Acclaimed Vocalist to Perform After Mount Sinai Saves His Life—and Voice—From Cancer

Updated on Jun 13, 2024 | Cancer, Featured, Head and Neck, Patient Stories

Johannes Schwaiger, Mount Sinai patient and Broadway musician, with fellow Broadway musician and wife Tessa Lang

About a decade ago, Broadway musician Johannes Schwaiger noticed a hoarseness in his voice, which he initially dismissed as allergies. A visit to a doctor that spring identified the real culprit—a tumor in the back of his throat. The subsequent care Mr. Schwaiger received at Mount Sinai, which included minimally invasive surgery and voice therapy, saved both his life and his voice.

“Now, thinking back, 11 years ago, I am completely cancer free and have followed my passion of music, in my case, singing, with a newfound purpose—to bring people together, and find those things that unite us,” he says.

On Thursday, June 6, the singer, who has performed on Broadway, including in Cats, will tell his story—one about “all kinds of love”—in a performance titled “All the Love in the World,” at the Kaufman Music Center in New York City. Mr. Schwaiger will perform alongside his wife, fellow Broadway musician Tessa Lang, who encouraged him to see a doctor when he began experiencing symptoms and stayed by his side through cancer treatment and his journey back to health.

“She is my angel,” says Mr. Schwaiger, explaining that his ordeal with cancer was also hers. On stage, the couple will tell their story of love, hope, and survival through a selection of American, French, and Italian love songs.

“We’ve woven a tapestry of all the ways people love, and the journey that love takes, the highs and the lows, and the pursuit of love, no matter what the journey is,” says Ms. Lang of their upcoming performance.

For the couple, the journey began when Mr. Schwaiger received a diagnosis of stage IV head and neck cancer in 2013, and his worst fear—losing his voice—became a real possibility. “I underwent a CT scan, and the results were devastating,” he remembers.

Many patients who undergo surgery for head and neck tumors need a tracheotomy, a surgical opening in the neck that allows them to breathe through a tube.

“I walked around in a daze between disbelief and realty,” recalls Mr. Schwaiger.

The musician began singing at the age of nine in Munich, Germany, his hometown, and his international career went on to span operas, oratorios, concerts, and musical theater. The possibility of losing his voice “felt like losing my life,” he says.

The diagnosis also came as a shock to Ms. Lang. “Johannes was just so healthy, he grew up on a farm. There was never anything wrong with him, so that’s why this was just so unusual,” she says.

Mr. Schwaiger’s doctor referred him to Mount Sinai, where doctors performed laser surgery, a minimally invasive procedure, removing about 85 percent of the tumor without harming the surrounding tissue, eliminating any need for a tracheotomy. After the surgery, he underwent chemotherapy and radiation to remove the remaining cancer, which was provided under the expertise of his oncology team at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai.

“What I so much loved about Mount Sinai is they didn’t proclaim doomsday,” he recalls. “They said, ‘You have a good chance of healing, and that’s what we are going to do.’”

While the treatment cured him, the radiation to his throat made speaking and swallowing difficult, and Mr. Schwaiger’s voice was again in jeopardy. However, with guidance from Cathy Lazarus, PhD, Associate Professor, Otolaryngology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, he was able to keep his voice—and his career. In her research and clinical practice, Dr. Lazarus specializes in restoring function in head and neck cancer patients.

“It was tremendously helpful,” he says, adding that the therapy also helped him regain his ability to swallow and eat normally.

Mr. Schwaiger, who teaches at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, describes the care he received from Mount Sinai as “divine intervention.” In 2015, he shared his story with fellow cancer survivors at a luncheon at Mount Sinai-Union Square. To show his appreciation for all who helped him during his ordeal, he decided to tell his story through a series of songs, which were “all about healing,” he says.

“I started to look at my voice from a different lens and found a new purpose within,” he says.

It is a new purpose Mr. Schwaiger will convey when he takes the stage with Ms. Lang for the All the Love in the World concert this June.

“This concert is a testament to the journey I walked through and the love that endured and helped me to overcome and heal,” he says.

Get Your Ticket to the “All the Love in the World” Concert

The “All the Love in the World” concert is a benefit in support of Dreamgates, a nonprofit organization that uses performing arts events to bridge cultural divides and embrace artistic co-creation in a global community. It will take place Thursday, June 6, at 7:30 pm at the Kaufman Music Center in New York City. Tickets are available here.

