Mount Sinai faculty and staff practiced mindful breathing.From left: Lauren Peccoralo, MD, MPH; Sharissa Rivera; Saadia Akhtar, MD; and Basil Hanss, PhD.

The inaugural Well-Being Fair recently showcased more than 30 initiatives meant to improve workplace efficiency and culture, and support personal resilience and mental health. Hundreds of staff, faculty, and students attended the event, which was held in Guggenheim Pavilion and sponsored by the Office of Well-Being and Resilience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Participants learned about new health apps, mental health and peer support programs, and the EPIC system, which is continually upgraded to decrease the stress of maintaining electronic health records. There were also cooking demonstrations, art therapy, soothing cello music, lessons in chair yoga, and visits with Mount Sinai’s new service dog, Moby.

“The mission of the fair, and of the Office of Well-Being and Resilience, is to raise awareness and support initiatives that promote well-being and enable the Mount Sinai community to maximize the fulfillment and meaning they derive from their work,” says Jonathan Ripp, MD, MPH, Senior Associate Dean for Well-Being and Resilience, and Chief Wellness Officer.

Food Services staff members Ruby Johnson, left, and Shataija Edwards enjoyed the festivities.

Faculty and staff of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmaryof Mount Sinai (NYEE) enjoyed corn dogs, sausages, gyros, and corn on the cob at the hospital’s annual summertime employee appreciation event in June. The carnival—held in the NYEE cafeteria—also featured treats and sweets such as popcorn, cotton candy, and snow cones, and arcade games that included ring toss and bean bag toss. Lucky raffle winners received Yankees tickets, movie passes, a brunch cruise, a gardening kit, and other giveaways.

Debra Fried, MS, left, with Patricia Gaffney, Au.D, Honors and Awards Subcommittee Chair, American Academy of Audiology Credit: Dallager Photography

Debra Fried, MS, Coordinator of Audiology for Ambulatory Care Operations, and Program Manager for the Newborn Hearing Screening Program at The Mount Sinai Hospital, recently received the American Academy of Audiology’s Humanitarian Award for her work with underserved populations in Nicaragua.

Ms. Fried began traveling to Nicaragua 15 years ago, joining Mayflower Medical Outreach, a volunteer organization to help establish the first audiology clinic in north-central Nicaragua. Over the years, she has designed and implemented an audiometric technician training program for the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health and co-founded the International Humanitarian Hearing Aid Purchasing Program, to provide low-cost, high-quality hearing aids to those in need.

“Her service is not just for a moment, not just for two weeks out of a year, but rather for a lifetime that is committed to lifting and leading the hearing-impaired people of Jinotega, Nicaragua, on a path to self-sufficiency and access to sustainable hearing health care,” the Honors and Awards Committee wrote about Ms. Fried.

Mount Sinai International has entered into a 10-year strategic collaboration and co-branding agreement with the Taikang Insurance Group in China to further advance the clinical and management capabilities at Taikang Xianlin Drum Tower Hospital in Nanjing, a city of more than 8 million in eastern China. Areas of focus in the first year of this collaboration include quality and patient safety, IT infrastructure and management, and oncology clinical care delivery.

Among those in the photo above, taken during a recent week-long onsite quality and safety workshop conducted by Mount Sinai International, are three leaders of this effort, starting seventh from left: Brijen Shah, MD, Director of Quality Improvement for the Mount Sinai Health System; Li Zhiping, MD, President, Taikang Xianlin Drum Tower Hospital; and Tao Xu, MD, Medical Director, Mount Sinai International.

Members of the LGBT Employee Resource Group at Mount Sinai Queens, from left, Donna Smith Jordon, Administrative Manager, Emergency Medicine; Carla M. Moscoso; Diana Rosario, Care Coordinator, Population Health; and Debra Freeman, Medical Secretary, Radiology and Nuclear Medicine.

Members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Employee Resource Group (ERG) at Mount Sinai Queens recently donated dozens of personal hygiene products to homeless LGBT youth, who often lack access to essential items for self-care.

The donations were made through the nonprofit group New Alternatives. “We felt it was important to support this organization, which helps underserved young people with an array of services, such as housing, mental health resources, and job skills,” says Carla M. Moscoso, Director, Practice Operations, Mount Sinai Doctors, and Co-Chair of the ERG. Supported by the Mount Sinai Health System’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion, the ERG aims to foster a sense of community by organizing activities and fund-raising for causes important to those who identify as LGBT.