Steven J. Burakoff, MD
Dean for Cancer Innovation
Chief, Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
Lillian and Henry M. Stratton Professor of Cancer Medicine
Professor, Department of Medicine
Professor, Department of Oncological Sciences
Professor, Jack and Lucy Clark Department of Pediatrics, Jack Martin Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

“My view has always been the way to change the outcome of cancer was to take ideas and research in the laboratory and share them with clinical investigators to create new clinical trials that would be brought to the patient,” says Steven J. Burakoff, MD, one of nine accomplished physicians and researchers who received the 2019 Jacobi Medallion—one of Mount Sinai’s highest awards.

“As a scientist, he’s made fundamental discoveries that are now helping millions of patients with cancer,” says Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and President for Academic Affairs for the Mount Sinai Health System. “And at Mount Sinai, since he came here years ago, he has taken a cancer program that was good and made it great.”

Dr. Burakoff’s contributions to the field of immunology are demonstrated by his authorship of more than 300 publications in peer-reviewed journals and his receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Immunologists. Dr. Burakoff was previously the Director of The Tisch Cancer Institute from 2007-2017.

“His role in in this effort has been at some of the most fundamental levels of understanding how our immune system functions, particularly how T-cells function,” says Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD, Ward-Coleman Chair in Cancer Research; Director, The Tisch Cancer Institute; and Professor and Chair, Department of Oncological Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “T-cells are very important in programming how we respond to foreign invasions but also how we respond to cancers.”

Dr. Burakoff came to Mount Sinai 11 years ago to build an integrated cancer center. “One of my focuses was to build a great cancer immunology program, which we have done,” he says. “I saw in immunology the opportunity to have our own immune system stimulated to fight against diseases, especially cancer. At this point, we’re seen as one of the beacons of hope in terms of using the immune system in cancer treatments.”

Prior to coming to New York, Dr. Burakoff was the Margaret M. Dyson Professor at Harvard Medical School, the first recipient of the Harvard Medical School Excellence in Mentoring Award, and was a member of the Board of Trustees at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

“The Jacobi Medallion really is a statement from my peers saying that they feel that I made a difference here,” Dr. Burkoff says. “We’re one of the leaders in the treatment of metastatic bladder cancer, liver cancer, and we have a vigorous breast cancer program. To be part of that effort, to be a part of that mission, it gets me up every morning, and I want to come in and do something important. It’s an extremely exciting time to be in this field.”

“I consider Steven exceptional in that he has the Midas touch in every role that he agrees to assume,” says Lisa M. Satlin, MD, Herbert H. Lehman Professor of Pediatrics; Professor and System Chair, Jack and Lucy Clark Department of Pediatrics; and Pediatrician-in-Chief, Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital. “With the decades of experience that he’s had building cancer institutes, just think of how privileged we are in pediatrics to benefit from the years of experience that he brings to bear.”

Nina A. Bickell, MD, MPH
Associate Director, Community Engaged and Equity Research, The Tisch Cancer Institute
Co-Director, Center for Health Equity and Community Engaged Research
Co-Director, Cancer Prevention and Control, The Tisch Cancer Institute
Professor, Department of Population Health Science and Policy
Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

“It was instilled in me from my parents, from my elementary and high school—social justice was always a very important component,” says Nina A. Bickell, MD, MPH, one of nine accomplished physicians and researchers who received the 2019 Jacobi Medallion—one of Mount Sinai’s highest awards. “So the importance of everyone having access to very basic rights and needs was just a given.”

“What I really wanted to understand was if people were treated differently, why, what difference did it make, and what could we do to get rid of the kinds of differences that really hurt people,” Dr. Bickell says.

At Mount Sinai since 1995, Dr. Bickell has been working with the Harlem community and safety net hospitals throughout the New York City metropolitan area to reduce disparities in cancer care. Her work assessing the role of race, obesity, insulin resistance, and aggressive breast cancer have expanded collaborations nationally.

“I started working to look at what is the racial difference in insulin resistance, and could that explain the more aggressive kinds of breast cancer that black women get,” she says. “What are some of the epigenetic influences contributing to the racial disparities that we’re seeing that ultimately may lead to different kinds of drug targets.”

Dr. Bickell has extensive experience in large-scale, multi-center trials with regional, national, and international collaborations designed to understand causes of racial disparities, promote health equity, and improve the quality of cancer care. Clinically, Dr. Bickell sees patients at Mount Sinai’s Internal Medicine Associates as a primary care physician serving East and Central Harlem.

“Mount Sinai was created as a hospital to provide care for those who could not get care in other places,” she says. “There are things that we can do in how we deliver care to at least even the playing field a bit. Mount Sinai has enabled me to–and taught me that I can–do it, and how to do it.”

