Dr. Anil Lalwani Named Chairman of Department of Otolaryngology

Anil Kumar Lalwani, M.D., FACS, has been appointed Mendik Foundation Professor of Otolaryngology and Chairman of the Department of Otolaryng­ology and Professor of Physiology and Neuroscience. Formerly Professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the University of California–San Francisco, Dr. Lalwani holds grants from the National Institutes of Health and several foundations. He is the author of 105 peer-reviewed articles, numerous book chapters, and a textbook defining the subspecialty of Pediatric Otology and Neurotology. His research focuses on two key areas: identifying genes that are critical for hearing through the use of molecular genetic and molecular biologic methods, and developing and investigating gene transfer technology for the treatment of hearing disorders.

Two Appointments at NYU Cancer Institute

Nina Bhardwaj, M.D., Ph.D., newly appointed Professor of Medicine, Pathology, and Dermatology, has also been tapped to lead the NYU Cancer Institute’s Tumor Vaccine Program. Dr. Bhardwaj, a 1981 graduate of the School of Medicine, previously led a laboratory at the Rockefeller University, where since the late 1980s she has been studying dendritic cells, a type of white blood cell, as an agent for fighting cancer and HIV infection. The program Dr. Bhardwaj will lead includes facilities where cancer vaccines can be produced and patients’ immunological responses to these therapies can be monitored.

Brian D. Dynlacht, Ph.D., was recently appointed Associate Professor of Pathology at the School of Medicine and Director of the Genomics Program at the NYU Cancer Institute. Dr. Dynlacht will also supervise NYU’s Genomics Core Facility. He was formerly Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. Dr. Dynlacht is a molecular biologist whose research has focused on the genes that govern the steps a cell follows when it prepares to divide to form two new cells.

John Catalano Named Senior Vice President–Managed Care

John D. Catalano has been appointed Senior Vice President–Managed Care for NYU Hospitals Center. He will also serve in this capacity at the Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopaedic Institute (HJD) and NYU Downtown Hospital. Catalano will be responsible for the managed care initiative, including contracting, operational, and administrative implementation, as well as performance measurements. He will also serve as primary liaison to both the University Management Services Organization and the University Physicians Network.

Previously, Catalano served as a Senior Vice President and Market Head for Aetna, Inc. From 1995 to 2002, he developed and managed Aetna’s provider network, which serves more than 1 million members. He also led the company’s national strategic initiatives, such as establishing and implementing new payment models for providers. Catalano began his career in healthcare in 1987, serving as a department head at HJD and as a weekend administrator at the Medical Center.

CRAIN’S Names Faculty Member a “Top 40 Rising Star Under 40”

Shaffiq Essajee, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, was listed in Crain’s New York Business as one of New York’s top 40 rising stars under the age of 40. Dr. Essajee, 36, was hailed in the publication’s January 27 issue as one of the country’s leading pediatric AIDS clinical researchers who has made it his life’s mission to help children with the disease live a better life. His research, supported by several prestigious grants, focuses on alleviating the side effects of drugs used to treat the disease. In 2001, he set up an HIV clinic and research center in his native Kenya, which he continues to supervise from New York.

Drs. Joel Ernst and Edward Skolnik Join Department of Medicine

Joel Ernst, M.D., an internationally recognized expert on host-pathogen interactions in infectious diseases, has been appointed Jeffrey Bergstein Professor of Medicine, Professor of Microbiology, and Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Ernst was the senior investigator on a seminal study conducted at the University of California–San Francisco that discovered one of the ways in which the tuberculosis microbe protects itself from a healthy immune system.

Edward Y. Skolnik, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, will serve as Director of the Division of Nephrology in the Department of Medicine. A member of the faculty since 1990, Dr. Skolnik has served as Assistant Director of the Dialysis Unit at Tisch Hospital.