[All Institutions]

Senior and New Scholars Awards for Columbia University


Dr. Iva Greenwald

Columbia University

Regulation of B-Raf signaling by the ubiquitin ligase Fbw7: implications for aging, protein homeostasis, and cancer

2012 senior Scholar Award in aging

C. elegans research has made profound contributions to the fields of aging, health and disease. In particular, genetic analysis in C. elegans has identified components of major signaling pathways that underlie diseases of aging such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and revealed signaling events that mediate the aging process per... more >>

Dr. Richard S. Mann

Columbia University

The decline of motor coordination during aging

2012 senior Scholar Award in aging

One of the most prominent hallmarks of aging is a dramatic and often devastating decline in motor skills. Typically, a decline in motor coordination leads to problems in walking, including the ability to maintain a uniform gait and balance. Falls due to a loss of balance and motor coordination are a major cause of serious injuries in older... more >>

Dr. Liza Pon

Columbia University

Mitochondrial-cytoskeletal interactions and aging

2010 senior Scholar Award in aging
It seems self-evident that babies are born young, independent of the age of their parents. However, this process poses a challenge to anyone thinking about the biological basis of aging. How does a mother whose cells have aged for 20, 30, or 40 years produce a baby with a whole lifetime ahead of them? This seeming paradox, known as mother-... more >>

Dr. Jonathan Dworkin

Columbia University

Role of microbiota in the aging of a model organism

2009 senior Scholar Award in aging

The dramatic increase in human longevity observed during the 20th century can largely be attributed to improved sanitation in the first part of the century and to the introduction of antibiotics following WWII. While these changes certainly reduced the burden of pathogenic bacterial species, recent work has demonstrated the critical role that... more >>

Dr. Eric Schon

Columbia University

Mitochondria-associated membranes in Alzheimer disease

2009 senior Scholar Award in aging

The cause of Alzheimer disease (AD), the most common neurodegenerative disorder of aging, is unclear. It is known that there is an increased accumulation of various proteins in the brain of AD patients (in so-called "amyloid plaques" and "tangles") that are clearly associated with the progression of the disease, but their... more >>

Dr. Charles Zuker

Columbia University

Mammalian Taste Cell Differentiation, Renewal and Maintenance

2009 senior Scholar Award in aging
The sense of taste is essential for the selection of proper nutrients and the overall health of an individual. Unfortunately, acuity in the peripheral taste system progressively declines with age and significantly impacts quality of life in the elderly. Taste receptor cells in the oral cavity normally turnover within just a few days, making the... more >>

Dr. Fred Chang

Columbia University

Segregation of Damaged Proteins in Fission Yeast

2008 senior Scholar Award in aging
A cell can divide to produce two sister cells with different lifespans. One reason for this difference in lifespan potential may be because one of the cells inherits an unequal share of toxic, damaged proteins. This process has been characterized in budding yeast, in which oxidatively damaged proteins accumulate in the mother bud prior to... more >>

Dr. W. Ian Lipkin

Columbia University

Pandora's Box Project

2001 senior Scholar Award in gid

The goal of this project is to establish rapid, sensitive methods for virus detection, and apply them in global networks for infectious disease surveillance and pathogen discovery.

Genome projects and high throughput methods for profiling gene statement using cDNAs and oligonucleotides have revolutionized biology by providing tools for... more >>

Dr. Ronald O. Reider

Columbia University

Joint Training in Psychiatry and Neurology

2002 New Initiative Scholar Award in Other
The Ellison Medical Foundation has awarded $100,000 to support joint training in Psychiatry and Neurology at Columbia University. This will be done via training retreats for residents from each of these departments at Columbia University in order to synergize understanding of particular disorders within both the psychiatric and neurological realms... more >>

Dr. Tae-Wan Kim

Columbia University

Genetic Studies of Factors Controlling Amyloid Production

2002 new Scholar Award in aging
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of age-related dementia and one of the most serious health problems in the U.S. Most cases of early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) are caused by mutations in two related genes, known as presenilin 1 and 2 (PS1 and PS2). Deciphering the pathobiology associated with the presenilins provides... more >>

Non-Scholar Awards for Columbia University


Genes, Genomes: Impact on Medicine and Society

Columbia University

2003 Conferences and Workshops Scholar Award in Other
The Ellison Medical Foundation awarded $25,000 to help support a symposium on Genes, Genomes: Impact on Medicine and Society to commemorate the opening celebration of Columbia Universityís 250th anniversary. The symposium will be held at Columbia University, New York City on October 16-17, 2003. Further information to appear at:... more >>

Funded Institutions

The Ellison Medical Foundation fosters research by means of grants-in-aid on behalf of investigators to universities and laboratories within the United States. Institutions receiving awards must be tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations or U.S. colleges or universities.