Einstein Experts for Media

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Julio A. Aguirre-Ghiso, Ph.D.

Julio A. Aguirre-Ghiso, Ph.D.

Professor, Cell Biology, Medicine and Oncology

Founding director, Cancer Dormancy and Tumor Microenvironment Institute

Co-Director, Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center

Co-Leader, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program

Cancer biologyCancer dormancy and the tumor microenvironmentCancer metastasisStress signaling

Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, Ph.D., is an international leader in cancer cell dormancy and metastasis. He has helped lead a major shift in the cancer biology field by investigating how cancer cells hibernate, undetected, for long periods of time and what causes them to suddenly awaken to seed deadly, treatment-resistant metastases. read more...

 

Steven C. Almo, Ph.D.

Steven C. Almo, Ph.D.

Professor and Chair, Biochemistry

Wollowick Family Foundation Chair in Multiple Sclerosis and Immunology

Director, Macromolecular Therapeutics Developmental Facility

BiochemistryDrug discoveryImmunotherapy and cancer

X-ray crystallography

Dr. Steven Almo is an internationally recognized leader in the field of structural biology. His lab uses high-resolution X-ray crystallography to determine the shapes and structures of proteins to better understand their function and help develop new drugs. The goal is to make immunotherapy treatments that more precisely and effectively treat a variety of cancers while causing far fewer side effects than current therapies.  read more...

 

Nir Barzilai, M.D.

Nir Barzilai, M.D.

Professor, Medicine (Endocrinology)

Director, Institute for Aging Research

Director, Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging

Ingeborg and Ira Leon Rennert Chair of Aging Research

AgingBiology of agingLongevity genes

Dr. Barzilai discovered the first “longevity gene” in humans. His research established that the gene variant that leads to high HDL, or “good cholesterol,” is linked to healthy aging and extreme longevity. Dr. Barzilai has been profiled by major outlets, including The New York Times, PBS’ “NOVA scienceNow” and National Geographic. read more...

 

Aviv Bergman, Ph.D.

Aviv Bergman, Ph.D.

Professor and Founding Chair, Systems & Computational Biology

Professor, Pathology

Professor, Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience

Harold and Muriel Block Chair in Systems & Computational Biology

Evolutionary biologySystems biologyBiological modeling

 Dr. Bergman combines data from basic and clinical research to create computer models of complex biological systems. As these models evolve, his work could contribute to calculating individualized medical outcomes and guiding treatment for patients based on their personal genetic make-up. Dr. Bergman has teamed with colleagues to study a variety of complex conditions, including aging, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. read more...

 

Eric E. Bouhassira, Ph.D.

Eric E. Bouhassira, Ph.D.

Professor, Cell Biology

Professor, Medicine (Hematology)

Ingeborg and Ira Leon Rennert Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine

Stem cell researchBlood-forming stem cellsCell therapy

Dr. Bouhassira’s work focuses on prompting human embryonic stem cells to develop into hematopoietic (blood-forming), as well as stem cells, and into red blood cells. This work could potentially help patients needing transfusions and save lives by expanding the production of customized cells that could be transplanted without risk of rejection. The cells produced by Dr. Bouhassira can also be used to deliver therapeutic proteins to the circulatory system.  read more...

 

Craig A. Branch, Ph.D.

Craig A. Branch, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Radiology

Director, Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center

Co-Director, EGL Integrated Imaging Program

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)Sickle cell disease Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion MRI measures of function and physiology

Dr. Craig Branch is an internationally-known MRI researcher who has been a pioneer in using the technology since it was first developed in the early 1980s. Dr. Branch directs Einstein’s Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center, which supports a wide variety of MRI studies of brain injury and disease, liver disease, cancer, and other disorders. 

Dr. Branch specializes in the use of MRI to study disease in both humans and animal models. He was one of the first to use MRI to measure blood flow in the brain, and he employs the technology to assess brain function and structure in numerous disorders, including sickle cell disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury and schizophrenia. He is one of the only researchers to have used animal models of sickle cell disease (SCD) to research the biological mechanisms that underlie cognitive impairment and strokes in SCD. Research findings in this area suggest that brain blood flow associated with SCD strokes is unusually high—a finding that could lead to treatments that might ward off strokes in SCD patients.  

Dr. Branch is also Co-Director of the Evelyn-Gruss-Lipper Integrated Imaging Program (EGL-IIP) which seeks to use microscopic-to-macroscopic imaging scales to understand the mechanisms that contribute to breast and other metastatic cancers.  Research in this area incorporates both rodent models of cancer and clinical studies of human breast cancer. In addition to his NIH-funded research, Dr. Branch has served as an MRI expert on several NIH ad-hoc review committees.
 

Robert D. Burk, M.D.

Robert D. Burk, M.D.

