Research | Mount Sinai Today

Mount Sinai Researchers Present New Data at Cardiothoracic Association Meeting

May 21, 2018 | Featured, Research

Joanna Chikwe, MD

At the first plenary session of the 98th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery in San Diego, Mount Sinai’s Joanna Chikwe, MD, Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and David H. Adams, MD, presented a research study examining outcomes of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery in the state of New Jersey, comparing results in patients treated on an arrested heart while on a heart-lung machine (on-pump) versus those approached on the beating heart (off-pump).

Dr. Chikwe, who is also the Cheng Endowed Professor and Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Director of the Cardiovascular Institute at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, provided data aimed at resolving a four-decade-old debate regarding the optimal approach to perform CABG surgery.

The researchers compared outcomes 10 years after on-pump and off-pump surgery performed by high-volume surgeons in more than 20,000 patients.

“Our preliminary results found that outcomes with on-pump surgery were superior, with lower mortality, lower under-revascularization, and lower need for repeat revascularization after on-pump bypass surgery,” says Dr. Chikwe. Their paper has been provisionally accepted for publication in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

In March, Dr. Adams and Dr. Chikwe wrote an editorial in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology about the same topic, saying, “It is time for the debate to move on.”

Palliative Care Cuts Hospital Costs, Large Study Finds

May 8, 2018 | Featured, Research

R. Sean Morrison, MD

Palliative care, which focuses on improving quality of life and reducing suffering for people with serious illness and their families, is associated with shorter hospital stays and lower costs, according to a study published in April 2018 in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine. The study—the largest of its kind—was conducted by the National Palliative Care Research Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Trinity College Dublin.

The investigation pooled data from six prior studies involving more than 130,000 adults admitted to hospitals in the United States between 2001 and 2015; of these patients, 3.6 percent received a palliative care consultation in addition to their other hospital care. It found that when palliative care was added to patients’ routine care, hospitals saved an average of $4,251 per stay for cancer patients and $2,105 for those with non-cancer diagnoses. The savings were greatest for patients with the highest number of co-existing illnesses.

Unlike hospice care, palliative care can be provided early in the course of illness, along with life-prolonging therapies. Palliative care has seen a steady rise during the past 30 years, but research suggests that there is much room for growth, says study coauthor R. Sean Morrison, MD, the Ellen and Howard C. Katz Chair of the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine.

“The potential to reduce the suffering of millions of Americans is enormous,” Dr. Morrison says. “This study proves that better care can go hand in hand with a better bottom line.”

Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center Hosts Conference on Violence Against Children

May 8, 2018 | Featured, Patient Stories, Research

“When a young person is traumatized, it sets the stage for a life that is more difficult.” Dennis S. Charney, MD

“Is anything more important than ending violence against children and adolescents?”

That rhetorical question was posed 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, in his opening remarks at a recent conference sponsored by the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center and the World Childhood Foundation USA. “When a young person is traumatized,” said Dr. Charney, a renowned expert in the neurobiology and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, “it sets the stage for a life that is more difficult.”

The conference, “Ending Violence Against Children: Developing a Roadmap to a Healthy Childhood and Adolescence,” was held Thursday, March 22, and Friday, March 23, in Stern Auditorium, and kicked off the 50th anniversary of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, a unique New York City-based program that delivers comprehensive medical and mental health services and prevention education to people ages 10 to 22.

More than 70 percent of the young people who come to the Adolescent Health Center have a history of trauma, according to conference co-director Angela Diaz, MD, PhD, MPH, Director of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center and the Jean C. and James W. Crystal Professor of Pediatrics, and Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

“Young people are our present and our future,” said Dr. Diaz. “Together, we can create a model for ending violence against children.”

Sixty experts served on panel discussions that included research into the long-term consequences of early childhood abuse and neglect, the economic impact of violence in childhood, and ways to safeguard the mental health of children and adolescents. Panel participants covered topics such as abuse prevention, support for survivors, the role of the justice system, and ways to find innovative solutions.

David Finkelhor, PhD

Rachel Lloyd, Founder and President of Girls Educational and Mentoring Service (GEMS), participated in a panel discussion on helping victims of sexual trafficking. “Poverty is the baseline for almost every child who ends up being sexually trafficked,” she said. “Sexual trafficking is a matter of demand and supply, but it’s driven by sexual abuse at home, poverty, domestic violence, and running away from Child Protective Services.”

The audience was comprised of hundreds of clinicians, researchers, policymakers, philanthropists, and youth advocates, who came together to identify solutions to defend children’s rights and promote better living conditions for children. Joanna Rubinstein, DDS, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer, World Childhood Foundation USA, also served as co-director of the conference.

