Meet Our Team
Faculty
Anil Lalwani, MD
- Professor of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery
Dr. Lalwani is Associate Dean for Student Research at VP&S. He is Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Director of Division of Otology, Neurotology & Skull Base Surgery, Co-Director of Columbia Cochlear Implant Program in the Department of Otolaryngology and the Medical Director of Perioperative Services at NewYork Presbyterian / CUIMC. He completed his medical training at the University of Michigan, Duke University, the University of California, San Francisco, and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. He has served on the faculties of the University of California, San Francisco and New York University, where he was department chair, prior to joining the faculty at VP&S in 2012.
Utpal Pajvani, MD
- Associate Professor of Medicine
Dr. Utpal Pajvani, MD, PHD Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology at Columbia University, and Director of the Scholarly Projects Program, is a physician- scientist with clinical and research focus in Type 2 Diabetes and related metabolic diseases. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in Biology in 1996, then earned M.S. (2001), M.D. (2005) and Ph.D. (Department of Cell Biology, 2005) degrees from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Pajvani completed his internship and residency training and is board certified in Internal Medicine (2007) and fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism (2011), both at the Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Pajvani has been on the faculty of Columbia University since 2011. He is a teaching attending on the inpatient and outpatient Endocrinology and General Medicine services of the New York Presbyterian Hospital, and sees patients at the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University. Dr. Pajvani’s research focuses on the role of developmental pathways in the regulation of Type 2 Diabetes and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, and the use of existing therapeutic agents in other scientific areas in novel applications to ameliorate obesity-induced complications including cancer. He has received intramural and NIH support for his research and has mentored medical and graduate students as well as postdoctoral and clinical fellows. He will help you identify mentors and develop your research interests.
Michael Yin, MD, MS
- Associate Professor of Medicine
Michael T Yin, MD, MS, is Director for the Program for Education in Global and Population Health. He is also Director of the Global and Population Health Track of Scholarly Projects and of the Global and Population Health focus of the MD/MS in Biomedical Sciences at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Yin is Associate Professor of Medicine and Program Director for the Fellowship Training Program in Infectious Diseases at CUIMC. Dr. Yin is the Co-director of the Biobehavioral Core of the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at NYSPI and Deputy Director of the Wu Family China Center at CUIMC. His clinical work and research focus on optimization of HIV treatment and care. In particular, he is interested in prevention of metabolic complications associated with chronic inflammation and antiretroviral therapy throughout the lifespan, from children with perinatal HIV acquisition to older adults living with HIV. He is an active investigator in Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) and the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), and maintains research collaborations in South Africa, China, and Brazil.
Kim Hekimian, PhD
- Assistant Professor of Nutrition (in Pediatrics and in the Institute of Human Nutrition) at the Columbia University Medical Center
Kim Hekimian, PhD, is the Associate Director of Education for the Program for Education in Global and Population Health and Assistant Professor of Nutrition in Pediatrics (Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) and the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University. Dr. Hekimian received her PhD in Health Policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health with a concentration in Behavioral Science and Health Education. Her research has focused on feeding practices of infants and children in Armenia.
James Noble, MD, MS
- Associate Professor of Neurology (in the Taub Institute and the Sergievsky Center) at CUMC
Dr. Noble completed his undergraduate studies in math and chemistry at Vanderbilt University, followed by medical school at Emory University. His graduate medical training included internal medicine internship, neurology residency including chief resident in neurology, and neuroepidemiology and behavioral neurology fellowship, all at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Accordingly, he is board certified in neurology, behavioral neurology & neuropsychiatry, and public health.
Dr. Noble primarily sees patients with dementia but is also involved in multidisciplinary clinical and research efforts to support patients with persistent post-concussive symptoms. Dr. Noble is fluent in Spanish and his comprehensive approach to care views the patient within the entire family dynamic, with particular focus on disadvantaged communities.
Dr. Noble is also a recognized neurologic educator at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, having held leadership positions as a current or former lead of its neurology clerkship, preclinical neuroscience training and summer research training programs. He has received an AAN A.B. Baker Teacher Recognition Award and is a scholar in Columbia’s Virginia Apgar Teaching Academy. Aside from his clinical work and commitment to neurologic education, Dr. Noble directs and supports several longitudinal NIH-supported research initiatives related to Columbia’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, all of which aim to identify novel lifecourse modifiable risk factors for cognitive aging and means to improve public health literacy.
