Past Partners In Medicine Events

Rahul Sharma, MD, MBA, FACEP
Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
Emergency Physician-in-Chief, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center

The Department of Emergency Medicine’s innovative work is designed to improve and expand its highquality, patient-centered care. The department’s cutting-edge initiatives include a comprehensive virtual healthcare program - also known as Telemedicine - which allows efficient remote delivery of healthcare via several different platforms. The department has also launched an enhanced elder-abuse prevention program, in which frontline employees are trained to recognize the signs of abuse and neglect in older adults. Dr. Sharma explained how Weill Cornell Medicine’s department of Medicine has expanded its research and education initiatives while ensuring superb patient care.

Li Gan, PhD
Director, Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer’s Disease Research Institute
Burton P. and Judith B. Resnick Distinguished professor in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Faith Gunning, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry
Vice Chair for Research and Psychology

Lisa Mosconi, PhD
Associate Professor of Neuroscience in Neurology
Associate Director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic

As our minds and bodies age, changes in cognition and mood naturally occur. Exciting neuroscientific research has identified several promising cognitive and behavioral interventions that can help you maintain a healthy brain as you get older. Three of Weill Cornell Medicine’s preeminent researchers shared their work and insights in this critical area of medicine.

Lecture to be held at the Weill Auditorium

Erica C. Jones, MD
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine
Director, HeartHealth Cardiovascular Prevention Program

There are many questions around heart disease: who is at risk, key symptoms, and the differences between men and women - along with which diet, exercise, medications and supplements are most effective. Dr. Erica Jones led a discussion to dispel myths, uncover research and explore strategies to best protect yourself against heart disease.

Alka Gupta, MD
Co-Director of the Integrative Health and Wellbeing program
Assistant Professor of Medicine

Chiti Parikh, MD
Co-Director of the Integrative Health and Wellbeing program
Assistant Professor of Medicine

Currently, chronic diseases are linked to at least 70 percent of our nation’s deaths and disabilities. Many of these conditions may be prevented or reversed with reliable and early education. Emphasizing the basic tenets of healthy eating, emotional wellbeing and an active lifestyle can lead to a better quality of life and to greater vitality later in life. The Integrative Health and Wellbeing program brings long-known and newly discovered principles to the medical setting, including nutrition, psychological care, mind-body therapies such as meditation and breath work, and physical practices such as acupuncture and massage therapy. Drs. Gupta and Parikh shared details about this approach focused on prevention, education and wellbeing.

Phylis August, MD, MPH
Director of the Weill Cornell Hypertension Center
Ralph A. Baer MD Professor of Medical Research
Professor of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynecology
Professor of Public Health

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a leading cause of death worldwide and an important contributor to all types of dementia. Taking control of your blood pressure is lifesaving - and brain saving. Dr. Phyllis August reviewed the newest discoveries about this vital sign and how patients can play an important role in their own health and longevity.

Neel D. Mehta, M.D.
Director of the Weill Cornell Pain Medicine Center
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medical College
Co-Director of the Multi-Disciplinary Spine Center
Assistant Attending Anesthesiologist, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

Pain is often thought as a response to an injury or sign of illness. It is a very complex problem because it involves not only physical, but also emotional and social components. It is the way the body tells us that something is wrong.

For most people, pain comes and goes due to an injury or surgery. However many people suffer from persistent daily pain – and the science of how to treat and cope with this type of pain is rapidly developing. In the last ten years, a wealth of information has been uncovered through research and patient experience, leading to greater scientific understanding and better treatments for pain. Dr. Mehta provided an overview of the biology and psychology of pain, as well as treatment options.

Richard S. Isaacson, M.D.
Associate Professor of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine

Director, Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic
Director, Neurology Residency Training Program
NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center

As we age, our brains ordinarily undergo certain physical and chemical changes. The extent of these changes may depend on a variety of genetic and environmental risk factors over our lifespans. Yet, when it comes to brain aging and certain common conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, what is and what is not in our control? Dr. Richard Isaacson reviewed the most recent evidence on how people can best keep the brain healthy and reduce Alzheimer’s risk over time.

David Artis, Ph.D
Director, Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Michael Kors Professor of Immunology

Robert Brown, M.D., M.P.H.
Vice Chair, Transitions of Care, Weill Department of Medicine
Interim Chief, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Gladys and Roland Harriman Professor of Medicine

In contrast to conventional wisdom, we now know that not all microbes are bad for us.  In just the last ten years, there has been a biomedical revolution in defining the beneficial microbes that colonize our bodies and are essential for human health and well-being.  The wrong bacteria or viruses in the wrong places, as well as excess food and drink, can lead to human disease.  The intestine and liver, two of our largest organs, are among the first lines of defense against these challenges.

Ground-breaking research at Weill Cornell Medicine has identified how our diets influence the types of beneficial microbes we harbor and defined their roles in regulating diverse processes from our growth and aging, to influencing susceptibility to diseases as diverse as asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease, obesity, and cancers. Dr. Artis and Dr. Brown shared details about these rapidly developing areas of biomedical research and how they could change the practice of modern medicine.