Are you a cancer patient?

Free tickets will be set aside for the first 10 cancer survivors who contact Mount Sinai. Those interested should email David Schwab at david.schwab@mountsinai.org with the subject line: “All the Love in the World.”

Celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month: Why Diversity Matters in Health Care

Updated on May 13, 2024 | Diversity and Inclusion, Featured, Your Health

Alex Ky-Miyasaka, MD, Professor of Surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital, seeing patients at the Chinatown clinic in Manhattan.

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, also known as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, is observed in May in the United States. It celebrates the culture and historical contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) to the country, as the month marks the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in 1843 and commemorates the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, whose tracks were largely laid by Chinese immigrants.

AAPI people in this country are extremely diverse and represent a wide range of races and ethnicities, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds, and ability to access health care. In New York City, this group encompasses more than 1 million people from more than 30 different ethnicities, speaking more than 50 different languages. Providing effective health care to such a varied group can be challenging, but it is important for health care institutions and providers to keep diversity at top of mind as they connect with patients.

“It is our responsibility to ensure we’re evaluating how we can best provide care to all of our patients,” says Amanda Rhee, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, and Inaugural Director of the Center for Asian Equity and Professional Development at Mount Sinai. “There’s a growing body of evidence that people receive different care based on gender, disability, and language spoken.” When it comes to conversations about the differences in care that patients receive, AAPI communities are often left out—for example, some may not know that 24 percent of AAPI individuals in New York City live in poverty, and as a result might be unable to access appropriate care, says Dr. Rhee, citing a report on poverty in New York City.

“Specifically for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, from our patient satisfaction surveys, we know that our patients are telling us that we have room to improve, and how we can deliver care for them better,” says Dr. Rhee. “I say this in the overarching context of approaching all our patients with an open mind, so that we can understand anyone’s background better, and do our best to meet people where they are.”

In this Q&A, Dr. Rhee explains the importance of culturally sensitive and compassionate care, and how Mount Sinai is working to improve that competence.

Why is it important to consider cultural needs of a patient when providing care? Might there be consequences for failing to do so?

Communication between our clinical teams and patients is so critical, not only for the medical side of the care, but also compassion and empathy. Cultural and language barriers could present a challenge for some of our AAPI patients. There could be certain sorts of traditions that may seem different to our clinical providers or teams, which could appear obstructive.

For example, in some Asian cultures, there’s a belief that drinking warm fluids can help people who are feeling ill, and they or their family members might want to bring in warm soups and drinks for the patient. But if the patient is in a situation where they should not eat or drink anything, such as before a procedure, these well-intentioned family members may not understand that, and conflicts and challenges in communication can lead to confusion and dissatisfaction. It would be better if our clinical teams, patients, and family members could better align expectations and help understand each other better.

What does it take for a health system or organization to provide culturally sensitive and inclusive care?

Normalizing things or traditions that seem different, and highlighting the diversity of the people whom we take care of, is an important way to do that. Having really engaging educational sessions or tabling events at an institution are effective ways to help providers understand how these different traditions are meaningful in these different cultures—and understanding these differences can have an impact on whether a patient gets better or not. And I think that better understanding also leads to more empathy and improved connections between provider and patient.

What work might be needed to improve AAPI communities’ care experience?

An important piece boils down to building trust. Patients and their families want to know they are being listened to. Our clinical teams have to be open-minded to cultural differences and communicate to patients and their families that they’re there to help and receive feedback. Once that trust is established, when we need to explain how certain rituals or traditions might run counter to care, that advice might be better received by the patients and family members.

What has Mount Sinai been doing toward providing culturally sensitive care for AAPI communities?

