Contact: Jonathan Weil
Phone: (212) 821-0560
E-mail: jweil@mail.med.cornell.edu
 

Weill Cornell Co-Sponsors Millennium Lecture Series Exploring the Impact of Genetics and Molecular Biology

Weill Medical College has joined with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, the American Museum of Natural History, and other leading biomedical institutions in New York City in sponsoring a special series of six lectures that will address the theme Revolutionizing Medicine in the 21st Century: The Impact of Genetics and Molecular Biology. 

Celebrating the millennium spirit of the Year 2000, the lecture series was conceived by Weill Cornell’s Dr. Robert S. Ascheim, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, who has served as its chief organizer. The lecture series is one of many special events being promoted throughout the year by New York City’s NYC 2000  project to showcase the outstanding enterprises that the City, as the “Capital of the World,” has to offer to a national and international audience. 

Lecture Topics, Dates, and Speakers

The six lectures are scheduled for April 11, 18, and 25, and May 9, 16, and 23 (all on Tuesday) and will be held at the American  Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, Main Auditorium, 7:00-8:30 pm.

Dr. Harold Varmus, the new CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, will kick off the series on April 11 with a lecture  on “How Genetics Is Transforming Medicine.” 

On April 18, Nobel Laureate Dr. Günter Blobel, Professor of  Cell Biology at Rockefeller University, will speak about “The Empowered Cell.”

Professor Bartha Knoppers of the Faculty of Law of the University de Montreal, will present a lecture and lead a panel  discussion on ethics entitled “Ethical and Legal Implications of Genetic Medicine” on April 25.

Dr. Karen Antman, Director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, will speak on the topic “Cancer: New Weapons, New Directions” on May 9.

On May 16, Weill Cornell’s Dr. Ronald Crystal, Director of the Institute of Genetic Medicine, will speak on the topic “Gene Therapy Enters Adolescence: Progress and Issues.”

The final lecture in the series will be presented by Dr. Samuel Waksal, President and CEO of ImClone Systems, Inc., who will  speak about “Generating New Cells, New Organs:  Stem Cell Research and Applications” on May 23.

Customary Museum fees apply:  $50 for the series ($45 for Museum members, students, and senior citizens); or $12 per lecture ($10 for Museum members, students, and senior citizens).  To register for tickets, call the American Museum of Natural History at 212-439-4300,  fax ticket requests to 212-769-5272, email <tickets@amnh.org>, or mail a request to the Central Reservation Department, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY  10024-5192.