Emily Rubin, left, co-editor of a new anthology of work from Mount Sinai’s Writing Workshops, with Alison Snow, PhD. Click the image to watch a video about the writing program
There was a standing-room-only crowd at the recent launching of a new book, The Write Treatment Anthology, at Mount Sinai Downtown-Union Square. But it was not just any literary crowd. These were cancer patients and survivors, along with family members, friends, and Mount Sinai Health System staff. After gentle prompting, some of those who were sitting gave up their chairs for those not feeling well enough to stand for very long.
“A sold-out crowd for a literary event,” marveled Emily Rubin, who leads Mount Sinai’s two Writing Workshops, and who was a co-editor of the anthology. The book, published on Amazon.com through grants and crowdfunding, includes essays, short stories, and poems that 23 cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers have written since the workshops formed in 2011. Seventeen excerpts from the book were read at the event held on Thursday, June 15.
“We are so excited about this accomplishment—a published book, filled with the stories of our cancer patients,” said Alison Snow, PhD, LCSW-R, and Assistant Director, Cancer Supportive Services at Mount Sinai Downtown Cancer Centers.
The workshops are held on Mondays at Mount Sinai West and on Wednesdays at Mount Sinai Downtown-Chelsea Center and follow a well-worn, comforting routine: Ms. Rubin brings prompts to spur the imagination, like quotes, cards, or photographs, then participants write for about a half-hour, aiming to create a short finished product.
Connie Perry: ‘‘We writers gather close around the table, buoyed along by our continuing bravery. Not because we have each had our cancer battles, but because we bravely face blank pages again and again.’’
“It’s all inspiration for us to write together,” Ms. Rubin said at the event. “And as we write, the room fills with sighs and groans and laughter, tears, and silences heavy with thought. We think and we write, we imagine and we create, and then we read what we’ve written. The stories and poems bring beauty and light to these dark places where we end up going.”
Since the workshops began, about 300 people have taken part. One group was started by Ms. Rubin after she completed treatments for breast cancer at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, and the other was formed by Susan Ribner, an author who was treated for ovarian cancer at Mount Sinai West. The two started the groups at about the same time entirely by chance, and in an only-in-New-York coincidence, they found that they had met years before—at an aikido dojo in Chelsea. They collaborated on workshops and book readings, and after Ms. Ribner went into hospice care, she asked Ms. Rubin to take over both groups. Ms. Ribner died in 2014, and her spirit was a vibrant presence at the book launch.
One of the book’s authors, former patient Isaac Read, shared his essay “Sue Ribner” at the event: “She was a gracious, very strong woman. Weeks before she died, I called her because I had not heard from the writing class in a while. She told me that she was not teaching the class anymore, but she did not tell me how bad she was. I shared with her a quote about writing that I heard on a TV show. The quote is, ‘Writing is an act of faith, not an act of grammar.’ ”
James C. Tsai, MD, MBA, President, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai; and Jodi S. Sassoon, MD, Director of Anatomic Pathology and Clinical Pathology, served lunch to operating room technician Pedro Vasquez.
Food, fun, and appreciation were on the menu Wednesday, June 14, at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai as senior management—wearing chef’s hats and festive fake moustaches—served lunch in the facility’s cafeteria to 300 employees to thank them for their dedication throughout the year. Participants were treated to summer barbecue favorites, such as hamburgers, watermelon, and lemonade, and invited to enter a raffle to win gift baskets. “We truly value the contributions and hard work demonstrated by all of our employees,” Christopher T. Spina, MS, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, said. “And this event gives us an opportunity to show our appreciation for what they do every single day.”
The Department of Neurosurgery’s softball players, led by Joshua B. Bederson, MD, Professor and Chair of Neurosurgery for the Mount Sinai Health System, far right, gathered in Central Park for the charity tournament.
Faculty, fellows, and residents from the Mount Sinai Health System’s Department of Neurosurgery recently participated in the 14th Annual Neurosurgery Charity Softball Tournament. The event, held Saturday, June 3, in Central Park, helps support the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and pediatric brain tumor research. More than 40 teams from academic medical centers in the United States and Canada turned out for the friendly competition. For those keeping score, the Mount Sinai team beat the Michigan Health System and the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, but lost to Columbia University Medical Center. Most Valuable Player awards went to Mount Sinai team members Robert J. Rothrock, MD, and Jeffrey Gilligan, MD, both neurosurgery residents; and Peter Taub, MD, Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, and Neurosurgery, who hit home runs. The event was hosted by Columbia University’s Department of Neurological Surgery.
Local schoolchildren examined animal brains at the Annual Brain Awareness Fair.
“Today is about making science accessible, not scary or intimidating,” said Alyson Davis, LMSW, of the Fifth Annual Brain Awareness Fair. In early May, the event drew hundreds to the Guggenheim Pavilion. Among the attendees were 500 local elementary, middle, and high school students who received three hours of private access.
School children toured the inside of an inflatable model of the brain in the Guggenheim Pavilion.
More than 15 immersive tables provided the students with a fun, tactile learning environment where they viewed specimens of animal brains, used 3D virtual reality to simulate the experience of performing brain surgery, and controlled the movement of their peers using electroencephalogram sensors.
“This is our favorite event of the year,” said Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience and Director of The Friedman Brain Institute. “I get choked up when I see children from our community showing keen interest in the brain and being part of the Mount Sinai family.”
Diversity leaders Gary C. Butts, MD, and Pamela Y. Abner, MPA
DiversityInc, the nation’s leading publication in advancing excellence in diversity management, has ranked the Mount Sinai Health System No. 1 in the United States in its 2017 “Top 12 Hospitals and Health Systems” list. Mount Sinai improved its national ranking from last year when it was No. 3. In 2016, Mount Sinai also was the publication’s highest-ranked health system for diversity initiatives in the New York City metropolitan area.
