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At 50th Commencement, a Call to Engage in Health Issues

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Featured

Commencement speaker Scott Gottlieb, MD, center, with Mount Sinai Health System leaders Kenneth L. Davis, MD, left, and Dennis S. Charney, MD.

A former chief of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a leader in the study of cardiovascular and liver disease, a football player turned philanthropist, and an educator who is advancing the teaching of science and medicine were honored as the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai celebrated its 50th Commencement.

The Icahn School of Medicine granted 101 MDs, 34 PhDs, and 22 dual degrees at the ceremony held on Thursday, May 9, at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center. Scott Gottlieb, MD, the 23rd commissioner of the FDA and a 1999 graduate of the Icahn School of Medicine, delivered the commencement address to the 3,000 faculty, staff, graduates, family, and friends who filled the hall.

In his welcoming speech, Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mount Sinai Health System, described the School of Medicine decades ago, when he joined its second class. “Fifty years ago, our political dialogue was consumed by the war in Vietnam. Today, health care is the center of our political debate,” he said. Health care makes up one-fifth of the nation’s economy, and its rising cost is forcing hard decisions on a critical question: “How do we ensure that we provide health care to everyone in this country?” Dr. Davis asked. “It is our job to bring to this debate the nuances and facts that we as physicians, academicians, and researchers see every day. I implore you to make sure the conversations we are having in our hospitals, in our communities, and across the country are honest and factual. Please help others recognize there are no simple solutions.”

New graduates, from front: Sarah Zarrin, MD; Anqi (Angela) Zheng, MD; and Hashem Emad Zikry, MD.

Dr. Gottlieb made a similar call to action. He has long been engaged in public policy—as a student and resident at Mount Sinai, he wrote articles on health care that appeared in journals and in newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal. He thanked the school’s leadership for giving him support and freedom in those days, and he challenged the Class of 2019 to take a stand on issues they believe in.

“I am proud of the foundation of service that this institution inspired me with,” Dr. Gottlieb told the graduates. “You all share those same traditions and will go on to do many more great things.” Dr. Gottlieb received an honorary Doctor of Science degree for his commitment to improving the nation’s health and for his work at the FDA, expediting the approval of treatments and drugs, and battling opioid addiction and the use of e-cigarettes by youth.

Honorary degrees were also awarded to:

Curtis Martin, a former New York Jets running back and a member of the National Football League Hall of Fame, who received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for creating the Curtis Martin Job Foundation to support causes such as low-income housing, scholarships for disadvantaged children, aid to people with disabilities, and surgical care in developing nations.

Helen H. Hobbs, MD, Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Professor of Internal Medicine, and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who received an honorary Doctor of Science degree for her influential research into the genetic determinants of cardiovascular disease and fatty liver disease, which has led to a highly effective therapy for reducing blood cholesterol levels.

C. Reynold Verret, PhD, President of Xavier University of Louisiana, who received an honorary Doctor of Science degree for developing innovative programs that are shaping the next generation of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers for kindergarten through 12^th grade, and mitigating a shortage of STEM educators, especially in underserved communities.

The graduates were congratulated by Richard A. Friedman, Co-Chairman of the Mount Sinai Health System Boards of Trustees, who said he was honored to take part in his first commencement in his new role. “You are beginning your medical careers during a time of transformation in how we leverage technology, investment, and biology to better understand human diseases and find new ways to conquer them,” Mr. Friedman said. “We look to all of you to take what you have learned at Mount Sinai and use it to help improve health care. We are in awe of you for having made the choice to dedicate your lives to this mission.”

The graduates were encouraged to “dare greatly” in their future careers by 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. He noted that they were already an accomplished group. They have published hundreds of peer-reviewed articles, and contributed to the study of immune deficiency and Alzheimer’s disease, and 38 took an extra “scholarly year” to enhance their training as physician-scientists. Dr. Charney said some graduates have shown great promise as entrepreneurs and have been strong advocates on issues including HIV/AIDS, global health, and racism and bias.

Still, Dr. Charney said, “There is much left to solve in medicine. You have studied all the diseases, memorized all the drugs, but how many of our treatments are truly curative?Very few.” Most surgical procedures are decades old, so innovation is badly needed, he said, and the digital age calls for new ways to prevent, monitor, and treat diseases. He also challenged the graduates to be in the forefront of the movement seeking equal health care for all. “What will it take for you, the Class of 2019, to accomplish these goals?” Dr. Charney asked. “You need to be heroes. You need to be not merely good, but great. And you need to change our world.”