Professor and Vice Chair for Translational Research, Department of Pediatrics

Professor, Microbiology & Immunology

Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health

Professor, Epidemiology and Population Health

Attending Physician, Pediatrics, the Children's Hospital at Montefiore

Human papillomavirus (HPV)Cervical cancer screeningMolecular evolution

Dr. Burk is an authority on the genomics and evolution of human papillomaviruses (HPV), which cause nearly all cases of cervical cancer. His team was the first to report, in the New England Journal of Medicine, that the vast majority of HPV infections in young women are short-lived and don’t require treatment. More recently, his lab is utilizing Next-Gen sequencing to study papillomavirus genomics and methylation of the viral genome. His lab utilized this new technology to identify HPV16 and beta- and gamma-HPVs associated with head and neck squamous cell cancers (HNSCCs).

Dr. Burk is also currently investigating the role of the human microbiome and cervical HPV natural history. He is a co-PI on a grant with Drs. Kaplan and Rob Knight (UCSD) studying the human gut microbiome and obesity and diabetes in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Dr. Burk’s lab has pioneered translational studies of the human microbiome by developing home collection kits that have been used to collect over 5,000 samples.

Dr. Burk was elected in 2015 as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
 

Kartik Chandran, Ph.D.

Kartik Chandran, Ph.D.

Professor, Microbiology & Immunology

Harold and Muriel Block Faculty Scholar in Virology

COVID-19, Ebola, and emerging virusesAntibody-based therapiesAnti-viral therapeuticsVirus-host interactions

A recognized expert on emerging viruses, Dr. Chandran studies how viruses infect cells, and his research seeks to translate this knowledge into new antibody-based therapies. In 2020, Dr. Chandran helped lead Einstein’s research on COVID-19: Within weeks of the global outbreak, his laboratory created a “surrogate” coronavirus that allows scientists at Einstein and elsewhere to more safely study the virus. He also helped develop an antibody test for SARS-CoV-2 that is used clinically at Montefiore Health System and by researchers leading a convalescent plasma clinical trial. read more...

 

Roy S. Chuck, Ph.D., M.D.

Roy S. Chuck, Ph.D., M.D.

Professor, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences

Professor, Department of Genetics

Chair, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences

Paul Henkind Chair in Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences

Eye diseaseDry eyeStem cell research

Stem cell treatmentCorneal restorationLaser surgery

Dr. Chuck is a prominent stem cell and dry eye researcher. He is a cornea specialist with expertise in the field of laser techniques, including LASIK surgery, corneal replacement, stem cell surgery, and refractive eye problems. 

A basic scientist as well as a clinical researcher, Dr. Chuck has helped develop a unique model of dry eye using Botox that allows for testing of preclinical therapies. He has served as principal investigator on five FDA studies of vision correction and written more than 175 peer-reviewed papers and more than 100 book chapters and abstracts. Dr. Chuck has been featured several times on ABC News and ABC’s “Good Morning America” on various eye diseases and conditions. He serves on the editorial boards of several publications, including the Journal of Refractive Surgery and Lasers in Surgery and Medicine
 

John S. Condeelis, Ph.D.

John S. Condeelis, Ph.D.

Professor, Cell Biology

The Judith and Burton P. Resnick Chair in Translational Research

Chair Emeritus Department of Anatomy & Structural Biology

Co-Director, Integrated Imaging Program

Scientific Director, Analytical Imaging Facility

Director, Integrated Imaging Program for Cancer Research

Biomedical technologiesIntravital imagingTumor microenvironmentBreast cancerMetastasis

Dr. Condeelis is a pioneer in developing microscope techniques for use in “intravital imaging” – observing the behavior of cells in living animals. His work has led to a clinical test of biopsy tissue to determine whether a woman’s breast cancer will spread (metastasize), which could help determine treatment. Because of the test’s success, Dr. Condeelis and colleagues have licensed the patent rights to a biotech firm, which is developing the tissue test into a commercial product. read more...

 

Jill P. Crandall, M.D.

Jill P. Crandall, M.D.

Professor, Department of Medicine (Endocrinology)

Jacob A. and Jeanne E. Barkey Chair in Medicine

Chief, Division of Endocrinology

Director, Fleischer Institute for Diabetes and Metabolism

DiabetesType 2 diabetesDiabetes prevention

Clinical TrialsPrediabetesResveratrol

An expert in diabetes prevention, Dr. Crandall is director of the Diabetes Clinical Trials Unit at Einstein and Montefiore and a principal investigator for several NIH-sponsored clinical trials, including the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcome Study (for which she holds several national leadership positions, including Executive Committee membership), Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes (GRADE) and the PERL (Preventing Early Renal Loss) study.  read more...

 

Ana Maria Cuervo, Ph.D., M.D.

Ana Maria Cuervo, Ph.D., M.D.

