W. Ian Lipkin
Encyclopedia
W. Ian Lipkin is the John Snow Professor of Epidemiology
at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University
and Professor of Neurology and Pathology at College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. Lipkin is also Director of the Center for Infection and Immunity, an academic laboratory for microbe hunting in acute and chronic diseases.
Lipkin was born in Chicago, Illinois where he attended the University of Chicago Laboratory School. He was President of the Student Board in 1969. He received his BA from Sarah Lawrence College
in 1974. He earned his MD from Rush Medical College
, in 1978. He was a clinical clerk at the Institute for Neurology, Queen Square, in London, UK (1978–1979). He had a brief stint with the Indian Health Service
in Tishomingo, Oklahoma
in 1978. He then trained at University of Pittsburgh
as an Intern in Medicine from 1978-79. He went on to complete a Residency in Medicine at University of Washington
(1979–81), and a Residency in Neurology at University of California
, San Francisco, (1981–1984). He conducted postdoctoral research in microbiology and neuroscience at The Scripps Research Institute
from 1984-90. He was President of the Scripps' Society of Fellows in 1987.
and SARS, as well as advancing pathogen discovery techniques by developing a staged strategy using techniques pioneered in his lab. These molecular biological methods, including MassTag-PCR
, the GreeneChip diagnostic, and High Throughput Sequencing, are a major step towards identifying and studying new viral pathogens that emerge locally throughout the globe. A major node in a global network of investigators working to address the challenges of pathogen surveillance and discovery, Dr. Lipkin has trained over 30 internationally based scientists in these state-of-the art diagnostic techniques.
Lipkin is the Director of the Northeast Biodefense Center, the Regional Center of Excellence in Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases comprising 28 private and public academic and public health institutions in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Within this consortium, his research focuses pathogen discovery, using unexplained hemorrhagic fever, febrile illness, encephalitis, and meningoencephalitis as targets. He is the Principal Investigator of the Autism Birth Cohort, a unique international program that investigates the epidemiology and basis of neurodevelopmental disorders through analyses of a prospective birth cohort of 100,000 children and their parents. The ABC is examining gene-environment-timing interactions, biomarkers and the trajectory of normal development and disease. Lipkin also directs the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Diagnostics in Zoonotic and Emerging Infectious Diseases, the only academic center, and one of two in the US (the other is CDC), that participates in outbreak
investigation for the WHO
.
In 1989, Lipkin was the first to identify a microbe (Bornavirus
) using purely molecular tools. Lipkin was employed by University of California
from 1990-2001. He began as Assistant Professor in the departments of Neurology
, Anatomy
and Neurobiology, and Microbiology
and Molecular Genetics
. He advanced to full professor in under six years and was named as the first Louise Turner Arnold Chair of Neuroscience before moving to Columbia University
.
In 1999, Lipkin led the team that identified the West Nile virus
in brains of encephalitis
victims in New York State. In April 2003, he sequenced a portion of the SARS virus directly from lung tissue, established a sensitive assay for infection, and hand carried 10,000 test kits to Beijing
at the height of the outbreak. As the first foreign consultant to gain the confidence of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Chinese Academy of Science he was named Special Advisor to China for Research and International Cooperation in the Fight Against SARS and was instrumental in promoting disclosure and outside collaborations in infectious disease
research and public health
management. His position recognizes this extraordinary service, wherein Lipkin and his colleague Thomas Briese, traveling to Beijing at the height of the SARS outbreak at the request of the Chinese government, hand-carried 10,000 test kits to be used for identification and containment of infected individuals, and coordinated the national research efforts with Chen Zhou, the current Minister of Health of China. Lipkin also serves on the boards of the Guangzhou Institute for Biomedicine and Health, the Institut Pasteur de Shanghai, and is Honorary Director of the Beijing Infectious Disease Center. He became ill shortly after returning to the US and was quarantined.
Lipkin is co-chair of Steering Committee of the National Biosurveillance Advisory Subcommittee (NBAS). The NBAS was established in response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21 (HSPD-21), "Public Health and Medical Preparedness."
He is Honorary Director of the Beijing Infectious Disease Center, Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Institut Pasteur de Shanghai and serves on boards of the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Disease, the Guangzhou Institute for Biomedicine and Health, the EcoHealth Alliance, Tetragenetics, and 454 Life Sciences Corporation.
Lipkin served as a science consultant for the film Contagion
. The film has been praised for its scientific accuracy.
