The COVID-19 pandemic has made a significant impact on everyone involved, and many of us have been through devastating events over the past several months. However, there have been positive moments we will not forget, as well. We have seen members of the medical community from all over the nation come together, exhibit extraordinary levels of integrity, and help the Mount Sinai Health System Department of Emergency Medicine pull through the hardest of times.
Physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners left their homes and families to join us in this unprecedented fight. It is hard enough to start in a new hospital, but these individuals also came during the height of a health care crisis. Amid a huge pandemic, they quickly learned to function in a new environment and seamlessly integrated with the Mount Sinai Health System. These individuals have exhibited a level of teamwork, selflessness, compassion, resilience, and adaptability that is above and beyond anything we could have expected.
We want to thank each one of these extraordinary people. They will be forever considered members of our extended Mount Sinai family.
Mount Sinai Queens
Travis Ulmer, MD, is from Ohio and worked night shifts at Mount Sinai Queens. He saw that New York needed help, and in an extraordinarily selfless act, he volunteered to help and was not looking to be compensated for his time (we obviously couldn’t let that happen). He was a significant relief to our staff after we had been through a busy several weeks from the peak of the pandemic. All the staff at MSQ had very positive things to say about Dr. Ulmer. When he is not busy being an EM physician, he enjoys being active with his family.
Anthony Cirillo, MD, is from Rhode Island. He drove to New York to help us during the peak of the pandemic. He brought his own PPE and was well prepared to work “in the trenches” with us. He was always willing to help in any way possible, and our staff enjoyed working with him.
Jacqueline Christianson, NP, flew from Wisconsin to help the MSQ ED during the peak of the pandemic. She was friendly, energetic, and ready to work the night shifts as soon as she arrived. Our staff and patients really enjoyed having her on our team.
Darby Winston, PA, was a great asset to our team during the pandemic. She was versatile and always up for the challenge, whether working in the Emergency Department or on the medical floors. Thank you, Darby!
James Portwood, PA, came from out of state to help us during one of the busiest times. It was great to see him integrate so nicely into our department and provide some much-needed relief for our staff. Thank you, James!
Mount Sinai Morningside
Mark Riser, MD, is a long-time emergency physician with expertise in administration and ED management. He currently works with Emergency Medicine Associates and has long been involved with their corporate leadership structure.
Viral Patel, MD, founder and CEO of Radish Health, heard the call for help and hastily reached out to Mount Sinai Morningside to care for critically ill patients during this pandemic. Dr. Patel is well acquainted with the clinical workflow and staff of Morningside ED since he is a former St. Luke’s Roosevelt (Morningside-West) Emergency Medicine resident. Having been sick himself with likely COVID-19 early in the pandemic, he was readily available for any shift and task. Our patients and staff truly appreciate the care Dr. Patel provided and time he spent with us.
The Mount Sinai Hospital
Lindsay Stokes, MD
Dan Phelan, MD
Submitted by: Matthew Bai, MD, Associate Medical Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Mount Sinai Queens, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai