accomplishments as a Department over the past year. In a nutshell: a lot has happened!
On the research front, our faculty submitted a record number of grant applications (156), with an average of over 11 new grant submissions per month. All this activity yielded significant results: the Departmental research portfolio has continued to grow, and our total annual grant dollars now exceed $20M. I'm pleased to report that all five of the new research faculty members hired to Departmental space over the past four years have been quite successful at obtaining extramural funds, and two (Jane Skok and Iannis Aifantis) were promoted to Associate Professor. Within the last two years, two of our faculty (Michele Pagano and Iannis Aifantis) were appointed to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Michele Pagano also took on a major leadership role in the NYU Cancer Institute, where he is now the Deputy Director.
We are also currently offering a cancer research position for an established investigator in cancer biology, broadly defined, to synergize and complement the strong basic and translational research activities of the Department.
The clinical side of the Department has also been busy. We've undertaken a major restructuring of our clinical operations at Bellevue Hospital, with Joan Cangiarella (our Vice Chair of Clinical Operations) taking over as Chief of the Pathology Service, Jonathan Melamed taking over as Chief of Anatomic Pathology, and Dr. Maria Aguero-Rosenfeld, newly recruited from New York Medical College, taking the position as the Chief of Clinical Pathology. We've also recruited a new Chief of Pediatric Pathology, Joan Durbin (from Nationwide Children's Hospital at Ohio State University), who will also play a role in institutional tissue banking.
Our renewal efforts are not confined to Bellevue: our Pathology facilities at Tisch Hospital will be substantially upgraded and expanded over the next year. Over the past year we've recruited six clinical faculty members, and overall we've added nine primary faculty members and five joint appointments.
This year also marked the retirement of several distinguished faculty members who have profoundly shaped the Department through their stewardship over the last few decades and who have laid the foundations for its longstanding success: Vittorio Defendi, now Professor Emeritus of Pathology, Alba Greco, Bruce Hanna (who continues to work as a clinical microbiologist part-time), Julia Phillips-Quagliata, and George Teebor. My colleagues and I are deeply grateful for their service and their contributions to the Department and extend our best and heartfelt wishes to them all.
On the educational front, our graduating residents placed in excellent positions and our entering residency class is truly outstanding. The medical students gave their coveted "Teacher of the Year" award to Amy Rapkiewicz, who serves as Course Director for the Pathology course. Our two graduate programs (Pathobiology and Molecular Oncology and Immunology) continue to draw a large and talented group of recruits.
Finally, on a personal note, I have just moved my laboratory to the main Pathology floor (MSB5), so that I can be close to my lab members. My lab and my office have been architecturally separated from each other since I took the Chairmanship in 2004, and I am looking forward to being able to spend more quality time as a mentor. We have some exciting new results that I am looking forward to publishing.
Overall, it has been a very good year, and I thank and congratulate all of you who make this a truly exceptional Department!
Photo: © 2009 David B. Roth
