Community | Mount Sinai Today

Medical Student Places Among the Top 100 In the New York City Marathon

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community, School

Joseph Schnitter

Second-year medical student Joseph Schnitter says the support he received from his family and friends at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai helped him place among the top 100 male runners in the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 5. He completed the 26.2-mile marathon in 2 hours, 33 minutes, and 5 seconds, his best-ever showing.

“The crowd along the course was unbelievable,” he says. “Seeing my supportive family—who made the trip from Buffalo to watch—along with so many folks from Mount Sinai, was a huge boost and a major reason why I was able to run the time I did.” In each of his two prior races—in Buffalo and Boston—Mr. Schnitter’s time was approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes. The 2017 New York City Marathon winners, Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya and American Shalane Flanagan, finished the race in 2:10:53, and 2:26:53, respectively.

Neurosurgery Resident Is Honored for Service

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community, School

Ian Thomas McNeill, MD, right, with Aldrin Bonilla, Deputy Manhattan Borough President, who presented the award.

Ian Thomas McNeill, MD, a fifth-year Neurosurgery resident at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, was honored recently at the 48th annual African American Day Parade for his service in New York City at large, and at Mount Sinai. Dr. McNeill is the founder and leader of Doctors Reaching Minority Males Exploring Neuroscience (DR. MMEN), a summer mentorship and immersion program for black and Latino young men entering their senior year in high school.

“We are very proud of what Dr. McNeill has achieved in launching the DR. MMEN program,” says Joshua B. Bederson, MD, Professor and Chair, Neurosurgery, Mount Sinai Health System. “It is important that we promote diversity and the advancement of talented individuals who might not otherwise have these opportunities.”

New Unit Opens at Mount Sinai Heart

Nov 20, 2017 | Cardiology, Community, Inside

In October, Mount Sinai Heart opened its new Cardiac Intensive Care services unit at The Mount Sinai Hospital, complete with 10 critical care beds for acutely ill patients and 10 step-down beds. The unit was designed by a team of physicians, nurses, and administrative leaders from Mount Sinai Heart, whose goal was to deliver efficient, high-quality care while maximizing patient safety. “We think this is the optimal environment for patients and families,” says Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, Senior Vice President of Cardiac Services, Mount Sinai Health System. “A single cardiac team now cares for the patient from admission to the critical care unit through discharge, guaranteeing continuity of care in its truest sense.” The new cardiac unit allows patients to be discharged directly from step-down beds, which minimizes in-hospital transfers.

Employee Group Sponsors Salsa Dancing in Queens

Nov 20, 2017 | Community, Inside

Mount Sinai Queens employees pose with #SalsainQueens instructors after their lesson.

Dance contest winners Tara Roche, Stroke Educator, Mount Sinai Queens, left, and David Castillo, Central Supply Technician, Mount Sinai Queens, far right, with #SalsainQueens founder and instructor Jean Franco Vergaray, and instructor Jazmin Sagastiverza.

More than 60 employees at Mount Sinai Queens took an hour-long break on Friday, October 6, to learn how to salsa and participate in a fun-filled dance-off competition led by instructors from a dance studio in Astoria, #SalsainQueens. The event was sponsored by the employee resource group Heritage of Latino Alliance (HOLA). HOLA fosters a sense of community among Latino employees and sponsors activities such as dance classes and Spanish lessons. When HOLA distributes literature at various Mount Sinai events, “We do not let anyone pass by without stopping,” jokes Denise Colon, MSW, LCSW-R, Director of Social Work Services, and the Mount Sinai Queens HOLA chair. “We want to empower, promote the Latino culture, and show our presence.”

Supplies and Cheer for Troops Overseas

Nov 20, 2017 | Community, Inside

Pictured above, from left Emerson Pemberton; Patrick Germain; Carol St. Pierre, RN, MS; Rubiela Guzman; and Samantha Zenobi packing boxes at Mount Sinai West.

American troops deployed overseas will receive personal-care items and a taste of home, thanks to donations collected by the Mount Sinai Health System. Packages are sent year-round, but the upcoming holiday season is a special time, says Carol St. Pierre, RN, MS, leader of the veterans group. “You have a lot of young people serving who really don’t have a support system. So this is the best time to send a package,” says Ms. St. Pierre, a manager of patient care services at Mount Sinai West and a retired colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. For more information, please contact the Office for Diversity and Inclusion at diversity@mountsinai.org.

Suggested donations for veterans include:

Energy bars
Trail mix/Chex Mix
Pretzels
Powdered drink mixes
Paperback books and recent magazines
Puzzles
Body wash and soaps
Hair care products
Face and body moisturizers
Cetaphil cleanser
Personal wipes
Lip balm

Annual Event Celebrates the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center

Nov 19, 2017 | Community, Featured

From left: Christine A. Soghomonian, MA; Felice F. Axelrod; Angela Diaz, MD, PhD, MPH; Dennis S. Charney, MD; and Adam Jacobs, MD.

The Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center (MSAHC) saluted the contributions of four individuals who have dedicated themselves to helping New York City’s young people at its 14th Annual Breakfast of Legends benefit at The Plaza on Wednesday, November 1. The Center provides free, comprehensive, confidential health and wellness services to more than 10,000 young people annually and is renowned as a national leader in adolescent health research and training.

Angela Diaz, MD, PhD, MPH

Peter W. May, Chairman, Boards of Trustees, Mount Sinai Health System, warmly welcomed the more than 450 guests, saying: “I amproud to say that I have attended every Breakfast for the past 14 years. I haven’t missed one because the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center is a shining example of everything that we do right at the Mount Sinai Health System.” Angela Diaz, MD, PhD, MPH, Jean C. and James W. Crystal Professor in Adolescent Health and Director of the MSAHC, thanked everyone who made the event possible, saying, “If our service can be likened to a strong tree, you—all of our volunteers—are the roots.”

From left: Selena, youth speaker; Anthony, youth host; Matt, youth speaker; and Lola, youth host.

Two patients, Matt and Selena, shared how the MSAHC has changed their lives. Matt, who is nonbinary and transmasculine, said, “The clinic provided a safe and affirming environment for me to accept who I am and become my authentic self.” Selena said, “To me, the Center is not just a clinic—it is a community, a safe haven, and a home.”

Learn more about the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center

Honorees at the 14th Annual Breakfast of Legends

Felice F. Axelrod, consultant to Bloomberg and a member of the MSAHC Advisory Board;

Adam Jacobs, MD, Medical Director of Family Planning for the Mount Sinai Health System and Associate Professor in the departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, and Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai;

Christine A. Soghomonian, MA, Director of Information Systems and Operations at the MSAHC, who received the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center staff award;

Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, the Mount Sinai Health System, who was presented with the Dr. Joan E. Morgenthau Lifetime Advocate for Youth Award.