Recognizing Recipients of the 2023 Mount Sinai Alumni Awards

Updated on May 25, 2023 | Community, Featured

At the Awards Ceremony Dinner, from left:  Back Row: Dennis Charney, MD; Leo Keegan, MD; Christopher Bellaire, MD; Hashem Emad Zikry, MD; Daniel J. Weiss, MD, PhD; Basil Hanss, PhD; David R. Friedland, MD, PhD; Alberto Paniz-Mondolfi, MD, PhD; Robert O. Wright, MD, MPH; Cardinale Smith, MD, PhD; Alexis Colvin, MD. Seated: Silvia Chavez, MSN; Leif Holgersen, MD; Meg A. Rosenblatt, MD; Bret P. Nelson, MD; James C. Tsai, MD, MBA; Carl W. Braun, MD; Katherine A. Hawkins, MD, JD; and Vesna Najfeld, PhD

More than 225 alumni, faculty, and honored guests gathered for the 2023 Alumni Reunion Awards Ceremony Dinner held at the New York Academy of Medicine. This was the first time in four years that the event was held in person to celebrate the recipients of the Mount Sinai Alumni Awards and the St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Alumni Awards, as well as milestone graduation years: the classes of 1978, 1983, and 1998.

This year’s event, held Wednesday, May 10, was particularly special for another reason: It was the first reunion to honor the first four graduating classes from the original Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The classes of 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1973 jointly celebrated their 50th anniversaries, which is a signifier of the extraordinary trajectory taken since the School of Medicine’s founding.

Guests were welcomed with opening remarks from Alexis Colvin, MD, Associate Dean for Alumni Affairs, Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Chief Executive Office of the Mount Sinai Health System, who is also an alumnus of the class of 1973. Leo Keegan, MD, Vice President of the Mount Sinai Alumni Association, and Carl Braun, MD, President of the St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Alumni Association, presented the awards. A special welcome video with Talia Swartz, MD, PhD, President of the Mount Sinai Alumni Association, was also shown.

The Alumni Award recipients are:

The Mount Sinai Alumni Leadership Award: Christopher Bellaire, MD Candidate ’23, Hashem Emad Zikry, MD, ISMMS ’18

St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Distinguished Young Physician of the Year: Alberto Paniz-Mondolfi, MD, PhD, SLR ’11

The Jeffrey T. Laitman, PhD Award for Achievement in Medical Education: Bret P. Nelson, MD

The Mount Sinai Graduate School Alumni Award: Basil Hanss, PhD, Cardinale Smith, MD, PhD, MSSM ’15, MSH ’10

The Mount Sinai Master Clinician Award: Meg A. Rosenblatt, MD, MSH ’89

The Mount Sinai Alumni Special Recognition Award: Silvia Chavez, MSN, ANP-BC, Vesna Najfeld, PhD

The Terry Ann Krulwich Physician-Scientist Alumni Award: Daniel J. Weiss, MD, PhD, MSSM ’88

The Dr. Sidney Grossman Distinguished Humanitarian Award: James C. Tsai, MD, MBA

The J. Lester Gabrilove Award: Robert O. Wright, MD, MPH

St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Distinguished Alumni Award: Katherine A. Hawkins, MD, JD, SLR ’77, Leif Holgersen, MD, FACS, SLR ’70

The Saul Horowitz, Jr. Memorial Award: David R. Friedland, MD, PhD, MSSM ’95, MSH ’00

The Alumni Association also held a series of events from Wednesday, May 10, to Friday, May 12. The event series included a symposium with two panel conversations and a discussion with Dr. Charney, and an Open House for the new Alumni Office and Wisch Physician Lounge. Members of the 50th anniversary classes participated in the 2023 Commencement Ceremony.

To view the digital Reunion Dinner Program Book, see event photos, watch the welcome video, and listen to the Alumni Podcast from the graduating class of 1972, click here.

At the 2023 Commencement Ceremony, from left: Ernst Schaefer, MD; Jacob Rispler, MD; Steven C. Port, MD; Naomi LC Luban, MD; Katherine Teets Grimm, MD; Arthur L. Frank, MD; Kenneth L. Edelson, MD; and Michael S. Balkin, MD.

Mount Sinai Doctors-787 Eleventh Avenue Provides Comprehensive Breast, Spine, and Imaging Services

Updated on May 11, 2023 | Community, Featured

Mount Sinai Doctors-787 Eleventh Avenue is a new outpatient center designed to provide comprehensive, convenient care for breast and spine patients, and imaging services.

