Upcoming Events

During this season of giving, please consider donating to the 26th Annual Columbia Community Service (CCS) Toy Drive. Ease the burden for families who must choose between buying food and buying toys for their children. This year’s Drive will run from Nov. 11 to Dec. 13 and will support nine community organizations that work with children.  For many years, the President's Office has led this initiative, and as a result, employees from Columbia University, Barnard College, and Teachers College have donated thousands of new, unwrapped toys that have been distributed to local nonprofits that provide services to youth and families with children. The success of this effort depends on you!  If you are unable to drop off a toy, please feel free to have one shipped directly to the CCS Office at 2980 Broadway, Earl Hall, Room 304, New York, NY 10027 no later than Friday, Dec. 6. The following locations will have containers to collect donations between the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Morningside Campus: Dodge Fitness Center: To your right after the turnstiles at the entrance The Journalism School: The lobby of the main entrance Office of Alumni Development: 622 West 113th Street Public Safety Office: Room 111, Low Library School of Social Work: The lobby on the ground floor Manhattanville Campus: Columbia Business School: The lobbies of both Kravis and Geffen Halls The Forum: The main lobby near the security desk The Studebaker Building: The Lobby area, after the turnstiles Public Safety Office: 3270 Broadway Baker Athletics Complex Main Lobby: 533 W 218th Street Barnard College Financial Fluency Suite in the Lefrak Center for Well-Being, from Monday, Nov. 11 – Friday, Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Teachers College 128 Zankel Hall & Whittier Hall Public Safety Desk, from Monday, Dec. 2 to Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"Building Your Pathway to Leadership" This session of the Mid-Career Faculty Development Series will focus on actionable strategies faculty can use to develop pathways into leadership role(s). This session will cover the following topics: Strategies for positioning yourself for a leadership role Expectations for and experience needed for various leadership roles (i.e., vice chair, dept chair, division chief, dean, directors) Strategies for assessing your skillset/knowledge gaps  This series is designed for faculty from all four health science schools who are near or at the associate professor/early full professor rank. Attendees will have opportunities for networking. Holiday bites and refreshments will be served. Please note this program is in-person only and will not be recorded. Presenters: Noémie Elhadad, PhD Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics Chair, Department of Biomedical Informatics Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Michael A. Joseph, PhD, MPH Associate Professor of Epidemiology at CUMC Vice Dean for Education Mailman School of Public Health Angela M. Mills, MD J.E. Beaumont Professor of Emergency Medicine at CUMC Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Christine H. Rohde, MD, MPH Herbert and Florence Irving Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (in Surgery) at CUMC Chief, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Vice Chair, Faculty Development and Diversity, Department of Surgery Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Olajide A. Williams, MD Professor of Neurology and Health Policy and Management Vice Dean of Community Research and Engagement Mailman School of Public Health Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

The Dean’s Seminar Series on Infectious Disease Modeling is co-hosted by the Department of Environmental Health Science, Department of Epidemiology, and ICAP at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. This seminar series features experts presenting the latest research in infectious disease modeling and epidemiology from various disciplines. This series will be online only. Attending over Zoom requires registration. Affiliates outside of Columbia are welcome to attend via Zoom. This series is presented by Dr. Grewn Knight, Associate Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.  Seminar Title: How important is antibiotic use to antibiotic resistance? Abstract:  Antibiotics are a cornerstone of modern medicine but also the agents of their own downfall in that their use drives the global public health problem that is antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, quantifying the relationship between AMR and antibiotic exposure is difficult, requiring an understanding of the complex interactions between selection pressure and AMR transmission. Mathematical models are powerful tools for dissecting these complexities, allowing us to explore various concepts and synthesize data across different levels of biological and clinical organization. In this talk, I will present my interdisciplinary research aiming to quantify the impact of antibiotic selection on resistance, beginning with an outline of the general structure of compartmental transmission models of AMR, emphasizing the common assumptions that underpin these models. Following this, I will discuss data from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), which challenge conventional expectations about the effects of antibiotics. To address these discrepancies, I will demonstrate the value of integrating modelling with laboratory research, highlighting the critical role of single data systems and the potential double-edged sword of (bacterio)phage therapy as a solution to combat AMR. Furthermore, I will present ecological analyses that align with the GOSH data, using disaggregated data on how AMR varies by age and sex to reveal new complexities in selection by antibiotics. This interdisciplinary talk will underscore the unexpected, complex, and context-specific nature of antibiotic effects, illustrating the importance of using different levels of modelling and data analysis to tackle AMR. For the speakers and dates of the future events, please check our website.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) agenda. Despite these important milestones, an increasing number of children worldwide continue to suffer grave violations in armed conflict. Currently, the UN has implemented 18 action plans with armed actors across 10 countries to address grave violations against children. In our first two conversations of the Children and Armed Conflict series, we examined the challenges faced by children in conflict zones, root causes, and the increasingly widespread practices of arbitrary detention and denationalization. In this third and final webinar, we build on this knowledge to identify practical steps and priorities for action. What can we, as public health professionals, practitioners, students, and researchers, do to address the urgent needs of children in armed conflict? What lessons have we learned from past experience? And what research and evidence are needed to guide effective advocacy and action? This interactive panel discussion will bring together experts from Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).  Rob Grace will share key findings and data from the Watchlist Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) Global Dashboard, which allows for analysis of trends in grave violations against children over time, and Watchlist’s on-line digital library on CAAC, which collates national laws and policies that have been essential to implementing the CAAC agenda. Mikiko Otani will explore the role of the CRC in protecting children in conflict-affected settings, and Laura Perez will discuss strategies to ensure that these mandates address the needs of all affected children, including children with disabilities. Throughout, participants will be encouraged to apply critical thinking and research skills in service of public health advocacy and action. Panelists:  •  Dr. Rob Grace, Lead Researcher, Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict  •  Mikiko Otani, Member and former Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child •  Laura Perez, Co-Director, Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy Concentration, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA)  Moderator: Faith Nimineh, Senior Advisor, Humanitarian Affairs, ChildFund Alliance