Dr. Laurie Glimcher receives the Advancing Women in Science and Medicine Award

New York, NY (May 20, 2013) -- Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University, is the winner of a prestigious award from a group of female scientists from The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research dedicated to celebrating outstanding women in science and medicine.

The Feinstein Institute's Advancing Women in Science and Medicine organization bestowed the AWSM Award for Excellence to Dr. Glimcher for the impacts of her immunology research on human health and for serving as a role model for women in medicine and science. Dr. Glimcher received the award during the group's second annual awards breakfast May 17 -- which also coincided with National Women's Health Week -- at the Feinstein Institute's headquarters on Long Island.

I am excited and deeply humbled to be the recipient of the Award for Excellence from the female scientists who comprise AWSM, Dr. Glimcher says. It is critical that we support and recognize women physicians and scientists, providing them robust mentorship so that they not only succeed, but also go farther than they ever thought they could.

AWSM was established three years ago in an effort to support, promote, recognize and celebrate the success of women in science. The group comprises approximately 30 female faculty and investigators from the Feinstein Institute, part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, who lead programs in basic, translational and clinical research. The AWSM Award for Excellence recognizes important achievements by women in science and medicine; the inaugural award was presented last year to Dr. Anne Young of Harvard Medical School.

As president of AWSM, I would like to say that we are absolutely thrilled to honor Dr. Laurie Glimcher, said Dr. Christine N. Metz, president of AWSM and an investigator at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. Dr. Glimcher is being awarded the 2013 AWSM Award for Excellence due to her outstanding achievements in science and medicine, her strong leadership skills and her commitment to advancing women's careers. She is a strong role model and deserving of this recognition.

As a leading immunologist, Dr. Glimcher's research discoveries have helped improve understanding of the human immune system and how to manipulate it to better fight human diseases. Her laboratory uses biochemical and genetic approaches to elucidate the molecular pathways that regulate lymphocyte development and activation in the immune system. Cell-mediated immunity involves T helper lymphocyte responses that are critical for both the development of protective immunity and for the pathophysiologic immune responses underlying autoimmune, infectious, allergic and malignant diseases. Dr. Glimcher's laboratory has studied the regulatory pathways that control these important immune checkpoints by controlling the production of small hormone-like mediators called cytokines.

Since joining Weill Cornell Medical College as its dean last year, Dr. Glimcher has established several centers and institutes in order to accelerate the translation of medical discoveries into novel treatments and therapies for patients. Among them are the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, the Cancer Center at Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and the newly established Institute for Precision Medicine. Dr. Glimcher has also established an Office of Faculty Development, dedicated to assisting its physicians, researchers and educators in achieving academic success at each stage of their careers and furthering the development of diversity within Weill Cornell's faculty ranks.

Dr. Glimcher is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the National Academy of Sciences USA, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. She is also a member and past president of the American Association of Immunologists, which awarded her the Huang Meritorious Career Award in 2006 and the Excellence in Mentoring Award in 2008. She was elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation, from which she received the Outstanding Investigator Award in 2001, the American Association of Physicians and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Glimcher previously directed the Division of Biological Sciences program at the Harvard School of Public Health and was a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, where she headed one of the top immunology programs in the world. She also served as senior physician and rheumatologist at the Brigham and Woman's Hospital.

Dr. Glimcher has received numerous awards recognizing her achievements, including three in 2012. Last year, she was awarded Dr. Luis Federico Leloir Prize of International Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation from Argentina's Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation, the William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic Immunology from the Cancer Research Institute and the Ernst W. Bertner Memorial Award from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her numerous other awards include the American Association of University Women Senior Scholar Award (2006); American College of Rheumatology Distinguished Investigator Award (2006); Dean's Award for Leadership in the Advancement of Women Faculty at Harvard Medical School (2006); the Klemperer Award from the New York Academy of Medicine (2003); the American Society of Clinical Investigation Outstanding Investigator Award (2001); and the FASEB Excellence in Science Award (2000).

In addition to recognizing Dr. Glimcher, AWSM presented awards to several faculty from the Feinstein Institute for training, mentorship, innovation and scientific achievement, and announced the recipient of the 2013 AWSM-Girl Scouts of Nassau County Internship-Scholarship, a special program initiated this year for 10th and 11th grade Girl Scouts.