His professional leadership has been recognized by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). He was an inaugural member of the AAN Emerging Leaders Program and is a Fellow of the AAN. He is the co-editor of the 14th edition of Merritt’s Neurology, a standard global neurology textbook. He is the author of Navigating Life with Dementia, a handbook for dementia caregivers. Dr. Noble co-founded Arts & Minds, a non-profit organization promoting well-being for dementia patients and their caregivers via art-centered experiences, as well as NoMo Diagnostics, which aims to better diagnose concussion with technology Dr. Noble and others developed at Columbia University.
Rudolph Leibel, MD
Dr. Rudolph Leibel, MD, is Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Medicine, and is Co-Director of the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Molecular Genetics. His research focuses on the genetics of obesity and noninsulin-dependent diabetes. His laboratory has mapped, cloned, and identified mutations in the obese and fatty genes in rats, mice, and, mllore recently, in humans. The obese gene encodes leptin, an adipose derived hormone responsible for regulating body weight, whereas the fatty gene encodes the leptin receptor. Currently, his research group is defining the physiological bases by which this and related signaling networks regulate body size and composition. For example, changes in leptin production following reduction in body fat might play a role in the metabolic changes that accompany weight loss in humans. Dr. Leibel's laboratory is also working to isolate additional rodent genes that influence body weight and the susceptibility to noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus in the context of obesity. Laboratory members have extended their genetic studies to search for similar obesity and diabetes related genes in human families.
Qais Al-Awqati
Dr. Qais Al-Awqati is the Jay I. Meltzer Professor of Nephrology and Hypertension and the Robert F. Loeb Professor of Medicine at Columbia University and has served as Chief of the Nephrology Division at Columbia since 1978. Dr. Al-Awqati focuses his research on the mechanism of differentiation of epithelial cells in the kidney and throughout the body.
Dr. Al-Awqati also serves as an editor for scientific journals, including Science, the Journal of Cell Biology, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, and Kidney International, and is a member of the editorial boards of many other publications. Dr. Qais Al-Awqati is the recipient of numerous awards in recognition of his research, including the NIH MERIT Award, the Columbia Triennial Award in Science, the Robert W. Berliner Prize of the American Physiological Society, and the Homer W. Smith Award of the American Society of Nephrology.
Dr. Qais Al-Awqati received his medical degree from the University of Baghdad College of Medicine. At a time when Iraq was suffering from the first major epidemic of cholera in its modern history, Dr. Al-Awqati, then a resident in medicine, established a hospital specifically for the treatment of cholera patients. This hospital was so successful in its treatment of cholera that only one patient succumbed to the disease, out of more than 400 patients admitted.
Administrative Staff
Jessica Soursourian, MPA
- Director of Student Research and Global Health
Jessica is the Program Director in Student Research and Global & Population Health. Prior to VP&S, she spent 7 years at Columbia Business School, most recently as the Director of Academic Affairs in the Executive MBA program. She received her MPA in Public and Nonprofit Administration from NYU. Originally from New England, she is a longtime Brooklyn resident, where she resides with her husband and daughter.
Sivanthy Vasanthan, MPH
- Program Coordinator in Student Research and Global Health
Sivanthy Vasanthan, MPH, is the Program Coordinator for the Program for Education in Global and Population Health. Sivanthy obtained her MPH from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. She has worked at the intersection of Health Sciences and Education. Prior to coming to VP&S, Sivanthy worked with NYC Health and Hospitals and the Research Foundation of CUNY.
Kimberly Velazquez, MA
- Program Coordinator in Student Research and Scholarly Projects
Kimberly Velazquez, MA, is the Program Coordinator in Student Research and Scholarly Projects. Kimberly obtained her MA in General Psychology from The City College of New York. She has a strong background in research and administration and has worked at nonprofits in the healthcare and research sectors. Prior to VP&S, Kimberly worked with Project Renewal Inc., Academia, and NYC Health and Hospitals.
