From left: James Tsai, MD, MBA, President of New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE); Daniel Laroche, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology; and Tamiesha Frempong, MD, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, and Medical Education, were among those who gathered for the dedication of a portrait of David Kearny McDonogh, America’s first Black ophthalmologist and a former slave, who was trained at NYEE.
The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE), in August, celebrated its 200th anniversary and its unique place as America’s first specialty hospital, which continues to provide patients with the highest level of care.
“As we enter our third century, we continue to innovate and lead in clinical care, education, research, and community service,” says James Tsai, MD, MBA, President of NYEE. “NYEE has really been ahead of its time and I think this is something we can be proud of in our bicentennial year.”
Indeed, the hospital’s remarkable history includes a significant chapter in American history and demonstrates the open-mindedness of its two young founders, Edward Delafield, MD, and John Kearny Rodgers, MD, who educated the nation’s first Black ophthalmologist, a former slave named David Kearny McDonogh. Dr. McDonogh’s professional path was laden with obstacles. After being allowed to unofficially attend and complete his medical studies at what is now Columbia University, he was denied his medical degree. But at NYEE, Dr. Rodgers provided him with the opportunity to become an eye doctor and practice his craft as a full staff member of the hospital, then located in a small suite in lower Manhattan. In a tribute to his mentor, Dr. McDonogh adopted “Kearny” as his middle name.
In August, as part of NYEE’s bicentennial celebration, a painting of Dr. McDonogh was hung in NYEE’s new surgical waiting room with a limited group of faculty and staff in attendance due to COVID-19 restrictions. No photos of Dr. McDonogh are known to exist. The painting by Leroy Campbell was commissioned by Daniel Laroche, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at NYEE. At the gathering, Dr. Laroche called Dr. McDonogh “an American hero.” As far as we know, Dr. McDonogh is the only American enslaved person to have gained a professional medical education, says Dr. Laroche. “His story shows you cannot suppress the soul of man.”
Today, NYEE runs the nation’s largest ophthalmology residency program, with 10 residents a year, and continues to “look for the best trainees regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, disability, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation,” says Dr. Tsai. “We are open to new ideas and focused on training the most qualified individuals, and committed to recognizing the talent and skills of these applicants. We have an incredibly diverse residency class. Drs. Delafield and Rodgers believed in providing expert care to patients from all walks of life so they could enjoy good health and lead productive lives. That is so much in line with the philosophy of the Mount Sinai Health System—that same willingness to take care of everyone.”
In keeping with its tradition of innovation, NYEE in July became the first U.S. hospital, and third in the world, to acquire a microsurgical robot for ophthalmology and study its future use in patients. The device is expected to provide surgeons with a significantly higher level of precision when performing procedures. NYEE has applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for permission to use the robot for research and educational purposes and for clinical trials before expanding its use into retinal or other ophthalmic surgeries. Only two other microsurgical robotic eye systems exist in the world—in England and the Netherlands.
NYEE is also pioneering the use of telemedicine in ophthalmology by exploring new technologies and methods to permit eye doctors to make diagnoses using computers and artificial intelligence. The hospital is working with emergency room doctors and nurses within the Mount Sinai Health System to handle patients with eye emergencies more efficiently when an ophthalmologist is not physically present but is available remotely. The Emergency Department staff would conduct an eye exam and assist the ophthalmologist in making a diagnosis via remote diagnostics, rather than having patients wait a lengthy period of time before a specialist is able to get to the hospital.
Dr. Tsai says, “NYEE may look very different in our third century of service to the community. We will incorporate more telemedicine into our offering. We will also train doctors more effectively using the latest technology. But we will still possess the same ethos, culture, vision, and mission that have guided us since our founding 200 years ago.”