Professor, Developmental and Molecular Biology

Professor, Anatomy and Structural Biology

Co-Director, Institute for Aging Research

Robert and Renée Belfer Chair for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Molecular BiologyAgingAutophagy

Cellular biology

Dr. Cuervo is considered a leader in the field of autophagy— the process by which cells remove and recycle their waste. The Barcelona, Spain native is also an expert on the cellular biology of aging. Dr. Cuervo has been quoted in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Nature, Science, Scientific American, and The Scientistread more...

 

Vilma Gabbay, M.D.

Vilma Gabbay, M.D.

Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Professor, Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience

Co-Director, Psychiatry Research Institute of Montefiore and Einstein (PRIME)

Director, Pediatric Mood and Anxiety Disorders Research Program, Einstein and Montefiore Health System

Pediatric anxiety & mood disordersAdolescent depression & suicideBiology of depression/neuroinflammationCOVID-19 & psychosis

Vilma Gabbay, Ph.D., is one of the nation’s leading experts on pediatric mood and anxiety disorders. She has received numerous federal grants to study a range of subjects, including neuroinflammation, teenage anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure), and brain systems related to reward-seeking behaviors in adolescent suicide and depression. read more...

 

Mario J. Garcia, M.D.

Mario J. Garcia, M.D.

Co-Director, Montefiore Einstein Center for Heart and Vascular Care

Chief, Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Einstein and Montefiore Health System

Professor, Medicine (Cardiology), Einstein

Pauline A. Levitt Chair in Medicine, Einstein

Heart DiseaseCardiologyCardiac imaging

Cardiovascular disease

Vilma Gabbay, Ph.D., is one of the nation’s leading experts on pediatric mood and anxiety disorders. She has received numerous federal grants to study a range of subjects, including neuroinflammation, teenage anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure), and brain systems related to reward-seeking behaviors in adolescent suicide and depression. read more...

 

Harris Goldstein, M.D.

Harris Goldstein, M.D.

Professor, Department of Pediatrics (Pediatric Allergy & Immunology)

Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology

Associate Dean for Scientific Resources

Charles Michael Chair in Autoimmune Diseases

Director, Einstein-Rockefeller-CUNY Center for AIDS Research

HIV pathogenesis and HIV cure The immune system's antiviral activityEngineering molecules to attack virusesCAR-T cell structure and function Biologics against cancer and viruses

Dr. Goldstein’s NIH-funded research centers on developing agents to amplify the capacity of the immune system to control HIV infection and achieve a functional cure for the disease. In seeking to “weaponize” the immune system to cure HIV, his lab uses molecular, cellular, and biochemical approaches, including CAR-T cells and the novel treatment strategy developed by Dr. Almo at Einstein for selective T cell amplification called synTac (synthetic T-cell activation).  read more...

 

John M. Greally, Ph.D., D.Med., M.B.,B.Ch.,B.A.O.

John M. Greally, Ph.D., D.Med., M.B.,B.Ch.,B.A.O.

Director, Center for Epigenomics, Einstein

Faculty Scholar for Epigenomics, Einstein

Attending Physician, Pediatrics, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore

GeneticsEpigenetics/epigenomics

Dr. Greally began his career as a pediatrician who subspecialized in clinical genetics, seeing patients with genetic syndromes, birth defects and developmental problems. Now, Dr. Greally seeks to understand how genetic disease is caused not by DNA mutations, but due to abnormalities in how genes are switched off and on – a field known as epigenomics.  read more...

 

Sanjeev Gupta, M.B.,B.S., M.D.

Sanjeev Gupta, M.B.,B.S., M.D.

Professor, Medicine (Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases), Einstein

Professor, Pathology, Einstein

The Eleazar and Feige Reicher Chair in Translational Medicine, Einstein

Attending Physician, Medicine, Montefiore Health System

Stem cell researchCell therapyGene therapy

Liver diseases

Dr. Gupta is a pioneer in the development of cell therapy – treating disease by introducing healthy cells into the body.  He has discovered various mechanisms for coaxing transplanted cells to attach to host tissue and multiply, paving the way for treating health problems such as  high cholesterol, hemophilia, liver failure, and hepatitis.  read more...

 

Charles B. Hall, Ph.D.

Charles B. Hall, Ph.D.

Professor, Epidemiology & Population Health

Professor, Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology

Alzheimer's disease/dementiaAgingCognition

EpidemiologyBiostatistics

Dr. Hall is a biostatistician recognized for leading important long-term studies of aging and dementia. His research has shown, for example, that brain-stimulating activities delay the onset of dementia. He is the longtime director of the statistical core of the Einstein Aging Study, one of the longest-running prospective studies of aging in the country. He is also the lead statistician for the data coordinating center of the federally funded World Trade Center (WTC) Medical Monitoring & Treatment Program, which provides free health monitoring and treatment for workers and volunteers involved in the rescue, recovery and clean-up activities at the WTC site in New York City. read more...

