Weill Cornell Medicine

A combination of surgery and a minimally invasive procedure called middle meningeal artery (MMA) embolization used to treat subdural hematomas reduces the risk of follow-up surgeries, according to a new study. "This trial provides evidence that adding MMA embolization should be a new standard of care for one of the most common neurosurgical conditions we see,” said Dr. Jared Knopman of Weill Cornell Medicine who led the study with Dr. Jason Davies of the University at Buffalo. Symptoms of subdural hematoma—including weakness, numbness, headaches, nausea, confusion or dizziness—can come on slowly over days or weeks, after a fall or other head injury. Already quite common in older adults, by 2030 chronic subdural hematomas are expected to be the most common neurosurgical condition in the world. Dr. Knopman and Weill Cornell Medicine colleagues developed the MMA embolization procedure, which involves threading a small catheter into the middle meningeal artery that runs through the membranes covering the brain. The catheter delivers an embolic or clotting agent to block blood vessels feeding the hematoma. Full story: https://bit.ly/40OFKHM

Weill Cornell Medicine and the Cornell University: Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy has formed the Cornell Health Policy Center (CHPC) to serve as the hub for health policy impact, research, and training across Cornell campuses. “Leveraging the tremendous talent across the university, the Cornell Health Policy Center will develop effective, evidence-based health policies to ensure that all patients can access quality, comprehensive and affordable care – a task more important now than ever," said Dean Robert A. Harrington. Dr. Beth McGinty of Weill Cornell Medicine and Dr. Colleen Barry of Cornell University: Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy will co-lead the new organization. The center aims to help shape effective federal, state, and local health policy. Full story: https://bit.ly/4eTHhjj

Hospices owned by private equity firms and publicly traded companies performed substantially worse than hospices owned by not-for-profit organizations, according to a new study. Considering that nearly 75 percent of hospice programs are for-profit, the study findings emphasize the need for policy interventions that focus on increasing transparency and accountability in hospice ownership, researchers said. “To protect vulnerable patients, policymakers should implement stricter reporting requirements for ownership changes and enforce more rigorous oversight measures, ensuring that financial incentives don���t undermine end-of-life patient care,” said Dr. Robert Tyler Braun of Weill Cornell Medicine, who led the study with Alexander Soltoff of Emory University. Full story: https://bit.ly/3YV5W0T

Our latest issue of IMPACT magazine has everything from features on patient care and public health to stories on pioneering research in cardiology and cancer. Highlights include: 🌟 Change of Heart: Tackling long-standing sex disparities in cardiac surgery and treatment outcomes. 🌟 The Dark Side of STING: New insights on how a closely studied protein can both hinder — and accelerate — cancer 🌟 Teaching Empathy in the Digital Age: How virtual “patients” could transform the way doctors are trained. Read all these and more: https://bit.ly/3OfHMsX

We're pleased to announce that Dean Robert A. Harrington has received two awards for his remarkable leadership and tremendous medical contributions. 🏆 The TCT 2024 Career Achievement Award from the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. 🏆 The American Heart Association's 2024 Chairman’s Award. Join us in congratulating Dean Harrington on these exceptional honors! Full story: https://bit.ly/40ZckXg

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Our researchers have determined the full-length structure of a blood pressure-regulating hormone receptor and uncovered how it functions, which may lead to potential drug targets for diseases such as hypertension and heart failure. The study led by Dr. Xin-Yun Huang and Dr. Shian Liu of Weill Cornell Medicine produced the first high-resolution structure of the atrial natriuretic peptide receptor 1, also known as transmembrane receptor guanylyl cyclase A (GC-A). The researchers spent years on biochemistry and electron microscopy, creating more than one billion individual images of the full-length receptor alone or bound by its partner hormone. Ultimately, they revealed the roughly mushroom-shaped structure at close to atomic-scale resolution. Full story: https://bit.ly/3YP7lpE

12 competitors. 3 minutes. 1 slide. In our annual Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, student scientists from Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences and Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center took on the challenge of detailing the complexities of their research projects in just a few minutes. Relying on a single screen, doctoral students used clever graphics, pop culture references and theatrical flair to explain the inner workings of their work on prostate cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, malaria in pregnancy and more. A panel of judges and the audience chose three winners and the People’s Choice award. Each winner will receive a $500 prize. Join us in congratulating our winners and all the outstanding students who participated! 🏆1st place: Erin Keblish, A smoke detector for your immune system 🏆2nd place: Rachel Payne, Battling bystanders in prostate cancer 🏆 3rd place: Thais Klevorn, Too hard to kill: Weakening the Tuberculosis Bacteria 🏆 People’s Choice: Evi Hadjimichael, Disguised and dangerous: Exposing Plasmodium falciparum’s stealth tactics in pregnancy-associated malaria

For the seventh year, Insight Into Diversity magazine has awarded our institution the Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award. “Diversity is not just something we do to meet a metric or pursue only when it is popular; it’s a long-term, abiding commitment to make sure that everyone's voices are heard,” said Dr. Linnie M. Golightly of Weill Cornell Medicine. The HEED award recognizes organizations that show a remarkable commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Full story: https://bit.ly/48KAyXm

As a medical student shadowing art therapists and palliative care physicians, Dr. Ian Kwok was inspired by their interactions with the most vulnerable patients and their families. "All of them radiated kindness, even in the face of the most difficult situations you can imagine, and they were so good at working collaboratively on care teams," says Dr. Kwok, now a palliative care physician at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. As director of community outreach and education for geriatrics and palliative care, Dr. Kwok aims to bring together the scientific and human sides of medicine to improve patient care. He strongly advocates using creative arts therapy as a tool for patients facing serious illness. "So much of medicine is verbal and linguistic," he says. "For patients who have difficulty speaking or have auditory impairments, or when there is information that is emotionally difficult to process, art is a way to bypass those barriers." Through art and music, patients can reflect on what is important to them, express their experiences and communicate their needs. Dr. Kwok understands art's power. The son of a physicist and family medicine doctor and an accomplished painter, Dr. Kwok grew up in Toronto with an appreciation for science and the arts. He is also an artist and was drawn to New York City's thriving arts scene when he arrived as a college student. Before medical school, he worked for a medical software startup and as a professional arts photographer. He entered medical school thinking he would become a family medicine doctor like his mother until he crossed paths with art therapy and palliative care. "They are both the epitome of humanism in medicine," he says. "When people are faced with challenges, what people choose to prioritize is deeply human. It's special to see that every day." In addition to providing care, Dr. Kwok is committed to research and studies the use of creative arts therapy for socialization among older adults and the use of AI to help transcribe medical discussions between patients, families and clinicians.