What's New in Medicine
Volume 1 | March 2026 News & insights from across the Weill Department of Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. |
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B Cells Transiently Unlock Their Plasticity, Risking Lymphoma Development According to a new preclinical study co-led by Dr. Effie Apostolou, left, in the division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, B cells—the immune cells that make antibodies to fight off bacteria, viruses and other foreign substances— transiently revert to a more flexible, or plastic, stem-cell-like state in the lymph nodes. The results could help explain how many lymphomas develop from mature B cells rather than from stem cells, as many other cancers do, and guide researchers in developing better treatments. |
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Discovery Illuminates How IBD Promotes Colorectal Cancer
A chain of immune reactions in the gut—driven by a key signaling protein and a surge of white blood cells from the bone marrow—may help explain why people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a higher risk of colorectal cancer, according to a preclinical study led by senior author Dr. Randy Longman in the division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology.
Enhanced image above shows where genes are active in colon tissue, revealing
neutrophils located close to pre-cancerous epithelial cells. Credit: Longman Lab.
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Study Identifies Gene Linked to Chemotherapy Resistance in Prostate Cancer
A new study suggests doctors may be able to measure FOXJ1 gene activity in tumors to predict which patients could develop drug resistance and move directly to alternative therapies, avoiding unnecessary toxicity. “This is a previously unrecognized role for the FOXJ1 transcription factor, and it could serve as a potential biomarker to help us identify patients who are more likely to benefit from these types of treatments,” said Dr. Paraskevi Giannakakou in the division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, who co-led this research.
The image at top shows cancer cells treated with a chemotherapy taxane drug labeled with green fluorescence. The drug stabilizes microtubules inside the cells, triggering cell death. Credit: Giannakakou Lab |
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Triggering Self-Combustion in Fat Cells for Weight Loss A new study shows that white adipocytes in the presence of a key enzyme called AAC can trigger a process that uses fat to produce heat and increase energy expenditure.
The researchers, led by Dr. Shannon Reilly, right, in the division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism and a member of the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Center for Metabolic Health, demonstrated that this process can occur in obese mice—implying that it could yield significant weight loss over time. |
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How Food Shortages Impact the Immune System's Infection Response |
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A team of researchers led by Dr. Nicholas Collins, right, in the division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, suggest that when food is scarce, stress hormones direct the immune system to operate in “low power” mode to preserve immune function while conserving energy. This reconfiguration is crucial to combating infections amid food insecurity.
The study, which was recently published in Immunity, found that mice on a calorie-restricted diet fought off infection as well as mice that were fully fed, but did so while using very little glucose. This was possible due to glucocorticoids, stress hormones known for their role in regulating blood glucose. Dr. Collins and the team determined that glucocorticoids in this case act like master conductors, reorganizing immune cells and their energy usage to provide a survival advantage. |
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Unusual Tumor Cells May Be Overlooked Factors in Advanced Breast Cancer |
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Triumph After Treatment: Victoria’s Path to Motherhood After Stem Cell Transplant |
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We are pleased to share that the remarkable story of Victoria Bueno, sister of Avi Bueno, Division Administrator for the division of Infectious Diseases, was recently featured in Weill Cornell Medicine’s patient blog. Victoria’s oncologist is Dr. Tsiporah Shore.
Left, Dr. Shore with Victoria and Victoria's baby boy, Konnor. |
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Our Chief Administrative Officer, Paige McMillan, left, was among the panelists featured in Women Claiming Spaces and Leading Change, a virtual event held March 23, 2026 in recognition of March's Women's History Month.
Dr. Jesse Platt in the division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology was among the Weill Cornell Medicine physician-scientists recently recognized with early-career ASCI awards.
Dr. Alex Stabell in the division of Infectious Diseases received an Emerging Generation (E-Gen) Award from the ASCI.
