May 29, 2017 | Community, Featured
From left: Dennis S. Charney, MD; Mark Kostegan, Chief Development Officer; Peter W. May, Chairman, Boards of Trustees; and Kenneth L. Davis, MD.
The Mount Sinai Health System has launched a new capital campaign that is expected to raise $1.5 billion over the next seven years and serve as the organization’s roadmap for the future in medical research, patient care, and education.
As fundraising begins in earnest in 2018, Mount Sinai will steer a course that calls for significant investments in precision medicine, next generation health care, and emerging areas in cancer, immunology, neuroscience, heart disease, pediatrics, and other specialties.
This is the first capital campaign since the formation of the Mount Sinai Health System in 2013, when The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Queens, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai combined with the former Continuum Health Partners and its five hospitals to become one of the largest health systems in the New York region.
“We anticipate that our new capital campaign will be transformational, a game changer that is as successful as the campaign we undertook 10 years ago for The Mount Sinai Hospital and the Icahn School of Medicine,” says Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. The earlier campaign raised $1.6 billion and led to the creation of 19 research institutes, the recruitment of 150 academic faculty, and the establishment of the 500,000 square-foot Leon and Norma Hess Center for Science and Medicine.
Backed by robust investment, Mount Sinai advanced its research portfolio and experienced significant growth in funding for genetics, microbiology, pharmacology, and neurosciences from the National Institutes of Health. In addition, The Tisch Cancer Institute expanded its programs and received the elite classification as a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, one of 69 such centers in the country.
Mount Sinai also broadened its culture of innovation and entrepreneurship by entering into educational and industry partnerships and investing in high-performance computing, genomics, and multiscale biology.
The new strategic plan was the result of a yearlong study led 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; and Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs, Director of The Friedman Brain Institute, and Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience.
“We enlisted 200 faculty members and more than 150 external experts—some of the best minds in science and medicine—to participate in a dynamic exchange of knowledge and ideas that would help us chart our future in education, biomedical science, and clinical research with the ultimate goal to improve human health,” says Dr. Charney. “Our campaign is based on their bold recommendations.”
To fully capture the clinical and capital needs of Mount Sinai’s seven hospitals, each hospital president worked closely with Margaret Pastuszko, MBA, Chief Strategy and Integration Officer, and her team to establish priorities and develop a strategic plan to support the unique strengths of each hospital.
The new capital campaign will help fund strategic investment in infrastructure, equipment, training, and other services. Mount Sinai’s patients will receive advanced clinical care in every hospital throughout the Health System. This coordinated approach, in combination with world-renowned research, will enable Mount Sinai to achieve its objective—improving human health.
Plans call for Mount Sinai to expand the scope of its advanced research and clinical care in diabetes and obesity, and kidney, lung, and gastrointestinal disease. In addition, Mount Sinai will leverage its large and diverse patient population to excel in areas that include drug addiction, and environmental, adolescent, and women’s health. It will establish five institutes devoted to this research and to creating transformative clinical trials.
“The connectivity between our education, research, and clinical care reflects a collaborative and unified Health System,” says Mark Kostegan, Chief Development Officer and Senior Vice President for Development, Mount Sinai Health System, who is leading the current campaign and led the earlier one. “Our new effort will strengthen Mount Sinai in its entirety, advancing all of our hospitals and our school.”
May 15, 2017 | Community, Featured
Mount Sinai leaders saluted volunteers at The Mount Sinai Hospital and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai during a breakfast held Wednesday, April 26, during National Volunteer Recognition Week. More than 160 volunteers attended the celebration. Also making an appearance was a special breed of Mount Sinai volunteers—the gentle dogs, big and small, who bring comfort and smiles to patients and staff through the Pet-Assisted Therapy program.
“The Mount Sinai Hospital was founded by a group of volunteers, and today more than 1,200 volunteers continue this rich legacy of service,” Peter W. May, Chairman, Boards of Trustees, Mount Sinai Health System, told the guests. “Our patients are so grateful, and it’s always a pleasure to honor all that you do.”
Volunteers are visible in more than 200 areas, where their efforts benefit patients, research, administrative offices, and community outreach.