The Center welcomes new and existing patients to a relaxing, beautifully designed facility. Home to Mount Sinai’s outstanding multidisciplinary team of surgeons, specialists, and medical support staff, the new facility allows patients to experience Mount Sinai expertise in a convenient, state-of-the art facility.

“This space was designed to emphasize collaboration across disciplines in caring for our patients,” said Lisa Mazie, Chief Administrative Officer, Mount Sinai West. “Breast Surgeons and staff work in partnership with radiologists and technical imaging specialists to coordinate cohesive care. Orthopedic and neurosurgical spine surgeons and interventional physiatrists work together in one practice with their own EOS low-dose X-ray, plain film standing X-ray, and fluoroscopy within their space.  We want to provide patients one location with varying modalities of care and expertise to meet their health care needs.”

Samuel K. Cho, MD, right, and a patient

At the same time, the facility’s design, from the artwork on the walls to the lighting and furniture, seeks to create a soothing environment for patients.

“The new location will be home to an expanding array of breast imaging services including the most advanced mammography, ultrasound, and MRI available,” said Laurie Margolies, MD, FACR, FSBI, Vice Chair for Breast Imaging, Mount Sinai Health System, and Professor, Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

“Patient-centered care is at the heart of everything we do,” said Stephanie Bernik, MD, FACS, Chief of Breast Service at Mount Sinai West and Associate Professor, Surgery at Icahn Mount Sinai. “This state-of-the-art facility is thoughtfully designed with patients’ needs in mind, is easy to access, and will allow more people to benefit from Mount Sinai’s world-class surgeons, radiologists, and support staff.”

Stephanie Bernik, MD, FACS, right, speaks with a patient.

Mount Sinai Spine at Mount Sinai Doctors offers a fully integrated collaboration among providers in orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, and physiatry/pain management to provide the highest quality, comprehensive spine care.

“We have created a seamless structure that is able to provide whatever treatment and care a patient needs, regardless of spinal condition,” Jeremy M. Steinberger, MD, Director, Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Mount Sinai Health System, and Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery, and Orthopedics, at the Icahn Mount Sinai.

“Our doctors at the new Mount Sinai West Spine Center offer a full complement of comprehensive spine services that meet your needs using the latest minimally invasive techniques in our state-of-art facility,” said Samuel K. Cho, MD, Chief of Spine Surgery, Mount Sinai West, and Professor, Orthopedics, and Neurosurgery at the Icahn Mount Sinai. “Whether you are a teenager with scoliosis or an adult suffering with disc herniation, we are here to help you.”

For spine patients, EOS, a low-dose alternative to X-rays and CT scans, is available. EOS provides 3D, weight-bearing images that enable physicians to get the most accurate view of the spine and lower limbs in a natural standing position.

Get more information or to book an appointment with a specialist

Thinking About Becoming a Neuroscientist Someday? Start Here—at Mount Sinai’s Brain Fair for Schoolchildren

May 9, 2023 | Community, Featured

It was a most amazing field trip for nearly 600 elementary, middle, and high school students who participated in the recent 11th Annual Brain Fair on the campus of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, eager for a day of learning and fun.

The event, which was also open to Mount Sinai staff and the community, was held during Brain Awareness Week, a global campaign launched by The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives to foster public enthusiasm and support for brain science.

Angelica Minier-Toribio, a fifth-year Neuroscience PhD student and MiNDS volunteer, was ready for the throngs—among them was Jordan, a fifth-grader at CEYE partner school PS 171 Patrick Henry. He stopped by her booth, curious to learn how the brain sends electrical impulses to muscles and controls movement.

Fifth-grade student Jordan, with classmate Julian looking on, gets a lesson from Angelica Minier-Toribio on how the brain sends electrical impulses to muscles and controls movement.

Ms. Minier-Toribio placed two electrodes on Jordan’s arm and three on herself, and asked, “Do you feel anything?” as she used a battery-powered device to record electrical impulses from her own arm muscle, which she amplified and gently directed to his arm muscle. Jordan could feel—and see—his fingers and hand move involuntarily. He recounted after the demonstration that his arm and fingers “felt tingling” and that he saw how “electricity can control your muscles.”

