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Neighborhood redevelopment, which transforms low-income neighborhoods through rezoning, new construction and renovation, can lead to health benefits, such as greater access to fresh produce, improved housing, and more green spaces. But these advantages may not extend to all area residents. More information is needed about the impact of redevelopment, also known as urban renewal, on health, particularly if it contributes to inequities among middle-aged and older adults.

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Cardiology researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System have received a five-year, $5.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore the underlying causes of heart failure among Hispanics/Latinos, who are at heightened risk for heart disease. Investigators will take a novel approach to assess risk: by simultaneously evaluating heart function and the relationship between the heart and the aorta, the large artery that conveys oxygen-rich blood from the heart’s left ventricle to the rest of the body.

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Investigators at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Health System, Regenstrief Institute, and Indiana University School of Medicine have received an $11 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to evaluate an Einstein-developed test for assessing cognitive impairment and dementia.

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Ulrich Steidl, M.D., Ph.D., an internationally recognized leader in cancer and stem cell biology, has been named the chair of the department of cell biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Steidl assumes his new position as Arthur Skoultchi, Ph.D., who has led the department with distinction for 24 years, steps down from departmental leadership. Dr. Steidl is currently professor of cell biology, of oncology, and of medicine; interim director of the Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine; and the Edward P. Evans Endowed Professor for Myelodysplastic Syndromes at Einstein; and deputy director of Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center (MECC) and co-director of MECC’s Blood Cancer Institute.

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The National Institutes of Health has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine a five-year, $6.6 million grant to lead a New York-based consortium of medical schools to train young scientists in kidney, urology, and hematology research.

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Immune checkpoint inhibitors such as Keytruda and Opdivo work by unleashing the immune system’s T cells to attack tumor cells. Their introduction a decade ago marked a major advance in cancer therapy, but only 10% to 30% of treated patients experience long-term improvement. In a paper published online today in The Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI), scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine describe findings that could bolster the effectiveness of immune-checkpoint therapy.

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Albert Einstein College of Medicine has appointed national diversity innovator and emergency medicine physician Lynne M. Holden, M.D., senior associate dean for diversity and inclusion (D&I). Dr. Holden, a member of Einstein’s faculty since 1996, is an accomplished leader both within her medical discipline and in her efforts to help diversify the medical workforce.

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Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have now received a five-year, $3.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to assess the tradeoffs between soccer’s aerobic brain benefits and the adverse effects from heading in a study employing neuroimaging, exercise testing, and cognitive testing.

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Bronx county has the country’s fifth-highest rate of HIV diagnosis—but the lowest rate in New York State for use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), medications that are extremely effective in preventing HIV infection. Physician-researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System have received a five-year, $4.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to compare two strategies for improving PrEP access and use in the Bronx.

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The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded Jonathan Backer, M.D., professor and chair of molecular pharmacology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and associate director for shared resources at Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center (MECC), a five-year, $10 million team science (P01) grant to investigate the mechanisms regulating cancer cells that seed tumors in the lungs, a key metastatic site for breast cancer.

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Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers have been awarded a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the effects of COVID-19 on the brains of adults who had mild or asymptomatic infection. Using neuroimaging, cognitive, and immunological tests, the investigators will examine if SARS-CoV-2 infection induces lasting changes in the brain and affects neurocognitive function.

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A mysterious form of diabetes known as malnutrition-related diabetes afflicts tens of millions of people in Asian and sub-Saharan African countries. Its victims—mainly thin and impoverished adolescents and young adults—rarely live more than a year after diagnosis. Their young age and thinness suggest type 1 diabetes (T1D), but insulin injections usually don’t help and can even cause death from low blood sugar. Nor do patients seem to have type 2 diabetes (T2D), which is typically associated with obesity.

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The National Cancer Institute-designated Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center (MECC) has partnered with the Price Family Foundation to fund eight research teams developing novel cancer therapies and improving cancer outcomes for historically marginalized communities in the Bronx.

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Approximately 1 in 50 people who suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) will develop post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE)—with the risk of PTE significantly higher in people with severe TBI. PTE is characterized by recurring seizures that begin a week or more after the brain injury, and there is currently no way to identify those at risk for developing PTE or to prevent its onset.

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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine a five-year, $11.3 million grant to renew the Einstein-Rockefeller-CUNY Center for AIDS Research (ERC-CFAR) and expand its efforts to prevent, treat and cure HIV infection, and thereby reduce the burden of HIV, locally, nationally, and internationally.

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CAR-T therapy, a form of immunotherapy that revs up T-cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells, has revolutionized the treatment of blood cancers, including certain leukemias, lymphomas, and most recently, multiple myeloma. However, Black and Hispanic people were largely absent from the major clinical trials that led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of CAR-T cell therapies.

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Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease can be a complex and time-consuming process, requiring evaluations ranging from brain scans to cognitive and lab tests to reviews of medical history and symptoms. Simpler and faster ways to diagnose the disease are urgently needed. Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have been awarded a five-year, $4.2 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to detect behavioral markers for Alzheimer’s that are present early in the course of the disease, before it can be clinically diagnosed. Results could help scientists identify people at risk for Alzheimer’s and related problems, such as falls, and lead to new preventive strategies.

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To help address the rising tide of Alzheimer’s disease nationwide, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in collaboration with faculty at Pennsylvania State University and other institutions, have received a five-year, $32 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the ongoing Einstein Aging Study (EAS), which focuses on both normal aging and the special challenges of Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias. EAS was established at Einstein in 1980 and has been continuously funded by the NIH.

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New York State Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett, M.D., M.P.H., will present the keynote address at Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s 2022 commencement. The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

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Cigarette smoking is overwhelmingly the main cause of lung cancer, yet only a minority of smokers develop the disease. A study led by scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and published online today in Nature Genetics suggests that some smokers may have robust mechanisms that protect them from lung cancer by limiting mutations. The findings could help identify those smokers who face an increased risk for the disease and therefore warrant especially close monitoring.