David Windreich
Thanks to the outstanding generosity of the Windreich Family Foundation, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will advance its vision of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning into research and clinical practice to amplify patient-centered care. This multi-million dollar gift will establish the Windreich Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health at Mount Sinai.
By establishing one of the first departments devoted to AI in a medical school, this gift represents Mount Sinai’s exceptional commitment to integrating AI throughout the Mount Sinai Health System. It will enable the recruitment of dedicated faculty, novel research initiatives, and the acquisition of any equipment and software that are mission critical to ensuring Mount Sinai continues to lead bold initiatives that embrace the power of technology to accelerate advances in both scientific research and clinical care.
Oversight of the newly named Windreich Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health will fall under the purview of its inaugural Chair, Thomas J. Fuchs, Dr.sc, who is also the Co-Director of the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Health at Mount Sinai. The new department was formed under the vision and guidance of Dennis S. Charney, MD, the Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine. “This gift will ensure Mount Sinai continues to be at the forefront of the AI-driven revolution of health care to the benefit of Mount Sinai’s diverse patient population,” says Dr. Charney.
“Our duty at the new department at Mount Sinai is to ensure that our patients are the main beneficiaries of the enormous impact AI will have on health care,” says Dr. Fuchs. “To realize this vision, we are tremendously grateful for the gift from the Windreich Family Foundation. Mr. Windreich’s forward looking support will allow us to build a unique AI infrastructure at Mount Sinai and attract the world’s leading talent in this space.”
David Windreich, who serves on the Boards of Trustees at Mount Sinai, has a history of supporting AI and big data solutions in health care. His philanthropy extends to naming the Windreich Center for Bioinformatics at Mount Sinai. This Center is singularly focused on developing cutting-edge, web-based software tools and databases to facilitate the collection and analysis of diverse and complex data from human cells and tissues that will inform precise treatments for patients based on their unique genetic makeup. Mr. Windreich is also a former member of the Board of Directors for Sema4, a platform that uses machine learning and AI tools to analyze a database of more than 10 million patient genomic profiles and clinical records. Sema4 spun out of Mount Sinai in 2017 and went public at a $3 billion valuation in 2021.
“We have not yet reached the tipping point of how AI can play a major role in health care,” says Mr. Windreich. “My family is excited to play a role in supporting Mount Sinai’s initiative of being at the forefront of delivering technology solutions that will ultimately improve care and save lives.”