Adding to the excitement—this was the first in-person Brain Fair in the three years since the COVID-19 pandemic first ravaged New York City. Appearing at the event were Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, and Paul J. Kenny, PhD. Dr. Nestler is Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience, Director of The Friedman Brain Institute, and Dean for Academic Affairs at Icahn Mount Sinai, and Chief Scientific Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. Dr. Kenny is Ward-Coleman Professor and Chair of the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Director of the Mount Sinai Drug Discovery Institute.

The Friedman Brain Institute hosted additional activities around Brain Awareness Week. Among them:

  • The Art of the Brain, an annual exhibition of photographs, paintings, illustrations, and videos that celebrate the beauty of the brain and nervous system as seen through the eyes of some of the world’s leading researchers. Veronica Szarejko, the Director of Art of the Brain and the exhibition’s curator, says faculty, trainees, and staff from 14 departments and institutes across Mount Sinai submitted 52 works.

The Art of the Brain celebrates the beauty of brain science.

The virtual exhibition, launched on March 22, is available to Wednesday, May 31. Over the years, the exhibition has received world-wide acclaim for showcasing how science—and art—are revealed as researchers study the brain. Take a museum-style tour of the exhibition.

  • Stories of Brain and Beyond, a special Mount Sinai storytelling event in which five scientists shared true, personal stories of their scientific paths. Created through a collaboration between The Friedman Brain Institute and The Story Collider, and spearheaded by neuroscience postdoctoral fellow Aya Osman, PhD, and Abha Karki Rajbhandari, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, and Neuroscience, this event was performed live, on-stage, at Caveat, a New York City performance space. From the tragic to the hilarious, the storytellers explored the deeply human side of science.

Scientists shared personal stories of their scientific paths during a live event at Caveat, a New York City performance space.

At the Brain Fair, 100 volunteers, which included 28 CEYE high school students, and 12 Neuroscience faculty were on hand to interact with the students. The volunteers were stationed at more than 20 booths that offered unique learning experiences. Visitors were able to see real specimens of a healthy—and diseased—human brain; stop by an “Ask an Expert” booth; learn about balance and optical illusions, taste and smell, and hand-eye coordination; and walk through a giant inflatable model of the brain, an immersive and educational experience.

A popular activity for the schoolchildren was the hands-on opportunity to remove a “brain tumor” using the same technology that Mount Sinai brain surgeons rely on in their operating rooms—the 3D robotic exoscope. This is a device that has a high-definition digital camera system and magnifies the brain’s neural and vascular structures, allowing neurosurgeons to remove tumors with greater precision.

Fatima uses the Synaptive Medical Modus V, a 3D robotic digital exoscope, assisted by Evelyn Richardson, Senior Clinical Applications Specialist, Synaptive Medical.

Fatima, also a fifth-grader at PS 171 Patrick Henry, was one of many eager students who stopped by. With a neurosurgery operating room team member guiding her, Fatima put on the same 3D glasses used by Mount Sinai neurosurgeons as she attempted to delicately remove, under high magnification, a tiny strawberry seed—”the tumor”—from a fresh strawberry. Her classmates, also wearing 3D glasses, stood around and watched as she carefully, and successfully, completed the task. One of her teachers who was looking on said with delight: “Fatima is a brain surgeon now!”

Not yet—but the Brain Fair certainly opened up the possibility for Fatima and the others to consider eventual careers in neuroscience.

Scroll through this slideshow for more photos.

White Coat Ceremony Begins Journey for Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing Students

Updated on Mar 17, 2023 | Community, Featured, School

Nursing students take their oath at the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing annual White Coat Ceremony.

In a joyous beginning of education and training, the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing held its annual White Coat Ceremony for students in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program on Monday, March 13, at the Stern Auditorium at The Mount Sinai Hospital. As each student stepped up to don their official white coat and commemorative pin from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation in the shape of a Mobius loop, they left the stage transformed—excited to begin their nursing journeys at Mount Sinai.

During her keynote address, Laly Joseph, DVM, DNP, CNE, RN, C, MSN, APRN, ANP, FNAP, Vice Dean and Professor at the School of Nursing, spoke of the creation of the White Coat Ceremony by the Gold Foundation as a rite of passage for students in 1993. She told the students that their Gold Foundation pin “connects health care professionals with their patients when humanism is at the core of health care, so wear it with pride.”

Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, FAAN, Chief Nurse Executive and Senior Vice President, Cardiac Services at the Mount Sinai Health System, took the podium to reflect on the mission of the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing and the start of each student’s journey to advance the delivery of outstanding health care to local and global communities. She informed students of the significance of their new white coats, which symbolize the “essential role that nurses play.”