. Lipkin's work has since been recognized with the following honors: NIH Clinical Investigator Development Award; Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences; Japanese Human Science Foundation Visiting Professor; Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons Visiting Bruenn Professor; University of California
(UC) Irvine Louise Turner Arnold Chair in the Neurosciences; American Society of Microbiology Foundation Lecturer; UC Irvine Distinguished Lecturer; Ellison Medical Foundation
Senior Scholar in Global Infectious Disease; Millennium Commencement Speaker, Sarah Lawrence College
; Dalldorf Research Physician NY State Department of Health; Fellow of the NY Academy of Sciences; Distinguished Lecturer of the National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control; Honorary and Founding Director, Beijing Center for Infectious Diseases; Fellow, American Society for Microbiology
; Columbia University Jerome L. and Dawn Greene Professor of Epidemiology; Columbia University John Snow Professor of Epidemiology; Scientific American, Top 25 Science Stories of 2007. He was the Founding Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, Cure Autism Now (merged with Autism Speaks
, 2007); Featured Investigator, NIAID Discovery News, 2008 A Microbe Hunter to the World; Distinguished Lecturer, Pennsylvania State University
; Distinguished Lecturer, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
; Distinguished Lecturer, Pennsylvania State University; Distinguished Speaker, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; Kinyoun Lecturer, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD; Distinguished Lecturer, Center for Autism Research, Philadelphia, PA; The Courage Fund Visiting Professorship, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore; Fellow, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2009; Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science; Member, Association of American Physicians.
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and Professor of Neurology and Pathology at College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. Lipkin is also Director of the Center for Infection and Immunity, an academic laboratory for microbe hunting in acute and chronic diseases.
Lipkin was born in Chicago, Illinois where he attended the University of Chicago Laboratory School. He was President of the Student Board in 1969. He received his BA from Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
in 1974. He earned his MD from Rush Medical College
Rush Medical College
Rush Medical College is the medical school of Rush University, a private university in Chicago, Illinois. Rush Medical College was one of the first medical colleges in the state of Illinois and was chartered in 1837, two days before the city of Chicago was chartered, and opened with 22 students on...
, in 1978. He was a clinical clerk at the Institute for Neurology, Queen Square, in London, UK (1978–1979). He had a brief stint with the Indian Health Service
Indian Health Service
Indian Health Service is an Operating Division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . IHS is responsible for providing medical and public health services to members of federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Natives...
in Tishomingo, Oklahoma
Tishomingo, Oklahoma
Tishomingo is the largest city and the county seat of Johnston County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,162 at the 2000 census. It was the first capital of the Chickasaw Nation. Murray State College, a community college, with an annual enrollment of 1,600 students is located in...
in 1978. He then trained at University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
as an Intern in Medicine from 1978-79. He went on to complete a Residency in Medicine at University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
(1979–81), and a Residency in Neurology at University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, San Francisco, (1981–1984). He conducted postdoctoral research in microbiology and neuroscience at The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute is an American medical research facility that focuses on research in the basic biomedical sciences. Headquartered in La Jolla, California, with a sister facility in Jupiter, Florida, the institute is home to 3,000 scientists, technicians, graduate students, and...
from 1984-90. He was President of the Scripps' Society of Fellows in 1987.
Career
A physician-scientist, Lipkin is internationally recognized for his work with West Nile virusWest Nile virus
West Nile virus is a virus of the family Flaviviridae. Part of the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of viruses, it is found in both tropical and temperate regions. It mainly infects birds, but is known to infect humans, horses, dogs, cats, bats, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels, domestic...
and SARS, as well as advancing pathogen discovery techniques by developing a staged strategy using techniques pioneered in his lab. These molecular biological methods, including MassTag-PCR
MassTag-PCR
MassTag PCR is a new technology PCR based on Mass Spectrometric detection of end product. This technology is pioneered by scientist from Center for Infection and Immunity of Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, USA.-Principles:...
, the GreeneChip diagnostic, and High Throughput Sequencing, are a major step towards identifying and studying new viral pathogens that emerge locally throughout the globe. A major node in a global network of investigators working to address the challenges of pathogen surveillance and discovery, Dr. Lipkin has trained over 30 internationally based scientists in these state-of-the art diagnostic techniques.
Lipkin is the Director of the Northeast Biodefense Center, the Regional Center of Excellence in Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases comprising 28 private and public academic and public health institutions in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Within this consortium, his research focuses pathogen discovery, using unexplained hemorrhagic fever, febrile illness, encephalitis, and meningoencephalitis as targets. He is the Principal Investigator of the Autism Birth Cohort, a unique international program that investigates the epidemiology and basis of neurodevelopmental disorders through analyses of a prospective birth cohort of 100,000 children and their parents. The ABC is examining gene-environment-timing interactions, biomarkers and the trajectory of normal development and disease. Lipkin also directs the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Diagnostics in Zoonotic and Emerging Infectious Diseases, the only academic center, and one of two in the US (the other is CDC), that participates in outbreak
Outbreak
Outbreak is a term used in epidemiology to describe an occurrence of disease greater than would otherwise be expected at a particular time and place. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire continent. Two linked cases of a rare infectious...
investigation for the WHO
Who
Who may refer to:* Who , an English-language pronoun* who , a Unix command* Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism- Art and entertainment :* Who? , a 1958 novel by Algis Budrys...
.
In 1989, Lipkin was the first to identify a microbe (Bornavirus
Bornavirus
Borna disease virus is the virus that causes Borna disease.- Genome :It has the smallest genome of any Mononegavirales species and is unique within that order in its ability to replicate within the host cell nucleus....