In recent months and years, Mount Sinai Health System has dedicated resources and launched initiatives toward improving competence and cultural sensitivity for its AAPI patients. Here’s a snapshot of what we have done:

  • Asian Health Services
    Initially launched at Mount Sinai Beth Israel to serve the population in Chinatown and lower Manhattan, the team providing personalized care for AAPI communities has been expanded systemwide, across all eight hospitals. Asian Health Services includes multilingual Asian providers in different medical specialties, medical interpreters, and culturally competent staff to help patients navigate health care. The website has been updated to include information about specialists, their locations, and languages spoken.
Click here to learn more about Asian Health Services
  • Guidance on translation services
    Mount Sinai has been working with its Language and Communication Access Services to provide more culturally competent translation and interpretation services for AAPI patients, including guidance on cultural differences and cues. The service is provided free of charge and can be arranged through clinical teams to be made available during care.
  • Cultural cue handouts for providers
    Cultural cue handouts that were originally available for providers under Asian Health Services are in the process of being rolled out systemwide. These resources include information about differences between traditional remedies and Western health care and various cultural norms that might affect decision-making.
  • Educational events
    For Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, there is a series of events to celebrate and raise awareness of AAPI culture, held across all eight hospital campuses. These seek to deploy education in a meaningful way, by highlighting similarities and differences across cultures. The Center for Asian Equity and Professional Development also hosts webinars and events throughout the year.
  • Curriculum for cultural sensitivity training
    In its early stages, the Center for Asian Equity and Professional Development is developing a program to train providers who wish to be more informed about caring for AAPI patients. The goal is to eventually improve health equity among AAPI communities.
  • Partnerships with community organizations
    Mount Sinai is working with community partners, such as the Chinatown YMCA, to provide health information and education. These include preventive care, tips on healthy living, and resources to access care at Mount Sinai.

“I hope that what we can build is heightened awareness about the specific needs of our AAPI patients,” says Dr. Rhee. “I would hope these efforts will create a way of thinking for all of our care providers to identify any kind of disparity that a patient may be experiencing, so that we can address challenges in this space for all of our patients.”

Amanda Rhee, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, and Inaugural Director of the Dean’s Center for Asian Equity and Professional Development at Mount Sinai

Who are the Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in New York City?

Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) is a broad term, but it is not a monolithic description of their experiences and situations. In New York City, the largest and one of the most diverse cities in the country, understanding the diverse socioeconomic and health access conditions of AAPI people is crucial to population health. Pulling from two city agency reports, here’s a snapshot of Americans and immigrants of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in New York City.

>1 million

AAPI people in NYC; 14 percent of the city’s 8.5 million population.

>30 different ethnicities

A group speaking more than 50 different languages.

13 percent

of immigrants of Asian/Pacific Islander descent are undocumented, compared to 16 percent of NYC immigrants overall.

46 percent

of AAPI households report having limited English proficiency, compared to NYC’s overall average of 23 percent. For Asian/Pacific Islander immigrants specifically, that number is 59 percent.

40 percent

of AAPI individuals in NYC on average have income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, compared to the city’s average of 39 percent. However, subgroup variances are large, with lows including Filipino (20 percent) and Japanese (23 percent) individuals, and highs including Bangladeshi (58 percent) and Pakistani (53 percent) individuals.

AAPI people in NYC by the numbers

Bird Flu: What You Need to Know Now

Updated on May 3, 2024 | Featured, Your Health

You may have seen recent news reports about the bird flu virus and the possibility that this virus could affect humans and our food supply, notably with milk from cows. Government health officials say there is no reason for concern, and experts at Mount Sinai agree.

“People should be aware, monitor the situation, and follow the guidelines of health authorities,” says Bernard Camins, MD, MSc, Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Medical Director for Infection Prevention for the Mount Sinai Health System.

The issue arose when a bird flu virus was detected in dairy cows in eight states. The concern is that this virus could pass to consumers who drink milk from infected cows.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says tests have shown the commercial milk supply is safe. The FDA says the pasteurization process heats milk up to a high enough temperature to kill harmful germs, and milk from sick cows is diverted and not sold. Even if virus is detected in raw milk, pasteurization eliminates pathogens to a level that does not pose a risk to consumer health, according to Dr. Camins and the FDA. Recent testing by the FDA has shown that pasteurization is effective at inactivating the bird flu virus, and this testing did not detect any live, infectious virus.

Although bird flu viruses do not normally infect humans, sporadic human infections have occurred, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Click here for the latest updates from the CDC and click here for the latest from the FDA

On Monday, April 1, the CDC announced that one person in Texas had tested positive for a strain of the bird flu virus referred to as H5N1. The person was exposed to dairy cattle that were presumed to be infected.

