Celebrating Summer Interns: Rich Experience in Labs of Genetics and Genomic Sciences

Sep 15, 2022 | Community, Engagement, Featured

From left, Michael Katz, MD, PhD, with interns Samantha Whipple and Sofia Kim in the laboratory of Efrat Eliyahu, PhD.

About a dozen undergraduate college students conducted research this summer with faculty members of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The interns received interdisciplinary research experience in experiment-based and computation-based research, in addition to mentoring and professional development opportunities.

They each worked full-time on a research project under the mentorship of a Mount Sinai researcher and attended weekly events, such as scientific seminars and workshops.

Research topics include functional genomics and multiomics, gene editing and cellular engineering, computational and data sciences, neuropsychiatric genomics, cancer genomics, gene and cell therapy, statistical genetics, genetics of human disease, and drug discovery. The Scholars Program is directed by Efrat Eliyahu, PhD, Assistant Professor of Genetic and Genomic Sciences and member of the department’s Diversity Committee.

“This summer I learned that you don’t need to be perfect, or know how to do everything correctly the first time,” says Samantha Whipple, a New York University student who was an intern in Dr. Eliyahu’s laboratory. “Learning is a part of the scientific process, and learning from your mistakes makes you better.”

 

Berk Turhan

Jennifer Granda

John Soto

Oghenetefike Okotete

Sarah Zipkowitz

Sofia Kim

Aryan Jain

Alissa Ward

Samantha Whipple

Celebrating Summer Interns: Student Nurses Launched on Their Medical Journey

Sep 15, 2022 | Community, Engagement, Featured, Nursing

From left: Maria Vezina, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Vice President and Chief of Nursing Practice and Education, nurse intern Daeja Clarke, and Kathleen Parisien Dory, MA, RN, Director of Nursing Education and Professional Development at Mount Sinai Morningside. Each intern received a certificate and heartfelt congratulations.

Nursing Education and Professional Development at Mount Sinai recently honored 63 young people who completed the first system-wide summer program for student nurse interns. The students gained hands-on experience in a hospital setting alongside mentors in a program following the Magnet model of nursing excellence.

“We are so proud of all that our students have accomplished, wish them the best in their professional journey, and look forward to their return here as clinical nurses,” said Maria Vezina, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Vice President and Chief of Nursing Practice and Education, Mount Sinai Health System, who hosted the ceremony at Davis Auditorium on Wednesday, August 10.

The 11-week summer program included nurses who had completed their third year at 23 universities from New York to Nebraska and Oklahoma. Clinical nurse mentors in Mount Sinai Heart, Women and Children’s, Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Critical Care, Surgery, and Medicine guided and supported the students’ learning experiences in units on six campuses. The students have since returned for their last year of college, and the intention is to welcome many back to Mount Sinai after graduation.

Annette Jasko, who was a student nurse intern on 7 West in the cardiothoracic post-surgical unit at The Mount Sinai Hospital, summed up her experience: “Mount Sinai has provided me with an invaluable experience as a student nurse intern that has allowed me to build my skill set, improve my critical thinking abilities, and establish my personal values as a nurse,” she said. “Most important, Mount Sinai has modeled the importance of teamwork and honest values in a way that no other hospital has shown me.”

The ceremony included an inspirational poem on student nurses written by Charlotte Isler, an alumna of the former Mount Sinai Hospital School of Nursing, and heartfelt reflections by mentors, who welcomed students to the profession and encouraged them to remain lifelong learners.

“I hope through your experience with us this summer that you have gained clinical confidence and competence to give you a head start in your nursing career,” Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, Chief Nurse Executive, and Senior Vice President, Cardiac Services, Mount Sinai Health System, said in a message of congratulations. “And I hope you will continue your journey with us at the Mount Sinai Health System.”

A ceremony on Wednesday, August 10, honored the summer interns in nursing.

