2025 Mentor of the Year
The Mentor of the Year Award is presented each year to faculty on the Columbia University Irving Medical Center campus in recognition of their outstanding guidance and support provided to students, fellows, and colleagues.
Dominique D. Bailey, MD, MSEd
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics; Director, Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Diseases Program
2025 Junior Mentor of the Year
Dr. Bailey is a pediatric gastroenterologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. Her research focuses on immune-mediated gastrointestinal diseases, particularly eosinophilic esophagitis, using translational models to understand epithelial injury and repair. She leads innovative efforts to integrate organoid systems, biorepositories, and clinical data to improve pediatric care. A dedicated mentor, Dr. Bailey is committed to supporting trainees across the clinical and translational spectrum through hands-on research engagement, individualized guidance, and multidisciplinary collaboration.
Wenpin Hou, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health
2025 Junior Mentor of the Year
Dr. Hou is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biostatistics and an affiliated member of the Data Science Institute at Columbia University, developing advanced statistical and machine learning methods for single-cell genomics, epigenomics, and spatial transcriptomics. Her work focuses on mathematical models of gene regulatory networks and novel applications of AI to decode complex biological systems, with relevance to cancer, immunology, infectious disease, and developmental biology. Dr. Hou’s research has earned competitive NIH funding, including an NIH R35 MIRA and a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award. As a mentor, she supports trainees in cutting-edge computational genomics, guiding them in research design, interdisciplinary collaboration, and scientific communication.
Adam M. Brickman, PhD
Professor of Neuropsychology, Taub Institute & Sergievsky Center
2025 Senior Mentor of the Year
Dr. Brickman is a Professor of Neuropsychology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and a faculty member in the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain and the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center. His research focuses on understanding the vascular contributions to cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease by integrating advanced neuroimaging, fluid biomarkers, and epidemiological approaches to characterize white matter abnormalities and their cognitive consequences. He also investigates sources of racial and ethnic disparities in Alzheimer’s disease and develops neuropsychological instruments and interventions to assess and mitigate cognitive decline. As a mentor, Dr. Brickman fosters interdisciplinary training in neuropsychology, neuroimaging, and aging research, guiding trainees in rigorous scientific inquiry, collaborative scholarship, and impactful dissemination.
Peter Samuel Dayan, MD
Professor of Pediatrics (in Emergency Medicine)
2025 Senior Mentor of the Year
Dr. Dayan is a board-certified pediatric emergency medicine physician and Professor of Pediatrics (in Emergency Medicine) at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, with more than 25 years of scholarship focused on improving care for acutely ill and injured children. He has contributed extensively to multicenter research, including leadership roles as principal or senior investigator in the federally funded Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN), advancing evidence-based diagnostic and decision-making strategies for pediatric seizures, head trauma, and other high-impact conditions. Dr. Dayan’s research and clinical leadership are matched by a deep commitment to mentoring future investigators, fostering rigorous patient-oriented research skills and multidisciplinary collaboration among trainees poised to transform emergency care for children.