“Even if you have the best diagnostic tools and the best chemotherapy, there are people who aren’t getting them,” says Carol Horowitz, MD, Dean for Gender Equity in Science and Medicine and Professor, Department of Population Health Science and Policy, and Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.  “Someone needs to shine a light on vulnerable populations and say why is this happening, this isn’t fair, we can do better. And Nina shows us how to do better. She is a role model for how you can be successful in thinking critically, doing excellent work, and using it to change things that you’re passionate about.”

Reginald W. Miller, DVM, DACLAM
Dean for Research Operations and Infrastructure
Associate Professor, Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery
Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

“I love infrastructure. I like to make sure things work,” says Reginald W. Miller, DVM, DACLAM,  one of nine accomplished physicians and researchers who received the 2019 Jacobi Medallion—one of Mount Sinai’s highest awards.

“The history of Mount Sinai resonates with me on a personal level because I’m an HBCU graduate, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were founded on the principle that it was a need to educate people who have been traditionally marginalized by the larger population. You look at the humble beginnings of Mount Sinai—that’s that same history.”

Dr. Miller has had numerous leadership positions at the School of Medicine and is responsible for the School’s research infrastructure and operations.

“I love what I do. I love science. I love medicine,” he says. “I’m responsible for moving the research operation forward, making sure that we get the best utilization of high-end equipment and benefit the largest number of researchers possible.”

Dr. Miller is also dedicated to making sure that the biomedical research faculty and students reflect the diversity of the nation. He serves as Co-Chair for the Diversity in Biomedical Research Council, and Director of the Friends of Odysseus (FOD) Black and Latino male mentoring program.

“It’s incumbent upon those of us who have had opportunity to reach back and make sure that others have those same opportunities. It’s our responsibility, as stewards of science, to make sure people follow behind us,” he says. “It’s a great honor to realize that people recognize the contributions that I’m making. I’ve been afforded opportunities at Mount Sinai I would not have been afforded other places. And because I have a connection, and I understand the mission of the institution, I absolutely feel that this is the place that I need to be.”

“His passion is limitless. He carries the torch,” says Jonathan A. Cohen, DVM, DACLAM, Associate Professor and Director, Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery, and Associate Professor, Department of Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “He’s the voice for a lot of underrepresented minorities, just like myself, where he lays the trail and has not been afraid to have the tough conversations to make sure everybody gets a shot, an opportunity to experience excellence at the school.”

Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS, MSSM ’87
The George S. Peters, MD and Louise C. Peters Chair in Surgery
Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Surgeon-in-Chief, Temple University Health System
Senior Vice President, Perioperative Services, Temple University Hospital

“I think Mount Sinai gave me my heart with regards to medicine,” says Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS, MSSM ’87, one of nine accomplished physicians and researchers who received the 2019 Jacobi Medallion—one of Mount Sinai’s highest awards. “I remember one of my professors telling us that patients wait all day to see their doctor. That’s what I learned at Mount Sinai: That it is all about the patient, and that’s why we’re here. I always wanted to be a doctor and always thought that I would actually be a surgeon. I’m so grateful for my education that I had at Mount Sinai and how that really set me on my path to being successful.”

Dr. Goldberg is well recognized as a superb educator–winning several teaching awards including Temple University’s highest teaching honor, The Great Teacher Award in 2018, the Lindback Award, and multiple Golden Apple Awards.

“I have a very strong commitment to education, and it’s really been an honor seeing in people sometimes what they don’t see in themselves, or helping them be where they think they can’t go,” she says.

Dr. Goldberg’s contributions to academic medicine have earned numerous accolades throughout her career. She is a nationally celebrated clinician scholar with a robust portfolio of highly regarded publications and presentations. She is also widely recognized as an expert in violence prevention and improved outcomes for victims of trauma.

“I was trained to be a surgeon, but I also was educated on what gun violence does to our patient population,” she says. “We have a prevention program where we bring in students, and we really educate about what bullets do to bodies. We want to make a difference, one patient at a time.” 

“Amy Goldberg came to a place where penetrating trauma was a major portion of what we do,” says Larry R. Kaiser, MD, FACS, The Lewis Katz Dean at the School of Medicine, Senior Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, Temple University, President and CEO, Temple University Health System, and Professor, Thoracic Medicine and Surgery.

“We live in the largest city in the country without a public hospital. We sit in North Philadelphia, one of the poorest areas in the country, and unfortunately violence is a fact of life. Her trauma program is a model for other programs around the country,” Dr. Kaiser says. “As the Chair of Surgery, she has tremendously elevated the Department. She has been a leader among women in surgery. We now have almost 50 percent of our residencies filled with women in surgery. She is an outstanding educator who has won multiple teaching awards.”