News Release

NYPH/WCMC physician-scientists present at APA 163rd Annual Meeting

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NewYork-Presbyterian

NEW YORK (May 24, 2010) -- Physician-scientists from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center will present their latest research findings at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in New Orleans, May 22 to 26. Among the most significant presentations are the following:

Funding for at-risk suicide patients better directed to post-hospital discharge care [SCR54]
Tuesday, May 25, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Dr. Virginia Susman
Associate Medical Director and Site Director of Payne Whitney Westchester, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center; Associate Attending Psychiatrist, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center; and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College

Dr. Susman will present findings showing that rates of suicide in at-risk patients are significantly higher (0.03 percent; n=46) within 30 days after being discharged from a hospital stay, than during a hospital admission (0.002 percent; n=3). The researchers pooled data of more than 150,000 patients over six years from five hospitals in the Ivy League Consortium. The researchers conclude that funding should be directed more toward outpatient clinics than to hospital environmental safety measures, which already prove successful based on the current data.

The mind and music of Chopin [Forum 01]
Monday, May 24, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Dr. Richard Kogan
Assistant Attending Psychiatrist, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center; and Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College

Dr. Kogan will explore the relationship between composer Frederic Chopin's (1810-1849) psyche and his creative output. Chopin experienced a variety of psychiatric symptoms including panic attacks, phobias, mood swings and hallucinations, yet he possessed a remarkable resilience that allowed him to convert adversity into musical ability.

Treating thinking and memory deficits in HIV/AIDS patients [S60]
Tuesday, May 25, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Dr. Stephen Ferrando
Attending Psychiatrist, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center; and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College

Dr. Ferrando will discuss patients with HIV/AIDS who experience deficits in thinking and memory. He will describe problems associated with treating this patient group and offer interventions, like cognitive enhancement medications and behavioral strategies that help to improve patients' quality of life.

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NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, located in New York City, is one of the leading academic medical centers in the world, comprising the teaching hospital NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical College, the medical school of Cornell University. NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine, and is committed to excellence in patient care, education, research and community service. Weill Cornell physician-scientists have been responsible for many medical advances -- including the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer; the synthesis of penicillin; the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S.; the first clinical trial for gene therapy for Parkinson's disease; the first indication of bone marrow's critical role in tumor growth; and, most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital also comprises NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division and NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area and is consistently ranked among the best academic medical institutions in the nation, according to U.S.News & World Report. Weill Cornell Medical College is the first U.S. medical college to offer a medical degree overseas and maintains a strong global presence in Austria, Brazil, Haiti, Tanzania, Turkey and Qatar. For more information, visit www.nyp.org and www.med.cornell.edu.


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