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Biography: Dr. Bernstein's clinical and research interests focus on systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), as well as on the detection and treatment of interstitial lung disease and pulmonary hypertension in patients with autoimmune diseases. She is the Florence Irving Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and an Associate Attending at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Bernstein is the founder and Director of the Columbia University/NewYork-Presbyterian Scleroderma Center. Dr. Bernstein graduated summa cum laude from Amherst College, and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society while a medical student at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She was the recipient of the American College of Rheumatology Distinguished Fellow Award and the Charles L. Christian Award for Excellence in Musculoskeletal Research while a rheumatology fellow at Hospital for Special Surgery. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to systemic sclerosis research, Dr. Bernstein received the Edith Busch Prize for Young Investigators at the 8th Systemic Sclerosis World Congress. Dr. Bernstein has received grants from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Arthritis Foundation, and Rheumatology Research Foundation to study lung disease in scleroderma. Her ongoing research projects focus on interstitial lung disease in scleroderma and on lung transplantation in patients with autoimmune diseases.

Biography: Dr. Winchester has had a sustained interest in human autoimmunity. His earlier studies defined the molecular importance of rheumatoid factors, other autoantibodies and immune complexes in human disease. Moreover, Dr. Winchester was involved in the early identification and tissue expression of human MHC class II molecules. As importantly, his studies of the polymorphisms of MHC molecules have provided the basis of establishing the link between MHC genotype and susceptibility to autoimmunity. For example in the late 1980's Dr. Winchester and colleagues showed that susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis was determined by sequences in the b chain of MHC class II molecules. This observation led to the shared MHC 'epitope' hypothesis which provides a molecular basis for susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis associated with a region on the MHC molecule involved in both binding of the peptide and interacting with the TCR. This seminal discovery has emphasized the importance of the modern means of HLA typing which involves DNA sequencing of the MHC genes and the theoretical basis for the discovery of antigens that initiate autoimmune disease. In recent years Dr. Winchester has also focused on DNA and peptide sequence analysis of T cell receptor a and b chains in order to define the changes in the TCR repertoire associated with autoimmunity. Email: rjw8@cumc.columbia.edu

Biography: Dr. Yoanna Pumpalova is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and medical oncologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center where she specializes in the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies, with a focus on colorectal and anal cancers. She received her MD from Weill Cornell Medical College and completed internship and residency training in Internal Medicine and Global Health at Stanford University. She then completed fellowship training in Medical Oncology at Columbia University/New York Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Pumpalova works as part of a multidisciplinary team with the mission of delivering compassionate and state-of-the-art oncologic care to each patient, using a precision medicine approach to provide innovative and promising treatments. Dr. Pumpalova is actively involved in translational research to understand the biological mechanisms driving early onset colorectal cancer. She collaborates with Dr. Joel Gabre, a gastroenterologist and clinician scientist and Dr. Beatrice Dionigi, colorectal surgeon, on research to understand how early onset colorectal cancer differs from average onset colorectal cancer, with the goal of uncovering novel ways to treat all patients with colorectal cancer. Dr. Pumpalova is also the site principal investigator of industry-sponsored clinical trials investigating novel therapies for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Further, Dr. Pumpalova conducts studies in low- and middle-income countries focused on early detection and screening for colorectal cancer. She has active studies in South Africa and Dominican Republic. Her research goal is to improve outcomes for patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer, regardless of where they reside. Her work has been recognized by several awards including an ASCO Young Investigator Award and ASCO Career Development Award. In the NewsColumbia Researchers Seek Answers for Rise of Colon Cancer in Younger PatientsWhat to Know About the Rise of Colorectal Cancer in Younger PeopleExploring Strategies for Earlier Colon Cancer Detection in Sub-Saharan Africa