A study by Dr. Kristen Marks in the division of Infectious Diseases was selected as a 2025 research paper of the year by JAMA. For this inaugural roundup, JAMA Medical News asked the journal’s top editors to nominate their favorite studies published in JAMA over the past year—the articles they believed were the most impactful, newsworthy and novel. According to the results of Dr. Marks' international study, a newer vaccine against hepatitis B virus was clearly superior to an older vaccine type in inducing a protective antibody response among people living with HIV who didn’t respond to prior vaccination.
Dr. Robert Peck in the Center for Global Health was among the Weill Cornell Medicine faculty inducted into the the ASCI for 2026.
Dr. Bishoy Faltas in the division of Hematology & Medical Oncology is among the inaugural recipients of the American Association for Cancer Research’s (AACR) Grant for Innovative Bladder Cancer Research. Dr. Mohan Satish, a Cardiology fellow and mentee of Dr. Vinay Kini and Dr. Monika Safford was recently named a Stamler award finalist at the recent American Heart Association (AHA) Council on Epidemiology and Prevention's annual meeting for his study using REGARDS data.
Dr. Barry Brause in the division of Infectious Diseases received the inaugural Brause Family Chair appointment in Infectious Diseases at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
Dr. Stephanie Feldman in the division of Cardiology was awarded the inaugural Emerging Leaders Alumna Award from the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine at Boston University. |
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The Weill Department of Medicine is thrilled to welcome 45 incoming residents this July. The Class of 2026 represents 31 different medical schools, including two international institutions, with six from Weill Cornell Medical College. Match results this year were revealed at 2 p.m. EST on Friday, March 20, 2026 to medical students nationwide. |
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Dr. Lishomwa Ndhlovu in the division of Infectious Diseases has received funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health for a project titled “Lymphatic Disease Advancements with Nanotechnology, Translational Epigenetics and Research in Genetics” in the amount of $5.2 million.
Dr. Matthias Stadtfeld in the division of Regenerative Medicine has been awarded funding from the National Institute of Mental Health for a project titled “Transcriptional Control by Autism Associated H3K9 methylation regulators during human neurogenesis in the amount of $4 million.
Dr. Sri Lekha Tummalapalli in the division of Nephrology has been awarded funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for a project titled “Hospital-to-SNF Transitions of Care in Patients with End-Stage Kidney Disease” in the amount of $3.6 million.
Dr. Dan Landau in the division of Hematology & Medical Oncology has been awarded funding from the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research for a project titled “Solving the Early Detection Challenge in Ovarian Cancer through Transformative Liquid Biopsy Innovations” in the amount of $2 million.
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| Save the date for Weill Cornell Medicine's 8th annual Diversity Week, which will take place April 20-24, 2026. This year's theme is Different Journeys, Same Mission.
We are excited to announce the Women in Global Health Research’s 11th annual Research Course and Symposium will take place May 13-15, 2026. Further details will be shared in April.
The division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology recently launched its new Digestive Disease Research Seminar Series, which kicked off in December 2025. The next event will take place on May 20, 2026 at 4 p.m. in Belfer-204A/B/C. The planned speaker is Dr. Jeremiah Faith from Mount Sinai School of Medicine For more information, please contact Dr. Greg Sonnenberg, Associate Vice Chair of Research.
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Dr. Yun Michael Shim has been appointed Chief of the division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine effective April 1, 2026. Dr. Shim is an internationally recognized leader in translational lung research, advanced pulmonary imaging and obstructive airway diseases. We thank Dr. Dana Zappetti and Dr. Kyu Rhee for their outstanding service as interim co-chiefs for the nearly two-year transition period.
Dr. Stephen J. Peterson, Chief of the Department of Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, will step down from his leadership role effective March 31, 2026. Dr. Peterson will complete ongoing projects before departing the institution at the end of September.
Dr. Ilan S. Weisberg, Chief of the division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist, will serve as Interim Site Chief of the Department of Medicine effective April 1, 2026. We thank Dr. Peterson for his stellar leadership and wish him all the best in his next chapter. We also congratulate Dr. Weisberg on his new role while we plan a nationwide search for Brooklyn Methodist's next site chief. |
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| New Master Repository for Faculty Development
As part of our commitment to faculty development and advancement, we are pleased to introduce a new Department resource: a Master Repository of CVs and Statements of Key Contributions (SKCs) from select faculty members who have recently been promoted to senior ranks. These colleagues have generously agreed to share their materials as exemplary models to support others in their academic journeys.