Linda Frank and Tazzy have volunteered in the Pet-Assisted Therapy program for eight years.
Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mount Sinai Health System, thanked all volunteers, but also singled out their efforts with PACT, the Preventable Admissions Care Team, which was created to reduce 30-day hospital readmissions and Emergency Department visits—a program now considered a national model. “Volunteers became the backbone of this program to keep people well and out of the hospital, and their contributions make a difference between Mount Sinai being a good Health System, and a great Health System,” said Dr. Davis.
One table of guests—including first-year medical students—were among the volunteers applauded 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. “At the beginning of 2017, more than 200 volunteers, including high school, college, and post-baccalaureate students interested in health care careers were assisting in basic science laboratories, and 150 volunteers were helping with clinical research projects,” he said. “The volunteers become part of our family.” Dr. Charney also noted that Mount Sinai students have a supportive role in Chemo Companions, a program that pairs them with patients undergoing chemotherapy at The Tisch Cancer Institute.
“Our unique programs provide insight into a wide range of areas and lead many of our volunteers into social work, nursing, and other patient-centered health careers,” said Claudia Colgan, Vice President, Hospital Operations, The Mount Sinai Hospital. David L. Reich, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Mount Sinai Hospital, talked about the innovative ideas that volunteers introduce to Mount Sinai and also noted the compassion that they bring. “The human kindness that our volunteers show to patients is invaluable,” said Dr. Reich, “and every day, this contributes to patient healing.”
May 15, 2017 | Featured, Patient Stories, Research
‘‘The drug works. It gives you your life back,” says Austin Jacobson. Watch the video
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new biologic drug that is based on seminal research by Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, Professor of Dermatology, and Medicine (Clinical Immunology), at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The drug, dupilumab, was approved in March—fast-tracked because it is a “breakthrough therapy” for adult patients with uncontrolled eczema. “It brings hope to patients who have tried everything.” Dr. Guttman-Yassky says.
One of them is her patient Austin Jacobson, a personal injury defense lawyer in Manhattan. “Living with eczema is like having poison ivy from head to toe,” he says. “You can’t sleep because you’re itching so badly. It affects every single aspect of your life.” Mr. Jacobson took part in clinical trials of the drug, which is injected every two weeks, and still uses it now. He says he felt relief from itching “two hours after taking the first injection.”
Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, Professor of Dermatology, and Medicine (Clinical Immunology), at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
At least 31 million Americans are affected by some form of eczema. The most common type is atopic dermatitis, caused by a combination of genetic, immune and environmental factors. Dupilumab, sold by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals as Dupixent, is an antibody that binds to a protein, IL-4 receptor alfa, inhibiting the inflammatory response that leads to eczema’s rashes and itching. Dr. Guttman-Yassky’s laboratory was the first to map immune pathways underlying eczema, including those now targeted by dupilumab and other drugs in clinical trials.
Her team is among those testing more new therapies, including a drug made by Pfizer Inc. that targets a different immune molecule, interleukin 22 or IL-22. Dr. Guttman’s research was the first to identify the lymphocytes that produce IL-22, and show their link to eczema. With funding from the National Institutes of Health, she designed a study that tested IL-22 antibody targeting in the clinic and in the lab—a treatment that is showing promising preliminary results.
“These are exciting times for patients with eczema, and for me specifically, as I am able to contribute to the scientific development for this disease and help millions of patients worldwide,” Dr. Guttman-Yassky says. “This is a dream come through for a physician-scientist.”
As for Mr. Jacobson, he says that his skin, which had been “100 percent” covered with a scaly, flaking rash, is now largely clear. “The drug works,” he says of dupilumab. “It gives you your life back.”
Dr. Guttman-Yassky has received research funding from Regeneron, and drug and research support from Pfizer, and is working with most companies developing treatments for atopic dermatitis/eczema.
May 15, 2017 | Community, Featured
Barbara Barnett, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, center left, and David L. Reich, MD, center right, flanked by two strong allies of the transgender community, New York City Councilwoman Rosie Mendez and New York State Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried.