Yonathan Debessai, MD, received his hood from his mother, Zaid Weldesellasie.

Robert Rifkin, MD, PhD—with his son, Aaron—was hooded by his father, Scott Rifkin, MD.

Connie Chen, MD, received her hood from her mother, Jenny Chen.

Mount Sinai Renames Department of Neuroscience

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Featured, Research

From left, Paul J. Kenny, PhD; Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD; benefactors Pamela Nash, Helen Nash, Beth Nash, and Joshua Nash, member, Mount Sinai Boards of Trustees; and Richard A. Friedman, Co-Chairman, Boards of Trustees.

It has been a time of outstanding achievement for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Department of Neuroscience—worthy of a celebration.

On Wednesday, May 8, Mount Sinai leadership, benefactors, faculty, and staff attended a reception at the Hess Center for Science and Medicine to unveil the Department’s renaming to the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, an event held to honor the Nash family for their philanthropic generosity and extraordinary commitment to brain research.

“The Nash family has been supporting critical initiatives at Mount Sinai for more than 40 years and began a focused commitment to advance our neuroscience community more than a decade ago,” says Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience, Director of The Friedman Brain Institute, and Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “The research that has been made possible through the family’s generosity is being translated into fundamentally new and improved treatments for some of the world’s most devastating brain disorders. We are forever grateful for their commitment to this important work.”

Richard A. Friedman with guests at the reception. A substantial gift from the Friedman family allowed for the creation of The Friedman Brain Institute.

As a direct result of the Nash family’s support, Mount Sinai’s neuroscience program has seen unprecedented growth. Over the past decade, more than 40 basic neuroscience faculty have been recruited to Mount Sinai. Today, the Neuroscience department is ranked No. 1 in the nation among U.S. medical schools in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.

“This is testament to the incredible research environment we have created at Mount Sinai with the support of the Nash family,” says Paul J. Kenny, PhD, the Ward-Coleman Professor and Chair of the Department, and Director of Mount Sinai’s Drug Discovery Institute, who has made significant contributions to furthering the understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms of drug addiction and obesity. “With their tremendous support, we have built the depth and breadth of scientific expertise that is required for us to have a real impact in many key areas of brain research. We are translationally focused, so our work is highly relevant to human health and central nervous system disorders. We are also a very close community and we support all of our colleagues, particularly our junior scientists. We foster an environment of research excellence but also one of collaboration and support. As a result, we are second to none when it comes to research funding and scientific impact.”

Helen S. Mayberg, MD, left, with Helen Nash

Groundbreaking work in deep brain stimulation is being conducted in the newly established Nash Family Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics, whose founding Director, Helen S. Mayberg, MD, Mount Sinai Professor in Neurotherapeutics, and Professor of Neuroscience, Neurology, Psychiatry, and Neurosurgery, is a pioneer in using brain circuit information to treat neuropsychiatric disorders. She is leading a team to harness the potential of deep brain stimulation—an innovative surgical procedure that has proven successful in treating movement disorders—to address a range of conditions that include depression, addiction, and schizophrenia.

“Additionally, we have researchers who have deep expertise in the mechanisms of gene regulation, and those with demonstrated ability to functionally dissect, manipulate, and understand brain circuitry in the context of complex behaviors,” Dr. Kenny says. “That is where research funding is increasingly directed, and we are on the cutting edge of neurocircuitry research.”

The goal now, Dr. Kenny adds, is to bring together the Department’s key strengths in brain circuitries and mechanisms of gene expression to drive new discoveries related to brain function and its role in disease. “Given the outstanding quality of research in our Department, and the level of NIH funding we have successfully competed for, I believe Mount Sinai is positioned to have a profound impact on human brain health.”

Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, welcomed guests and spoke about the strengths of the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience.

Research Uncovers How Serotonin in the Nucleus Can Regulate Gene Expression Within Brain Cells

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Featured, Research

Lorna Farrelly, PhD, and Ian Maze, PhD

Serotonin, a powerful chemical that sends signals between nerve cells in the brain, has long been thought to play a key role in processes such as appetite, mood, and sleep. Now, research by neuroscientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai suggests that the molecule can also enter the nucleus of these cells and help turn genes on. It is a surprising discovery that has the promise to yield fundamental new knowledge about addiction, mood disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease.

The findings, which were recently published in the journal Nature, are a divergence from conventional thinking that neurotransmitters have one role—which is to bind to nerve cells and send signals that change these cells’ activity.

