News and Events

Appointed to the NY State Cardiac Advisory Committee - November 2016

Appointed to the National Marfan Foundation Professional Advisory Board - December 2016

Many patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have no identifiable mutations, and therefore their disease cannot be managed with targeted treatments. These patients often experience disease progression despite chemotherapy. However, a study led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medical Medicine used a new approach to examine crosstalk between cancer cells and cells in the microenvironment in NSCLC. Instead of looking at the tumor as a whole, the researchers used deep sequencing of RNA to analyze individual cell populations isolated from NSCLC specimens, an approach that could someday lead to new treatments for patients with NSCLC. 

The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine|NewYork-Presbyterian is pleased to announce a new, ACGME-approved, Thoracic Surgery Residency position "tracked" towards General Thoracic Surgery. This two-year residency program will be effective for start date of July 1, 2013. The program covers all aspects of general thoracic surgery, both benign and malignant, with an emphasis on minimally invasive procedures such a VATS lobectomy/segmentectomy, minimally invasive esophagectomy, and laparascopic foregut surgery. Advanced endoscopic and bronchoscopic techniques such as endomucousal resection, airway stenting, radiofrequency ablation, and navigational bronchoscopy will also be covered. The 2 years will consist of approximately 12 months of General Thoracic rotations and 12 months of Cardiac Surgery rotations, preparing the trainee to sit for the American Board of Thoracic Surgery examination via the General Thoracic Pathway.

Applicants should apply promptly, no later than April 6, 2012. Those interested in starting July 2013 will apply via ERAS and the NRMP in Standard fashion. Please contact Jeannette Torres jtorres@med.cornell.edu or Richard Appell at ria2005@med.cornell.edu for application details. Program questions can be addressed to Nasser K. Altorki, MD, Professor and Chief Division of Thoracic Surgery, nkaltork@med.cornell.edu.

Oncologists have known that in order for cancer cells to spread, they must transform themselves so they can detach from a tumor and spread to a distant organ. Now, scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine have revealed critical steps in what happens next — how these cells reverse the process, morphing back into classical cancer that can now grow into a new tumor.