Community | Mount Sinai Today

Commencement for Phillips School of Nursing

Mar 19, 2018 | Community, School

Azaria Belfon, RN, left, and Alexandra Jean-Toussaint, RN, celebrated at the Phillips School of Nursing Commencement.

Before hundreds of family members and friends, the Phillips School of Nursing (PSON) at Mount Sinai Beth Israel graduated 41 new nurses who received an Associate’s Degree in nursing and conferred a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree to 11 registered nurses. The Commencement was the first to include graduates of PSON’s 15-month accelerated associate’s degree program. It was held on Sunday, January 14, at Stern Auditorium at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Janet A. Green and Ruth Nerken, Co-Chairs of the Board of PSON, presided over the ceremony. Graduates received their diplomas from Ms. Green and her brother Douglas Green, grandchildren of Seymour J. Phillips, who was a Beth Israel Trustee from 1939 until his death in 1987. Their mother, Carol Green, a PSON Trustee, spoke fondly of her father’s love for the nursing school, giving graduates a glimpse of why it is named in his honor. The graduates, faculty, and staff were also welcomed by Todd F. Ambrosia, DNP, MSN, FNAP, Dean of the Phillips School of Nursing; and Jeremy Boal, MD, President of Mount Sinai Downtown, and Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System.

Twelve students were inducted into the Honor Society, which was founded in 2012. Those students successfully achieved a grade point average of 3.7 or higher. Valedictorians were Nhung Khuu, RN, BSN, for the bachelor’s degree program, and Christina Kim, RN, for the associate’s degree program. The Commencement address was given by Vivian Lien, RN, BSN, PSON Class of 2015. Ms. Lien recalled her first patient encounter as a nursing student, when she helped a frail woman shower and brush her teeth. Ms. Lien recounted the patient’s thank you, calling it a lasting lesson on how to be a good nurse: “You are helping me and caring for me from your heart—and that’s all that matters. Remember that.”

Patient Experience: Mount Sinai Town Hall Meetings and Survey-Appreciation Events

Mar 18, 2018 | Community

The Mount Sinai Health System thanked employees for their commitment to providing patients with the highest level of safety, quality of care, and compassion at a series of meetings and events held at each hospital and other locations in February and March.

A Generous Gift to Advance Care for Children with Cancer and Blood Disease

Mar 18, 2018 | Community, Featured, Pediatrics

From left: Alan Feldman, Chairman, and Mark Zeller, Co-President and Treasurer, The Jack Martin Fund; Kenneth L. Davis, MD; Chris Mongeluzo, Co-President, The Jack Martin Fund; Lisa M. Satlin, MD; David L. Reich, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Mount Sinai Hospital; and Birte Wistinghausen, MD, Medical Director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology.

The Jack Martin Fund, a nonprofit organization that has partnered with Mount Sinai Health System for 68 years, has provided a gift to open a new pediatric cancer inpatient unit at Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai. The benefactors, along with Mount Sinai Health System leaders, celebrated the launch of The Jack Martin Fund Inpatient Unit for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disease at a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The 5,300-square-foot unit features eight private beds, including two isolation rooms with negative air pressure to protect immune-compromised children from infection, as well as a family lounge, a kitchen, and a playroom for younger children.

“This extraordinarily generous gift represents a critical step toward Mount Sinai’s goal of transforming children’s health care,” said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. “Through our alliance with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the co-managed Children’s Cancer Program, we have expanded our pool of nationally recognized experts and are increasing the scope of clinical services to provide the most advanced care for children with cancer and blood disease.”

In 1988, the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology was named for Jack Martin, a business executive who died of polio in 1950 after being cared for at Mount Sinai. The Jack Martin Fund was established by his family to honor his memory.

“The Jack Martin Fund Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, led by new Chief Steven J. Burakoff, MD, provides exceptional care to children with cancer and blood disease, while conducting innovative research to advance our understanding and treatment of these disorders,” said Lisa Satlin, MD, Chair of Pediatrics for the Mount Sinai Health System. Dr. Burakoff also continues as Dean for Cancer Innovation at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Lillian and Henry M. Stratton Professor of Cancer Medicine as he takes on this new role. Added Dr. Satlin: “This new inpatient unit reflects our commitment to caring for children and families in a warm, nurturing environment.”

Teaching Youngsters About Robotic Surgery

Mar 6, 2018 | Community

Girl Scouts from NYC Troop 3302 paid a visit to Mount Sinai.

Physicians and staff from the Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology in January hosted separate visits from two groups of youngsters from Battery Park City—Girl Scout Troop 3302 and fourth graders from P.S. 276—who gathered in the Guggenheim Pavilion to learn about robotic surgery.

The children were able to test some of the equipment used in surgical procedures, and Ketan K. Badani, MD, Vice Chair, Department of Urology and Robotic Operations and Director of Robotics at Mount Sinai West, and Vannita Simma-Chiang, MD, Assistant Professor of Urology, were on hand to answer their questions. The Girl Scouts, an organization committed to preparing girls for leadership, encourages its members to explore different aspects of science, technology, engineering, and math through its “fun with purpose” K-12 curriculum.

Students Stay Strong Through Powerlifting

Mar 6, 2018 | Community, School

From left: Lucy O’Shaughnessy, Chuma Nwachukwu, and Sayeeda Chowdhury

Three second-year medical students, Sayeeda Chowdhury, Lucy O’Shaughnessy, and Chuma Nwachukwu, have brought the sport of powerlifting to their classmates at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Since establishing Sinai Strong, a student powerlifting club—whose advisor is 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—they have taught more than 50 of their colleagues the art of the sport.

Powerlifting, which differs from conventional weightlifting, involves three tests of strength: the squat, bench press, and deadlift, a movement in which a weighted barbell is lifted from the floor to the level of the hips. In January, Ms. Chowdhury, Ms. O’Shaughnessy, and Mr. Nwachukwu participated in the Northeast Iron Beast Winter Classic V in upstate New York, a powerlifting competition in which each competitor has three attempts at each of the three lifts to move the most weight possible. Their best lifts were a 265-pound squat, a 308-pound deadlift, and a 600-pound deadlift, respectively.

The three students competed against many other lifters of the same gender, age division, and weight class but not against each other. Ms. Chowdhury won a gold medal in the juniors age division, and Ms. O’Shaughnessy won a bronze medal in the open age division.

Pediatric Patients Enjoy a Valentine’s Reunion

Mar 6, 2018 | Community, Pediatrics

Riley Ortiz posed with Elmo at the party.

Dozens of pediatric cardiology patients and their families reunited with the doctors, nurses, and staff who previously administered life-changing care to them during an afternoon of celebration and fun on Wednesday, February 7, at the 32nd Annual Valentine’s Reunion Party. Held in the Annenberg West Lobby, the event was hosted by the Children’s Heart Center at Mount Sinai—an alliance between Mount Sinai and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia— with the help of nonprofit organizations Project Sunshine and Harboring Hearts.

Sadio Sissoko and her mother, Aminata Kane (center), reunited with Sangeeta Sharma, MBBS, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (left) and Rajesh Shenoy, MD, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Cardiology).

During this hospital visit, the children played tabletop curling and other games inspired by the Winter Olympics, participated in creating a group mural with the theme “How I am strong like an Olympian,” and made heart-shaped crafts. Says Ira Parness, MD, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: “Not to see a doctor, not to get prodded, poked, or examined, but to have fun. It is the ultimate reward.”