Sep 11, 2018 | Community, Engagement, Featured
Students in the Nanotechnology course, from left: Ava Cardillo, Diven Duran, Daniel Musheev, and Kai Kumeno.
Parissa Tabrizian, MD, Professor of Surgery, center, gave a tour of operating rooms at The Mount Sinai Hospital to participants in “Saturday at Sinai.”
More than 120 high school, college, and graduate students aspiring to a broad range of careers in health participated this summer in internships and talent pipeline programs throughout the Mount Sinai Health System. Two units of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)—Corporate Health System Affairs and the Center for Excellence in Youth Education (CEYE)—supported initiatives to provide opportunities in medicine, science, health administration, real estate, and technology to students from underrepresented backgrounds.
“The experience that I’ve had at Mount Sinai has helped me target what type of biomedical engineer I want to become in the future,” says Awa Bagayoko, who participated in CEYE’s Nanotechnology course. “The program also reaffirmed my interest in medicine.”
Israa Maarouf was an Information Technology intern.
This year marked the be.inning of a formal partnership between Mount Sinai and the New York City Department of Education (DOE) to off er internships to high school students in the departments led by Kumar Chatani, MBA, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Mount Sinai Health System; and Kenneth Holden, Senior Vice President, Real Estate Services & Facilities. “Twenty-six interns gained hands-on experiences in information technology; planning, design, and construction; engineering; and property management,” says Shana Dacon, MPH, MBA, Assistant Director, Office for Diversity and Inclusion. “We will continue to work with the DOE to expand opportunities for students during the academic year.”
Fourteen more students—from high school to graduate school—had internships in clinical departments, patient experience, population health, and diversity management, supported by ODI in partnership with organizations including America Needs You; the All Stars Project, Inc.; the Greater New York Hospital Association; the Institute for Diversity and Health Equity; and Prep for Prep.
This year, ODI also launched Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Young Queer Urban Teens for Health (LGBT YQUTH) in Medicine—a talent pipeline program for careers in health care. In the program, ODI staff and members of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Stonewall Alliance student group gave informational talks to LGBT youth organizations throughout the city. “In June, we welcomed participants from the talks to the pilot ‘Saturday at Sinai’ event,” says Richard Cancio, MPH, Program Manager for LGBT Health Services, Mount Sinai Health System. The free event included interactive activities; a tour of The Mount Sinai Hospital; and a panel of public health researchers, nursing and medical students, and graduate school alumni.
CEYE student Awa Bagayoko toured Sinai BioDesign.
CEYE’s six-week summer internship programs attracted 73 high school students from across New York City. Students participated in the Fruit Fly Genomics or Nanotechnology research courses; the Clinical Internship program; or the Lloyd Sherman Scholars program.
CEYE’s research courses met daily, with students receiving lecture-based instruction coupled with activities in the Icahn School of Medicine’s teaching laboratories, where projects included studying the behavior of fruit flies kept in isolation, and exploring silver nanoparticles and their medical implications. Clinical Internship participants were matched with faculty and staff and shadowed them in jobs throughout The Mount Sinai Hospital. In the Lloyd Sherman Scholars program, first-year participants took a Biotechnology course, and second-year scholars were placed in mentored research labs. In another two-year program, 14 interns who worked in labs during the school year returned in the summer to continue their work, assisting in areas of study including ovarian cancer survival rates and engineered cardiac tissue. All of the research interns plan to submit their summer work to the upcoming New York City Science and Engineering Fair.
“My internship showed me how hands-on science is,” says Brandon Soto, a first-year Sherman Scholar. “It also showed me that there are a lot of problems in the world that can be solved with science.”
Sep 10, 2018 | Community, Featured, Your Health
A virtual visit was demonstrated by Nicholas Genes, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, and Natalya Sholomyansky, Director of IT Digital Health.
A new telehealth service, Mount Sinai Now, is available free to Mount Sinai Health System employees and their dependents who are covered by Mount Sinai’s Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan. The service provides patients with urgent care from a board-certified physician, almost always a Mount Sinai clinician, via video conference. If there is an emergency, patients should call 911. But Mount Sinai Now, like other urgent care, can be a good choice for treating conditions such as allergies, colds and flu, nausea, rashes, and sprains, says Abraham L. Warshaw, MD, Senior Vice President, and Medical Director of Physician Access Services, Mount Sinai Health System.
The service, which is available 24 hours a day, is part of Mount Sinai’s mission to take the lead in telehealth and population health management. “The idea is giving the right care, in the right place, at the right time,” Dr. Warshaw says.
In a typical visit, a patient might wake up with a sore throat and nasal congestion. She logs into Mount Sinai Now, and within minutes the visit starts, with the patient communicating through FaceTime or another video tool. The physician asks about symptoms, consults the patient’s medical records, and conducts a virtual examination via webcam and monitor, for example evaluating the throat and tonsils, and demonstrating how to check for swollen lymph nodes. Finally, the physician might call in a prescription, or if the symptoms are ambiguous, recommend an appointment with a primary care physician or a specialist.