 

White Coat Ceremony at the Phillips School of Nursing Welcomes a New Generation of Nurses

Updated on Aug 5, 2022 | Community, Featured, School

The Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel recently held its annual White Coat Ceremony for nursing students. Held on Monday, July 11, at the Hatch Auditorium at The Mount Sinai Hospital, the ceremony’s speakers included nursing administrators from throughout Mount Sinai Health System who shared their wisdom with the next generation.

“As you leave the stage today, you are now a part of an extraordinary interdisciplinary team, who provide and lead care to our patients,” Beth Oliver, DNP, MSN, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive at Mount Sinai Health System, said in an address.

Ms. Oliver added that she hoped the 128 students from the December Class of 2022, who donned traditional white coats for the ceremony, would continue their journey at Mount Sinai Health System after they graduated. “I look forward to following your progress as the next generation of nurse leaders and innovators,” she said.

Zeauriya Tabassum, left, and Mirza Tamanna

Originally established by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation in 1993 to welcome students into the medical profession and set expectations for their roles as future physicians, the White Coat Ceremony expanded to all future health care workers, including future nurses, in 2014. For all health care workers, the ceremony symbolizes a commitment to compassionate, humanistic, patient-centered care rooted in scientific proficiency.

The keynote address was given by Maria Vezina, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Vice President and Chief of Nursing Practice, Education, Advanced Practice Nursing Credentialing, and Nursing Labor Relations Partnerships for Mount Sinai Health System. She quoted the late Virginia Henderson, a nurse theorist and educator known as the “first lady of nursing,” who said nurses are “temporarily the consciousness of the unconscious” and “a voice for those too weak to speak.”

From left: Tam Ha, RaeAnne Haggard, and Valmira Helshani

The ceremony concluded with a standing ovation for Lorraine McGrath, MA, RN-BC, Senior Director of Clinical Affairs and Associate Professor of the Phillips School of Nursing, who was recognized for 40 years of exceptional teaching and strong commitment to excellence at the school. Ms. McGrath called the name of each student, while they were cloaked and received their pins from faculty. The pin with a gold Mobius loop from the Gold Foundation, symbolizes the continuous bond of trust, respect, and communication that connects nurses with their patients. Todd F. Ambrosia, DNP, MSN, MBA, APRN, FNP-BC, FNAP, Dean of the Phillips School of Nursing and Vice President of Nursing Affairs at Mount Sinai Health System, closed the ceremony by advising students to “remember always to care for yourselves and for each other.”

Learn more about the Phillips School of Nursing

Mount Sinai Morningside Unveils Photo Installation Celebrating Staff Who Battled COVID-19

Updated on Aug 4, 2022 | Community, COVID-19, Featured

Vani Gandhi, MD, and Kadidia Knight
Art Campbell and Patricia Menzie
Esther Maria Roman and Janice Fearon
Trish Campbell, RN, and Jocelyn Carasco-Alviar, RN
Theresa Sheehan and Larissa Leonardo, RN
Steven Miss and Julie Infante
Saman Setareh-Shenas, MD, and Elizabeth Kern, MD
Amy Bush and Yuderka Goris, RN
Carmen Sampson and Christine Gatling
Ugoeze Onyekelu-Eze, RN, and Kathleen Parisien Dory, RN

As the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to overwhelm hospitals in the spring of 2020, photographer Claudia Paul was inspired to tell the stories of health care workers battling the emerging virus. Her photo series, “Faces of Resilience,” portraits of front-line health care staff at Mount Sinai Morningside, was born, with 32 Mount Sinai Morningside employees volunteering to participate from departments across the hospital.

On Monday, June 27, the permanent exhibit was installed in the hospital lobby at Mount Sinai Morningside, which symbolizes the resilience of the Mount Sinai Morningside community while inspiring hope and courage as all hospitals continue to cope with multiple waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This carefully curated collection illustrates the teamwork it takes to fight the pandemic and the resilience required to carry on. Viewers are encouraged to take a moment to read the heartfelt words of Mount Sinai Morningside staff and pause to reflect on the work done by the hospital staff.

