2nd John Jones Research Fellow (2013-2014)

Joshua Weiner, MD

About  |  Honors & Awards  |  Publications  |  Presentations & Abstracts

About

Henry Spotnitz, Joshua Weiner, Jose GuillemMentor: Dr. Adam Griesemer Assistant Professor of Surgery, Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation, in the Department of Surgery.

Dr. Joshua Weiner was the recipient of the 2nd John Jones Research Fellowship.

At the time, Josh had completed three years of general surgery residency at Columbia and was in the first of two years in the lab. His research focuses on 1) regulatory T cell-mediated B cell tolerance across the xenogeneic barrier (the subject of the John Jones Award) with Dr. Adam Griesemer, 2) changes in the balance of donor versus recipient leukocyte populations in the gut after intestinal transplantation with Drs. Megan Sykes and Tomoaki Kato, and 3) the relationship of genetic similarities between donor and recipient in liver transplantation on recurrence of autoimmune liver disease with Dr. Jean Emond. Before residency at Columbia, Josh graduated Cum laude from the Yale School of Medicine, during which time he was a Howard Hughes Research Scholar in the Transplantation Biology Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital under Dr. David Sachs. He previously graduated Magna cum laude from Harvard College with a degree in Government. In college, he was a White House Intern, served on the Executive Board of the Institute of Politics, and ran both the political speaker series and the political humor series.

Outside of work, Josh enjoys playing music (violin, piano, drums, guitar), political organizing, writing, skiing, and cooking with his wife, a dermatology resident.

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Honors & Awards

  • Awarded competitive NIH T32 award for 2 year post-doctoral research fellowship investigating transplant immunology. July 2013 through June 2015
  • Blakemore Award for best research by a surgical resident at New York Presbyterian-Columbia 2012-2013
  • Connecticut Chapter of American College of Surgeons Prize 2010: awarded to graduating students for excellence in surgical sciences
  • Association for Academic Surgery-Novartis Research Award 2010: awarded to senior medical student entering a surgical field who has done outstanding research during medical school
  • Cum laude, Yale School of Medicine 2010
  • Medical school research thesis chosen as one of top four theses in 2010, invited for podium presentation at 2010 Yale Student Research Day
  • Farr Prize for research, Yale School of Medicine, 2009
  • Magna cum laude (2003), Harvard College. Thesis Title: “The Media is the Message: Media Coverage and Public Opinion in the 2000 Presidential Debates” Thesis Advisor: Barry Burden, Ph.D.

Original Publications

  1. Weiner J, Scalea J, Ishikawa Y, Okumi M, Griesemer A, Hirakata A, Etter J, Gillon B, Moran S, Shimizu A, Yamada K, Sachs DH. Tolerogenicity of donor major histocompatibility complex-matched skin grafts in previously tolerant Massachusetts general hospital miniature swine. Transplantation. 2012 Dec 27;94(12):1192-9.
  2. Weiner J, Widman S, Golek Z, Tranquilli M, Elefteriades JA. Role of Bovine Serum Albumin-Glutaraldehyde Glue in the Formation of Anastomatic Pseudoaneurysms. J Card Surg. 2011 Jan;26(1):76-81.
  3. Weiner J, Yamada K, Ishikawa Y, Moran S, Etter J, Shimizu A, Smith RN, Sachs DH. Prolonged survival of GalT-KO swine skin on baboons. Xenotransplantation. 2010 Mar-Apr;17(2):147-52.
  4. Ishikawa Y, Hirakata A, Griesemer A, Etter J, Moran S, Weiner J, Shimizu A, Yamada K. Tolerance and long-lasting peripheral chimerism following allogeneic intestinal transplantation in MGH miniature swine. Transplantation. 2010 Feb 27;89(4):417-26.5. Wong BS, Yamada K, Okumi M, Weiner J, O’Malley PE, Tseng YL, Dor FJ, Cooper DK, Saidman SL, Griesemer A, Sachs DH. Allosensitization does not increase the risk of xenoreactivity to alpha1,3-galactosyltransferase gene-knockout miniature swine in patients on transplantation waiting lists. Transplantation. 2006;82(3):314-319.

Oral Presentations

  1. Weiner J, Yamada K, Ishikawa Y, Moran S, Etter J, Shimizu A, Smith RN, Sachs DH. Prolonged survival of GalT-KO swine skin on baboons. International Pancreas and Islet Transplant Association International Xenotransplantation Association Joint Meeting, Venice, Italy, 2009.
  2. Ishikawa Y, Griesemer A, Weiner J, Moran S, Shimizu A, Sachs D, Yamada K. High levels of cytotoxic non-Gal natural antibody did not induce hyperacute rejection but did cause early graft loss in a GalT-KO pig-to-baboon thymokidney model. International Pancreas and Islet Transplant Association – International Xenotransplantation Association Joint Meeting, Venice, Italy, 2009.
  3. Ishikawa Y, Weiner J. Prospective randomized controlled study of short-term perioperative enteral nutrition support with branched chain amino acids in liver surgery. Digestive Disease Week, Chicago, Illinois, 2009.

Abstracts/Posters

  1. Weiner J, Yamada K, Ishikawa Y, Moran S, Etter J, Shimizu A, Sachs DH. Prolonged survival of GalT-KO swine skin on a baboon treated with cyclosporine. American Transplant Congress, Boston, Massachusetts, 2009.
  2. Griesemer A, Wong B, O'Malley P, Okumi M, Tseng Y, Weiner J, Hirakata A, Dor F, Cooper D, Sachs D, Yamada K. Allosensitization does not increase the risk of xenoreactivity to alpha1,3-galactosyltransferase gene-knockout miniature swine in patients on transplantation waiting lists. World Transplant Congress, Boston, Massachusetts, 2006.
  3. Nobori S, Shimizu A, Okumi M, Hisashi Y, Wong B, Weiner J, Samelson-Jones E, Sachs D, Yamada K. Vascularized thymic lobe transplantation in miniature swine: rejuvenation of aged thymus after transplantation into juvenile recipients. American Transplant Congress, Seattle, Washington, 2005