“We have shown that there is a novel role for neurotransmitters in the brain that is independent of neurotransmission, but critically important to their overall signaling,” says Ian Maze, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, and Pharmacological Sciences, and senior author of the multicenter study. “It suggests that our current understanding of these molecules is incomplete and requires further investigation.” Study authors also included postdoctoral fellow Lorna Farrelly, PhD.

The study involved DNA, the blueprint for all cell functions in the body. Each cell contains two strands of DNA that are packaged by histone proteins and arranged in spools known as nucleosomes. The tighter the DNA is wound into nucleosomes, the less likely that genes being encoded will be turned on, or expressed; when it is not wound as tightly, genes are more likely to be expressed.

Based on previous research that had found large pools of neurotransmitters in the nucleus of neurons and suspecting that this could result in additional, neurotransmission-independent functions for these chemicals, Dr. Maze and his team hypothesized that certain nuclear proteins may be modified by these molecules to affect their functions. They discovered that a protein, tissue Transglutaminase 2, can directly attach serotonin molecules to histone proteins, a process called histone serotonylation. Once the serotonin is attached, stronger expression of genes associated with these modified histones is observed.

They also demonstrated that these serotonyl marks on the histone protein help draw other proteins that play a key role in increasing gene expression. “We found that these marks hyper-recruit one particular factor, Transcription factor II D, that enables the genes to turn on,” Dr. Maze says. “That provides some mechanistic insight into how these marks may be influencing gene expression.”

In a blog entry summarizing these findings, Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, wrote, “While much more study is needed, this is a potentially groundbreaking discovery. Not only could it have implications for managing depression and other mood disorders, it may also open new avenues for treating substance abuse and neurodegenerative diseases.”

Phillips School of Nursing Celebrates Commencement

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community, Featured, MSBI

The graduates gathered in Guggenheim Pavilion.

The Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel celebrated 87 new graduates at its 115th Commencement on Thursday, May 16. During the ceremony, which was held at Stern Auditorium, three types of degrees were conferred: 41 Associate in Applied Science (AAS); 37 Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN); and 9 Bachelor of Science in Nursing for registered nurses (RN-BSN).

Todd F. Ambrosia, DNP, MSN, FNAP, Dean of the Phillips School of Nursing, began the joyous ceremony by welcoming the graduates, guests, faculty, and staff. Fifteen graduates were inducted into the Honor Society for achieving a grade point average of 3.7 or higher. Sara Kohn and Julie Pearson were valedictorians for the ABSN program; Simeon Gayle was valedictorian for the AAS program; and Christina Kim, RN, was valedictorian of the RN-BSN program—an honor she also earned 15 months ago when she received her AAS degree.

Two students received the Dr. Eileen Melnick Award for Team Spirit: Carl Javier for the ABSN program and Kelli Morse for the AAS Program. Mr. Javier, whose parents graduated from the Phillips School of Nursing, also received the Annette Stauber Cohn Award for Continuing a Family Tradition of Outstanding Nursing.

“Nursing is a profession where your scientific knowledge, critical thinking, leadership skills, and especially your attitudes and values will be challenged every day,” said the commencement speaker, Aliza Ben-Zacharia, DNP, ANP-BC, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Associate Director, Center for Nursing Research and Innovation, The Mount Sinai Hospital. “Demonstrate leadership in your own area of practice,” she told the graduates. “And always remember your days as students when it is your turn to mentor others.”

More than 270 Mount Sinai Physicians Named to New York Magazine’s 2019 “Best Doctors” Issue

Updated on Jun 6, 2019 | Featured

Mount Sinai Health System physicians held 275 spots on New York magazine’s annual “Best Doctors” issue, released on May 30. Mount Sinai accounted for 20 percent of all the doctors on the list, which covers the New York metropolitan region, and its total represented a 6.2 percent increase from the previous year.

Read the press release

Peter W. May, a Transformational Leader, Steps Down as Chairman

Updated on Jun 4, 2019 | Community, Featured

Nearly 1,400 physicians, faculty, staff, trustees, and friends of the Mount Sinai Health System gathered on Thursday, May 2, to celebrate a year of clinical and scientific achievements at the 34th Annual Crystal Party, and to honor Peter W. May, a transformational leader, who had just stepped down as Chairman of the Mount Sinai Boards of Trustees after 17 years.

