Montefiore and Einstein Medical Cannabis and Bioethics 2020: Panelists
Introducing our 2020 panelists:
Julia H. Arnsten, MD, MPH
Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine
Montefiore Health System
Professor, Departments of Medicine, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences,
and Epidemiology & Population Health
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Julia Arnsten, MD, MPH, is Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology & Population Health, and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Chief of the Unified Division of General Internal Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Montefiore and Einstein. An expert in delivering effective medical care to vulnerable populations, Dr. Arnsten has received continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 1998. Her central research interests are adherence with medication-taking, impact of substance use disorders on medical co-morbidity, neurocognitive functioning among persons with opioid use disorder, and medical cannabis. Her research has led to changes in how physicians deliver medical care to persons with substance use disorders and with chronic pain through working with faculty and fellows in the Division of General Internal Medicine as well as through collaborations with faculty in many other fields.
Dr. Arnsten earned her MD from New York University School of Medicine, an MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a BA from Wesleyan University. She completed residency training in primary care internal medicine at New York University Medical Center-Bellevue Hospital and fellowship training in general internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Arnsten was the Founding Chief of the Einstein-Montefiore Division of General Internal Medicine in 2004 and has since created a vibrant academic home for more than 65 general internal medicine faculty members. The faculty consist of 55 clinician-educators and 10 clinician-investigators who conduct research in a variety of fields, including substance abuse, HIV / HCV prevention and treatment, antiretroviral therapy adherence, hepatitis c treatment, tobacco cessation, treatment of chronic pain, medical education, medical cannabis, and patient outcomes and health services. Since the Division’s founding, its faculty members have been principal investigators on over 60 grants, representing over $100 million in extramural funds.
Dr. Arnsten has served as a permanent member of two NIH-study sections, as an ad hoc member to over three dozen other review panels, and as an editorial board member of both print and online journals (including the Journal of General Internal Medicine and Addiction). In 2007, Einstein’s Clinical Research Training Program students selected Dr. Arnsten as both “Teacher of the Year” and “Mentor of the Year.” She was also the 2007 winner of the “Excellence in Mentorship” award from the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse (AMERSA), the 2009 winner of Einstein’s “Faculty Mentoring Award,” and the 2015 winner of the “Outstanding Division Chief Award” from the Association of Chiefs and Leaders in General Internal Medicine (ACLGIM).
Tia Powell, MD
Director, Montefiore Einstein Center for Bioethics
Montefiore Health System
Dr. Shoshanah Trachtenberg Frackman Faculty Scholar in Biomedical Ethics
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Tia Powell, MD, is a recognized leader in bioethics scholarship related to dementia, LGBT issues, end-of-life care, and health policy. She currently chairs a committee for the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) to recommend the next decade of social science research to support those with dementia and their caregivers. Dr. Powell has served on several other NAM workgroups, and has provided bioethics expertise for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and both New York City and New York State’s health departments. She previously founded the bioethics consultation service at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, and served as Executive Director of the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law, New York State’s bioethics commission.
Currently, Dr. Powell serves as a Fellow of the Hastings Center, the American Psychiatric Association, and the New York Academy of Medicine. She is a frequent public speaker at medical schools, professional society meetings, universities, and in the media.
Dr. Powell graduated magna cum laude from Harvard-Radcliffe College and AOA from Yale School of Medicine. She is a Next Avenue “2019 Influencer in Aging,” and was named as a Crain’s “2019 Notable Woman in Healthcare.” Her book, Dementia Reimagined: Building a Life of Joy and Dignity from Beginning to End, was published by Penguin Random House in April 2019.
For more information, contact:
sbraun@montefiore.org