 

Meredith A. Hawkins, M.D., M.S.

Meredith A. Hawkins, M.D., M.S.

Professor, Medicine (Endocrinology), Einstein

Director, Global Diabetes Institute, Einstein

Attending Physician, Medicine, Montefiore Health System

Harold and Muriel Block Chair in Medicine, Einstein

DiabetesGlobal diabetesType 2 diabetes

Malnutrition diabetesGlobal health

Dr. Hawkins specializes in diabetes, with a particular emphasis on the dramatic rise of the disease worldwide. She has traveled the globe investigating diabetes since 1996 and is the founding director of the Global Diabetes Institute (GDI) at Einstein, which conducts diabetes education and training for healthcare workers in South and Central America, Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. read more...

 

Betsy Herold, M.D.

Betsy Herold, M.D.

Professor, Harold and Muriel Block Chair, Pediatrics

Professor, Microbiology & Immunology

Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health

Vice Chair, Research, Pediatrics, Einstein and the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM)

Chief, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Einstein and CHAM

Infectious diseasesHerpes simplex virusesCOVID-19 and pediatricsVaccines and antiviralsHIV

Dr. Herold directs a translational research program focused on the interactions between viruses and their host and using that knowledge to develop novel treatment and prevention strategies. Through her basic science studies, Dr. Herold has developed a unique candidate vaccine to prevent herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections, which is being advanced for phase I clinical trials. Studies of this vaccine uncovered a previously unappreciated immune evasion strategy; this knowledge may accelerate the development of drugs to bolster vaccine and monoclonal antibody efficacy against a range of pathogens. 
 
Her studies on HIV focus on the development of safe and effective pre-exposure prophylactic strategies for young women and on investigating how HSV interacts with HIV to reactivate HIV. Dr. Herold's team also has discovered a previously unrecognized phenomenon in cell biology in which HSV and other viruses activate a mechanism that helps them gain entry and infect healthy cells. This provides a novel target for the development of new antiviral drugs. 

Most recently, her lab has studied why children respond differently and are relatively protected from severe COVID-19. Defining the differences in the immune response in children compared to adults will provide insights into protective immunity against this virus and future pandemic viruses. 

Her clinical research focuses on infections in pediatric transplant recipients. Dr. Herold helped established and is co-chair of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Transplant Research Network (PIDTRAN), which supports and promotes projects to prevent and treat infectious diseases among child transplant recipients. Dr. Herold has served on the Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council and on the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Council. She has been continuously funded by the NIH since 1989. Dr. Herold has over 180 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has presented her work internationally.
 

William R. Jacobs Jr., Ph.D.

William R. Jacobs Jr., Ph.D.

Professor, Microbiology & Immunology, Einstein

Professor, Genetics, Einstein

Leo and Julia Forchheimer Chair in Microbiology & Immunology, Einstein

Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)

Infectious diseasesTuberculosis (TB)Vaccines

Molecular genetics

Dr. Jacobs is pioneering the use of molecular genetics to control tuberculosis (TB), which kills nearly two million people a year. His research is identifying the genes that make Mycobacterium  tuberculosis (MTB) - the bacteria that causes TB -  virulent, identifying new drug targets and engineering weakened strains that can be used as live vaccines. Dr. Jacobs was the first scientist to introduce foreign DNA into MTB, a technique now regularly used by TB investigators around the world. read more...

 

Milan Kinkhabwala, M.D.

Milan Kinkhabwala, M.D.

Professor, Surgery, Einstein

Chief, Transplantation, Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation

Director, Abdominal Organ Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care

Liver diseasesTransplantationStem cell research

Liver cancer

Dr. Kinkhabwala is an active member of Einstein’s NIH-funded Marion Bessin Liver Research Center, where he is working to develop new treatments derived from stem cells for liver diseases, including liver cancer. An expert in complex liver surgery, including liver transplantation, he helped establish the Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation, where physicians, surgeons, nurses and other clinicians work with scientists to deliver integrated care for patients with organ failure.   read more...

 

Richard B. Lipton, M.D.

Richard B. Lipton, M.D.

Vice Chair and Professor, Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Einstein

Director, Montefiore Headache Center

Director, Einstein Aging Study, Einstein

Edwin S. Lowe Chair in Neurology, Einstein

HeadacheAgingAlzheimer's disease/dementia

MigraineCognitive aging

A noted authority on headaches and migraine, Dr. Lipton is director of the Montefiore Headache Center, recognized internationally for its leadership in the diagnosis, classification and treatment of headache disorders. Dr. Lipton is also director of the Einstein Aging Study, which has been examining both normal brain aging and the special challenges of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias since 1980.  read more...

 

Ruth Macklin, Ph.D.

Ruth Macklin, Ph.D.