David Finkelhor, PhD, Director, Crimes against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, delivered the conference’s keynote address, and proposed the creation of a common field of study to examine the full scope of violence against children, including bullying and peer victimization, as well as abuse by adults and how the risk of violence changes over the course of development.

“Children suffer five times more violence than adults,” he said. “Why are they so vulnerable? They are small, dependent, inexperienced. Kids don’t choose their families, schools, or neighborhoods.”

Dr. Diaz and Dr. Rubinstein concluded the conference with a call to action that would include addressing barriers to identifying victims and integrating a “trauma-informed” approach into programs that interact with children and youth. “This is the beginning of a movement,” Dr. Diaz said.

Angela Diaz, MD, PhD, MPH

Introducing Mount Sinai Future You, a New Television Series

May 2, 2018 | Featured, Future You, Patient Stories, Research

A new television series called Mount Sinai Future You, which highlights innovation at Mount Sinai, is being broadcast on CUNY TV, the non-commercial educational-access cable channel run by The City University of New York.

Mount Sinai Future You takes viewers behind the scenes as doctors at Mount Sinai Health System leverage innovative science to change patients’ lives every day. The series highlights preventative care and treatment models that will lead to better health and longer lives.

New episodes of Mount Sinai Future You will run monthly, in the first week of each month, on Wednesdays at 9:30 pm, Thursdays at 6:30 am and 5 pm, and Saturdays at 11 am. They will cover newsworthy topics in medicine, as well as highlight new treatments, innovations, and preventive care for patients. The series is produced by Mount Sinai.

In its first 30-minute episode, Mount Sinai Future You highlights:

Dennis Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who discusses the anniversary of the Icahn School of Medicine, a leader in medical breakthroughs since 1968, and shares his own story of resilience after recovering from a traumatic event.
Breakthroughs in operating room technologies, such as augmented reality, simulation, and 3D printing, by surgeons and researchers in the Department of Neurosurgery.
The science of addiction, with Eric Nestler, MD, PhD, Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs and Director of The Friedman Brain Institute, who is researching addiction and depression, and Yasmin Hurd, PhD, Ward-Coleman Chair of Translational Neuroscience and Director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai, who is investigating how a component of the marijuana plant may aid in treatment of opioid addiction.
How vaccines developed in the lab of Joshua Brody, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology), are targeting cancer cells.
Douglas Dieterich, MD, Professor of Medicine (Liver Diseases), and a patient of his, who relate their shared journey with hepatitis C.

A Promising New Approach to Treat Stroke Patients

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Featured, Research

J Mocco, MD, MS

In recent years, there has been dramatic progress in the treatment of stroke—with significant contributions made by Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai researchers— especially in the development of endovascular therapy that quickly and safely removes the stroke-causing blood clots that form in an artery that supplies blood to the brain.

In January, at the International Stroke Conference 2018 in Los Angeles, Mount Sinai researchers unveiled preliminary clinical trial data that further advance the effectiveness of a new clot-aspiration treatment as a first-line approach for retrieving and removing these blood clots from arteries.

The findings, which were presented by J Mocco, MD, MS, Professor of Neurosurgery, and Vice Chair of Neurosurgery and Director of the Cerebrovascular Center at the Mount Sinai Health System, showed that using, as a first-line approach, a clot-aspiration system that acts like a “vacuum” to retrieve and remove the clot was not inferior to using a stent, the current standard of care. Over the years, research conducted by Dr. Mocco was instrumental in developing both approaches.

“Our data strongly demonstrate that the two approaches are clinically equivalent, meaning that patients do just as well when you start with aspiration, or clot suction, as when you start with a stent retriever to trap and pull out the clot,” says Dr. Mocco, who designed the still-to-be-published study in collaboration with two leading stroke experts from other institutions. “Ours is the first trial designed to compare patient functional outcomes between these treatment approaches.”

Both the aspiration and stent retriever techniques are initiated by inserting a guide catheter into the femoral artery in the groin and moving it up into the brain under image guidance. The aspiration approach involves passing a specialized aspiration catheter through the guide catheter, the first step in a system that allows the clot to be suctioned from the artery. The stent retriever approach involves introducing a stent retriever, which resembles a tiny wire cage, through the guide catheter and moving it to the clot, where it opens up and traps the clot. The stent that contains the clot is then removed through the guide catheter.

