Faculty News
This faculty news section highlights recent media appearances, publications, awards, and presentations by HPM faculty, both full-time and adjunct members, over the past few months. While not exhaustive, it offers a snapshot of the breadth of faculty activity and impact.
January 2026 - May 2026
Professor Sorcha Brophywas quoted in a Bloomberg Law article regarding the California health worker strike and healthcare divestment.
Professors Sorcha Brophy and Thalia Porteny received funding from the Commonwealth Fund to study how artificial intelligence is being adopted in Community Health Centers and its implications for workforce well-being in the healthcare safety net. Through interviews with health center leaders, frontline providers, and AI developers nationwide, the project will generate evidence to help guide responsible, workforce-centered AI implementation in organizations that care for millions of underserved Americans. The project will also create a foundation for future mixed-methods research examining AI adoption, organizational readiness, and workforce impacts across safety-net health systems. Additional philanthropic and research investments could help expand this work into one of the first large-scale efforts to understand how AI is reshaping care delivery in the healthcare safety net.
Professor Heather Butts was featured in a Staten Island Advance article about honoring Rossville AME Zion Church at this year’s Untold Stories Reception.
Professor Fran Caracappa continues to teach Accounting and Budgeting at HPM, though she has left her administrative position at the Medical Center. In addition, she has again ventured into politics. After an unsuccessful bid for a seat on her local town board, Fran is now running for the Dutchess County Legislature. Most recently she finds herself in the data center debate, which a potential 1Gig Data Center now under review by NYS ISO. The data center would be in her district and, if moved forward, would be the largest in the Northeast. Fran has rallied on both sides of the Hudon with Food & Water Watch, which fights for safe food, clean water, and a livable climate. To see more of what Fran is up to, you can find her social media links on her website.
Professors Julius Chen and Mitchell Tang ran and completed the 2026 RBC Brooklyn Half Marathon together.
Professor Jamie Daw published an article in Obstetrics and Gynecology analyzing the recovery of pregnancy-related mortality rates since the COVID-19 pandemic. The study found that maternal deaths have remained significantly higher for Black mothers, despite returns to pre-pandemic levels for most other groups. This research was featured in US News and World Report.
Professor Jamie Dawpublished an article in Pediatrics showing that continuous Medicaid eligibility during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with large reductions in health insurance gaps and ED use among publicly insured children, especially those with special health care needs.
Professor Jamie Daw and HPM Alumni Nicole Wong (MPH 25’) published an article in BMJ Archives of Disease in Childhood examining the association between maternal postpartum mood and anxiety disorder symptoms and infant health-related quality of life at age one.
Professor Kacie Dragan published an article in the Journal of Health Economics showing an increased risk of housing instability and homelessness after people experience a major adverse health event.
Professor Kacie Dragan received an Early Career Scholarship Grant from Columbia's Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement. The grant, together with Professor Jamie Daw and colleagues at Weill Cornell Medicine, will be used to host a Medicaid Research Symposium with 50 researchers from across the region in Spring 2027.
Professor Elena Elkin published an article in BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making entitled, “Facilitating informed decisions about breast cancer screening: development and evaluation of a web-based decision aid for women in their 40s”.
Dr. Erin Ferenchickpublished a commentary in The Lancet Primary Care on the political declaration of the fourth high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and wellbeing, emphasizing the critical role family physicians play in integrating mental health services into primary care.
Professor Yuna Lee, together with HPM Executive MHA student and emergency medicine physician Dr. Ben-zion Rotter and recent HPM graduate Anupam Sharma (MPH 26’), recently authored pieces in Health Affairs Forefront and Becker’s Healthcare on physician leadership in complex health systems. Using emergency medicine as an exemplar, the articles highlight the importance of systems-level leadership skills for physicians.
Professor Ari Markenson, J.D., M.P.H. (MPH '98) was recently named a Crain's New York Business Notable Leader in Healthcare 2026, and was announced as a member of Law360’s 2026 Healthcare Editorial Advisory Board. Ari was also ranked in Chambers & Partners’ 2026 New York Healthcare category. Learn more about his career journey in Venerable’s Spotlight Q&A article from this past April.
Professor Matt Neidell published a paper that found that community water fluoridation (CWF) is not associated with significant changes in birth weight. This finding was referenced in a New York Times article.
Professor Alexander S. Preker published several LinkedIn articles that illustrate how U.S. politics, markets, demographics, and culture impact it's Healthcare Industry.
Dr. Kai Ruggeri is a contributor on a major global WHO report on the role of behavioral science in national public health programs.
Professor Adam Sacarny's JAMA Health Forum paper, "Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Reminder Emails, Program Use, and Prescribing," (December 2025) has been selected as a JAMA Network Clinical Trial of the Year, and is featured on the newly launched JAMA+ Trials.
Professor Jeanne Stellman was the Section Editor of Section 6 - Occupational and Environmental Determinants of Health in the 3rd Edition of Women and Health, released in May 2026.
Professor Eric Wei was named in Crain’s New York Business 2026 Notable Leaders in Health Care list.
Professor John S. Winkleman was recognized with the “HPM Simulation Pioneer” award for his outstanding contributions to the department through the Health System Simulation. This year, he and his team expanded the program to include all HPM students.
Professor John S. Winkleman(Director, The Healthcare System Simulation and The Consulting Practice) and Andi Choi (SVP, Finance and Administration, New York Academy of Medicine, Adjunct Faculty, HPM/Mailman and HPM EXEC MHA‘22) presented on the topic of Creating the Successful Transition at ACHE in Houston. During their remarks, they described best practices in healthcare leadership acclimatization planning and identified approaches for proactive acclimatization planning during critical times of change.