Announcements
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,
I am pleased to announce that Beata Kosmider, PhD, has been appointed as the new Director of the Center for Inflammation and Lung Research (CILR), effective August 1.
Dr. Kosmider earned her PhD at the University of Lodz in Poland, studying platinum-based chemotherapies in lung cancer, and subsequently investigated genetic instability. Dr. Kosmider began her independent career as an Assistant Professor at National Jewish Health in Denver.
She joined Katz as an Associate Professor in CILR in 2015, gained tenure in 2021, and was promoted to Full Professor in 2022.
Dr. Kosmider’s research is focused on critical topics in lung health and disease; particularly, on emphysema pathophysiology. Her work includes studying alveolar epithelial cell injury induced by various factors and concentrates on the mechanisms that drive lung repair to identify novel regenerative strategies for pulmonary diseases. Dr. Kosmider has obtained awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DoD) as a Principal Investigator and has a clinical trial funded by a pharmaceutical company. Beyond her research work in CILR, she teaches students in several departments across Katz.
As CILR’s Director, she will focus on bolstering the center’s academic excellence through fostering interdisciplinary research collaborations within Katz and across the health system, supporting faculty development and ongoing recruitment of top-tier investigators and overseeing teaching programs for students and postdoctoral fellows.
Dr. Kosmider will succeed Dr. Thomas J. Rogers, CILR’s inaugural Director, who has led research at the center for over a decade. Dr. Rogers is a leading expert in the field of inflammation, whose work has made important contributions to the understanding of how chemokine, opioid, and formyl peptide receptors contribute to the regulation of inflammatory responses.
Please join me in thanking Dr. Rogers for his invaluable service, and congratulating Dr. Kosmider on her new role.
Sincerely,

Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS
The Marjorie Joy Katz Dean
Lewis Katz School of Medicine
I am pleased to announce that Silvia Fossati, PhD, has been appointed the Interim Director of the Alzheimer's Center at Temple University (ACT). Dr. Fossati will succeed Domenico Praticò, MD, who was named the inaugural Scott Richards North Star Charitable Foundation Chair
for Alzheimer’s Research and Director of the Alzheimer’s Center in 2017. I want to thank Dr. Praticò for his service.
Fossati, who joined Temple in 2019 from NYU School of Medicine, served as the Associate Director of ACT and is an Associate Professor of Neural Sciences at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. She has dedicated her career to unraveling the complexities of neurodegenerative disorders. For over 15 years, her research has focused on the mechanisms of cell death and stress in Alzheimer's Disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA).
A major research emphasis of her group has been the definition of the contributions of vascular system defects to mechanisms and biomarkers of cognitive impairment and dementia, in work bridging the fields of cardiovascular diseases and neurobiology, published in high profile journals such as Aging Cell and Alzheimer’s & Dementia (the journal of the Alzheimer’s Association). The work in Dr. Fossati's laboratory has opened promising avenues for therapeutic discovery for neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Fossati has received multiple prestigious awards as Principal Investigator, including NIH awards, honors from the American Heart Association and the Alzheimer’s Association, and the PA Cure Award.
In her new role, Dr. Fossati will advance the research mission of ACT by building strong interdisciplinary and translational research collaborations across Katz and Temple, and by recruiting and mentoring new faculty with research focus on neurodegeneration. Dr. Fossati is committed to fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence, inspiring high levels of scholarly productivity, providing mentorship, and offering opportunities for dynamic engagement among faculty, staff, and trainees. Additionally, she will champion innovative teaching programs, and promote diversity and inclusion for students and postdoctoral fellows associated with ACT.
As we begin the new fiscal year, we have much to celebrate at Katz School of Medicine and at Temple, and I am thrilled to have Dr. Fossati among our newest research leadership. Please join me in congratulating and supporting her as she continues to advance the important work of the Alzheimer's Center.

Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS
The Marjorie Joy Katz Dean
Lewis Katz School of Medicine
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel J. Rubin, MD, MSc, FACE, Professor of Medicine, as Co-Director for the Center for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (CBE) at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. Dr. Rubin has served with dedication and effectiveness as interim Co-Director of the CBE since May 2023. Dr. Rubin will continue to share leadership responsibilities with current Co-Director,
Shannon Lynch, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center.
Dr. Rubin, Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, joined the Lewis Katz School of Medicine faculty in 2010 as an Assistant Professor. During his tenure at Temple, Dr. Rubin has emerged as an academic leader, who currently also serves as Deputy Section Chief and Director of Clinical Research in the Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism within the Department of Medicine. His research focuses on predicting and preventing hospital readmissions among patients with diabetes and on in-patient diabetes management, and he currently holds a grant from the NIH’s National Institute of Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDKD) to develop and prospectively validate EHR-integrated readmission risk prediction models for hospitalized patients with diabetes.
As Co-Director, Dr. Rubin will partner with Dr. Lynch to manage administrative functions for the CBE, overseeing its Cores in Informatics/Data Science, Biostatistics, and Education. With their deep experience and proven leadership in population-based, community-centered translational, clinical, and epidemiological research, Drs. Rubin and Lynch will continue their successful collaborative partnership to lead the CBE into its next chapter. We look forward to their ongoing efforts to align its activities with those of the broader research and educational community at Temple.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Rubin on his appointment.
Sincerely,

Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS
The Marjorie Joy Katz Dean
Lewis Katz School of Medicine
Marianne LaRussa, a cherished member of the Temple family, passed away on August 25, 2024.
Marianne began her career at Katz in September 2011 as an Executive Assistant/Senior Coordinator supporting senior leadership across at Katz. Over the years, her dedication and exceptional leadership were evident as she took on increasingly significant roles.
In 2017, she was promoted to Project Manager, and in 2018, she became the Senior Manager of Undergraduate Medical Education (UME). Her outstanding contributions led to her appointment as Sr. Director of Undergraduate Medical Education in 2022.
Throughout her tenure at Temple, Marianne's tireless efforts were instrumental in shaping the success of Katz. Her work has left an indelible mark on our institution, and her legacy will continue to inspire us all.
We extend our deepest condolences to Marianne’s family, friends, and all who worked with her.