2011-2012 Recipients

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2011-2012 Calderone Awards, which support junior faculty development.

Bibhas Chakraborty, Department of Biostatistics, was recognized for his research "Estimating Optimal Treatment Policies from Community-Based Studies." Chakraborty uses statistical analysis to develop treatment policies based on the subject's own personal characteristics and past treatments received. The methodology can be applied to a variety of health domains including mental illnesses, substance abuse, cancer, HIV infection, and stroke prevention, consistent with a chronic care model.

With the recognition by the Calderone Junior Faculty award committee, Chakraborty will extend his existing methodologies to develop evidence-based treatment policies to wider community-based studies.

Megan Hall, ScD, Department of Epidemiology, was cited for her research "Pilot Study of Choline and Betaine Supplementation in Arsenic-Exposed Individuals in Bangladesh." The award will support her pilot study of two nutrients, choline and betaine, among Bangladeshi adults who are chronically exposed to arsenic in drinking water. The goal of Hall's work is to generate data for further study on how these supplements affect arsenic detoxification, with the ultimate goal of developing low-cost, low-risk nutritional interventions that could lower the long-term health risks associated with arsenic. 

The project is one of several on which Hall collaborates with the Columbia University Superfund Research Program.

Jeanine Genkinger, PhD, MHS, Department of Epidemiology, will continue her ongoing research on "Epigenetic Markers of Pancreatic Carcinogenesis." Genkinger, who studies rare, highly fatal cancers, will develop a pilot study of individuals who have been diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, in which she will collect epidemiological data and blood and link to tissue specimens. She also will look into how nutritional factors contribute to pancreatic cancer risk and mortality. 

Ultimately, the goal of Dr. Genkinger's research is to help predict the risk and progression of pancreatic cancer by better understanding modifiable factors and relevant, less invasively collected biospecimens.