) using purely molecular tools. Lipkin was employed by University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
from 1990-2001. He began as Assistant Professor in the departments of Neurology
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
, Anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
and Neurobiology, and Microbiology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
and Molecular Genetics
Molecular genetics
Molecular genetics is the field of biology and genetics that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. The field studies how the genes are transferred from generation to generation. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology...
. He advanced to full professor in under six years and was named as the first Louise Turner Arnold Chair of Neuroscience before moving to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
In 1999, Lipkin led the team that identified the West Nile virus
West Nile virus
West Nile virus is a virus of the family Flaviviridae. Part of the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of viruses, it is found in both tropical and temperate regions. It mainly infects birds, but is known to infect humans, horses, dogs, cats, bats, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels, domestic...
in brains of encephalitis
Encephalitis
Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain. Encephalitis with meningitis is known as meningoencephalitis. Symptoms include headache, fever, confusion, drowsiness, and fatigue...
victims in New York State. In April 2003, he sequenced a portion of the SARS virus directly from lung tissue, established a sensitive assay for infection, and hand carried 10,000 test kits to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
at the height of the outbreak. As the first foreign consultant to gain the confidence of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Chinese Academy of Science he was named Special Advisor to China for Research and International Cooperation in the Fight Against SARS and was instrumental in promoting disclosure and outside collaborations in infectious disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
research and public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
management. His position recognizes this extraordinary service, wherein Lipkin and his colleague Thomas Briese, traveling to Beijing at the height of the SARS outbreak at the request of the Chinese government, hand-carried 10,000 test kits to be used for identification and containment of infected individuals, and coordinated the national research efforts with Chen Zhou, the current Minister of Health of China. Lipkin also serves on the boards of the Guangzhou Institute for Biomedicine and Health, the Institut Pasteur de Shanghai, and is Honorary Director of the Beijing Infectious Disease Center. He became ill shortly after returning to the US and was quarantined.
Lipkin is co-chair of Steering Committee of the National Biosurveillance Advisory Subcommittee (NBAS). The NBAS was established in response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21 (HSPD-21), "Public Health and Medical Preparedness."
He is Honorary Director of the Beijing Infectious Disease Center, Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Institut Pasteur de Shanghai and serves on boards of the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Disease, the Guangzhou Institute for Biomedicine and Health, the EcoHealth Alliance, Tetragenetics, and 454 Life Sciences Corporation.
Lipkin served as a science consultant for the film Contagion
Contagion (film)
Contagion is a 2011 American medical thriller disaster film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film has an ensemble cast that includes Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, and Bryan Cranston. Contagion follows the rapid progress of a lethal...
. The film has been praised for its scientific accuracy.
Honors
Throughout his career, Lipkin has been recognized for his service and ingenuity. He was awarded a NARSAD Young Investigator Award by National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and DepressionNARSAD
NARSAD, or National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, is a private, not-for-profit public charity. It is the largest donor-supported organization that supports research on brain and behavior disorders...
. Lipkin's work has since been recognized with the following honors: NIH Clinical Investigator Development Award; Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences; Japanese Human Science Foundation Visiting Professor; Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons Visiting Bruenn Professor; University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
(UC) Irvine Louise Turner Arnold Chair in the Neurosciences; American Society of Microbiology Foundation Lecturer; UC Irvine Distinguished Lecturer; Ellison Medical Foundation
Ellison Medical Foundation
The Ellison Medical Foundation, a 501 Private Nonoperating Foundation, was founded in 1997 and is located in Walnut Creek, California. The foundation supports research in the following discipline areas: biomedical research on aging, age-related diseases and disabilities. Its major philanthropic...
Senior Scholar in Global Infectious Disease; Millennium Commencement Speaker, Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
; Dalldorf Research Physician NY State Department of Health; Fellow of the NY Academy of Sciences; Distinguished Lecturer of the National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control; Honorary and Founding Director, Beijing Center for Infectious Diseases; Fellow, American Society for Microbiology
American Society for Microbiology
The American Society for Microbiology is a professional organization for scientists who study viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa as well as other aspects of microbiology. Microbiology is the study of organisms too small to be seen with the naked eye and which must be viewed with a...
; Columbia University Jerome L. and Dawn Greene Professor of Epidemiology; Columbia University John Snow Professor of Epidemiology; Scientific American, Top 25 Science Stories of 2007. He was the Founding Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, Cure Autism Now (merged with Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is the world's largest autism advocacy organization that sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, and the public. It was founded in February 2005 by Bob Wright, vice chairman of General Electric, and by his wife Suzanne, a...
, 2007); Featured Investigator, NIAID Discovery News, 2008 A Microbe Hunter to the World; Distinguished Lecturer, Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
; Distinguished Lecturer, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is the state-run health sciences institution of New Jersey, United States. It has eight distinct academic units...
; Distinguished Lecturer, Pennsylvania State University; Distinguished Speaker, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; Kinyoun Lecturer, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD; Distinguished Lecturer, Center for Autism Research, Philadelphia, PA; The Courage Fund Visiting Professorship, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore; Fellow, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2009; Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science; Member, Association of American Physicians.