Leonard and Christini Named Vice Chairs for Research in Department of Medicine
Dr. John Leonard
Dr. David Christini
March 9, 2012
Dr. Andrew Schafer, Chairman of the Department of Medicine, announced today that John P. Leonard, M.D., the Richard T. Silver Distinguished Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology, has been appointed Vice Chair for Clinical Research in the Department of Medicine and that David J. Christini, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine (in Cardiology) has been appointed Vice Chair for Basic Research in the Department. Drs. Leonard and Christini will be working with Dr. Schafer directly to advance the broad research mission of the Department of Medicine, as well as the Department's parent institutions, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, and the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
John Leonard is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine and has been at Weill Cornell since his training as a Resident, Chief Resident, and Hematology-Oncology Fellow. He was promoted to Professor of Medicine in 2007, and now also serves as Chief of the Lymphoma/Myeloma Service, Director of Clinical Research in Hematology-Oncology, and Associate Director for Clinical Research of the Weill Cornell Cancer Center. An internationally recognized expert in the treatment of lymphomas, John has been a pioneer of monoclonal antibody based therapies. He has been the leader of major clinical trials funded by the NIH and conducted through the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) of the National Cancer Institute. During the past two years he has spearheaded innovative initiatives in the Department of Medicine to facilitate cutting edge patient-oriented research.
David Christini received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, and joined our faculty after completing a postdoctoral fellowship in cardiac electrophysiology. He was promoted to Professor of Medicine (with tenure) in 2010, with secondary appointments in Physiology and Biophysics, Computational Biomedicine, and Biomedical Engineering at the University. Since 2009, David has served as Director of Basic Cardiovascular Research in the Greenberg Division of Cardiology. His research group, funded by the NIH, has been a leader in our understanding of cardiac electrophysiological dynamics from the cellular to the organ level, using experimental and computational approaches to study the mechanisms of arrhythmia initiation and in developing new arrhythmia therapies.
In making the announcement, Dr. Schafer noted that both Dr. Leonard and Dr. Christini "lead world-class research programs that are highly interdisciplinary and both of them are known for their gifts in mentoring young investigators, qualities that will be especially well suited for their new roles in leading the research enterprise in the Department of Medicine. I greatly look forward to working closely with them."