Honors, Appointments & Promotions

David Brook, M.D., and Judith Brook, Ed.D.	Ruth Lehmann, Ph.D.	Jack M. Dodick, M.D.	Barry Reisberg, M.D.

Nina Bhardwaj, M.D., Ph.D.
Nina Bhardwaj, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Pathology, and Dermatology, and Director of the NYU Cancer Institute’s Tumor Vaccine Program, has been named one of 50 outstanding leaders in science and technology in 2004 by Scientific American magazine. Dr. Bhardwaj was named a Research Leader in Medical Treatment for her contributions toward creating dendritic cell vaccines for fighting cancers and viruses such as HIV.

David W. Brook, M.D., and Judith S. Brook, Ed.D.
David W. Brook, M.D., and Judith S. Brook, Ed.D., have been appointed Professors of Psychiatry. They join the School of Medicine to lead the Behavioral Science and Substance Abuse Research Group in the Department of Psychiatry’s Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. Their work focuses on behavioral aspects of diseases and disorders that impact on public health, particularly among adolescents. Drs. David and Judith Brook come from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, prior to which they held professorships at New York Medical College. Dr. David Brook earned his M.D. from Yale University, and Dr. Judith Brook earned her Ed.D. from Columbia University.

Max M. Cohen, M.D.
Max M. Cohen, M.D., has been appointed Chief Medical Officer of NYU Hospitals Center. Dr. Cohen will serve as a member of the senior leadership team, with administrative responsibility for monitoring and ensuring the safety and quality of patient care and the quality of professional medical services within the Hospitals Center. Previously, Dr. Cohen served as Chief Medical Officer at Missouri Baptist Medical Center. He earned an M.D. at the University of Glasgow, and a master’s degree in health services administration at the University of Michigan.

Brian D. Dynlacht, Ph.D. & Stevan R. Hubbard, Ph.D.
Brian D. Dynlacht, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology and Director of the Genomics Program for the NYU Cancer Institute, and Stevan R. Hubbard, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology, have been named as 2005 Irma T. Hirschl Scholars for NYU School of Medicine.

The award is granted annually by the Irma T. Hirschl Charitable Trust and the Monique Weill-Caulier Charitable Trust to two biomedical researchers at each of six selected New York City academic institutions.

Mekbib Gemeda, M.A.
Mekbib Gemeda, M.A., has been appointed Director of the Office of Diversity Affairs. The broadened scope of this office will help to ensure that the School of Medicine continues to attract students, faculty, and staff who reflect the rich diversity of the population served by NYU Medical Center. Previously, he served as Director of Communication and Outreach for the Center for Study of Gene Structure & Function at Hunter College. Mr. Gemeda holds a master’s degree in public and corporate communications from Seton Hall University.

Karim A. Habibi, M.S., M.P.H.
Karim A. Habibi, F.H.F.M.A., has been appointed Vice President and Senior Administrator for Managed Care. He will be responsible for managed care strategies and will oversee rate negotiations, contract review, implementation, and compliance for NYU Medical Center, NYU–Hospital for Joint Diseases (NYU–HJD), and the Faculty Group Practice NYU Downtown Hospital. He is also responsible for providing credentialing, contract management, and provider advocacy services to the University Physician Network, and the Office of Managed Care.

Since 2003 Mr. Habibi has been Director of Analytical Services, Office of Managed Care, for NYU Hospitals Center. Mr. Habibi earned an M.S. in Health Services Management from New York University and an M.P.H. in Health Administration from the University of Oklahoma.

Mekbib Gemeda, M.A.	Sandra Iberger, M.B.A.	Martin Nachbar, M.D.	Susan Kind, M.A.

Lauren E. Hackett, M.P.A.
Lauren E. Hackett, M.P.A. has been appointed Executive Director for Administration of the NYU Cancer Institute. She comes from Yale University School of Medicine, where she served as Clinical Administrator in the Pathology Department. Prior to that, she was Deputy Director for Administration and Associate Director for Administration at the Yale Cancer Center.