Distinguished University Professor Emerita, Epidemiology & Population Health

Dr. Shoshanah Trachtenberg Frackman Faculty Scholar in Biomedical Ethics

BioethicsMultinational researchEthics in reproductive healthBioethics of research involving human subjectsGlobal health

Dr. Macklin is considered one of the founders of the field of bioethics. In a career dating to the early seventies, Dr. Macklin has lectured and published widely on a variety of medical ethics topics, including research using human subjects, global health, stem cell research, reproductive health, public health ethics, end-of-life issues and HIV/AIDS. She is a past president of the International Association of Bioethics and currently serves on its board of directors. read more...

 

Paul R. Marantz, M.D., M.P.H.

Paul R. Marantz, M.D., M.P.H.

Associate Dean, Clinical Research Education, Einstein

Associate Director, Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Einstein and Montefiore

Professor, Epidemiology & Population Health, Einstein

Professor, Medicine (General Internal Medicine), Einstein

Research educationClinical research methodsPublic health

Translational medicine

Dr. Marantz is an innovator in developing educational programs in clinical medicine, research methods, and public health for medical students, residents, physicians, and other health professionals.  He is co-director of Einstein’s Clinical and Translational Science Award program, a national, NIH-funded consortium working to improve patient care by reducing the time it takes for laboratory discoveries to make their way into medical practice. read more...

 

Robert W. Marion, M.D.

Robert W. Marion, M.D.

Professor, Pediatrics (Genetics), Einstein

Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health, Einstein

Genetic diseasesAutismSudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and CardiogeneticsIntellectual and Developmental disabilities

Dr. Marion is an internationally recognized pediatric geneticist who specializes in diagnosing and treating children with autism spectrum disorders and genetic diseases. His work with the Aguirre brothers, twins who were joined at the head and then separated, made national news in 2004. He played a key role in establishing the CardioGenetics center of Einstein and Montefiore, which provides care for families of individuals who have suffered sudden unexpected cardiac death. He is also the founder of the Williams Syndrome Center and the Dermato-Genetics Clinic at Montefiore, and treats children and adults with neurofibromatosis, intellectual disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder and spina bifida. read more...

 

Robert E. Michler, M.D.

Robert E. Michler, M.D.

Professor and Chair, Surgery, Einstein and Montefiore Health System

Professor and Chair, Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery, Einstein and Montefiore

Co-Director, Montefiore Einstein Center for Heart and Vascular Care

Surgeon-in-Chief, Montefiore

Cardiac surgeryMitral repair surgeryAortic valve surgery Minimally invasive heart surgeryHeart transplantation

Dr. Michler is a heart surgeon who specializes in complex aortic and mitral valve repair surgery. He is an NIH-funded investigator whose interest in repairing the injured heart has led to clinical trials in cardiac stem cell transplantation. Dr. Michler and his teams have advanced minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery procedures and surgical robotics. This work led to FDA approval for selective cardiac robotic procedures including mitral valve repair and coronary bypass surgery. read more...

 

Felise B. Milan, M.D.

Felise B. Milan, M.D.

Professor, Clinical Medicine (General Internal Medicine), Einstein

Director, Ruth L. Gottesman Clinical Skills Center, Einstein

Faculty Attending Physician, Internal Medicine, Montefiore Health System

Medical educationClinical trainingClinical skills

Clinical simulationsIntegrative medicine

Dr. Milan specializes in the education of medical students, including teaching and assessing communication and interpersonal skills in a clinical setting. She has participated in research to define and develop ways of assessing medical student competency. In addition, Dr. Milan has made important contributions to using feedback in medical education, integrating complementary and alternative medicine into modern clinical practice, and applying behavioral and psychiatric knowledge to the practice of primary care medicine. read more...

 

Sophie Molholm, Ph.D.

Sophie Molholm, Ph.D.

Professor, Pediatrics

Professor, Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience

Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Director, Sheryl and Daniel R. Tishman Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory

Co-Director, Rose F. Kennedy Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC)

AutismBrain imaging (Electrophysiology and fMRI)Sensory processingMultisensory integrationExecutive functionPredictive processing

Dr. Molholm is a leader in the field of multisensory integration and focuses her research on developmental disorders, with an emphasis on autism, and on rare genetic conditions. She studies how the human brain processes and integrates sensory inputs—sight, sound, and touch—to impact perception and behavior. She also studies higher order processes such as attention and executive function, and how these interact with lower order cortical processes. Using non-invasive techniques, including brainwave electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Dr. Molholm examines the link between deficits in information processing and autism, and how these relate to different neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions. read more...

 

Bernice E. Morrow, Ph.D.

Bernice E. Morrow, Ph.D.

Professor, Genetics

Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health

Director, Translational Genetics, Department of Genetics

Sidney L. and Miriam K. Olson Professor in Cardiology

GeneticsBirth defectsChromosomal disorders

As director of translational genetics, Dr. Morrow worked with the department of pathology to expand diagnostic genetics testing at Einstein in collaboration with Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital for Einstein. She is now working with several clinical departments to build translational genetics research programs to discover the genetic underpinnings of complex diseases such as deafness, cleft palate and congenital heart disease. Dr. Morrow studies the molecular errors in genes that affect embryonic development and cause various birth defects read more...