In the larger health care field, the white coat continues to be recognized as a powerful symbol of knowledge, skill, and integrity. In the late 1800s, a student of Florence Nightingale’s designed the first recognizable uniform for nurses. This traditional uniform comprised a long dress paired with an apron and cap. Nurses across the world began wearing similar uniforms. Changes have been made to that traditional form of dress: pants and shirts became popular in the 1980s, and scrubs emerged as the most popular nursing uniform in the 1990s. Today, scrubs remain the most recognizable nursing uniform, worn by nurses and students in the hospital setting, though nurse managers and advanced practice nurses often wear the coat as well.

The annual White Coat Ceremony represents the transformation that occurs when a medical student begins learning to become a health care professional. In 2014, the White Coat Ceremony was extended beyond physicians to other health care professions, including nursing.

During her keynote address, Dr. Joseph shared quotes from White Coat Ceremony founder, Dr. Gold: “Listen, listen to your patients. See them as human beings, pay attention to what they are telling you, don’t be afraid to care. The connections you make with your colleagues, your patients, and your patients’ families are crucial for them and you.” She concluded with a quote by Maya Angelou who said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Todd F. Ambrosia, DNP, MSN, MBA, APRN, FNP-BC, FNAP, Dean of the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing and Vice President of Nursing Affairs for the Mount Sinai Health System, said the nursing profession continues to be deemed the most trusted of all professions. As the ceremony concluded, he told the students: “You look stunning in your white coats. I’m really proud of you.”

Fatima Ali and Elie Allomong were among the students who received white coats at the ceremony.

Fatima Ali

Ms. Ali earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and began teaching English as a mentor in Salamanca, Spain. Ms. Ali was fortunate to experience cultural immersion while pursuing her passion to teach, but she eventually felt a stronger pull toward health care. “During my undergraduate years, I had the chance to engage in various volunteer and work opportunities,” she says. “I volunteered at NYU Langone Health, as well as a podiatrist clinic in Queens and a learning center for children with disabilities in Bali, Indonesia. These experiences exposed me to the world of health care and inspired me to pursue a career in this field.”

After graduation, Ms. Ali aspires to work in labor and delivery nursing. She looks forward to working with patients and families across a diverse community. “It is crucial we understand and appreciate the cultural differences that exist within our society. Mount Sinai’s ABSN program recognizes this and has taken steps to ensure its students are equipped to provide care to a diverse patient population.”

Elie Allomong

Mr. Allomong begins the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing ABSN program after earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in speech-language pathology. He has worked as a speech-language pathologist since 2015.

“I wanted to be a nurse since I was in middle school, but because of the education system in my country of Rwanda, I was placed in a teaching program,” he says. “I thought I had no chance to become a nurse until I moved to the United States and learned about second degrees.”

After graduation, Mr. Allomong hopes to gain experience in emergency nursing, with an ultimate goal of becoming a nurse practitioner.

Learn more about the Phillips School of Nursing

Prostate Cancer Research Gala Celebrates Innovations in Research and Patient Care at Mount Sinai

Updated on Mar 16, 2023 | Community, Featured, Your Health

Frorm left: Dennis Charney, MD, Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, and Robert F. Smith

The Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai hosted its annual Prostate Cancer Research Gala on Tuesday, March 7, at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center.

Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, Chair of the Department of Urology at the Mount Sinai Health System and the Kyung Hyun Kim, MD Professor of Urology at Icahn Mount Sinai, started the gala with the goal of raising money for the Center of Excellence for Prostate Cancer within the Department of Urology. Its mission is to eliminate prostate cancer through programs that integrate patient care, research and prevention, and education for students, trainees, professionals, and the public.

With nearly 200 people in attendance and more than $1 million raised, the event was a success by any measure.

The first honoree to be recognized was Burton Wallack, a three-time cancer survivor who received the Patient of Courage Award.

Burton Wallack, left, and Robert F. Smith

“Go to the end…and you can still win. And that’s the story of Burt Wallack,” said Dr. Tewari in a video shown at the event. Mr. Wallack, the founder and Chairman of Wallack Management Company, also serves on the Chairman’s Urology Board, partnering with his doctor to advance research.

Dennis Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of Icahn Mount Sinai and President for Academic Affairs for the Mount Sinai Health System, received the Champion of Excellence Award. As Dr. Tewari noted in a video: “I wanted to start a program in prostate cancer. Dr. Charney turned that into a prostate cancer Center of Excellence…He made it one of the most comprehensive programs and not just by telling us how to do it, but by providing every support.”