Specifically, the study enrolled 270 stroke patients at 15 centers into a prospective, multicenter, randomized trial to assess how functional they were after treatment using either a large-diameter aspiration catheter system, made by Penumbra, Inc., or a stent retriever, as a first approach. To compare clinical outcomes, researchers used the modified Rankin Scale for neurologic activity, (mRS), a standard measurement of the degree of disability or dependence in the daily activities of people who have had a stroke. The scale runs from 0 (no symptoms at all) to 6 (death).

The data showed that 52 percent of patients treated with Penumbra’s aspiration system achieved the primary endpoint of functional independence (mRS 0-2) at 90 days compared with 49 percent of patients treated with stent retrievers.

“This study is very exciting because it shows that there are other ways to open the arteries that are just as effective and perhaps may be even faster, safer, and less expensive,” says Dr. Mocco.

The clinical trial was funded by Penumbra, Inc., but was conducted independently by Dr. Mocco and his collaborators, who also handled all data analysis. Dr. Mocco does not have a financial interest with Penumbra. Dr. Mocco serves as a consultant and has equity in companies that develop and manufacture devices for the treatment of neurologic diseases and is a manager for Neurotechnology Investors.

The Jacobi Medallion: Honoring Excellence

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Featured, Research

Front, from left: Thomas P. Naidich, MD; Paul R.G. Cunningham, MD, MSH; Sandra K. Masur, PhD; Wayne A. Gordon, PhD; Yasmin L. Hurd, PhD; Blaine V. Fogg, Esq. Back, from left: Burton Cohen, MD; Dennis S. Charney, MD; Bruce D. Gelb, MD; Joseph R. Masci, MD; Mary Ann McLaughlin, MD, MPH, MSH; Srinivas Ravi V. Iyengar, PhD; and Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mount Sinai Health System.

The Jacobi Medallion—one of the Mount Sinai Health System’s highest honors for distinguished achievement in medicine or extraordinary service to the school, alumni, or The Mount Sinai Hospital—was bestowed upon nine individuals this year, at a special event at The Plaza. More than 300 Mount Sinai Health System alumni, donors, faculty, and staff attended the ceremony on Thursday, March 15, which helped kick off the 50th anniversary of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Burton Cohen, MD, President of The Mount Sinai Alumni Association and Associate Clinical Professor of Radiology, delivered opening remarks. The honorees had “taken different paths,” Dr. Cohen said, but as Mount Sinai alumni, faculty, or trustees, they had all, at one point, “called Mount Sinai home.”

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, welcomed the audience. “Fifty years ago,” he said, “the Mount Sinai School of Medicine opened its doors to its first students and began its journey to become the institution that we know today: one of the country’s premier centers of innovation in research, education, and clinical care. Those whom we honor tonight, and many others in this room, have played crucial roles over this half-century in building Mount Sinai’s tradition of invention and creativity.”

A new history wall that adorns the fifth floor of the Annenberg building celebrates innovation and excellence in education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Dr. Charney said that in addition to being ranked among the nation’s 20 leading medical schools, Mount Sinai was among the top 15 in National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 research institutions worldwide, as cited in a Nature supplement. In addition, he said, “No medical school is more committed to social justice and human rights; mentoring; and student, house staff, and faculty wellness and resilience.”

Sandra K. Masur, PhD, Chair of the Jacobi Medallion Award Selection Committee, and Professor of Ophthalmology, introduced the 2018 awardees, who, she said, “were chosen from a superb group of candidates by their peers, former Jacobi recipients.”

The honorees are:

Paul R.G. Cunningham, MD, FACS, MSH ’79

Immediate Past President, North Carolina Medical Society, Dean Emeritus, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University

Dr. Cunningham has held numerous appointments in surgery, medical education, and hospital administration throughout his career. Currently, he is the outgoing Dean and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. Prior to his appointments at East Carolina University, Dr. Cunningham served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the State University of New York, Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. He also served as President of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and as a Governor of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Cunningham is interested in the mentoring and career development of minority students in medicine.

Blaine V. Fogg, Esq.

Trustee, Mount Sinai Health System

Mr. Fogg joined the Mount Sinai Boards of Trustees in 1987. He chairs the Legal Committee and serves on the Executive; Compensation, Employee Benefits, and Employee Relations; Finance; and Technology Transfer committees. A corporate and securities lawyer, he has practiced at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP since 1966, and has represented clients in matters that include negotiated mergers, acquisitions, and leveraged buyouts; unsolicited tender offers; proxy contests; and corporate restructurings and reorganizations. Mr. Fogg champions numerous initiatives at Mount Sinai that support underserved populations, including the Mount Sinai Medical Legal Partnership.

