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.

Demystifying the Molecular Mechanisms of General Anesthesia

sodium ion channel

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Birkbeck, University of London, have identified a site where a commonly used anesthetic binds to sodium ion channels, revealing a molecular mechanism that may explain how these drugs dampen communication between neurons. Ion channels are proteins that regulate the flow of charged particles across cell membranes, enabling neurons to generate electrical signals. By reducing this signaling, inhaled anesthetics help suppress brain activity, producing unconsciousness and immobility during surgery.

Hugh Hemmings

Dr. Hugh Hemmings

The findings, published June 19 in Nature Communications, shed light on a longstanding mystery: For 175 years, doctors have safely used inhaled anesthetics to render patients unconscious, but didn’t fully understand how these drugs work.

Dr. Timothy R. Donahue Named Chair of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and Surgeon-in-Chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center

Portrait of a man in a laboratory

New York (July 9, 2026)—Dr. Timothy R. Donahue, a distinguished surgeon-scientist specializing in pancreatic cancer, has been appointed chair of the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and surgeon-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, effective Sept. 1.

Building on the academic medical center’s long history of surgical excellence, Dr. Donahue will focus on developing multidisciplinary programs that align patient care, research and education while fostering collaboration and discovery across the two institutions. He is particularly excited about integrating translational and clinical research into surgical care and leveraging cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, to expand access to the highest quality and most innovative care across Weill Cornell Medicine and its affiliated NewYork-Presbyterian campuses on the Upper East Side, Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

A leading pancreatic cancer surgeon-scientist, Dr. Donahue was recruited from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he served as executive vice chair of the Department of Surgery, chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and medical director for cancer services across the health system. He succeeds Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi, who has led the department since 2004.

Weill Cornell Medicine Awarded Grant for Alzheimer’s Gene Therapy Research

photo of a man in a white coat

The National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health has awarded a five-year grant initially worth $8.37 million for Weill Cornell Medicine researchers to study a new gene therapy for Alzheimer’s disease in people who have a high genetic risk of developing the condition. The research could garner nearly $14 million in total if prescribed milestones are reached for years three through five.

The grant will allow researchers to study a treatment for patients with apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) gene variants inherited from both parents, a group known as APOE4 homozygotes. These people have up to a 15-fold increased risk of developing Alzheimer's, “and it occurs earlier and is more aggressive,” said Dr. Ronald G. Crystal, principal investigator and chair of the Department of Genetic Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine.

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