
Awards 2007
Dr. Miglietta Awarded for Service in Trauma Surgery and Training
 Maurizio A. Miglietta, DO
Maurizio Miglietta, DO, has received the 2006 National Award for Civilian Excellence from the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA).
The FLEOA, a nonpartisan, professional association, represents more than 25,000 federal agents from over 65 different federal law enforcement agencies.
The honor was conveyed in recognition of Dr. Miglietta's service as a trauma surgeon and a leader in providing trauma services to federal law enforcement agents in New York City.
Through a mobile trauma unit that he established and directs, Dr. Miglietta supports the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) in New York and provides trauma triage training to federal law enforcement agents assigned to the Secret Service New York Field Office (NYFO).
Dr. Miglietta sponsors 11 USSS personnel in the NYFO who are certified EMTs and has provided each with the opportunity to participate in clinical rotations under his supervision.
Dr. Whelan Honored
Richard L. Whelan, MD was selected as a 2007 Attending Physician of the Year
NIH Funding for Minimal Access Technology Development
Dennis Lee Fowler, MD, has received a three-year, $1.1 million grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering to develop an insertable robotic effector platform and integrate it with a remotely controlled camera system for minimal access surgery.
Recipients of 2007-2008 Startup Grants Named
The Department of Surgery startup grants are awarded to a team of an attending mentor and a junior investigator who can be a resident, fellow, or medical student.
The grants are intended to lead to external funding.
Results of the most successful of these investigations are presented during the Residents' Research Competition each spring.
2007-08 startup grant recipients are as follows:
| Junior Investigator | Mentor |
| Jason Fisher, MD | Jessica Kandel, MD |
| Michelle Neier | Howard Kaufman, MD |
| Mary Jo Haley, MD | Darrell Yamashiro, MD |
| Fan Zhang, MD | K. Craig Kent, MD |
| T. Alexander Quinn, MD | Henry Spotnitz, MD |
| Mark Russo, MD | Annetine Gelijns, MD |
| Rohit Chandwani, MD | Andrew Gumbs, MD |
| Benjamin Pocock, MD | Kathie-Ann Joseph, MD, MPH |
| Adam Bograd, MD | Jonathan Chen, MD |
| Abbas Rana, MD | Mark Hardy, MD |
| Reha Celik, MD | Frank D'ovidio, MD, PhD |
| James Gerson, MD | Yoshifumi Naka, MD, PhD |
| Ryan Davies, MD | Allan Stewart, MD |
| Sang-Woo Pak, MD | Michael Argenziano, MD |
| Alejandro Ruiz-Elizalde, MD | Robert A. Cowles, MD |
| Chris Reverte, MD | Roman Nowygrod, MD |
| George Comas, MD | Mark Ginsburg, MD |
| Luca Milone, MD | William B. Inabnet, MD |
| Demetra Spiliotopoulos, MD | Mathew Williams, MD |
| David Woodland, MD | Zhuoro Liu, MD, PhD |
| Sara Cohen, MD | Jeffrey Morgan, MD |
| Robert Sorabella, MD | Ralph S. Mosca, MD |
First Annual $10,000 Kenneth A. Forde Surgical Research Grant Goes to Dr. Wu
The Forde Grant was awarded to June Wu, MD, for research directed at reversing AV malformations in children and entitled, "The role of Notch receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 signaling in hemangioma endothelial cells."
Dr. Kaufman receives NFCR Grant

Howard L. Kaufman, MD |
Dr. Howard L. Kaufman, MD received a National Foundation for Cancer Research grant of $100,000 over a period of two years.
Dr. Yan's Research Awarded $7.9M NIA Grant

Shi Du Yan, MD, MS |
Shi Du Yan, MD, MS has received $7.9M competitive renewal grant award from the National Institute on Aging to be used over a five-year period beginning on July 1, 2006.
The grant supports her research on aging and Alzheimer's disease in the Division of Surgical Science.
Dr. Gelijns is Co-PI in $23M NHBLI Grant

Annetine Gelijns, PhD |

Eric A. Rose, MD |
INCHOIR, a joint division of the Mailman School of Public health and the Department of Surgery, has received a $23 million grant to act as data-coordinating center (DCC) for the Cardiothoracic Surgery Safety and Efficacy Initiative (CSSEI), a multicenter project that will evaluate devices and methods for cardiac surgeries.
Annetine Gelijns, PhD, is co-principal investigator of the DCC portion of the project.
The Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery, with Eric A. Rose, MD, as PI, has received a grant of $1.25M as one of seven centers participating in the CSSIN.
The project is funded by the NHLBI, NINDS, and Canadian Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health. The news was reported by Bloomberg (July 27, 2007), and in Crain's (July 30, 2007).
2007 Blakemore Awards and Prize
Recipients of the 2006-2007 Blakemore Awards for surgical research in a given academic year:
- Jason C. Fisher, MD, for studies of angiogenesis inhibition in Wilms' tumor
- Isaac George, MD, for studies of effects of surgery on cardiovascular physiology
- Mark J. Russo, MD, for studies of heart failure and heart/lung replacement
Recipient of the Blakemore Prize for the best body of research during surgical training by a graduating resident:
- Ryan R. Davies, MD, for studies of pathophysiology of the thoracic aorta and cardiac transplantation in children
Dr. Miglietta Honored by Homeland Security Foundation
 Maurizio A. Miglietta, DO |
On June 26, 2007, The Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation (FEHSF) presented Maurizio A. Miglietta, DO, with an award honoring his work with New York law enforcement.
The FEHSF is a non-profit corporation formed to assist Federal Agents and law enforcement officials through supporting their families with emergency funding, financial assistance and community outreach.
Dr. Sonett Receives Humanitarian Award
 Joshua R. Sonett, MD |
Chesed of New Square in Spring Valley, New York has presented Joshua R. Sonett, MD, with its 2007 Chesed Humanitarian Award for excellent medical/surgical care in the Rockland community. Chesed of New Square is a community service organization dedicated to facilitating access to medical care for members of the Rockland community.
2007 Resident Research Competition
Dr. George Comas wins first prize in sixteenth Surgery Residents' Research Competition, Dr. Piotr Witkowski takes second
The competition was held in the Faculty Club on May 24, 2007. There were 10 seven-minute presentations.
Members of the Department of Surgery Research Committee and Leadership group scored the presentations.
Prize winners are as follows:
- George Comas, MD/ Michael Argenziano, MD
Novel Pharmacological Treatment of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation
- Piotr Witkowski, MD/ Mark A. Hardy, MD
A 3-Dimensional Bioscaffold Containing Vascular Growth Factors and Increased Extracellular Signaling Improve Pancreatic Islet Engraftment in the Retromuscular Space in Rats
- T. Alexander Quinn, MS/ Henry M. Spotnitz, MD
Optimized Biventricular Pacing for the Treatment of Acute Ventricular Dysfunction Is Load Dependent
- Marc Richmond, MD/ Henry M. Spotnitz, MD
Biventricular Pacing Improves Cardiac Output After Cardiopulmonary Bypass
Dr. Amory Honored

Spencer Amory, MD |
Spencer Amory, MD, received a 2006 Attending Physician of the Year award.
Dr. Amory has also received the 2007 Leonard Tow Award for Humanism in Medicine from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.
Department of Surgery Receives Bronze Telly

James A. Lee, MD |
The Department of Surgery has received a bronze Telly Award for an educational video that will be part of COACH (Comprehensive Online Archived Heuristic), an online surgical training program being developed by James A. Lee, MD, and the Department of Surgery.
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