Past DocTalks Events

“DocTalks: Comprehensive Women’s Health Care” showcased a multidisciplinary panel of Columbia faculty on key areas of women’s health, how they intersect, and how these intersections can inform strategies for successful aging, longevity, and wellness. Women have unique health needs that change throughout their lives. In a health care environment increasingly defined by fast-paced discovery, what is the best way to identify risk and optimize health? From the latest clinical and research insights to practical everyday tips, our experts highlighted what to look for and how women can optimize their health at any age.

Welcome:

Lee Goldman, MD
Harold and Margaret Hatch Professor,
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine,
Chief Executive, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Moderated by:

Mary D’Alton, MD
Willard C. Rappleye Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology,

Panelists:

Catherine Monk, PhD (Mental Health)
Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Obstetrics & Gynecology
Director for Research at the Women’s Program in the Department of Psychiatry

Mary Rosser, MD, PhD (Gynecologic Health)
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology

Shonni Silverberg, MD (Bone Health and Osteoporosis)
Professor, Department of Medicine
Medical Director, Columbia Parathyroid Center

Sonia Tolani, MD (Heart Health)
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Co-Director of Columbia Women’s Heart Center

Lisa Wiechmann, MD (Breast Health)
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery

“DocTalks: Hearing and Your Health” showcased a panel of Columbia faculty on the science of hearing. Hearing loss is one of the most common health problems in the United States. Whether the patient is young or old, a loss of hearing can lead to other wellness issues, from social isolation to depression to academic and professional challenges. Helping patients manage these issues is almost as important as managing the hearing loss itself. It is also an emerging research frontier. For instance, new studies are revealing links between hearing loss and dementia—a discovery that has the potential to both inform care and transform our understanding of higher brain functions.

Welcome:

Lee Goldman, MD
Harold and Margaret Hatch Professor,
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine,
Chief Executive, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Moderated by:

Lawrence R. Lustig, MD
Howard W. Smith Professor of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery
Chair, Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery

Panelists:

Justin S. Golub, MD, MS
Assistant Professor

Ana H. Kim, MD
Associate Professor
Director, Cochlear Implantation Program
Associate Program Director, Residency Program

Megan Kuhlmey, AuD
Assistant Professor of Audiology
Director, Cochlear Implants and Pediatric Audiology

Anil K. Lalwani, MD
Professor
Chief, Division of Otology, Neurotology, and Skull Base Surgery
Co-Director, Cochlear Implantation Program

“DocTalks: Vision 20/20” showcased a panel of Columbia experts on the most exciting recent developments and avenues of investigation, ranging from our clinics to our laboratories, as we seek better diagnoses and therapies—and ultimately cures and preventions—for a wide spectrum of eye diseases and disorders. We are at an auspicious moment in the history of medicine and science, and nowhere are the benefits and promises of recent progress being felt more acutely than in ophthalmology. The tools of precision medicine are making it possible to use each patient’s unique profile to personalize treatment; big data is allowing our investigators to glean knowledge and test hypotheses that even in the recent past were little more than conjecture and instinct. The impact of these new tools is being seen across all diagnoses of vision diseases. Advancements in treatments for glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and ophthalmological cancers are accelerating and offering promising new hope to patients.

Welcome:

Lee Goldman, MD
Harold and Margaret Hatch Professor,
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine,
Chief Executive, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Moderated by:

George (Jack) A. Cioffi, MD
Jean and Richard Deems Professor of Ophthalmology
Edward S. Harkness Professor of Ophthalmology
Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology
Ophthalmologist-in-Chief, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
President, ColumbiaDoctors/Faculty Practice Administration

Panelists:

Stanley Chang, MD
K.K. Tse and Ku Teh Ying Professor of Ophthalmology
Chairman Emeritus, Department of Ophthalmology

Jeffrey M. Liebmann, MD, FACS
Shirlee and Bernard Brown Professor of Ophthalmology
Vice-Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology
Director, Glaucoma Service

Brian P. Marr, MD
John Wilson Espy, MD Professor of Ophthalmology
Director, Ophthalmic Oncology Service
Department of Ophthalmology

Irene Maumenee, MD
Professor of Ophthalmic Sciences
Director, Ophthalmic Genetics
Department of Ophthalmology

Leejee H. Suh, MD
Miranda Wong Tang Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
Director, Refractive Surgery Service & Cornea Service
Director, Cornea Fellowship Program
Department of Ophthalmology

 As part of the 250th Anniversary of Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, “DocTalks: Unraveling the Mysteries of Mind & Brain” showcased a panel of Columbia experts on the implications of precision medicine on neurological and psychiatric illness. The impact of neurological and psychiatric illness both in the United States and worldwide is growing each year, yet there is little genomic information to guide researchers and clinicians in their efforts to understand and treat these illnesses. The Columbia Precision Medicine Initiative provides a transformative opportunity in neurology and psychiatry to move beyond the traditional methods of diagnosis and treatment by enabling our world class physician-scientists to tailor care to each person based on their genomic makeup. Our talented researchers are giving new hope to patients as they unravel the genetic bases of neurological and psychiatric illness, with an eye towards better understanding the brain, and developing new treatments for these distressing, debilitating and in some cases, life-threatening diseases.

Welcome:

Lee Goldman, MD
Executive Vice President and
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine
Chief Executive, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Moderated by:

Richard Mayeux, MD, MSc
Gertrude H. Sergievsky Professor of Neurology, Psychiatry and Epidemiology
Chair, Department of Neurology
Director, Sergievsky Center
Co-Director, Taub Institute

Panelists:

Christine Ann Denny, PhD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurobiology (in Psychiatry)

David Goldstein, PhD
John E. Borne Professor of Genetics and Development
Director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Philip De Jager, MD, PhD
Weil-Granat Professor
Chief, Division of Neuroimmunology
Director of Multiple Sclerosis Center
Director of the Center for Translational & Computational Neuroimmunology
Department of Neurology

Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD
Lieber Professor of Psychiatry
Lawrence C. Kolb Professor of Psychiatry
Chair, Department of Psychiatry

 As part of the 250th Anniversary of Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, “DocTalks: The Future of Personalized Cancer Care & Research” showcased Columbia’s Precision Medicine Initiative and its implications for cancer care and research. Cancer is one of the most persistent challenges in medicine and science. Now, with more knowledge than ever before about each patient’s unique genetic profile, Columbia faculty are leading the way in applying precision medicine to help fight cancer. By leveraging our world-class strengths in genomics, immunology, and big data, Columbia customizes diagnosis and targets treatments to the individual. This allows our experts to create the best possible outcomes for each patient by predicting how the disease will respond to treatment, and the best therapies to implement, including cutting-edge immunotherapies.

Welcome:

Lee Goldman, MD
Executive Vice President and Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine
Chief Executive, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Moderated by:

Stephen G. Emerson, MD, PhD
Clyde Wu Professor of Immunology and Medicine
Director, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center

Panelists:

Cory Abate-Shen, PhD
Michael and Stella Chernow Professor of Urologic Sciences
Professor, Departments of Urology, Medicine, Systems Biology, and Pathology & Cell Biology
Associate Director for Translational Research, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center

Charles G. Drake, MD, PhD
Professor of Oncology and Immunology
Co-Director, Cancer Immunotherapy Programs
Director of Genitourinary Oncology
Associate Director for Clinical Research, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center

Emmanuelle Passegué, PhD
Professor of Genetics and Development
Director, Stem Cell Initiative

Gary K. Schwartz, MD
Professor of Medicine
Division Chief, Hematology/Oncology
Deputy Director, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center