Intercampus Focus Areas
In the fall of 2005, four areas of focus for future intercampus research collaboration and educational programs were identified. The areas are:
Biomedical Engineering, Nanomedicine, and Systems Biology
The area of Biomedical Engineering, Nanomedicine, and Systems Biology focuses on quantitative and interdisciplinary studies of biological systems at all lengths of scales
in context of human health; and tools and technologies needed to acquire quantitative data and to deliver healthcare with greater precision. The intercampus initiative brings
together life scientists, engineers, applied mathematicians, computer scientists, physicists, clinicians, and others to create innovative research and training programs in
this area.
Examples of intercampus activities in this focus area include:
The Departments of Surgery and Neurosurgery are working closely with the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) in Ithaca to promote interdisciplinary collaborations,
primarily through a series of retreats that bring WCMC and BME faculty together and pilot funding to support interdisciplinary projects. Several innovative interdisciplinary
pilot projects are ongoing in areas such as epilepsy, vascular disease, cellular therapy, wound healing, and drug delivery. For more information about collaborations between
the Departments of Surgery and BME, visit the Department of Surgery web site http://www.cornellsurgery.org/pro/retreats.html
Global Health and Infectious Diseases
The area of Global Health and Infectious Diseases focuses on research, service, and training that address global health problems best addressed by multidisciplinary solutions.
Current programs emphasize an undergraduate concentration, a graduate school curriculum, and a professional education component. The intercampus initiative brings together
five colleges: Weill Cornell Medical College, Human Ecology, Veterinary Medicine, Arts & Sciences, Agriculture & Life Sciences, which include multidisciplinary faculty
covering infectious diseases, nutrition, ethics and social justice, epidemiology, veterinary medicine, agriculture/forestry.
For more details about the intercampus Global Health Program, visit their web site http://www.human.cornell.edu/che/DNS/globalhealth/index.cfm
Chemical Biology and Experimental Therapeutics
The area of Chemical Biology and Experimental Therapeutics focuses on drug and diagnostics discovery and development,
imaging research and clinical applications, and proteomics. There is an emphasis on research and training programs in chemistry,
chemical biology, and experimental therapeutics. The intercampus initiative brings together chemists, chemical biologists, cellular biologists,
physical scientists, and clinicians to create innovative research and training programs in this area.
Multidisciplinary Approaches to Cancer Biology
The area of Multidisciplinary Approaches to Cancer Biology focuses on cancer genomics and proteomics research programs, with a particular interest in developing the
scientific basis for "personalized molecular medicine" in oncology. Intercampus activities and educational programs will stimulate synergistic use of local technology
and expertise. The intercampus initiative brings together cell and developmental biology, clinical oncology, radiology, and surgery, veterinary medicine, genomics,
genetics, proteomics, computational biology, chemical biology, informatics, and others.
An example of intercampus activities in this focus area includes:
The Cornell University Lung Cancer Group consists of an interdisciplinary gathering of faculty, research scientists, and graduate students on both campuses
who are interested in establishing collaborative research projects to address lung cancer. Faculty members come from diverse departments and colleges including
the Colleges of Medicine, Engineering, Veterinary Medicine, and Agriculture and Life Sciences. Interdisciplinary projects being discussed range from use of
mouse models of lung cancer to assess drug response and disease progression to communication tools to help explain lung cancer risk to smokers. For more information,
visit their web site http://www.via.cornell.edu/lungcancer.