More than 1,300 staff have registered and 200 have been treated since Mount Sinai Now became available throughout the Health System in May. The team’s plan is to expand the service to other companies, unions, and the public once insurance models are in place. “Patients who use telehealth are saving money, saving travel time, and are able to continue their daytoday life without having to interrupt things or schedule an appointment that might be weeks away,” says Eric Cannan, Senior Director, Telehealth, Mount Sinai Health System.
To register for the free service, go to now.mountsinai.org or visit Google Play or the Apple App Store to download the Mount Sinai Now app.
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community, Featured
James C. Tsai, MD, MBA, President of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (middle row, center) with the graduating residents and fellows.
Faculty, family, and friends celebrated the accomplishments of 22 residents and fellows in Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery recently at the 2018 Commencement of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE).
James C. Tsai, MD, MBA, President, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, and Chair of Ophthalmology, Mount Sinai Health System, welcomed graduates and guests to the event, held on Thursday, June 21, at the Friends Meeting House near campus.
“For 198 years, NYEE has proudly served the patients of our community, educated physicians, and led global ophthalmology and otolaryngology advances. You have inspired us to become better teachers and re-energized our dedication to educate tomorrow’s leaders in specialty surgical care,” Dr. Tsai said. “Use your knowledge to aspire and inspire, innovate and reinvent as you realize your full potential.”
Four of the graduates were residents specializing in otolaryngology, and seven were residents in ophthalmology. The eye residents will now take fellowships at top-tier institutions, including NYEE, the University of Southern California Roski Eye Institute in Los Angeles, and Kaiser Permanente, as well as private practices in New York, New Jersey, Colorado, and Texas.
Eleven fellows completed training in surgical specialties, including cornea and refractive surgery, glaucoma, ocular immunology, vitreoretinal surgery, and aesthetic plastic surgery.
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community
Mount Sinai Queens recently celebrated the 19th anniversary of its acquisition by The Mount Sinai Hospital and its continued delivery of safe, high-quality health care and service to patients in Queens. The celebration attracted more than 125 faculty, staff, and members of the community, and included awards given to outstanding staff and clinicians, and the FDNY-EMS paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
Among those in attendance were New York City Council Member Costa Constantinides, and representatives from the offices of Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, State Senator Michael Gianaris, and Assembly Member Aravella Simotas.
Caryn A. Schwab, Executive Director, Mount Sinai Queens, told the attendees that the hospital continues to expand the number of patients served and the depth and breadth of services offered. “To support that growth, we have expanded our number of physician faculty, RNs, technicians, and support staff,” said Ms. Schwab. “We are proud to have such a strong team of caring and engaged employees.”
The anniversary celebration—a Mount Sinai Queens tradition—was held in the Kaufman Astoria Studios Entrance of the new, six-story Mount Sinai Queens Pavilion. Specially designed anniversary cakes were served, and two Mister Softee trucks parked outside offered complimentary ice cream.
Back row, from left: Person of the Year Awards were given to Christopher Howard, RN, Mount Sinai Queens Freshman of the Year; Sidney Castiblanco, EMT of the Year, Battalion 45; Paul Rufrano, Paramedic of the Year, Battalion 49; and Victor Gornecki, EMT of the Year, Battalion 46.
Front row, center: Caryn A. Schwab, Executive Director, Mount Sinai Queens, with the individuals recognized for providing skilled and compassionate patient care. From left: Evelyn Bautista, RN, Mount Sinai Queens Employee of the Year; Ana Rodriguez, LCSW, Mount Sinai Queens Manager of the Year; Krystal Cascetta, MD, Mount Sinai Queens Physician of the Year; and Kelsey Moyer, RN, Mount Sinai Queens Service Excellence Honoree.
Updated on Nov 14, 2025 | Community, Engagement
The Mount Sinai contingent at the New York City Pride Parade in Manhattan.
The Mount Sinai Health System recently took part in two festive Pride Month events. In the Queens Pride Parade, held on Sunday, June 3, in Jackson Heights, dozens of employees walked behind a Mount Sinai banner wearing T-shirts that read, “We Take Pride in Your Health.”
A group of 75 employees were among the 40,000 marchers in the 49th annual New York City Pride Parade on Sunday, June 24, in Manhattan. During the march, the Health System also participated in the 25th annual PrideFest street fair in Greenwich Village. Staff of Mount Sinai’s LGBT Health Services and Institute for Advanced Medicine distributed free condoms, pamphlets, and Mount Sinai favors.
From left: Carla Moscoso, Director, Practice Operations, Mount Sinai Queens; Diana Rosario, Population Health Care Coordinator; and Richard Cancio, MPH, Program Manager for LGBT Health Services, Mount Sinai Health System, at the Queens Pride Parade.
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community
Faculty, residents, and fellows from the Department of Neurosurgery flexed their competitive muscles at the 15th Annual Neurosurgery Charity Softball Tournament in Central Park. More than 40 teams from academic medical centers in the United States and Canada turned out for the friendly competition in June, which was hosted by Columbia University’s Department of Neurological Surgery. The event
helps support the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and pediatric brain tumor research.
Paul Singh, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, and Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, took home the team’s Most Valuable Player award, thanks to a game-winning triple. The team from Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, won the competition.
The Department of Neurosurgery’s players and their families at the tournament in Central Park.
