Alumni toured the Innovators in Science and Medicine display at Guggenheim Pavilion.

More than 200 alumni gathered recently to celebrate 50 years of education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s annual Alumni Reunion and Awards Ceremony.

Eleven distinguished alumni of the Icahn School of Medicine and St. Luke’s-Roosevelt (SLR) received awards at the event on Wednesday, May 16, at the New York Academy of Medicine. The event also included a keynote discussion by two panelists on the diverse communities cared for by the Mount Sinai Health System: Theresa A. Soriano, MD, MPH, ISMMS 2001, Professor of Medicine, and Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, spoke about patients’ social and economic challenges, and Scott Jelinek, MD, ISMMS 2018, focused on Mount Sinai’s leadership in caring for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients.

Both physicians represent the future of medical care, said David Muller, MD, Dean for Medical Education, and the Marietta and Charles C. Morchand Chair for Medical Education, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “People like Scott and Theresa make us better. They make us a better school, better people, better doctors,” Dr. Muller said.

Before the ceremony, current medical students presented research projects to alumni and led a tour of the School of Medicine. The anatomy lab and the library were familiar to all, but alumni were intrigued by some newer aspects of student life. For example, students who do not attend lectures in person can watch later on videos—sometimes playing them at double speed to save time. And most exams can be taken online. “The tests are timed, but you can take them in your bedroom, or wherever you have Wi-Fi,” said tour guide Evan Garden, Class of 2021. “There are so many initiatives to improve student wellness, and this is definitely one of the more popular ones.”

The tour ended at Guggenheim Pavilion, site of a major exhibition of Innovators in Science and Medicine. The display focuses on the work of 48 physicians and scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai who have made advances in fields as diverse as genomics, immunology, orthopedics, transplant surgery, environmental health, and equity in health care. The innovators all have a common goal, the exhibition states: “Striving to generate better scientific understanding and treatments that will change lives.”

The alumni award winners were:

The Saul Horowitz, Jr. Memorial Award: Mitchell B. Cohen, MD, MSSM ’77

The J. Lester Gabrilove Award: Bonnie M. Davis, MD, MSSM, ’73

The Mount Sinai Alumni Special Recognition Award: Richard R.P. Warner, MD, MSH ’61

The Mount Sinai Alumni Award for Achievement in Medical Education: Claude Bloch, MD, FACR, MSH ’60

The Mount Sinai Alumni Award for Achievement in Medical Education: Rainier P. Soriano, MD, MSH ’99

The Dr. Sidney Grossman Distinguished Humanitarian Award: Ann Marie Beddoe, MD, MPH

The Mount Sinai Alumni Student Leadership Award: Benjamin M. Laitman, PhD, MD, ISMMS ’18

The Terry Ann Krulwich Physician-Scientist Alumni Award: Ayotunde Dokun, MD, PhD, MSSM ’03

The Mount Sinai Alumni Award for Achievement in Graduate Education: Ana Fernandez-Sesma, PhD, MSSM ’98

St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Distinguished Alumnus Award: George Todd, MD

St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Distinguished Young Physician of the Year: Shanna K. Patterson, MD

New physicians recited the Modern Hippocratic Oath during the ceremony on Friday, May 11.

From left: Kenneth L. Davis, MD; Commencement speaker Timothy P. Shriver, PhD, Chairman of the Board, Special Olympics, and Dennis S. Charney. MD.

A pioneer in the study of addiction, a leader in biomedical engineering, a champion of reproductive rights, and a physician-scientist whose work has revolutionized the fight against some cancers were honored as the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai celebrated its 49th Commencement— and the 50th Anniversary of its founding.

The Icahn School of Medicine granted 145 MDs, 64 PhDs, and 24 dual degrees in the ceremony held on Friday, May 11, at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center. “I know that you have the hearts, minds, and passion” to change the future of medicine, the graduates were told 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. Fifty years ago, Dr. Charney said, “The School of Medicine was founded with a focus on the clinical and biologic problems facing the physician, with a dedication to the personal problems of the patient and family. It fostered the ‘healer’ mentality that still exists today.”

Huen Suk (Crystal) Kim, PhD, received her hood from Christoph Schaniel, PhD, Assistant Professor of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology.

Dr. Charney saluted “Giants of Mount Sinai”—many of them on the Commencement stage—who were early graduates and faculty who have made transformative contributions to science and medicine. He also listed some accomplishments of the Class of 2018. One graduate cofounded a national patients’ advocacy organization; another wrote a comprehensive overview of palliative care in Africa. Other graduates fought bias in patient care and made advances in the study of immunotherapy, bipolar disorder, and drug addiction. “I am confident you will carry on the tradition of our great institution,” Dr. Charney said.

Aryeh Stock, MD—holding his son, Alex—received his hood from his father, Jeffrey A. Stock, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Urology, and Pediatrics, and Class of 1988.

Timothy P. Shriver, PhD, Chairman of the Board, Special Olympics, delivered the commencement address to nearly 3,000 faculty, staff, graduates, and their families and friends who filled the hall. Dr. Shriver said people with intellectual disabilities faced “extraordinary social, cultural, and physical pain” in addition to discrimination in housing and health care. But even in adversity, he said, “for the most part they do not choose hate or anger, they choose healing.” He asked the graduates to also choose to be healers, “not just in the way we use medicine and research, but in the way we live as citizens and the way we live as human beings.”

