Community | Mount Sinai Today

A Free Throw Challenge Helps Raise Awareness for Kidney Disease

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community

Ketan K. Badani, MD, left, urged on competitors during the free throw challenge.

More than 200 individuals participated in the Annual Kidney Cancer and Kidney Health Fair, a March Madness-themed event organized by Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, the Kyung Hyun Kim, MD Chair in Urology, and Ketan K. Badani, MD, Professor of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Director of the Comprehensive Kidney Cancer Program at the Mount Sinai Health System.

The event, held Wednesday, March 27, in Guggenheim Pavilion, featured faculty and staff competing in a bracket-style free throw challenge to help raise awareness about kidney health and kidney cancer. 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, kicked off the day’s activities. A team from the Department of Psychiatry won the free throw competition.

A New Approach to Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community

Peter Pastuszko, MD, Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and the Director of Pediatric Cardiovascular Services, center, with, from left: Lucia Sembrano, RN; Biji Varrughese, RN; Emily Petrillo, RN; Juliana Guiney, RN, BSN; Felicia May-Parodneck, RN; Michael Mitchell, RN; George Ofori-Amanfo, MD, Division Chief, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine; David L. Reich, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Mount Sinai Hospital; Scott Aydin, MD, Director, Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit; and Howard Seiden, MD, Director, Pediatric Cardiac Inpatient Services.

A ribbon-cutting for the newly renovated pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU) at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital celebrated not only a bright and comforting environment for patients and their families, but a new approach in care. Unlike most hospitals that have separate cardiac care units depending upon the patient’s age or specific type of care (surgical, nonsurgical, recovery, for example), the PCICU will serve as the one place for all pediatric heart patients requiring critical care.

The goal of this effort is to create a continuum of care over time, whereby patients and families interact with a dedicated team of pediatric cardiac intensivists, surgeons, nurses, social workers, and other staff trained to treat or care for a wide range of cardiac conditions.

The PCICU is part of the Children’s Heart Center, an alliance between Mount Sinai and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Celebrating an Award at the One Hundred Black Men Gala

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

The Mount Sinai Health System recently received the HealthCare Partnership Award at the 39th annual gala for One Hundred Black Men, Inc. of New York held at the Sheraton New York Times Square. The award acknowledged the burgeoning partnership between the organization and Mount Sinai to advance solutions for health and economic issues that impact communities of color. Health System leadership, including members of the Mount Sinai Boards of Trustees, and black male medical students were among the attendees. Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, accepted the award on behalf of the institution.

The organization is the founding chapter of the national nonprofit that dedicates itself to supporting and empowering the black community. Most recently, the Health System sponsored the organization’s Citywide Hunger Relief Program, which provided healthy nutritious food to needy New Yorkers during the holiday season. Along with ongoing support for long-standing projects, new collaborations are also being planned, including a potential relationship with Mount Sinai Innovation Partners.

Mount Sinai Health System representatives at the gala included, from left, Gary C. Butts, MD, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer; William A. Brown, Associate Director, Information Technology, Enterprise Infrastructure; and Reginald W. Miller, DVM, DACLAM, Dean for Research Operations and Infrastructure.

“One Hundred Black Men, Inc. of New York has a proven track record of innovative entrepreneurship within communities of color throughout the New York metropolitan area,” says Reginald W. Miller, DVM, DACLAM, Dean for Research Operations and Infrastructure, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Its mission dovetails seamlessly with the Health System’s own.”

“Mount Sinai is one of the largest economic producers in East Harlem,” says Gary C. Butts, MD, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Mount Sinai Health System, who is also a member of the organization. “We are positioned to authentically partner with One Hundred Black Men. The collaboration will serve them, us, and the community in ways that have not been realized in the past.”

Student-Run Community Clinic Celebrates 15 Years

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community, Featured

Students celebrated the 15th anniversary of EHHOP. From left: Rebecca Choi, Saloni Agrawal, Rachel Levantovsky, Derek Kao, Michelle Tran, Mimi Chung, and Anna Stacy.

For 15 years, students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have been providing free, confidential medical services to uninsured residents of East Harlem at a campus-based clinic at 102nd Street. Supported entirely by donors and volunteers, and supervised by physicians, the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership, or EHHOP, serves more than 300 patients annually in more than 1,000 clinic visits.

