Dear WCM Community,
As we begin to see the earliest signs of spring, I hope you share in my excitement about our growth and anticipation for the traditional milestones just around the corner. I recently celebrated Match Day with our Class of 2024 medical students, many of whom will soon be leaving Weill Cornell to begin their residencies at top programs nationwide and across a broad range of specialties. The celebratory ceremony is one of many events demonstrating how Weill Cornell Medicine is shaping the next generation of healthcare leaders.
Weill Cornell is a top tier medical school, and we’re routinely being recognized for our excellence. Castle Connolly put us in the top 7 percent nationally for our clinical care, including 412 doctors top-ranked across 66 specialties. Simultaneously, we’re elevating our research, according to the Blue Ridge rankings for National Institutes of Health research funding.
Along York Avenue and around New York, you can see we’re investing in all three missions through capital projects. Through our Enterprise Innovation program, we have recently received a total of 64 patents and 44 active startups that have raised a cumulative $1.88 billion.
Just as importantly, our community partnerships remain strong and help extend the impact and breadth of Weill Cornell scholarship. This year, we’re celebrating our 20th year of collaboration with Houston Methodist Hospital, a tremendous milestone. We are also forging new partnerships with global institutions like the European School of Medicine and Management in Paris.
Below find more highlights of the progress and achievements our students, faculty and partners have made so far in 2024:
- WCM rose to the 21st spot in the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research 2023 rankings for NIH research funding. Many of our departments, including OB/GYN, Biochemistry, Medicine, Surgery, Dermatology, Radiation-Diagnostic / Oncology, and Public Health, also rose in the departmental rankings.
- The We’re Changing Medicine campaign has raised more than $1.338 billion toward our campaign goal of $1.5 billion. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity and vision of our donors and alumni, we’ve raised $101.1 million since July 1, 2023.
- A new international educational partnership between WCM and the European School of Medicine and Management (ESMM) in Paris will offer ESMM students the opportunity to participate in a 2-month rotation in New York City and additional opportunities for Weill Cornell students and faculty to study management. The school anticipates opening the program in September 2024 with a soft launch followed by an initial class of enrolled students in September 2025.
- New leadership in the Department of Pediatrics at WCM and NYP Komansky Children’s Hospital includes two new recruits: Dr. Bernhard Kühn, chief of pediatric cardiology; and Dr. Juan Pascual, chief of pediatric neurology. Dr. Jennie Ono is now chief of pediatrics at NYP/Queens. All guide a skilled team of physicians, scientists, staff and trainees committed to improving children’s health.
- The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI), the largest concentration of immuno-oncology expertise in the world, announced it has added WCM to its network of preeminent academic and medical research institutions at the forefront of the fight against cancer. WCM will establish a PICI immuno-oncology research center, co-directed by Dr. Jedd Wolchok, the Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, and Dr. Taha Merghoub, Meyer Cancer Center Deputy Director.
- We are pleased to report that WCM community members received 27 major competitive research awards totaling $65,353,103 between November 1, 2023, and January 24, 2024.
- Enterprise Innovation reported 13 invention disclosures, 29 U.S. and 25 international patent applications filed, and 10 U.S. and 22 international patents issued.
- The Graduate School's Office of Student Diversity has been awarded a five-year training grant by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the NIH. This grant will provide support to incoming Ph.D. students. Selected students will receive two years of funding, personalized mentoring, and professional and career development opportunities.
- Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar hosted its first conference for primary care physicians, organized entirely by graduates of the college. Over two days, WCM-Q-trained physicians delivered in-depth lectures, engaging roundtable discussions and debates to share the latest updates in clinical best practice with local family physicians, general practitioners and primary care doctors.
- This spring semester 1/4 of the Class of 2024 will be participating in international clinical electives in 13 different countries, including 2 students heading to WCM-Qatar.
Thank you for being a valuable part of our community and for your support of my leadership on our missions to care, discover and teach. My priority this year is to engage, grow and strengthen our institution so that we can serve more patients, educate future generations of healthcare professionals, and support groundbreaking research for years to come.
I look forward to sharing more achievements and milestones with you in the future.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Harrington, M.D.
Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean
Weill Cornell Medicine
Provost for Medical Affairs
Cornell University