Among the best practices that led to Mount Sinai’s special honor this year were its employee resource group participation, manager participation in cross-cultural mentoring, use of an executive diversity leadership board to set goals tied to executive compensation, and a commitment to expanding the supplier diversity initiative. In its top hospitals and health systems rankings, DiversityInc used a 300-question self-assessment survey of multiple diversity criteria, including talent pipeline, talent development, leadership commitment, and supplier diversity.
Situated in one of the most diverse cities in the nation, Mount Sinai is dedicated to ensuring its staff represents the population it serves. An inclusive vision and robust diversity initiatives are spearheaded by Gary C. Butts, MD, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Mount Sinai Health System, and Dean for Diversity Programs, Policy and Community Affairs, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) includes Pamela Y. Abner, MPA, Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer; Chief Program Officer Ann-Gel Palermo, Dr.PH, MPH, Associate Dean for Diversity in Biomedicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Barbara Warren, PsyD, Director for LGBT Programs; and Edward Poliandro, EdD, who supports training and education initiatives.
“The more diversity we achieve in our system of care, the better the climate for both patients and staff,” says Dr. Butts. ODI codified 14 areas to tackle in this pursuit, including focusing on patient-centric education and training of staff, engaging and advancing underrepresented groups by expanding the talent pipelines through hospital administrative residencies, and the recruiting, developing, and mentoring of faculty and staff.
“The challenge is how to translate our substantial workforce diversity into something tangible, palpable, and impactful,” Dr. Butts adds. “If we did not allow diverse teams to engage more effectively or if we did not allow for the diversity of our student body to impact learning in the medical school, then we would miss the mark.”
To create and foster an inclusive environment and support the development of a culturally competent workforce, ODI provides education and training to staff, faculty, and students on topics such as unconscious bias; racism and bias in medicine; best practices in LGBT-competent care; and enhancing the transgender patient experience and patient care. The Health System also fosters student-led advocacy groups to develop social consciousness. Members of the
ODI team regularly engage with employees—from department heads to front-line staff—to ensure they include a variety of perspectives.
“We have the focus, intention, and goodwill of people at Mount Sinai,” says Ms. Abner. This is supported by hospital presidents, deans, and other senior leadership who participate in and chair diversity councils. “Leadership has endorsed our work and that is essential.”
The ODI team continues to incorporate more inclusive initiatives into the Health System, including increased accessibility for disabled employees and a commitment to maintaining supplier diversity, particularly local businesses run by women and minorities.
“Organizations that are committed to diversity and inclusion have to work with suppliers who support those populations,” says Ms. Abner. Through the relationship, Mount Sinai will educate vendors on the particularities of working with larger corporations, providing a level of education that may further enhance the company’s future and potentially build community wealth.
“We are not perfect, but we are ahead of the field,” says Ms. Abner, who acknowledges that Mount Sinai still has areas for improvement. She would like to see more diverse representation among senior leadership and within board membership.
“We need to continue to do the good work, articulate that well, and maintain our vision,” says Dr. Butts. “There is more work to be done, without a doubt. We need to look at the gaps that need to be filled and close them. We are in a great position to do that.”
Lisa M. Satlin, MD, Pediatrician-in-Chief, Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai, with Alfin G. Vicencio, MD, Chief, Pediatric Pulmonology, left, and Jeffrey M. Saland, MD, MSCR, Chief, Pediatric Nephrology and Hypertension.
Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai has again been ranked among the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in its “Best Children’s Hospitals” guidebook for 2017-2018.
Mount Sinai ranked in six of ten specialties and achieved top 25 rankings in two specialties—Diabetes & Endocrinology, and Gastroenterology & GI Surgery. Three departments improved their rankings over the previous year. The rankings, published annually, recognize the nation’s top 50 children’s hospitals in 10 pediatric specialty areas.
Committed to providing exceptional care to children and their families, Mount Sinai has created an alliance with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals. Patients in the New York metropolitan area now have access to CHOP specialists in fetal medicine, pediatric cardiac care, and pediatric oncology—and to the most advanced diagnostics and treatments from Mount Sinai and CHOP experts—close to home at select Mount Sinai locations.
“This year’s rankings reflect the excellent care provided to our pediatric patients and their families,” says Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. “We are grateful to each one of our employees—from the physicians and nurses to the social workers and staff—for making this recognition possible through their tireless work.”
The national rankings were generated from data collected through a clinical survey sent to nearly 200 hospitals that measured areas such as patient safety, infection prevention, and nurse staffing. Part of each hospital’s score is also derived from a reputational survey that went to about 11,000 pediatric specialists who were asked to name up to 10 hospitals they consider best in their specialty for children with serious or complex medical issues.
“We continue to recruit renowned experts to our medical teams, and the excellence we have achieved at Kravis Children’s Hospital is reflected in these rankings,” says 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. “Innovative programs, such as our partnership with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, will expand access to unparalleled care for children in the New York area.”
The hospital, which sees more than 70,000 outpatient visits and 3,000 inpatient stays each year, is ranked in the following specialties:
Diabetes & Endocrinology No. 16, up from No. 38
Gastroenterology & GI Surgery No. 23, up from No. 27
Neurology & Neurosurgery No. 27, up from No. 30
Urology No. 30
Pulmonology No. 32
Nephrology No. 39
The Pediatrician-in-Chief of the Kravis Hospital is Lisa M. Satlin, MD, Herbert H. Lehman Professor and Chair, Jack and Lucy Clark Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Every day, our doctors, nurses, child-life specialists, and our entire staff aim to ensure that every patient receives the best possible care, leading to the best possible outcomes, in a supportive environment that is focused on each individual child and his or her family,” says Dr. Satlin.
