Updated on Nov 14, 2025 | Community, Engagement
Ana M. Rodriguez, left, and Elizabeth Diaz accepted the ERG & Council Honors Awards.
The Association of Employee Resource Groups and Councils ranked two Mount Sinai Health System diversity councils among their Top 25, honoring them on Friday, May 3, with the ERG & Council Honors Award™. The Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Diversity Council (ranked No.16) and the Mount Queens Diversity Council (ranked No. 20) were recognized for the impact of their diversity and inclusion efforts, having excelled in four categories—Demonstrated Results, Demonstrated Management Commitment, Measurement and Accountability, and Communication and Education. Significantly, the groups were recognized in the first year they applied.
The awards were accepted at the 2019 ERG & Council Conference in Orlando, Florida, by Elizabeth Diaz, Senior Project Coordinator, Office for Diversity and Inclusion, Mount Sinai Health System, and Ana M. Rodriguez, LMSW, Director of Patient Experience, Volunteer Services and Community Affairs, Mount Sinai Queens.
The diversity council at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s is chaired by Rubiela Guzman, Senior Director of Patient Transport, and Pascal Kolak, PharmD, MS, MPA, Pharmacy Manager, and it is sponsored by hospital President Arthur A. Gianelli, MPH, MBA. The council was recognized for its dedication to creating an inclusive environment for staff and patients in alignment with the hospital’s values—teamwork, empathy, transparency, creativity and optimism—and for its support from senior leaders, who have encouraged innovation in thoughts and ideas. With this support, the council outlined education and training, supplier diversity, leadership and staff development, and employee engagement as strategic priorities for the past year. The resulting events included “Taste of Harlem” to introduce local minority- and women-owned businesses to managers as new vendors; “Leaders of Color” panel discussions; and professional development expos to help staff advance their careers. The events have since been replicated by other diversity councils within the Mount Sinai Health System.
At Mount Sinai Queens, the diversity council is chaired by Ana M. Rodriguez, LMSW, Director of Patient Experience, Volunteer Services and Community Affairs, and sponsored by the Executive Director Caryn A. Schwab and Chief Operating Officer Judy Trilivas, RN, MA. The council was recognized for aligning hospital-based ERGs to function as one successful unit. It also was recognized for its strong support from senior leadership and middle management, many of whom are council members and ERG leaders who integrate council activities and events into their departments. The council organizes activities and training that enhance the patient experience, increase staff participation and engagement, promote an inclusive culture, provide leadership development opportunities for staff, and increase the hospital’s visibility in the community.
“Congratulations to all of the diversity council members for their hard work, which led to this well-deserved honor,” says Pamela Y. Abner, MPA, CPXP, Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Office for Diversity and Inclusion, Mount Sinai Health System.
May 13, 2019 | Community, Patient Stories
Navjot Kauer, RN, left, and Wendy Chow with patient Mohammed Choudhury.
On a recent Friday afternoon, patient Mohammed Choudhury was delighted to see Navjot Kaur, RN, and Wendy Chow, a recent nursing school graduate and volunteer in the Care and Respect for Everyone (CARE) program, walk into his room on the sixth floor of the Klingenstein Clinical Center. CARE is a Mount Sinai volunteer program that helps promote mobility and physical activity in patients to improve patient outcomes.
The two assisted Mr. Choudhury as he walked down the corridor, making certain he did not lose his balance.
Before becoming a Mount Sinai clinical unit nurse, Ms. Kaur had been a CARE volunteer when she was a nursing student, and she was wearing an “I’m a proud CARE Volunteer Alum!” button on her uniform.
Today, she is one of several CARE alumni who mentor nursing students or recent graduates interested in becoming a CARE volunteer, an effort that not only enhances the overall program for patients but strengthens the pathway for these volunteers to become Mount Sinai staff.
Ms. Kaur says CARE has helped her form stronger bonds with patients. “Talking to people and providing comfort is very important,” she says. “Some people don’t have visitors, so this also helps change their mood.”
Established in 2012 in the Emergency Department, the CARE program now has more than 100 volunteers throughout The Mount Sinai Hospital.
“They do an excellent job,” Mr. Choudhury said after his walk.
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.
Mount Sinai Health System is included in the “150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare 2019” compiled by Becker’s Healthcare. The list highlights hospitals, health systems, and health care companies that promote diversity within the workforce, employee engagement, and professional growth.