The festive celebration, held beneath an enormous, colorfully decorated tent in the Central Park Conservancy Garden, began with a tribute to Mr. May by three violinists from the New York Philharmonic who played several selections from West Side Story. Lead violinist Michelle Kim said the trio was honored to perform at a celebration for Mr. May, with whom they were acquainted through his service on the Board of Directors of the New York Philharmonic.

Peter W. May and Kenneth L. Davis, MD.

Indeed, Mr. May’s wide circle of friends and large philanthropic footprint were evident at the Crystal Party. But it was his strong business acumen that was most in need in 2002, when he became Chairman of Mount Sinai and a short time later tapped Kenneth L. Davis, MD, to serve as Dean and Chief Executive Officer. During that tumultuous time, Mr. May’s experience in turning around failing consumer and industrial businesses was put to the test at Mount Sinai, which had experienced a series of setbacks that left it in desperate financial shape. In fact, the early days of his tenure were so dramatic, Mr. May said in a recent interview, “We didn’t know if we would make payroll.”

As Chairman, he turned Mount Sinai around in less than three years. Rather than instituting layoffs and cutting costs in food services, housekeeping, and transport, as he was counseled to do by an outside consulting firm, he built and expanded Mount Sinai through fundraising, marketing, and recruitment, and creating a sense of teamwork. Looking back, he said recently, “My experience has always been that you don’t cut your way out of a problem, you build your way out of a problem.” Mr. May put a new management team in place and began to focus on rebuilding a great medical center by drawing the school and hospital closer together and concentrating resources in clinical and research specialties where Mount Sinai excelled.

View a timeline showcasing a Legacy of Growth and Excellence

Mr. May recently told an interviewer, “Mount Sinai has always seen its mission as being able to improve society.” That mission-driven ethos went back to the hospital’s earliest days in the 1850s, when Mount Sinai cared for all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. He said, “Even when we had two weeks’ payroll in the bank, we did not cut our charitable giving, and we continued to take care of everyone.”

In his opening remarks at the Crystal Party and in a video that was shown at the event, Dr. Davis said, “We would not have achieved what we achieved if Peter May had not been here. There would be no Crystal Party, no Mount Sinai, without Peter May and his leadership and guidance. Our partnership has lasted 17 years. There has never been a bump in the road. The Mount Sinai family will remember him for decades to come.”

Peter W. May, center, with, from left, 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; and David L. Reich, MD, President, The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens.

During the early days, as Mr. May rolled up his sleeves and devoted himself to recreating Mount Sinai and restoring its reputation as a venerable institution that served all patients who walked through its doors, he impressed those around him with his work ethic, his keen business judgment, and his generous spirit.

“He is an extraordinary man,” said Dr. Davis in an earlier interview, “one of the most wonderful human beings I’ve ever known. Health care is very complicated. Peter understood that knowledge about investing, or working on Wall Street, does not always transfer to a nonprofit institution where innovation, research accomplishments, education, and saving lives are a priority. Peter trusted the management team. He was supportive. He was always there. Under his Chairmanship, Mount Sinai grew multifold. We grew faster in size and stature than we ever did in the 160-year history of our institution.”

See photos from the 34th Annual Crystal Party in Central Park honoring Peter W. May

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, was among the Mount Sinai trustees, hospital presidents, department chairs, and other institutional leaders and staff who expressed their respect and gratitude and wished Mr. May well in the video that was shown at the Crystal Party.

“We will miss your inspirational leadership and wisdom,” said Dr. Charney, who has credited Mr. May for recognizing the central role of the Icahn School of Medicine in elevating Mount Sinai to the ranks of the best health systems in the country. In an earlier interview, Dr. Charney said, “Peter enabled me to build a culture that was innovative and entrepreneurial, and I know that stems from his own successful business career.”

When the video ended, Mr. May walked to the podium to speak and was greeted with a standing ovation. “I have been blessed with a number of incredible partnerships,” Mr. May told the crowd, citing his 55-year marriage to his wife, Leni May, his beloved children and grandchildren, and his 46-year business partnership with Nelson Peltz. “Mount Sinai is the other part that has really enriched my life.”

He highlighted Mount Sinai’s success as the largest health care system in New York City and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s national standing as a top medical school and one of the most important research institutions in the world. Mr. May said he was pleased that Richard A. Friedman and James S. Tisch would be taking on the role of Co-Chairmen of the Boards of Trustees, as the size and complexity of Mount Sinai now warranted two people with immense experience. Handing over the reins marked a “bittersweet time,” he said, acknowledging that he knew the evening would be an emotional one. “I have loved every minute of my work at Mount Sinai.”