The patient reported eye redness and is recovering. The patient was told to isolate and was treated with an antiviral drug for flu, according to the CDC. This is the second person reported to have tested positive for bird flu in the United States. A previous human case occurred in 2022 in Colorado.

The CDC says the risk these viruses pose to the public remains low. It recommends that people should avoid being near sick or dead animals. Also, people should not prepare or eat uncooked or undercooked food or related uncooked food products, such as unpasteurized (raw) milk or cheeses, according to the CDC. Dr. Camins says people should normally avoid eating avoid raw milk and raw cheeses because of the potential for contracting other infections and not just bird flu.

According to the New York State Department of Health, bird flu is caused by a group of viruses that occur naturally in wild birds. Animal health officials are watching closely for bird flu in poultry and wild birds in the United States. Early detection of the virus in poultry and wild birds is important to prevent the spread of bird flu, especially into commercial poultry flocks, the Department says.

Get more answers to frequently asked questions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Find a Mount Sinai Doctor

Annual Symposium of the BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute Focuses on Precision Medicine and the Future of Digital Medicine

Updated on Apr 29, 2024 | Featured, Research

The 12th annual symposium of the BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute (BMEII) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai focused on precision medicine and the future of digital health.

The event featured renowned academic and industry representatives from around the world who participated in panel discussions about the precision medicine imperative and the quest to extend the “health span”—defined as the number of years people live a heathy life free of disease—in a multidisciplinary manner with a focus on medical imaging and engineering.

The innovation station and poster session provided hands-on demonstrations of current research.

More than 325 people, including researchers, physicians, industry leaders, medical students, and high school students, attended the event at the New York Academy of Medicine. The event was held Wednesday and Thursday, March 20-21.

The symposium began with welcome remarks from BMEII’s Director Zahi A. Fayad, PhD, who emphasized the need to back up recent developments in screening, longevity, and pharmaceuticals with evidence and data. He shared this vision during the event, ensuring attendees walked away with a better and more holistic understanding of the current and future state of precision medicine.

A major highlight of the symposium was the panel discussion about the future of digital medicine. With five industry and academic leaders, this discussion addressed many of the challenges health care is facing as consumer health technologies grow rapidly and move into clinical areas. These challenges center on user compliance and data privacy.

“I think the biggest problem is also trying to get the stakeholders around the same table and developing some consensus as to how they can share, if not the proprietary information, but how can they kind of use all of that [data] towards the good of humankind,” said Jagmeet P. Singh, MD, ScM, DPhil, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He works closely with patients within the cardiology department who have received implantable cardiac devices and has first-hand experience with the long-term challenges that come with working with multiple manufacturers.

“So, now you have third-party vendors—in fact, over the course of the last year, there are almost 120 different remote monitoring companies that have come up—that are trying to standardize the data from these implantable devices that can be used uniformly by all health care givers,” he added.

Brendan Carr, MD, MA, MS

The symposium also included sessions for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students to build their interest in scientific research. A professional development panel, hosted by PhD candidates at Icahn Mount Sinai, allowed leaders in the field to share their personal experiences, challenges, and successes with the students. The innovation station and poster session provided hands-on demonstrations of current research in the medical imaging space by BMEII members and scientists from other institutes.

Health care is bound to change in dramatic ways in the future, and the symposium addressed the research and innovation that is shaping these changes.

Brendan Carr, MD, MA, MS, Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System, summarized the importance of the research BMEII is doing: “The clinical delivery system doesn’t exist without the pioneering research portfolio, and the pioneering research portfolio exists because it’s so unbelievably compelling to save lives and improve people’s health outcomes. That synergy is special—it’s a big piece of what this conference is about.”

Learn more about the Symposium
Learn more about Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute

PhD Candidate Bryce Rowan Shares How the Resources at Mount Sinai Are Instrumental in Helping Him Reach His Goals

Apr 22, 2024 | Featured

Bryce Rowan

Bryce Rowan is a third-year doctoral candidate in the Genetics and Genomics multidisciplinary training area (MTA) of the PhD in Biomedical Sciences program. In this Q & A, he discusses why he chose to study at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

What attracted you to this area of study?

I am interested in translational work and being able to apply my findings to human studies in attempts to aid in improving the equitable study and treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases.

