May 13, 2019 | Community, MSBI, Your Health
Faculty and staff of the Mount Sinai Health System’s Department of Urology recently celebrated the completion of a more than $3 million renovation project at Mount Sinai-Union Square. Upgrades to the 6,500-square-foot practice are being done in several phases, allowing the Sol & Margaret Berger Urology Department at Union Square to continually serve patients.
The project has doubled the Department’s capacity to perform in-office procedures and features new medical equipment. Wall outlets in the waiting room allow patients to charge their phones, and soon, patients will be able to check in for their appointments while seated on a couch rather than waiting at the front desk. Modern art, furniture with warm natural tones and finishes, special lighting, and a tank with 12 species of saltwater fish are designed to provide patients with a welcoming environment.
“All aspects of the renovation maximize the patient’s experience by reducing stress and making check-in and services more convenient and efficient,” says Ash Tewari, MBBC, MCh, Chair of the Department of Urology, Mount Sinai Health System. Plans also call for the Urology Department to launch a prostate cancer and men’s health program downtown and install a real-time location system that will enhance patient safety and improve clinical quality.
“We are excited to have this large, modern space in which to treat our patients and accommodate the more than 24,000 patient visits we receive each year,” says Michael A. Palese, MD, Chair of Mount Sinai-Union Square Urology. “World-class medicine with access to academic professionals and clinical trials in the setting of a brand new office space enhance the overall patient experience.”
Faculty and staff at the Department of Urology joined Michael Palese, MD, left, center, and Ash Tewari, MBBC, MCh, right, center, to celebrate the newly renovated facility at Mount Sinai-Union Square.
May 13, 2019 | Community, Featured
From left: Claudia Colgan; Dennis S. Charney, MD; Peter W. May; Shari Kaplan; and Kenneth L. Davis, MD
Volunteers who serve The Mount Sinai Hospital and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai—helping staff in areas of patient care, research, and administration—were celebrated at a breakfast on Wednesday, April 10, during National Volunteer Recognition Week. The event was held in Annenberg West Lobby.
Peter W. May, now Chairman Emeritus of the Mount Sinai Boards of Trustees, and a steadfast supporter of the Department of Volunteer Services and this annual breakfast, reflected on the volunteer legacy that exists at Mount Sinai. “The history of our institution goes back to our founding by a small group of volunteers and the spirit to give back to the community,” he said. “Today, volunteerism at Mount Sinai continues to grow, and that strengthens us.”
Addressing the volunteers, Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System, said, “Currently, we have more than 1,100 volunteers in more than 250 placement areas. What exactly have you done? Among many other activities, you have helped patients take more than 1,500 walks and engaged them in more than 1,600 active range of motion exercises. You helped nearly 1,000 patients get out of bed for many reasons, not just during mealtime. Your work is invaluable.”
CARE is a Mount Sinai volunteer program that helps promote mobility and physical activity in patients to improve patient outcomes. Click here to read more.
Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System, told the volunteers: “You’re optimistic, you’re welcoming, and you’re supportive. You are the foundation of the Mount Sinai community. You’re also role models for our students. This year, we also celebrate the first two volunteers who have been accepted to our School of Medicine.”
“Two words come to mind when describing the dedication of the Department of Volunteer Services and our volunteers—partnership and collaboration,” said Claudia Colgan, Vice President of Care Coordination for the Mount Sinai Health System and Vice President of Operations for The Mount Sinai Hospital. “We can always count on them to find new ways to make Mount Sinai a better place for staff and patients.”
Department of Volunteer Services Director Shari Kaplan, LCSW, told the volunteers: “You come after school, before work, and during your vacations and weekends. You come to learn, to share, and to help, and you come with your heart, and for that, and so much more, we celebrate you.”
May 13, 2019 | Community, Featured, Patient Stories
Emergency Department technician Suzi Steele, left, stopped to greet Moby and his handler, Jaclyn Damiano, in the lobby of the Icahn Medical Institute on East 98th Street.
The Mount Sinai Hospital recently welcomed Moby as its newest four-legged employee in the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department. The young, sweet-natured golden doodle now serves as the hospital’s third facility dog—along with Professor Bunsen Honeydew and Amos—offering attention and affection to faculty, staff, and patients.
“Animals create a therapeutic environment for patients, parents, and staff ,” says Diane Rode, MPS, Director of the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department. When one of the facility dogs is at a child’s bedside, she says, doctors and nurses often take a moment to sit down, too, and the atmosphere surrounding the patient becomes calmer and more harmonized.
Like Professor and Amos, Moby visits patients and their families. But his main emphasis is supporting faculty and staff, and helping clinical units de-stress during the course of a normally hectic week or during times of sadness. Ms. Rode says she has seen the dogs have a profound effect on grieving staff members.