This repository is intended to serve as a reference for faculty preparing their own promotion materials, offering insight into how peers have effectively structured and articulated their academic accomplishments and impact. We hope this resource will provide greater clarity and confidence for those navigating the promotion process.
Dr. Marshall Glesby, Vice Chair of Faculty Development, is always available to meet one-on-one with Weill Cornell Medicine faculty to discuss career development and advancement opportunities, including the promotions process. You can schedule a meeting with him online or email Carlisa Williams at caw7012@med.cornell.edu.
For general questions, please contact Patrycja Golinska, Associate Director for Faculty & Staff support, at pag2028@med.cornell.edu.
New Research Funding Database We are pleased to share Weill Cornell Medicine's new Funding Database for faculty to explore both federal and non-federal funding opportunities. |
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Beyer SE, Nelson J, Song Y, Kramer D, Lerman BB, Sohns C, Sommer P, Cheung JW. Impact of Hospital Teaching Status on Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Procedural Approaches and Complications: Insights From the National Cardiovascular Data Registry. J Am Heart Assoc. 2025 Dec 16;14(24):e044436. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.125.044436. Malvezzi M, Zhang H, Towers P, Lyden DC, Marx SO, Pitt GS. FGF13 is not secreted from mouse neurons. JCI Insight. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.195998. eCollection 2026 Jan 9. PMID: 41289026 Das LT, Malvezzi M, Gade AR, Matsui M, McKay M, Wei EQ, Zelich MJ, Mazdisnian K, Kushner J, Chen BX, DiStefano I, Roybal D, Yang L, Stoll L, Lo JC, Kalocsay M, Akar FG, Marx SO, Pitt GS. FGF13 Regulates VGSC-Independent Cardiomyocyte Impulse Propagation via Cx43 Trafficking. Circ Res. 2025 Dec 5;137(12):1522-1539. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.125.327177. PMID: 41200819 Ferreira IATM, Herrera A, Huynh TT, Stone E, Linden NL, Ovies C, Ren Y, Bittar C, Pal VK, Naing E, Sinha P, Danesh A, Stevenson E, Vedova S, Liu F, Leyre L, Shea S, Wells E, Miller I, Canis M, Teixeira AR, Moir S, Chun T-W, Kovacs C, Gastonguay M, Hill AL, Genel S, Zumbo P, Betel D, Halvas EK, Lee GQ, Scheck R, Caskey M, Bieniasz P, Board NL, Nussenzweig MC, Jones RB. Dynamic Antigen Expression and CTL Resistance in 1 HIV Reservoir Clones. Nature. 2026 Feb 24. doi: 10.1038/s41586-026-10298-w. Online ahead of print. PMID: 41735521 Ndhlovu LC, Giron LB, Galinskas J, Premeaux TA, Pang APS, Dias D, de Almeida Baptista MV, Shytaj IL, Maricato JT, Ferreira PRA, Gosuen G, Corley MJ, Friday CM, Bowler SA, Della Libera E, Sucupira MC, Hunter JR, Janini LM, Schechter M, Savarino A, Diaz RS; SPARC Working Group. Virological and Immunological Outcomes of Combined Therapeutic Interventions and Dendritic Cell Therapy in People With HIV. J Infect Dis. 2025 Nov 14;232(5):1067-1077. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaf430. PMID: 40810569; PMCID: PMC12614972. Ostermann PN, Wu Y, Bowler SA, Martínez-Meza S, Siddiqui MA, Meyer DH, Herrera A, Sealy BA, Sidharta M, Ramnarine K, St Bernard LA, Byrd D, Jones RB, Yamashita M, Nixon DF, Ndhlovu LC, Zhou T, Evering TH. Transcriptional signature of induced neurons differentiates virologically suppressed people with HIV from people without HIV. JCI Insight. 2025 Nov 25;11(2):e190445. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.190445. PMID: 41324907; PMCID: PMC12892921. Schrader SM, Bacani C, Diaz S, Kuang Y, Oral B, Russell S, Westblade LF, Satlin MJ. False equivalence: differences in the in vitro activity of ampicillin-sulbactam and amoxicillin-clavulanate in several Enterobacterales species. JAC Antimicrob Resist. 2025 Sep 4;7(5):dlaf147. doi: 10.1093/jacamr/dlaf147. PMID: 40917194; PMCID: PMC12409269.