Why continue your education with a PhD in Biomedical Sciences?

I need a PhD to understand research strategies and manage multiple projects. This will enable me to become a Principal Investigator one day.

 Why did you choose to study at Icahn Mount Sinai?

The resources at Icahn Mount Sinai drew me to the program. We have functional genomics datasets and biobank datasets with plenty of computational storage and computing power to properly analyze these datasets.

What activities outside the classroom have contributed to your success?

Finding community, specifically friends outside of the graduate program, helps provide balance and is necessary for work-life balance. Volunteering my time by mentoring and working to produce an environment that better accounts for mental health and wellness through the Trainee Health and Wellness program also provides me with a way to give back to the graduate school community. Having a life outside of work is imperative, and giving back is crucial to success.

What are your plans after you complete your PhD?

I’m seeking a job as a postdoctoral fellow where I can gain independent funding, while also having more independent projects. My training in the PhD program makes this a good next step for my career.

Learn more about the PhD in Biomedical Sciences program at Icahn Mount Sinai

Annual Gala Celebrates Advances in Prostate Cancer Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai

Updated on Apr 22, 2024 | Featured, Research

Frorm left: James Tisch, Co-Chairman of the Boards of Trustees of the Mount Sinai Health System, Dennis Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh.

The Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai hosted its annual Prostate Cancer Research Gala and exceeded its goal of raising more than $1 million for the Center of Excellence for Prostate Cancer within the Department of Urology. Its mission is to eliminate prostate cancer through programs that support innovative research, patient care, prevention, and education for students, trainees, professionals, and the public.

“We are fortunate that at Mount Sinai the best minds across specialties like immunology, pathology, medical oncology, radiology, and others collaborate with the common goal of making prostate cancer insignificant while improving the quality of life for our patients,” said Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, Chair of the Department of Urology at the Mount Sinai Health System and the Kyung Hyun Kim, MD Professor of Urology at Icahn Mount Sinai, who spearheaded the gala and directs the Center of Excellence.

Goutam Chakraborty, PhD, left, and Dr. Charney

More than 200 people attended the event, which was held Wednesday, April 10, at the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center. Actor and singer Peter Gallagher served as the emcee for the evening.

At the event, the second annual Steven Southwick, MD Memorial Award was presented to Goutam Chakraborty, PhD, Assistant Professor, Urology, and Oncological Sciences and a member of The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai. Named after renowned researcher and scientist Steven M. Southwick—a leading expert in psychological trauma and human resilience, who passed away in 2022 after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer—this award recognizes outstanding achievements in prostate cancer research.

Dr. Chakraborty was honored for his focus on lethal metastatic prostate cancer, which has no available treatments. He and his team made the groundbreaking discovery that the BRCA2 gene—most commonly known for its link to breast cancer—also has a connection to prostate cancer. Dr. Chakraborty is now looking at how mutations of genes like BRCA2 change cells from benign to metastatic disease, potentially leading to important new therapies.

“Research is like climbing a mountain, like climbing Everest, but we have not reached the top of Everest yet,” said Dr. Chakraborty in a video shown at the event. “Every day is a different challenge.”

Dr. Tewari, left, and John A. Levin

The gala also honored John A. Levin, who was recognized for his extraordinary commitment to the Prostate Cancer Program and longtime leadership on the Mount Sinai Board of Trustees. Dr. Tewari praised Mr. Levin’s unwavering support of the Mount Sinai Health System’s efforts to redefine cancer care, including his involvement with the International Prostate Cancer and Urology Symposium held at Mount Sinai, which draws the world’s top experts together to explore the latest advancements and challenges in urological cancer.

“His philanthropy has made an immense impact, not just on our prostate cancer program, but on a global understanding of prostate cancer, and to Mount Sinai itself, guiding and supporting research in different subspecialties,” said Dr. Tewari in a video.

In accepting the award, Mr. Levin noted that he’s proud to be part of Mount Sinai’s extraordinary service to New York City and beyond.

“We treat an enormous number of people. It is also an education arm and a research institution which creates new drugs, creates new devices,” he said in a video. “It’s really being part of a community and I want to help that community in whatever limited capacity I can.”

Learn more about the Prostate Cancer Research Gala

Pin It on Pinterest