Joseph Riad, MD

Kelley Yan, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist trained in diverse disciplines including clinical gastroenterology, structural biology, and stem cell biology. This multidisciplinary background provides her with a unique perspective and opportunity to study intestinal stem cell (ISC) biology at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. Her love of science began with an appreciation for undergraduate studies in chemistry and the physical sciences, which evolved during graduate school into a desire to understand how 3D structure or molecular form enables biological function and confers specificity in protein-protein or protein-nucleic acid interactions. She has experimentally examined these interactions in signal transduction—particularly ligand/receptor interactions—using structural biology and biophysical methods. Her medical training deepened her passion for clinical gastroenterology and guided her toward regenerative medicine, fueled by a personal commitment to serving her patients. As a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Yan pursued further scientific training in ISC biology and developed expertise in rigorous mouse genetics, in vivo models, ex vivo 3D organoid culture systems, and single-cell genomics to study stem cell fate decisions.

Morgan Busko, MD is a sports medicine physician specializing in the non-operative treatment of chronic and acute musculoskeletal injuries and conditions in adult and pediatric patients. She has a particular interest in endurance athletes, running and overuse injuries, and injury prevention. After completing a residency in Internal Medicine at New York University, where she also received her Medical Degree, Dr. Anderson completed a Sports Medicine Fellowship at Wake Forest University. She received her B.S. in Biological Anthropology and Anatomy at Duke University, where she competed in Cross-Country and Track & Field. Dr. Busko is an active endurance athlete who has competed in the Hawaii Ironman World Championship five times, finishing amongst the top triathletes in the world. She finds great reward in helping athletes return to sport safely while facilitating an athlete’s ability to reach their optimal athletic performance. She hopes that her passion for exercise as medicine will be contagious to her patients and everyone around her.

Patricia Vuguin, MD, MSc, is Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Pediatric Endocrine Fellowship Program at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). She is also Medical Director of the Pediatric Thyroid Center at CUMC and NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. Her expertise includes thyroid disease, metabolic syndrome, glucose metabolism, growth, puberty and disorders of puberty, and fetal programming of adult disease. Dr. Vuguin is an accomplished clinician, researcher, and educator. She is fluent in Spanish and English and empathetic to the medical needs of New York’s Hispanic community. In her leadership role for the Pediatric Thyroid Center, she collaborates with a multidisciplinary team of specialists to care for children and adolescents with thyroid disorders, such as thyroid nodules and papillary thyroid cancer. In addition, Dr. Vuguin was the recipient of K08 and R21 awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), independent grants from pharmaceutical companies, and funding from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. She has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles in research journals; presented her research findings at national and international meetings; and is an active member of the Pediatric Endocrine Society and the Society of Pediatric Research. Dr. Vuguin also completed a Master of Science Training Program in Clinical Research, an NIH-funded program offered by the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Prior to Columbia, Dr. Vuguin provided clinical care at Jacobi Medical Center, Montefiore Medical Center, and North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System (now Northwell Health). She is a member of the SuperDoctors ® list and received an Outstanding Teacher Award from North Shore-LIJ Health System. The American Medical Association’s Board of Trustees also selected her to serve on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Review Committee for Pediatrics.