Dr. Shriver received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for his work promoting inclusion, friendship, and physical fitness among 5.3 million Special Olympics athletes and their families worldwide. Honorary degrees also were awarded to:

Cato T. Laurencin, MD, PhD, Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, and Professor of Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, and Biomedical Engineering, the University of Connecticut, who received an honorary Doctor of Science degree for groundbreaking work in biomaterials, stem cell science, nanotechnology, drug-delivery systems, and a field he has pioneered, regenerative engineering.

Douglas R. Lowy, MD, Deputy Director, National Cancer Institute, who received an honorary Doctor of Science degree for biomedical research that led to three vaccines that counteract human papillomavirus, which is responsible for 5 percent of cancers. This clinical intervention has had a major impact on human health around the world.

Cecile Richards, former President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund, who received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for advancing women’s health and reproductive rights, and helping to create healthier lives for young people and marginalized communities across the nation.

Nora D. Volkow, MD, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse, who received an honorary Doctor of Science degree for work that has demonstrated that drug addiction is a disease of the brain, helping to shift the national understanding of addiction and create a movement to combat the epidemic of opioid addiction.

Peter W. May, Chairman, Boards of Trustees, Mount Sinai Health System, gave the graduates a history lesson, pointing out that in 1968 the School of Medicine opened in a former bus garage on 102nd Street. “That building contained all the labs, one classroom, and all the administrative offices. And look at us now,” Mr. May said. “In 50 years, the Icahn School of Medicine has evolved into one of the country’s best medical schools, backed by a broad system of what will soon be eight hospitals that care for millions of patients with the same excellence.” He added, “I hope that the momentum we’ve established continues and that Mount Sinai will remain at the forefront of academic excellence and wonderful patient care for anybody who needs it. And I hope that you, our graduates, continue to be the leaders who welcome and address the inevitable changes in health care that are ahead of all of us.”

Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mount Sinai Health System, also called on the graduates to be leaders in clinics, in laboratories, and in their communities, especially in confronting gun violence, which he called an epidemic far more pressing than the Ebola or Zika viruses. “We need to treat gun violence like the public health problem that it is,” Dr. Davis said, adding that it kills 96 Americans every day.

“Today, as you get your degree in medicine, let it also double as a degree in changing the world,” Dr. Davis said. “Your community needs you, your country needs you, your classmates and colleagues need you. From this moment forward, you are our hope. Thank you for what I know you will do in the years to come.”

From left: Kenneth L. Davis, MD, and Bonnie Davis, MD, with Vanessa Cornell and Henry Cornell

The Mount Sinai Health System’s 33rd annual Crystal Party, held Thursday, May 3, in the Central Park Conservatory Garden, was a festive event a­ ended by more than 1,200 leaders, faculty, supporters, and friends of the Health System. Dancing, dining, and celebrating a year of accomplishments at the Mount Sinai Health System and the 50th anniversary of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, were on the evening’s agenda. The party—Mount Sinai’s major social event of the season—raised nearly $4 million that will be used to support key educational, clinical, and research programs.

From left: Peter W. May and Leni May, with Senator Charles E. Schumer

This year’s celebration was chaired by Mount Sinai Trustee Henry Cornell and his wife, Vanessa Cornell. Other members of the event leadership included the Mount Sinai Health System Hospital Presidents Committee: Rebecca Sandler and Jeremy Boal, MD; Karen and Evan L. Flatow, MD; Sharon and Arthur Gianelli, MPH; Joan F. and Lin H. Mo, MPH; Keith L. Marran Jr., and David L. Reich, MD; and Tracey and James C. Tsai, MD. Rachel Crane, and Holly and Michael Schechter were Friends of Mount Sinai Chairs.

Peter W. May, Chairman, Boards of Trustees, welcomed the guests. He said, “We are grateful and proud that support for this event has reached this level and ensures that the Mount Sinai Health System will continue to provide unparalleled care to patients throughout the New York metropolitan area.”

Guest speakers, from left, Jim Gaffigan and Jeannie Gaffigan, with Joshua B. Bederson, MD

Comedian Jim Gaffigan and his wife, actress Jeannie Gaffigan, a cowriter on their entertainment projects, were the evening’s special guest speakers. In April 2017, Mrs. Gaffigan underwent a successful nine-hour surgery to remove a rare and large, benign brain tumor. The surgery was performed by Joshua B. Bederson, MD, Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Mount Sinai Health System. During the procedure, Dr. Bederson used pioneering augmented reality technology that helps surgeons operate more safely and precisely.

Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System, thanked all the Benefit Chairs for their dedication and support, and noted Mount Sinai’s progress in advancing care.

“The Mount Sinai Health System has made significant advances in patient care and research, as demonstrated by Jeannie Gaffigan’s remarkable story,” Dr. Davis said. Also in attendance was U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), who reiterated his support for Mount Sinai and recognized its commitment to ensuring quality health care for all New Yorkers.