On Wednesday, April 10, 150 Mount Sinai students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, and friends gathered to celebrate EHHOP’s long-standing success and commitment to providing health services to the East Harlem community at a fundraising gala held at the Museum of the City of New York. The event helped move EHHOP closer to its goal of raising $100,000, which will enable it to continue supporting underserved patients.

Over the years, EHHOP has expanded beyond its primary care clinic and now operates ancillary clinics that provide care in mental health, women’s health, and ophthalmology, as well as in-house podiatry and cardiology care. EHHOP’s eye clinic distributes free prescription glasses to patients, and all prescription medications are free. The clinic recently began offering free legal services to its patients, as well.

“Beyond its dual mission of service and education, EHHOP brings together a community of students, staff, and faculty who believe that health is a human right,” said medical student and EHHOP gala co-chair James Blum.

Mitchell Katz, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest municipal health system in the United States, was the event’s keynote speaker. Dr. Katz commended EHHOP on its emphasis on primary care and mission to deliver high-quality care to all New Yorkers. EHHOP Program Director Yasmin S. Meah, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine (General Internal Medicine), Medical Education, and Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, said the show of support at the event was “energizing and moving.” Dr. Meah oversees the clinic with Medical Director David C. Thomas, MD, Professor, Medicine (General Internal Medicine), Medical Education, and Rehabilitation Medicine.

Medical student and gala co-chair Denisse Rojas-Marquez told the crowd, “What may not have been so obvious is the outpouring of support for EHHOP from Mount Sinai alumni who live in different parts of the country.” For example, she added, “An alumnus from the class of ’73 who lives in California donated the wine at tonight’s event. Everything was given with so much love to contribute to our successful event.”

Ari Bar-Mashiah, a medical student who serves as EHHOP co-chair with fellow student Pepe Muniz Rodriguez, said, “It is an honor to be able to serve patients in our own backyard, and know that we can truly make a difference in the health care landscape of our local community and New York City at large.”

2 New Leaders in Group Advancing Integrative Care and Health Equity

Updated on Nov 14, 2025 | Community, Engagement

Arya Nielsen, PhD, and Raymond Teets, MD, were named to leadership positions in the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health.

Two Mount Sinai educators, researchers, and clinicians who are dedicated to advancing evidence-based integrative medicine and addressing health care disparities were named in May to leadership roles in a national organization, the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health. Raymond Teets, MD, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health, was named Secretary of the 10-member board of the Consortium, and Arya Nielsen, PhD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health, is Member at Large.

“Connecting the mind and the body is an important part of health care, with practices like yoga, mindfulness, and healthy nutrition,” says Dr. Teets. “It is vital to spread this message, especially in groups that have historically been underserved.” The Integrative Medicine Program at the Icahn School of Medicine focuses on education, health services, and research initiatives that support their core mission of providing access to safe, cost-effective and integrative primary care. They utilize and educate clinicians on a range of therapeutic approaches, including acupuncture, relaxation therapies, nutrition and dietary supplements, and medicine to treat illness, manage symptoms, improve health outcomes, and promote healthy behaviors and wellness. The program is closely affiliated with the Institute for Family Health, a clinical and research group that has a core mission of providing access to high-quality primary care, especially to underserved groups. It also participates in national research that addresses disparities in access to integrative care.

The Academic Consortium is an organization of 77 North American academic medical centers focusing on the advancement of evidence-based integrative medicine in research, education, and clinical care. Because the Icahn School of Medicine is an institutional member of the Consortium, all faculty, staff, and students are eligible for individual membership which provides a community of support and mentoring as well as information on developments in research, education, and integrative clinical care.

Learn more about Integrative Medicine clinical services at Mount Sinai for both patients and employees

Mount Sinai Researchers Show That Early Intervention in Preschool Is a Unique Opportunity for Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community, Featured, Research

Natalia Leal and her son Gabriel are participants in FAMILIA, which instructs preschoolers and their families on cardiovascular health.

Children may have a better chance of avoiding unhealthy habits linked to obesity and cardiovascular disease later in life if they are taught properly about healthy behaviors in preschool, Mount Sinai researchers have shown in a first-of-its-kind study.

The researchers focused on children living in a socioeconomically disadvantaged community, a situation that is commonly linked to higher rates of obesity, heart disease, and other health issues. Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Director of Mount Sinai Heart and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital, created and led the trial, called the FAMILIA Project at Mount Sinai Heart. The results were published in the April 22 online issue of Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Read the press release