Drs. Peter Goldstein and Rama B. Rao have been appointed IRB general chairs at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Dr. Goldstein is a professor of anesthesiology in the Department of Anesthesiology, professor of anesthesiology in neuroscience at the Feil Family Brain & Mind Research Institute, and an associate professor of medical ethics in the Department of Medicine. He is also a principal investigator in the C.V. Starr Laboratory for Molecular Neuropharmacology. The focus of the lab has been to better define the mechanisms by which a diverse group of pharmacological agents produces anesthesia; current research efforts are on the development of novel non-opiate antihyperalgesics for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Dr. Goldstein currently serves as IRB chair.
In their newly expanded roles, Drs. Goldstein and Rao will provide leadership over the general IRB meetings, collaborate closely with institutional leaders, oversee and delegate reviews, solicit and mentor new IRB members, and support a metric-driven culture to help improve the overall performance of the IRB. Together, they will be instrumental in the growth of the WCM clinical research enterprise.