“Partnering with Claudia Paul on the exhibition has resulted in a transformed entrance to our hospital,” said Arthur Gianelli, FACHE, President of Mount Sinai Morningside and Chief Transformation Officer of Mount Sinai Health System. “It signals to staff, patients, and visitors that we embody all that is necessary to fight the pandemic. This inspiring installation reflects the staff of Mount Sinai Morningside’s commitment to excellence. The individuals featured represent the excellence, teamwork, compassion, and valor it takes for everyone to care for our patients and community.”

Jonathan Ripp, MD, MPH, Chief Wellness Officer at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, added: “These faces represent all our physicians and staff who have worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the intents of these displays is to demonstrate that we recognize the incredible value of our staff and are continually working to value and support all of them.”

Ms. Paul thanked everyone who participated in the project for their “vulnerability in sharing your memories, struggles, and hopes.”

“It was a pleasure to work alongside each and every one of you and share your stories with the world,” she said.

Each of the photographs contains a quote from the person that captures the feeling from that time in the pandemic.

“It was scary, but everyone went above and beyond the call of duty, to safely take care of our patients,” reads the quote from Janice Fearon, PACU Nursing.

Added Trish Campbell, Emergency Nursing: “In the mist of all the chaos I had a moment where I realized this was why I went into nursing.”

You can visit the “Faces of Resilience” installation in the Main Hospital Lobby at Mount Sinai Morningside, 419 W. 114 Street.

The “Faces of Resilience” photo exhibit at Mount Sinai Morningside

View all of the original photos

Lab Safety Fair Promotes Laboratory Safety to Mount Sinai Staff

Updated on Jul 26, 2022 | Community

 

The Mount Sinai Lab Safety fair was held on Wednesday, June 22 in the Annenberg Building.

Hosted by Mount Sinai Environmental Health and Safety department, as well as the Laboratory Safety Committee (LSC) and other Mount Sinai vendors, the annual event is an opportunity for experts in lab safety to answer questions and to explain to Mount Sinai staff how to maintain a safe laboratory environment. This was the first in-person event since 2019.

“This event is to bring all the key players in lab safety together, including our vendors and departments throughout Mount Sinai,” says William Borgeson, Associate Director, Environmental Health and Safety.

“It is to show that we are a resource here for our lab staff, and to be open to questions giving them guidance, and helping them with anything they might need.”

Mount Sinai safety staff from different departments participated, including Mount Sinai’s radiation safety office, Employee Health Service, and the Biosafety Program. They answered questions from Mount Sinai staff and explained the role that their departments play within Mount Sinai Health System.

“We do have to worry about infectious diseases that are communicable and can easily be spread from people to people, so we need to have good laboratory hygiene and we need to have good laboratory biosafety practices,” says Randy A. Albrecht, PhD, Associate Professor, Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine, and Senior Director for Biosafety.

 

Learn about Environmental Health and Safety
Learn about the Institutional Biosafety Program at Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai Participates in the American Liver Life Walk in New York

Updated on Jul 8, 2022 | Community

A team from Mount Sinai took to the West Side piers on Saturday, June 11, for a two-mile walk in support of the American Liver Foundation.

Some 20 Mount Sinai faculty members, staff, patients, and loved ones participated in the American Liver Life Walk, which began at Pier 84 near West 42nd Street and proceeded to Pier 62 at West 22nd Street before looping back around. The walk raises funds and awareness of liver disease prevention and research.

“This is the first time in recent years that Mount Sinai has participated, and having raised over $16,000 is simply amazing,” says Douglas Dieterich, MD, Professor of Medicine (Liver Diseases) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Our contribution supports the American Liver Foundation’s mission and will help save lives by preventing and curing liver diseases.”

 

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