Bruce D. Gelb, MD

Gogel Family Professor and Director of The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Professor of Pediatrics, and Genetics and Genomic Sciences

A member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Society for Clinical Investigation, Dr. Gelb is a physician-scientist committed to discovering improved methods for diagnosing and treating childhood diseases. He is the founder and Co-Director of the Cardiovascular Genetics Program, a multidisciplinary program that cares for patients and families with genetic-based cardiovascular disorders.

Dr. Gelb also is a site Principal Investigator for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium. In addition to establishing a Pediatric Undiagnosed Disease Program, he is a Multiple Principal Investigator for the National Human Genome Research Institute-funded Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research project.

Wayne A. Gordon, PhD, FACRM, ABPP

Jack Nash Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine

Since joining the faculty in 1986, Dr. Gordon has helped the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine become one of the specialty’s most successfully funded programs, placing it among the top 10 for research funding in the United States.

Dr. Gordon’s current research is focused on cognitive rehabilitation, screening for traumatic brain injury (TBI), developing and testing the utility of behavioral interventions to improve the function of individuals with TBI, and examining the relationship between pediatric TBI and criminality. He has received numerous awards, including the Gold Key Award from the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, and the William Fields Caveness Award from the Brain Injury Association of America.

Yasmin L. Hurd, PhD

Ward-Coleman Chair in Translational Research, Director, Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai, and Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Pharmacological Sciences

Dr. Hurd is an internationally recognized researcher in the field of addiction disorders who has distinguished herself as an innovative investigator, educator, and role model. Her lab has made major inroads in addiction research and has shown that marijuana use has different effects on developing brains and adult brains. In recognition of the impact of her research and commitment to informing public health and education, she was recently inducted into the National Academy of Medicine. A member of the Mount Sinai faculty since 2006, Dr. Hurd has served as Director of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s MD/PhD program, and sits on multiple Mount Sinai committees, including Women in Science and Medicine.

Srinivas Ravi V. Iyengar, PhD

Dorothy H. and Lewis Rosenstiel Professor of Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Director, Mount Sinai Institute for Systems Biomedicine, Professor of Pharmacological Sciences

An expert in systems biology and systems pharmacology, Dr. Iyengar studies signaling networks and regulatory pathways using systems biology approaches. His research is focused on understanding the design principles by which mammalian cells are constructed and drug action at a systems level. Dr. Iyengar has served as the lead Principal Investigator on a Transformative R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health Common Fund for which he and his colleagues have used computer modeling and nanotechnology and human kidney cells in ongoing research to rebuild a filtration device in vitro. A member of the faculty since 1986, Dr. Iyengar has served as Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics and Dean of Research.

Joseph R. Masci, MD

Chairman, Global Health Institute, Elmhurst Hospital Center, Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases), and Environmental Medicine and Public Health

During the Ebola epidemic in West Africa from 2014 to 2016, Dr. Masci served as the infectious diseases physician on the planning committee for Ebola of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (NYC H+H), the largest municipal hospital system in the United States. He served as Chairman of the Emergency Preparedness Council of NYC H+H and currently acts as infectious diseases consultant on Zika virus for NYC H+H. Dr. Masci has conducted two international projects directed at the care of HIV and other infectious diseases in Russia and Ethiopia. He has served as the medical director of AIDS services for the Queens Health Network and chaired the health workgroup of the New York City Health and Human Services HIV Planning Council.

Mary Ann McLaughlin, MD, MPH, MSH ’96

Medical Director, Cardiac Health Program, Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology), and Population Health Science and Policy

A physician-scientist, Dr. McLaughlin has focused on the development of clinical programs and clinical research to improve cardiovascular care in vulnerable populations. Dr. McLaughlin’s interest in gender differences and cardiovascular health led her to obtain research grant funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American College of Cardiology, and the American Heart Association. She has also received grant support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and partnered with colleagues at the World Trade Center-Clinical Centers for Excellence to design and implement research and clinical programs to evaluate cardiovascular risk in thousands of people who sustained extensive exposure to particulate matter.

Thomas P. Naidich, MD, FACR

Irving and Dorothy Regenstreif Research Professor of Neuroscience (Neuroimaging), Professor of Pediatrics, Neurosurgery, and Radiology

Dr. Naidich’s research interests have centered on the imaging display of neuroanatomy and gross pathology. Over the course of his career, Dr. Naidich has published extensively and has held numerous editorial positions with scientific journals. He was recognized by the American Society of Neuroradiology with the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Research in 2011, and the Gold Medal in 2014, and by the American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology with the Gold Medal in 2005. His additional awards include the Cornelius Dyke Award for outstanding research from the American Society of Neuroradiology.

« Older Entries

Next Entries »