 

Solomon L. Moshe, M.D.

Solomon L. Moshe, M.D.

Professor, The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Einstein

Charles Frost Chair in Neurosurgery & Neurology, Einstein

Vice-Chair & Director, Pediatric Neurology & Clinical Neurophysiology, Department of Neurology, Einstein

Chief, Pediatric Neurology, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore

EpilepsyPediatric neurologyNeurophysiology

Translational research

Dr. Moshé is an authority on the mechanisms that underlie the development of epilepsy and on the consequences of the disease in infants and children as a function of gender. read more...

 

Jeffrey E. Pessin, Ph.D.

Jeffrey E. Pessin, Ph.D.

Professor, Medicine (Endocrinology)

Professor, Molecular Pharmacology

Director, Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center

Judy R. and Alfred A. Rosenberg Professorial Chair in Diabetes Research

DiabetesType 1 diabetesMetabolism

Dr. Pessin directs the Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center, one of only sixteen NIH-funded diabetes centers of its kind in the country. He guides the research of more than 90 scientists investigating type 1 (formerly juvenile) and type 2 (formerly adult-onset) diabetes. The center also includes training programs and community-based activities in the Bronx. Dr. Pessin’s own research focuses on insulin signaling and the mechanisms contributing to the onset of type 1 diabetes. read more...

 

Liise-anne Pirofski, M.D.

Liise-anne Pirofski, M.D.

Professor, Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Einstein

Professor, Microbiology & Immunology, Einstein

Selma and Dr. Jacques Mitrani Chair in Biomedical Research, Einstein

Chief, Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Einstein and Montefiore Health System

Infectious diseasesConvalescent plasmaCOVID-19PneumoniaImmunologyBacterial infections

A leading physician-scientist, Dr. Pirofski studies vaccine and antibody mediated immunity to infectious diseases, including cryptococcosis (the leading cause of fungal meningitis globally), pneumococcal pneumonia, and COVID-19. Her work has identified novel ways by which antibodies protect against pneumonia and the spread of fungal infections. She has spearheaded studies to understand the antibody response to the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

Dr. Pirofski is co-author of the “damage-response framework of microbial pathogenesis,” a novel theory that incorporates the role of the host into the outcome of host-microbe interactions and infectious diseases.

As chief of the division of infectious diseases, Dr. Pirofski helped lead the Einstein and Montefiore response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also co-authored a widely-cited commentary in the Journal of Clinical Investigation proposing the use of convalescent plasma as a potential treatment for COVID-19 and is leading Einstein and Montefiore’s participation in a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial to test the efficacy of convalescent plasma in hospitalized patients.

Dr. Pirofski, who has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health throughout her career, is a member of the American Association of Physicians and a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, American College of Physicians, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has received numerous awards for her accomplishments, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Alumni Association and the American Society for Microbiology’s William A. Hinton Award, which honors outstanding contributions toward fostering the research training of underrepresented minorities in microbiology.
 

Steven A. Porcelli, M.D.

Steven A. Porcelli, M.D.

Professor and Chair, Microbiology & Immunology

Professor, Medicine (Rheumatology)

Murray and Evelyne Weinstock Chair in Microbiology & Immunology

Microbiology & ImmunologyT-cell immunityTuberculosis (TB)

Dr. Porcelli studies the control of acquired immunity – the type that develops when our bodies generate specific responses involving antibodies or T cells following exposure to vaccines or infection by disease-causing microbes.  In particular, he investigates how T cells – which supervise both defense against microbes and immune tolerance – control the acquired immune response. read more...

 

Patricia (Tia) Powell, M.D.

Patricia (Tia) Powell, M.D.

Professor, Clinical Epidemiology & Population Health, Einstein

Professor, Clinical Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Einstein

Director, Montefiore Einstein Center for Bioethics

Director, Einstein Cardozo Master of Science in Bioethics Program

BioethicsEthics of public health disastersBioethics education

Bioethics in clinical settings

Dr. Powell is a bioethicist who specializes in public health disasters, bioethics consultation in the clinical setting and bioethics education. She directs the Montefiore Einstein Center for Bioethics, which coordinates bioethics consultation, education, and policy development at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, as well as a master’s degree program in bioethics being offered jointly by Einstein and Benjamin Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University. read more...

 

Chaim Putterman, M.D.

Chaim Putterman, M.D.

Professor, Medicine (Rheumatology), Einstein

Professor, Microbiology & Immunology, Einstein

Chief, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Einstein and Montefiore Health System

ArthritisLupusAutoimmune diseases

Rheumatoid arthritis

Dr. Putterman is a clinical rheumatologist who treats arthritis and related musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases. Dr. Putterman specializes in lupus, an incurable autoimmune disease affecting 1.5 million Americans that causes inflammation, pain and damage to various parts of the body. read more...

