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Dr. Andrew B. Lassman has joined the Neurological Institute at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center as chief of neuro-oncology, a new program focusing on caring for patients with brain tumors and metastases as well as research into new treatments. Dr. Lassman has also been named to the faculty of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

"I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Lassman, who is widely regarded as an exceptional clinician and educator and as an internationally recognized expert in translational research on gliomas and central nervous system metastases," says Dr. Richard Mayeux, chairman of the Department of Neurology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and neurologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. "His ambitious plans for a multidisciplinary, pre-eminent facility for primary and metastatic brain tumor care, research and education will establish NewYork-Presbyterian as a leading center for neuro-oncology."

Dr. Lassman received his M.D. at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed a residency at the Neurological Institute of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. He served as a chief fellow in neuro-oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Since 2004, he has been on faculty as a practicing neurologist and neuro-oncologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where he also served as director of the fellowship program in neuro-oncology. In 2005, he obtained a joint appointment as assistant professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College.

He is the recipient of awards and honors, including the Jerome B. Posner Neurology Resident Teaching Award at Weill Cornell Medical College, 2004–2005, and again the Resident Teaching Award, 2010–2011; the American Academy of Neurology Preuss Award in Neuro-Oncology, 2008; and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Boyer Clinical Research Award, 2010. In addition, he was a member of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Clinical Scholars Program, 2002–2004. Currently, he serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Neuro-Oncology.

Dr. Lassman has designed and led clinical trials evaluating new drugs, novel combinations of existing drugs, and regimens that combine chemotherapy and radiation therapy. He serves as national study chair of a Phase II trial of the drug dasatinib for recurrent progressive glioblastoma.

His study of brain tumors is informed by a longstanding interest in molecular biology. "Brain tumors like glioblastomas are very complex at the molecular level and manifest themselves as at least three distinct diseases. With this understanding, we are developing individualized therapies that target a tumor's specific molecular signature, with the ultimate goal of extending survival in a dramatic way," Dr. Lassman says.

Columbia University Medical Center

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The Medical Center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is now among the most selective medical schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest in the United States. For more information, please visit www.cumc.columbia.edu.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, based in New York City, is the nation's largest not-for-profit, non-sectarian hospital, with 2,409 beds. The Hospital has nearly 2 million inpatient and outpatient visits in a year, including 12,797 deliveries and 195,294 visits to its emergency departments. NewYork-Presbyterian's 6,144 affiliated physicians and 19,376 staff provide state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division. One of the most comprehensive health care institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service. 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. The Hospital has academic affiliations with two of the nation's leading medical colleges: Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.