To some degree, Moby’s schedule for the first year will be open-ended. But, accompanied by his handler, Jaclyn Damiano, MPS, a licensed Creative Arts Therapist, he does have structured time with certain units at The Mount Sinai Hospital and during visits to Mount Sinai Queens.
Ms. Rode credits the Mount Sinai Health System’s leadership for recognizing the value of facility dogs and says she is grateful for the support of David L. Reich, MD, President of The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens, and Jonathan Kyriacou, MPH, Vice President, Hospital Operations, who helped bring Moby to Mount Sinai.
Updated on Nov 14, 2025 | Community, Engagement
Staff of the Central Billing Office at Mount Sinai’s Corporate Services Center.
The Central Billing Office staff at Mount Sinai’s Corporate Services Center wore blue in recognition of World Autism Awareness Day on Tuesday, April 2. “Autism affects so many people, and it’s important that we recognize those who have been diagnosed or know someone who has,” says an organizer, Shawn Lee. “We support autism awareness to recognize that for those with disabilities, equity is still a challenge in our society and needs to be addressed.”
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community, Featured
Mount Sinai Health System leaders, from left: Kumar Chatani, Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer, and Dean for Information Technology; Stephen Harvey, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Jane Maksoud, RN, MPA, Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Labor Relations; Karen Badenhorst, Vice President, Enterprise Business Systems, Information Technology; Donald Scanlon, Chief Financial Officer and Chief of Corporate Services; and Phillip Mears, JD, MHA, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Management.
The Mount Sinai Health System is undertaking a massive business-operations project that will affect 39,000 staff and consultants in the system. The Enterprise Business Process Transformation (eBPT) Program will integrate the computer systems now used for human resources, financial operations, payroll, budgeting, and purchasing into a single, cloud-based system using Oracle software. It will roll out gradually, with the first functions going live by January 2020.
“This is a transformative opportunity,” says Karen Badenhorst, Vice President, Enterprise Business Systems, Information Technology, Mount Sinai Health System. “Standardizing our disparate systems and processes will harmonize how we work, increase our productivity, and strengthen the foundation of our business operations.” Staff will be able to view and update their personal information and data about their skills and qualifications. It will be easy to review paystubs, benefits, available PTO days, and performance appraisals, as well as apply for new positions and add certifications and other educational information.
The effort will encompass the Health System’s hospitals and ambulatory offices, Corporate Services, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. This new approach will offer staff quicker access to data and easier ways to update it. There will be only one set of processes and procedures, which will eliminate the need for cross training on multiple software systems. Once it is implemented, all Mount Sinai staff members will be able to access information relevant to their positions anytime and anywhere, using desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones.
“Many of the modules are intuitive,” says Jane Maksoud, RN, MPA, Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Labor Relations. Mount Sinai will provide online tools and reference guides, and additional training resources for areas that are more complex. The program will be integrated in stages, which will be complete by the end of 2020. To start the process, payroll will go live by January 2020 for The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Queens, the Icahn School of Medicine, and Corporate Services, followed in later months by payroll for Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai Brooklyn, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, Mount Sinai West, and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary ofMount Sinai. The timeline for integrating South Nassau Communities Hospital will be determined at a later time.
The new eBPT Program will tie together human resources, finance, and supply-chain computer systems. Its increased and more unified automation will make it faster and easier for managers and supervisors to process transactions, requests, and approvals, and to review employees’ attendance, continuing education, and professional accomplishments. With a few clicks, all staff can create and read real-time data and reports with greater efficiency and control. Within the School of Medicine, it will be easier to manage research grants and expedite workflow. In addition, basing the system in the cloud will make it easier to continually update and improve. All of this should lead to increased efficiency and cost savings, Ms. Badenhorst says.
Working committees, small group meetings and town halls across the Health System will be used to communicate the project’s progress and to gain valuable input from everyone who will be using the new systems, says Stephen Harvey, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “The large-scale transformation of our business operations will require some changes in the way we manage our work and control operations,” Mr. Harvey says. “Given the size and complexity of this project, we will need everyone’s help to ensure success.”
Updated on Nov 12, 2025 | Community
At the fourth annual Women of Color in Medicine and Science dinner, more than 100 students, physicians, researchers, and administrators from across the Mount Sinai Health System shared a meal and built connections. The event, sponsored by Students for Equal Opportunity in Medicine, Students for Equal Opportunity in Science, and Patricia S. Levinson Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs, was held in March at Red Rooster Harlem. “At this gathering, new collaborations have begun and new mentoring connections have been formed that have changed people’s lives,” said Ann-Gel Palermo, DrPH, MPH.
From left: Gylynthia Trotman, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science; Monica Dweck, MD, Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights; Tracy Layne, PhD, Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science; and Kelly Ware, Data Manager, Finance Department.