Sandra Iberger, M.B.A.
Sandra Iberger, M.B.A., has been named Vice President for Hospital Operations at NYU Hospitals Center. Most recently, Ms. Iberger was Assistant Vice President of Administration at Continuum Health Partners. Her areas of responsibility will include Blood Services, Building Services, Clinical Laboratories, the ER, Emergency Preparedness, Food and Nutrition Services, Pathology, Printing Services, and Shared Labs. She earned an M.B.A. in Healthcare Administration from the Mount Sinai/Bernard M. Baruch College Program in Healthcare Administration.

Ruth Lehmann, Ph.D.
Ruth Lehmann, Ph.D., the Julius Raynes Professor of Developmental Genetics at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, has been elected a foreign associate member of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest scientific accolades. Dr. Lehmann is also Director of the Helen L. & Martin S. Kimmel Center for Stem Cell Biology and Director of the Developmental Genetics Program at the Sackler Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences.

Dr. Lehmann received her Ph.D. from the University of Tubingen, Germany, in 1985, and then worked at the Whitehead Institute at MIT before she joined NYU in 1996. Today, Dr. Lehmann’s laboratory, which includes 19 post-docs, graduate students, and research technicians, analyzes genes in fruit flies that control germ cell behavior.

Martin S. Nachbar, M.D.
Martin S. Nachbar, M.D., Associate Professor of Microbiology and Medicine and Director of Advanced Educational Systems has received the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award.

In 1987 Dr. Nachbar formed the Hippocrates Project, which applied information technology in the basic sciences curriculum. A decade later this had grown into the Academic Computing Division, which expanded into the area of clinical research. In 2001 Dr. Nachbar became director of a new department, Advanced Educational Systems, which has introduced Surgical Interactive Multimedia Modules, digital tutorials that have replaced surgical lectures.

Barry Reisberg, M.D.
Barry Reisberg, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, whose pioneering research led to a greater understanding of the progressive symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and to the development of treatment approaches for the disease, recently received an Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Alzheimer’s Association. Dr. Reisberg serves as Clinical Director of the Silberstein Aging and Dementia Research Center.

Susan Kind, M.A.
Susan Kind has been appointed Vice Dean for Development, NYU School of Medicine, and Vice President for Development, NYU Hospitals Center. Previously, she was Senior Vice President for Development at Continuum Health Partners, Inc. Ms. Kind earned her B.A. and M.A. from the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Other Appointments & Promotions

Julianne Chase, Ph. D.
Julianne Chase, Ph. D., has been promoted to Senior Assistant Dean for Medical Education and is the Director of the Office of Medical Education.

George W. Contreras, M.S., M.P.H.
George W. Contreras, M.S., M.P.H., has been appointed Director of Emergency Management at NYU Hospitals Center. Previously, he was Senior Emergency Manager at the Bureau of Emergency Management with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Karen P. Day, Ph.D.
Karen P. Day, Ph.D., Chairwoman of the Department of Medical and Molecular Parasitology, has been elected an Emeritus Fellow of Hertford College, Oxford. She served as a Fellow, or Don, in Biology at the college from 1993 to 2003. The honor is awarded to Fellows of the college who have provided exceptional service.

Dan R. Littman, M.D., Ph.D.
Dan R. Littman, M.D., Ph.D., the Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Professor of Molecular Immunology at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and Professor of Pathology and Microbiology, was honored by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg with a 2004 Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Science and Technology. Dr. Littman was cited for
his work in the treatment of AIDS and autoimmune diseases.

Danielle Ofri, M.D., Ph.D.
Danielle Ofri, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, has been awarded the 2005 McGovern Award by the American Medical Writers Association for her “preeminent
contributions to medical communication.” The Editor in Chief of The Bellevue Literary Review, she has published a second collection of essays about medicine, Incidental Findings.