“I’m proud of where we have come, but I’m not satisfied,” said Dr. Charney, embodying his tireless pursuit of improved outcomes for patients before continuing: “Am I still being innovative? Am I still being inspiring to others? Am I still working with our teams to come up with great ideas? That’s what I think about all the time.”

The event also saw the bestowal of the inaugural Steven Southwick, MD Memorial Award, named in memory of a leading expert on trauma and resilience who passed away from prostate cancer in 2022. Dr. Southwick, Glenn H. Greenberg Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, PTSD, and Resilience at the Yale School of Medicine, was also mentor and friend to Dr. Charney. “Steve was my buddy, my brother,” said Dr. Charney. “He was brilliant, but that doesn’t capture him. He was the finest person I’ve ever met,” Dr. Charney continued before detailing Dr. Southwick’s contributions to our understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Steven Southwick, MD Memorial Award recognizes the recipient’s dedication to prostate cancer research and was given to Sujit S. Nair, PhD, an Assistant Professor and Director of Genitourinary Immunotherapy Research in the Department of Urology at Icahn Mount Sinai. Dr. Tewari praised his innovation and hard work, while Dr. Nair noted, “The long-term goal, the fact that we can cure cancer, is the motivation—that’s what excites me.”

Sujit S. Nair, PhD, and Dennis Charney, MD

The final honoree was Robert F. Smith, the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, who was presented with the Visionary Award for his commitment to addressing the disparity that sees higher rates of prostate cancer—and death—among Black men. Through his collaboration and funding, the Mount Sinai Robert F. Smith Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening unit was launched, a state-of-the-art “doctor’s office on wheels” that takes specialized staff and equipment into the neighborhoods of the men who need it most.

“We’re honoring Robert for being a kind human being,” Dr. Tewari remarked, “a philanthropist, a person who really wants to make an impact, a person who is touched by human lives, a person who cannot take his eyes away from a problem, and if he can make a difference, he does it. He has made a tremendous difference in this cause for prostate cancer.”

Graciously accepting the award, Mr. Smith said, “I’m very hopeful that this is going to be one of those sparks that really leads to a platform of access to health care for the African American community—and save lives.”

With an ambitious goal to reduce deaths from prostate cancer by 25 percent in the Mount Sinai community, this is a spark that will have far-reaching implications. While the event was a celebration of many accomplishments at the Center of Excellence for Prostate Cancer, its true significance may lie in the ongoing inspiration to keep pushing forward at the boundaries of research and patient care.

The Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology at the Mount Sinai Health System has more than 190 urologists on staff, more than any other health care system in New York City. Its robotic surgery program is among the most robust in the country. Genomic testing and advanced imaging are routine for patients with prostate cancer, providing personalized and precise treatment protocols.

Learn more about the Prostate Cancer Research Gala

Committed to Education and Equity: A Q&A With Reena Karani, MD, MHPE, the New Chair of the National Board of Medical Examiners

Updated on Nov 14, 2025 | Community, Engagement, Featured

 

Reena Karani, MD, MHPE

Reena Karani, MD, MHPE, Director of the Institute for Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, was recently elected Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), becoming the first woman of color to serve in this role in the organization’s 108-year history.

The nonprofit organization develops and administers state-of-the-art assessment tools for health professionals across the continuum of education, training, and practice. Dr. Karani and other NBME board members direct the organization’s policy and strategy and ensure the advancement of the organization’s commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, among other duties.

Dr. Karani, Professor of Medical Education, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and Medicine, has been integrally involved in educating learners at all levels and has served in a variety of educational leadership roles. She was Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education and Curricular Affairs for more than 10 years before being appointed in 2020 as Director of the Institute, whose mission is to advance teaching, learning, and scholarship in health professions education. Over the years, she has mentored hundreds of trainees and faculty members who are now themselves renowned medical education scholars and change leaders around the country.

“We have integrated into our curriculum core skills related to community-based health, global health, physician advocacy, and human rights,” says Dr. Karani, who received Mount Sinai’s Jacobi Medallion for excellence in 2022. “These are key competencies that we believe our physicians of the future need, and it is our obligation to ensure they are prepared for that future.”

In this Q&A, Dr. Karani discusses her new role, her lifelong commitment to advancing innovative medical education and scholarship both nationally and at Mount Sinai, and her thoughts on addressing bias and inequity in the learning environment.

