Dubin Breast Center Honors Three Individuals at Sixth Annual Benefit

From left, honorees Steven J. Burakoff, MD; Brooke Morrow; and Kara DioGuardi.

The Dubin Breast Center of The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Mount Sinai Health System recently held its sixth annual benefit at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan. The celebratory event attracted 520 guests and raised a record $3.4 million to support the Center’s breast health and treatment programs.

From left, Eva Andersson-Dubin, MD; Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mount Sinai Health System; and Elisa Port, MD, FACS.

The evening honored Kara DioGuardi, Brooke Morrow, and Steven J. Burakoff, MD, Dean for Cancer Innovation at The Tisch Cancer Institute. Eva Andersson-Dubin, MD, founder of the Center and a Mount Sinai Trustee, and Elisa Port, MD, FACS, the Center’s Director, presented the awards.

Ms. DioGuardi and Ms. Morrow, close friends who helped each other through two different breast cancer journeys at the Center, were recognized for their inspirational stories of survivorship and their ongoing support of the Center. Dr. Burakoff was honored for his overall commitment to cancer research and clinical care and for his role in leading The Tisch Cancer Institute to be recognized as a National Cancer Institute designated cancer program. Dr. Burakoff, the Founding Director of The Tisch Cancer Institute, is also Lillian and Henry M. Stratton Professor of Cancer Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

A Celebration of Achievement and Alumni Bonds at the VF Society Anniversary Dinner

Former trainees gathered around Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, front row, center, at the 16th Year Anniversary Dinner of the VF Society.

More than 140 members of the VF Society, a nonprofit alumni association for the training graduates of Mount Sinai’s Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, recently gathered for its 16th Year Anniversary Dinner.

The Society is named for Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, the Institute’s Director, who is also Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital, and the Director of Mount Sinai Heart and the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Cardiovascular Health.

The VF Society was created by former trainees to honor Dr. Fuster’s strong commitment to them, and to strengthen their alumni bonds with The Mount Sinai Hospital.

 

Learning How to Save a Life

Members of the Mount Sinai Heart team at the CPR Fair.

Matilda Mullen, RN, provided life-saving demonstrations at The Mount Sinai Hospital community health fair.

More than 250 attendees—including 66 public school students—recently received hands-on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) instruction at community health fairs organized by the Mount Sinai Health System.

Held at four Health System campuses, the events aimed to increase awareness of sudden cardiac arrest, a condition that can only be treated by immediate, correct use of CPR or AED. According to the American Heart Association, each year more than 350,000 adults and children will experience the often fatal condition.

“If CPR and/or AED are used within minutes to resuscitate a person who experiences sudden cardiac arrest, it may help to save a life,” says Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, Senior Vice President, Cardiac Services, Mount Sinai Health System. “With proper knowledge and skills, anyone can save a life during an emergency.”

Recognition for Excellence in Neuroscience Research

Lakshmi A. Devi, PhD, left, Dean for Academic Development and Enrichment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, began the year as a designated 2018 WCBR (Winter Conference on Brain Research) Pioneer for her neuroscience research on opioid and cannabinoid signaling in analgesia and addiction.

Along with her team, Dr. Devi, Professor of Pharmacology, Neuroscience, and Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine, has demonstrated that G protein-coupled receptors can function as heterodimers, with unique pharmacology and selective upregulation associated with various disease states. Dr. Devi also serves as an engaged mentor in the field of neuroscience.

The WCBR provides an annual forum for the sharing and dissemination of the latest advances in neuroscience and supports continuing education, mentorship, diversity, outreach, and financial support for junior investigators. Dr. Devi serves on the WCBR Board of Directors.

Easier Access to Care at Mount Sinai Doctors Forest Hills

Above, from left: Steven Shayani, MD, Medical Director, Mount Sinai Doctors- Long Island Heart; Herbert S. Lempel, MD, Medical Director, Mount Sinai Doctors Forest Hills; Michael J. Robbins, MD, Mount Sinai Doctors Forest Hills, Cardiology; Benjamin S. Kornitzer, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Mount Sinai Business Development; Brad Blumenfeld, Vice President, Blumenfeld Development Group; and Alicia Gresham, Vice President, Network Operations, Mount Sinai Health System.

Medical Assistant Marissa Reyes welcomed Marie D. Soffer to the practice.

Those who live and work in the Rego Park/ Forest Hills communities of Queens now have easier access to care with the recent opening of Mount Sinai Doctors Forest Hills. The nearly 16,500-square-foot facility brings together, under one roof, four existing Mount Sinai specialty practices from the area.

A ribbon-cutting and an open house last fall were celebratory events that attracted Mount Sinai leadership and physicians, city and local government officials, and the public. The facility offers specialists in primary care, cardiology, endocrinology, general and vascular surgery, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, and urology. Radiology and lab services are also available onsite. Located at 99-01 Queens Boulevard between 66th Road and 67th Avenue, it is easily reached by city buses, and the M and R trains. For an appointment, call 718-520-6100.

A Global Dialogue on Nursing Best Practices

A delegation of nurses from South Korea with Todd F. Ambrosia, DNP, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, center.

The Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel recently hosted a delegation of registered nurses from Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in South Korea, who were eager to learn about the U.S. health care system, particularly about nursing activities related to falls and evidence-based practice. The nurses’ specialties included pulmonology, otolaryngology, and neuropsychiatry.

Todd F. Ambrosia, DNP, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, Dean of the Phillips School of Nursing, led a series of presentations with the assistance of an interpreter. He and Phillips faculty members provided the visitors with an overview of the school’s different nursing programs and degrees, and of the overall Mount Sinai Health System. Sangwook Shin, a first-year student in the Phillips Accelerated Associate Degree Program in Nursing, shared his experiences as a student in his native tongue. Megan Hackford, RN, Skills Lab Coordinator at the Phillips School of Nursing, led the visitors on a tour of the facility and provided a brief demonstration in the Ruth Nerken Simulation Lab.

Dr. Ambrosia says he was excited to hear the Korean nurses identify Mount Sinai as one of the leading health systems in the United States. “We appreciated the opportunity to have this global dialogue with other nurses,” says Dr. Ambrosia. “These interactions strengthen our opportunity to collaborate and build lasting partnerships to enhance academic and clinical initiatives in nursing.”