Community | Mount Sinai Today

Pageantry for Charity At Drag Race Event

Updated on Nov 19, 2025 | Community, Engagement

More than 200 people enjoyed an evening of pageantry at The Mount Sinai Charity Drag Race, an event inspired by the reality television competition RuPaul’s Drag Race, in Goldwrum Auditorium on Thursday, January 31. Organized by two Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai groups that are dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ participation in the sciences, oSTEM (Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) at Mount Sinai and the Stonewall Alliance, the event raised more than $2,700 for the Ali Forney Center—a Harlem-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting homeless LGBTQ youth.

Hosted by New York City-based celebrity drag star Lagoona Bloo, the event featured four Icahn School of Medicine students who entertained the crowd with rousing lip synchs, as well as a talent portion that included a martial arts demonstration using nunchuks, and a stand-up comedy routine. Contestants were judged by Mount Sinai’s Ann-Gel Palermo, DrPH, MPH, Associate Dean for Diversity in Biomedicine, and Jerry Chipuk PhD, Associate Professor, Oncological Sciences and Dermatology, along with Tyler Neasloney, Special Events and Communications Manager at the Ali Forney Center.

“The idea started as a joke, an over the top event idea that we definitely did not have the means to pull off,” says organizer Christopher Panebianco, PhD candidate in Biomedical Sciences, at the Icahn School of Medicine. “Over the course of several months, this pipe dream snowballed into something fantastic, drawing diverse members of the broader Mount Sinai community together for a worthy cause.”

Lagoona Bloo, back row center, surrounded by contestants and organizers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in alphabetical order: Eziwoma Alibo, Benjamin Ben-Zvi, Phil Cohen, Tristan Fehr, Akio Kozato, Tyler Martinson, Don Nguyen, Christopher Panebianco, M.Q. Perkins, and Zebulon Vance.

Celebrating Lunar New Year

Mar 5, 2019 | Community

Staff at Mount Sinai Downtown-Union Square, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, and the Corporate Services Center rang in the Lunar New Year at events held in February. Based on the Chinese lunar calendar, the holiday began on Tuesday, February 5, and ended on Tuesday, February 19. Participants took pictures with red lanterns, received candy and fortune cookies, and enjoyed music. Additionally, at the Corporate Services Center, members of the Amazing Grace Dance Group performed traditional Chinese dances. The festivities were organized by Mount Sinai’s Asian Employee Resource Group and The Louis Armstrong Department of Music Therapy.

Going Red For Women’s Health

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Cardiology, Community

Heart health fairs were held throughout the Mount Sinai Health System in honor of Go Red for Women Day® on Friday, February 1.

The fairs, which attracted more than 1,000 participants, provided free screenings for blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and body mass index.

The events recognized the American Heart Association’s Go Red campaign, which aims to raise awareness of heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women worldwide.

“A shared commitment to the cardiovascular health and well-being of our community makes this a success every year,” says Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, Senior Vice President, Cardiac Services, Mount Sinai Health System.

Mary Ann McLaughlin, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Cardiac Health Program, Mount Sinai Health System, left; and Beth Oliver, DNP, RN.

Mount Sinai Downtown-Union Square

The Mount Sinai Hospital

Mount Sinai Queens

Hackathon Encourages Innovation

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community, Rehab Medicine

Carrie Fuller, PT, left, of Mount Sinai West, won second place with teammates from other institutions, from left, Hanhao Zhang; Andrew Abdou, DO; Jacob Nye; and Bina Bansinath.

More than 200 people recently attended the inaugural NYC Grand Hack at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.The participants came from many institutions, in fields ranging from medicine to programming.

At the event, they tackled medical issues in three tracks: rehabilitation and human performance, public and mental health, and lung cancer.

The hackathon was organized by a team from the Icahn School of Medicine’s Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, along with MIT Hacking Medicine, a group of students and community members from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that aims to energize and accelerate medical innovation.

“It was incredible to watch this extremely diverse group of talented people create innovations,” says an organizer of the event, Salman Hirani, MD, PGY-4, Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Icahn School of Medicine.

Carnegie Hall Fundraiser Supports Mount Sinai West Program

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community, Featured

The Mount Sinai Health System, along with the UN Chamber Music Society at the United Nations and members of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, partnered to host a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, January 15, in support of the Helen Sawaya Fund at Mount Sinai West, a philanthropy program whose mission is to enhance the experience of cancer patients through art, music, reflexology, and more.

The fund was established in 2005 by Gabriel A. Sara, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and his friend from high school, Fuad Sawaya, in memory of Mr. Sawaya’s wife, Helen, who had been a cancer patient at Mount Sinai West.

Says Dr. Sara, “Our program addresses the emotional component of the disease and helps alleviate the stress of treatment. It has had an unbelievable impact on patients’ lives and on staff experience. Art and music, especially, reach us where words cannot.”

Mount Sinai Beth Israel Physicians Thanked for Their Exceptional Care

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community

About 150 Mount Sinai Beth Israel physicians recently attended a reception thanking them for the exceptional care they provide to patients. The event, held in December at the National Arts Club, was organized by Dahlia Rizk, DO, President of the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Board. Physicians received service pins and certificates—for up to 50 years of service—and took advantage of a rare opportunity to mingle.

“I saw so many new friends connect, and so many new bonds being made,” says Jeremy Boal, MD, President of Mount Sinai Downtown. “These links keep us strong and contribute to the incredible care we offer as a network and system.”

Attendees, from left, Elisabeth Gomori, MD; Manjeet Chadha, MD; Jerry Liu, MD; Bruce Culliney, MD; and Vishal Gupta, MD.