Reena Karani, MD, MHPE, attends a research presentation with faculty and students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

What priorities and directions will you pursue as NBME chair?

The National Board of Medical Examiners is fully invested in offering evidence-based, patient-centered, and bias-free assessment tools for health professionals. I’ve been an active part of those efforts for the past decade through my work as a member of several test material development committees and the Board of Directors. My new role as chair represents an opportunity to strengthen our commitment in two areas I see of particular importance. One is mitigating bias, and the second is continuing to advance the assessment of critical competencies necessary for health care practice in the 21st century. Historically, medical education has taught race as a biologic category based on innate differences that produce health outcomes. Yet this is fundamentally flawed, because race is a social category that reflects the impact of unequal social experiences on health. Centuries of structural racism and bias have contributed to racial and ethnic disparities in health, outcomes, and opportunity. Medicine has a long history of racism and bias, beginning with who is allowed to join the profession and ranging from what is taught and assessed and how clinical care is delivered to the policies, practices, and procedures of our systems. It is everywhere, and there is no more pressing a challenge facing us in health professions education today. We must commit to working tirelessly to face and address these issues. This is not easy, and there are no quick fixes, but we must, for the sake of future generations, commit to this work each and every day. This is a personal journey for me, and an organizational journey that the NBME is fully committed to taking on.

What does being the first woman of color to serve as chair mean to you and to the field?

The enormous privilege and honor of being chair is not lost on me, especially in light of all those who struggled before me and worked tirelessly to have a voice at the table. Being chair of the NBME Board of Directors, indeed, feels amazing, even intimidating, but I have the strength of this highly respected organizations’ staff, my colleagues on the Board, and our faculty from the “house of medicine” to propel me forward. It will also allow me, as a faculty member from Mount Sinai, to advance important conversations about assessment and equity, make meaningful contributions to medical schools and learners, and strive to meet the mission of the organization, which is to protect the health of the public.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, center, joined Dr. Karani and colleagues during a 2015 visit to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

How have your varied positions and activities at Mount Sinai prepared you for your new role?

My 23-year career at Mount Sinai has afforded me an incredible foundation as a professor of medicine, medical education, and geriatrics and palliative medicine. With the support of countless mentors and sponsors, I’ve been privileged to have many educational leadership roles here, and each of these roles, from co-directing the Integrated Medicine-Geriatrics Clerkship to serving as Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education and Curricular Affairs, has helped prepare me for this new role.

At the end of 2020, I became Director of the Institute for Medical Education, which is the organizational core that fosters the development and dissemination of best practices and scholarly innovations in teaching and learning, and serves as the trusted professional development source for health professions’ educators and scholars. We are proud to serve as an inclusive home for all medical educators and, as such, all our programming is designed to help educator faculty achieve their full potential.

One focus of your career has been geriatric medicine and palliative care. Why is it important to integrate geriatrics and palliative medicine training into the medical curriculum?

No matter what field of medicine an individual practices, they are going to care for and connect with older people. Even in pediatrics, there are many children in this country who are being raised by their grandparents. In addition, the key competencies in palliative medicine of providing quality care to those with serious illness are also critical no matter what field of medicine a person chooses to practice. So we have a responsibility to teach and assess the key skills and behaviors necessary to care for older people and those with serious illnesses across the continuum of medical education.

I’ve had great opportunities through my work at Mount Sinai to bring these geriatrics and palliative medicine perspectives forward. We have integrated and created opportunities: We’ve woven relevant learning into courses and clerkships, such as how human physiology changes as one ages, what the impact of aging is on pharmacology and pharmacodynamics, and how aging affects mobility and function as part of the study of the musculoskeletal system. And, we also proudly offer a required clerkship in geriatrics and palliative medicine that occurs during the third year of a medical student’s training at Mount Sinai. This allows our trainees to learn from and be mentored by our world-class faculty in geriatrics and palliative medicine.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your new opportunities and challenges as National Board chair?

I believe my new role sends a strong message to the medical community about the Board’s commitment to ensuring diversity, equity, and justice in all aspects of health professional assessment. Just as importantly, I hope that young faculty see it as an invitation for them to get involved with our organization—to help us build assessments that are relevant and patient-focused and designed to correct the biases of the past for health professionals of the future. I also believe it’s important that young learners, particularly those of color and from historically excluded groups, see the many opportunities that are available to them and reach out to me if there are ways I can support them.

Read more about the Institute for Medical Education at Mount Sinai

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