Obstetrics & Gynecology

News and Events

Programs and providers of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine are often the focus of news stories and features appearing in major national media. We invite you to review some stories that typify the breakthrough accomplishments of our remarkable team and highlight the impact our care has had on patient’s lives.

Extreme Risk Protection Order Laws Reduce Firearm Suicides

depressed man

A new study found that laws temporarily restricting access to firearms for individuals at high risk of harming themselves or others reduced firearm suicides without a shift to other suicide methods, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and UC Berkeley School of Public Health.

Dr. Yuyun Xiao

Dr. Yunyu Xiao

In 2023, more than half of all suicide deaths in the United States involved firearms. To address this crisis, “red flag” laws—also called Extreme Risk Protection Orders or ERPOs—were designed to reduce these deaths by authorizing temporary firearm removal from high-risk individuals. ERPO laws have been implemented in 21 states and the District of Columbia as of February 2025.

Gut Bacteria May Tip the Balance between Feeding Tumors and Fueling Immunity

gut microbiome

A new study reveals how bacteria in the gut can help determine whether the amino acid asparagine from the diet will feed tumor growth or activate immune cells against the cancer​, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. This casts the gut microbiome—the trillions of microorganisms living in the intestine—as a central player in the body's response to cancer and to modern cancer treatments like immunotherapies.

Dr. CJ Guo

Dr. Chunjun (CJ) Guo

The findings, published, Jan. 2 in Cell Microbe and Host, could lead to a novel cancer treatment approach and monitoring strategy—instead of targeting tumors directly, clinicians may one day be able to reshape the gut microbiome or diet to starve tumors while supercharging immune cells.

Awards & Honors: January 2026

trophies

Dr. MacKenzi Preston, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics, was awarded the Brause Family Award for Medical Education, Research and Patient Care for her project, “Leveraging Large Language Models to Enhance OSCE Feedback and Competency Tracking.” The award, part of Weill Cornell Medicine’s education scholar awards, supports one faculty member for a targeted project incorporating artificial intelligence and/or technology innovations related to curriculum improvement.

Dr. Yunyu Xiao, assistant professor of population health sciences, has been elected an associate member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). The ACNP is a professional, international organization of leading brain scientists. Selected primarily on the basis of their original research contributions, the membership is drawn from investigators in diverse subfields of neuroscience.

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