Zhang, W., Emanuel, E.R., Yano, H., Uddin, J., Gaudino, S., Xie, Z., Ichise, H., Wang, Z., Cowan, M., Lyu, M., Hou, X., Zeng, P., Hu, E., Godoy, V., Grier, A., Estep, N., Ishibashi, J., Anover-Sombke, S., Skene, P., Mayassi, T., Xavier, R., Germain, R., Globig, A., Goldrath, A., Kim, B., Hu, H & Artis, D. Neuro-epithelial circuits promote sensory convergence and intestinal immunity. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09921-z Qiao S, Li TT, Jeong M, Liu C, Mizutani S, Hwang SM, Li Y, Lyu M, Nishiyama K, Tang YA, Shi H, Tang YA, Han SJ, Goc J, Parkhurst C; JRI Live Cell Bank Consortium; Jin WB, Yang X, Yang HS, Arifuzzaman M, Sonnenberg GF, Cubillos-Ruiz JR, Yu J, Collins N, Artis D, Guo CJ. Microbiota utilization of intestinal amino acids modulates cancer progression and anticancer immunity. Cell Host & Microbe. 2026 Jan 14;34(1):18-34.e14. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2025.12.003. Epub 2026 Jan 2. PMID: 41483801. Read our newsroom story. Lange M, Rios J, Katzenstein C, Worthington T, Carroll C, Rodriguez N, Meislin R, Argiriadi P, Rosberger S, Rosenbluth E, Sperling R, Sigel K, Terrault NA, Kushner T. Evaluating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, associated adverse pregnancy outcomes, and postpartum maternal course utilising transient elastography with controlled attenuation parameter in pregnancy: a prospective cohort study. The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women's Health. Volume 2, Issue 1e33-e41January 2026.
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| Congratulations to our recent winners:
Super Stars Ronica Peramsetty, Research Assistant (General Internal Medicine)
Nusrat Zahan, Senior Administrative Specialist (Gastroenterology & Hepatology)
Gold Star Elias Baez, Education Administrative Manager (Administration) Gladys Jones, Senior Medical Secretary (Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine)
Silver Star Tiffany Elyassoff, Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (Cardiology)
First Year Emily Kerman, Grants Administrator (General Internal Medicine) |
Learn more about our latest Super Stars! |
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| Ronica Peramsetty, a research assistant in Dr. Madeline Sterling's lab in the division of General Internal Medicine, provides key administrative support to the research team, including managing IRB protocols, coordinating participant recruitment and outreach and support grant development and submissions. Outside of work, Ronica enjoys spending time with friends and family, staying active, exploring New York City and hanging out with her cat, Benny. She’s proud of how her role has a real-world impact on improving patients’ health and quality of life.
“My role has challenged me to become more thoughtful and adaptable,” she says. She advises new team members to stay curious and open, take initiative on new projects, and be a source of support for their colleagues. |
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| Nusrat Zahan, a senior administrative specialist in the division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, provides integral support to the division, including managing conference travel, coordinating Department meetings and assisting with Department presentations.
She is most proud of being a single mom to two beautiful children, including her oldest, who is a sophomore at Cornell University.
Outside of the office, Nusrat enjoys international travel and engaging in fun activities with her kids, from bowling to movies to visits to the beach.
Nusrat encourages new employees to be proactive and demonstrate an eagerness to learn. It is also vital to be able to meet deadlines and follow through on commitments. "Do this, and success will follow," she says.
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To ask a question or submit an item for the next newsletter, please reach out to Communications Manager Larissa Breedlove at lab4020@med.cornell.edu
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