Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University have been awarded a $9.8 million, five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, to help combat cancer disparities fueled by persistent poverty.

Dr. Christopher Bourne’s journey to Weill Cornell Medicine’s 2023 Commencement was defined by two of his passions: science and social activism – both informed profoundly by the events of 2020.

Dr. Cheryl Dreyfus, a distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, has been awarded the 2023 Weill Cornell Graduate School Alumni Award of Distinction.

The Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences has been recognizing alumni with this award since 1997 in honor of their outstanding contributions to biomedical research in education, focusing on science and scholarship, leadership, mentoring and teaching, and service to society. 

Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences honored students in the Class of 2023 for their academic achievements during its convocation ceremony on May 17.

The ceremony recognized students who are graduating with their master’s degrees, as well as those who earned special awards and prizes for their accomplishments in research, scholarship and service.

Maggie Rubin always knew she wanted a career where she was working directly with people. She just wasn’t exactly sure how she would do that, oscillating between health care and education. Then she discovered the physician assistant profession while completing her undergraduate degree in human biology and society at the University of California, Los Angeles.

“I instantly knew it was the career for me,” she said. “I loved that it would let me to lean into my curiosity about the human body while also allowing me the opportunity to focus on patient education during visits.”

In a celebration of Weill Cornell Medicine’s commitment to fostering inclusivity in academic medicine, the institution on April 25 honored nearly a dozen faculty, students and staff who exemplify excellence in diversity, equity and inclusion.

Dr. Matthew Greenblatt, an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been awarded the Pershing Square Foundation’s Maximizing Innovation in Neuroscience Discovery (MIND) Prize to support his work studying how bone cells may influence Alzheimer’s disease progression.

Targeting part of an antiviral pathway triggered by the accumulation of a key pathogen shared in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia may one day offer a new therapeutic approach to deterring or delaying cognitive decline, according to preclinical research led by Weill Cornell Medicine scientists.