Patients, caregivers, family, friends, and elected officials recently gathered to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery. “What is CTMS? CTMS is a reflection of the vision of the Mount Sinai Health System,” David L. Reich, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Mount Sinai Hospital, said at the event, on Monday, April 10, at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. “We see ourselves as champions of social justice, and one aspect of social justice is providing the highest quality, seamless, coordinated, and culturally sensitive care to the transgender community.”
The outpatient location offers care that incorporates primary, transition, and behavioral-health services. The Center completed its first surgical procedure at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in March 2016, and has since performed more than 200 procedures, including vaginoplasty, phalloplasty, metoidioplasty, facial feminization, chest-wall reconstructions, hysterectomy, and orchiectomy. CTMS is the first such center in New York, and among the pioneers in the nation. Health care services are delivered in a welcoming and affirmative environment devoted to the wellbeing of transgender patients.
Mahogany Phillips with Leonie Taylor, RN, a Senior Nurse Manager at Mount Sinai Beth Israel.
“We’re all proud of what we have accomplished, and are enthusiastic about what the future holds for us,” Dr. Reich said. This summer, the Center will welcome its first fellows—one in transgender surgery and another in psychiatry—and an experienced reconstructive urologist, in further pursuit of Mount Sinai’s core missions of clinical care, education, and research.
Mahogany Phillips, who reunited with friends and caregivers at the event, says that while growing up, she felt like “just a regular girl” and had surgery at Mount Sinai in September 2016 and March 2017. “For me it was important to make me comfortable in my own body and to see myself, whole, in the mirror,” she says.
Read more in the HuffPost about how parents can play a major role in keeping their transgender children healthy and safe
May 15, 2017 | Community, Featured
Wesley Johnson volunteers with Mount Sinai’s Ambassador and CARE programs.
More than 1,200 volunteers at The Mount Sinai Hospital devote their time and energy to supporting numerous inpatient and ambulatory programs, laboratories, and offices. “We are proud of our dedicated volunteers who play a vital role in supporting Mount Sinai’s mission,” says Cynthia Levy, Director, Department of Volunteer Services.
Volunteers in Mount Sinai’s CARE (Care and Respect for Elders in Emergencies) Program, for example, provide much needed support to elderly patients in the Emergency Department.
In addition, 22 carefully selected and trained volunteers in Mount Sinai Health Partners’ (MSHP) Care Management Program help prevent hospital readmissions among patients who would otherwise be at high risk for returning to the hospital within 30 days and incurring unnecessary costs, as well as increasing their susceptibility to hospital-borne infections. The MSHP Care Management Program includes the Preventable Admissions Care Team (PACT) initiative. “Their efforts assist the staff in clinically assessing and enrolling patients,” says Volunteer Coordinator Emily Weinger.
Volunteers also provide assistance in the Hospital Delirium Program, where they use nonmedical interventions that provide patients with cognitive stimulation and help improve patient outcomes by making detailed observations and providing medical staff with valuable feedback.
Volunteer Marie-Claire Noel
For Jean Claude and Marie-Claire Noel, volunteering at Mount Sinai is a commitment the married couple has been keeping for a combined total of 29 years. Mrs. Noel is a volunteer in the Child Life Program and Creative Arts Therapy Department of the Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai, where she puts patients and their families at ease during a stressful time in their lives. Every week, she provides inventive activities—playing board games and making origami sailboats and flowers out of pipe cleaners—that comfort children and adolescents of all ages.
More than 10 years ago, Mr. Noel spearheaded the Patient Liaison Program at the Derald H. Ruttenberg Treatment Center of The Tisch Cancer Institute, where he continues to serve as a volunteer. Through the Program, volunteers meet with new patients to provide support and information about the Ruttenberg Center’s services. Mr. Noel also has been a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Committee since its inception, working with patients, caregivers, and administrators from cancer centers throughout the Mount Sinai Health System to improve the overall patient experience.
May 4, 2017 | Featured, Insights
By agreeing to an increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health through the end of the fiscal year, Congress is sending a clear message to President Trump: federal support for scientific research is too important to be subject to a blunt budget ax. The President and his staff need to hear this message loud and clear.
Read the column in Forbes
