The vascular surgery residency program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has been expanded to include the Columbia University Medical Center campus, along with the Weill Cornell Medical Center campus, as a clinical training site. As a result of the change, the program will have one of the largest number of teaching staff, and one of the most robust and diverse endovascular training experiences in the U.S.

An experienced nurse leader who promotes clinical excellence in nursing, Wilhelmina M. Manzano, M.A., R.N., has been named senior vice president and chief nursing officer (CNO) at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System.

In any bioterror attack, vaccines that provide a rapid, effective defense against the pathogen will be key to saving lives. However, in the case of anthrax, vaccines available today can take weeks or even months to gain full effect. Research underway at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City may provide health officials with a much quicker option. Using gene transfer technology, investigators here were able to immunize mice against anthrax in just 12 hours.

Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City and The Methodist Hospital in Houston jointly announced today that they have entered into an historic medical affiliation that will benefit residents of New York and Texas. Under the terms of the 30-year agreement, The Methodist Hospital's primary affiliation will be with Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Physicians at The Methodist Hospital can choose to have faculty appointments at Weill Cornell Medical College.

A new screening technology that could detect lung cancer much earlier than ever before was funded today through matching grants of $1.8 million respectively from the American Legacy Foundation and the UK's Medicsight Foundation.

Each year more than five million people go to emergency departments with complaints of chest pain. A quick and effective diagnosis is essential in order to determine if a patient has a minor ailment or a life-threatening condition. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has been designated as an Accredited Chest Pain Center by the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC), an international organization dedicated to significantly reducing heart-related deaths by improving the response time for diagnosis and treatment of chest pain. The designation, which is the first in the tri-state area and one of only 30 nationwide, is given to institutions that meet the highest standards of care for patients with acute coronary disease.

Weill Cornell Medical College has received a $250,000 grant from the Avon Foundation to support a unique new meditation-based stress reduction program for women who have been treated for breast cancer or gynecologic cancer.

Dr. Bai Lu of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Dr. Barbara Hempstead of Weill Medical College of Cornell University have teamed up to solve one of the fundamental mysteries of human memory. They have identified the key events and proteins involved in long-term memory. Their findings provide insight into the biochemical basis of memory, and may help in the development of drugs to ameliorate memory disorders.