 

Vern L. Schramm, Ph.D.

Vern L. Schramm, Ph.D.

Professor, Biochemistry

Ruth Merns Chair in Biochemistry

BiochemistryEnzymesTranslational medicine

RicinAutoimmune diseases

Dr. Schramm is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and associate editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.  His pioneering work in biochemistry has resulted in powerful new strategies for treating cancer, antibiotic resistance and autoimmune diseases. read more...

 

Gary J. Schwartz, Ph.D.

Gary J. Schwartz, Ph.D.

Professor, Medicine (Endocrinology)

Professor, Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience

Neurobiology of obesity and diabetesGastric-bypass surgery

Dr. Schwartz studies how the gut and the brain act together to determine how much people eat. He has identified sites in the gastrointestinal tract and brain that detect nutrients and has discovered how these regions are linked to food intake, obesity and diabetes. He also studies gastric-bypass surgery and the key neural and hormonal mechanisms responsible for the significant and long-lasting improvements in body weight, food intake and diabetes following the procedure. read more...

 

Jeffrey E. Segall, Ph.D.

Jeffrey E. Segall, Ph.D.

Professor, Anatomy and Structural Biology

Professor, Pathology

Betty and Sheldon Feinberg Senior Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research

Biomedical technologiesImagingTumor cell imaging

Dr. Segall studies how tumor cells invade tissues and spread through the body. He has developed sophisticated imaging methods for following individual tumor cells moving in living animals. For example, one of his techniques involves a tiny glass window implanted in the skin of a mouse that allows scientists to track individual cancer cells as they spread a tumor site and attack other parts of the body. This technique could one day be used for assessing the effectiveness of specific drugs in preventing cancer from metastasizing. read more...

 

Lisa H. Shulman, M.D.

Lisa H. Shulman, M.D.

Professor, Pediatrics, Einstein

Interim Director, the Children’s Evaluation & Rehabilitation Center (CERC) at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM)

Director, Infant and Preschool Services, CERC

Director, Autism Services, CERC

Director, Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) at the Rose F. Kennedy Center

Autism early diagnosis/identificationLearning disordersAutism management/interventionDevelopmental delays

Dr. Shulman is a developmental pediatrician and a neurodevelopmental pediatrician with special expertise in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and learning disabilities. Her research interests include early identification of autism, evidence-based treatments, healthcare disparities in autism diagnosis and management, and complementary and alternative medicine usage in autism. read more...

 

Robert H. Singer, Ph.D.

Robert H. Singer, Ph.D.

Professor and Co-chair, Anatomy & Structural Biology

Co-director, Gruss Lipper Biophotonics Center

Professor, Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience

Professor, Cell Biology

Harold and Muriel Block Chair in Anatomy & Structural Biology

Single-cell imagingmRNABiophotonics

Dr. Singer is a leader in the field of biophotonics, which enables scientists to observe activities within living cells at the molecular level, and in the study of mRNA, a molecule that controls the expression and positioning of proteins within cells. Dr. Singer, who was called a “pioneer” by Science magazine, leads a robust lab that focuses on how RNA is expressed by the genome and how it travels from the site of its birth to its ultimate location in the cell where it makes proteins. read more...

 

Simon D. Spivack, M.D., M.P.H.

Simon D. Spivack, M.D., M.P.H.

Professor, Medicine (Pulmonary Medicine), Einstein

Professor, Epidemiology & Population Health, Einstein

Professor, Genetics, Einstein

Chief, Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Einstein and Montefiore Health System

Lung diseasesLung cancerEarly lung cancer detection

A researcher and clinician, Dr. Spivack is developing tests for detecting lung cancer at the earliest possible stage—before it becomes fatal by spreading to other parts of the body. In one of several NIH-funded studies, his laboratory is working on a noninvasive, early-diagnosis test for lung cancer that detects particular genetic elements and chemicals in exhaled breath. read more...

 

Joanna L. Starrels, M.D., M.S.

Joanna L. Starrels, M.D., M.S.

Associate Professor, Medicine (General Internal Medicine)

Attending Physician, General Internal Medicine, Montefiore Health System

Prescription opioid use in chronic painPrescription drug abuseOpioid prescription guidelinesOpioids and HIV

Dr. Starrels is a physician, teacher and researcher who focuses on the safety and effectiveness of opioids for the management of chronic pain. Her research centers on defining best practices for managing chronic pain in primary care and HIV-treatment settings. She studies the benefits and harms of using treatment agreements, urine drug testing, and prescription monitoring programs in pain management; the effectiveness of collaborative care models for integrating behavioral health care and pain management; treatment of opioid use disorders in primary care settings; and the impact of opioid analgesic use, misuse and disorders on HIV outcomes.  read more...

 

Ulrich G. Steidl, Ph.D., M.D.

Ulrich G. Steidl, Ph.D., M.D.

Professor, Cell Biology

Professor, Medicine

Deputy Director, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center

Rose C. Falkenstein Chair in Cancer Research

Interim Director, The Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research

Leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes Pre-cancerous and cancer stem cellsCell and tumor biology

Dr. Steidl studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms that lead to two related blood diseases, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). His NIH-funded basic and translational research seeks to define the characteristics of pre-leukemic stem cells (pre-LSC), understand their progression to leukemic stems cells, and develop drug strategies to target the process. Dr. Steidl is co-director of the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center's Blood Cancer Institute. read more...

 

Martin I. Surks, M.D.

Martin I. Surks, M.D.

Professor, Medicine (Endocrinology), Einstein

Professor, Pathology, Einstein

Program Director, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center

Endocrinology (thyroid)Thyroid disease

Dr. Surks is a thyroid disease expert with 40 years of experience in basic and clinical research, education and patient care. In addition to thyroid disorders, his clinical practice focuses on conditions of the pituitary, parathyroid and adrenal glands and on metabolic bone disease. His recent research has involved subclinical thyroid diseases and determining a reference range for TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) levels in people.  read more...

 

Elyse S. Sussman, Ph.D.

Elyse S. Sussman, Ph.D.

Professor, Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience

Professor, Otorhinolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery

Director, Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Rose F. Kennedy University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service

Autism/learning disabilitiesAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)Language development/language impairmentHearing

Dr. Sussman studies auditory scene perception, a crucial hearing skill that allows us to follow a single voice in a crowded room. Her research focuses on understanding how auditory cognition changes across the lifespan from infancy to old age and how it breaks down in individuals with developmental disorders (such as autism, language impairments and ADHD) and hearing impairments.  read more...

 

Joe Verghese, M.B.,B.S., M.S.

Joe Verghese, M.B.,B.S., M.S.

Professor, Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Einstein

Murray D. Gross Memorial Faculty Scholar in Gerontology, Einstein

Chief, Divisions of Cognitive and Motor Aging, Einstein and Montefiore

Attending Physician, Department of Neurology, Montefiore Health System

Chief, Division of Geriatrics, Montefiore Health System

Alzheimer's disease/dementiaGait/mobilityAgingFallsFrailty

Dr. Joe Verghese is a board-certified neurologist and expert on aging who assesses how diseases and aging affect cognitive ability and mobility in older adults. Among his current projects, he is evaluating the effectiveness of a non-invasive brain stimulation technique intended to alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and improve brain function. He is also conducting studies across the world to identify the causes of cognitive impairment and risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. read more...

 

Jan Vijg, Ph.D.

Jan Vijg, Ph.D.

Professor and Chair, Genetics

Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Lola and Saul Kramer Chair in Molecular Genetics

GeneticsGenomic instabilityAging

Cancer

Dr. Vijg studies the molecular genetic changes associated with aging. Instability of genome and epigenome – the entire set of an organism’s genes and the switches that control their activity –  has long been implicated as the main cause of cancer and of the loss of organ and tissue function associated with aging. read more...

 

Elizabeth A. Walker, Ph.D.

Elizabeth A. Walker, Ph.D.

Professor, Medicine (Endocrinology)

Professor, Epidemiology & Population Health

Associate Director, Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center

Director of the Einstein Diabetes Prevention & Control Core

Diabetes Self-Management (behavior change)Type 2 diabetesBehavioral interventionPublic health

Dr. Walker is a nurse scientist, diabetes nurse specialist and certified diabetes educator who specializes in studying how to help people with diabetes better manage their disease by adhering to their medication regimen, eating a healthy diet, exercising, and getting regular screening for complications. She is recognized for leading large NIH-funded behavioral intervention studies in minority diabetes populations—and has a program of research studies showing that regular phone calls to people with diabetes can be successful in helping them self-manage their disease and improve their diabetes control.  read more...

 

Judith Wylie-Rosett, Ed.D.

Judith Wylie-Rosett, Ed.D.

Professor, Epidemiology & Population Health (Health Promotion and Nutrition Research)

Professor, Medicine (Endocrinology)

Division Head, Health Promotion and Nutritional Research, Department of Epidemiology & Population Health

Atran Foundation Chair in Social Medicine

NutritionObesityWeight management

Behavior modificationType 2 diabetes

Dr. Wylie-Rosett’s research focuses on nutrition’s role in preventing and controlling chronic diseases—particularly diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease in which obesity is an important risk factor.  She is associate editor of the journal Diabetes Care and author of The Complete Weight Loss Workbook. Dr. Wylie-Rosett has helped the American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association develop nutrition-related recommendations and position statements. read more...