“Mount Sinai has given me opportunities to grow professionally, serve people throughout New York City, and develop the skills I need to continue working toward my long-term goal of preventing diabetes, obesity, and other chronic diseases,” says Ayannah Riley, MPH.

Ayannah Riley, MPH, earned her Master of Public Health degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2026, with a concentration in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. With a background in nutrition, exercise science, fitness, and community health, Ms. Riley is passionate about using public health education and research to prevent chronic diseases and improve health outcomes in underserved communities.

Ms. Riley was inspired to study public health because she has lost family members to chronic diseases and related health complications, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and conditions related to obesity.

These experiences showed her how chronic diseases can lead to life-changing and sometimes life-ending outcomes for individuals and their families. She wants to make meaningful contributions to the lives of those in her family and in underserved communities. Ms. Riley believes that nutrition, physical activity, wellness education, and access to preventive resources can play an important role in reducing the risk of chronic disease. Her vision is to see people live healthy, fulfilling lives without disruptions caused by preventable chronic diseases and their related complications.

“Being in the Department of Public Health has taught me so much about research, community health, and disease prevention,” she says. “I have learned how to use data to understand health challenges and how to translate research into practical programs and resources that can support communities. Mount Sinai has given me opportunities to grow professionally, serve people throughout New York City, and develop the skills I need to continue working toward my long-term goal of preventing diabetes, obesity, and other chronic diseases.”

Ms. Riley first became familiar with the Icahn School of Medicine while working as a nutrition and physical education instructor with FAN4Kids in Upper Manhattan. At the time, she was creating a morning wellness curriculum that taught children how to promote health among their peers and within their communities through projects such as exploring school lunch choices and developing a wellness newspaper.

One evening after leaving work, she needed a quiet place that stayed open late to continue developing her lesson plans and came across the Levy Library. Curious about how she could gain access, Ms. Riley began researching the Icahn School of Medicine and discovered its Master of Public Health program.

As she learned more about the Master of Public Health program, Ms. Riley became interested in how the program combined research, disease prevention, health education, and community health. She recognized that earning an MPH could help her build upon her background in nutrition and exercise science while developing the skills needed to address chronic disease at the community and population levels. Inspired by the program’s potential, she applied and began the next stage of her public health journey at Mount Sinai.

During her time in the program, Ms. Riley found several of her courses to be useful in preparing her for a career in public health. Classes such as Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Research Methods, and Global Health contributed to her academic and professional growth. Epidemiology introduced Ms. Riley to a new area of study and quickly became a strong interest. Learning how to examine patterns of disease and identify factors that influence health reinforced that she had made the right choice to study public health.

Her interest led her to take additional courses, including Nutritional Epidemiology, which allowed her to connect her background in nutrition with population health research. Ms. Riley also enjoyed Research Methods because it strengthened her ability to ask meaningful research questions, analyze data, interpret findings, and develop new insights. She later applied these concepts, along with her data-analysis skills, across several research and independent study projects.

Mentorship also played an important role during Ms. Riley’s time as a student. Geoffrey “Cappy” Collins, MD, Assistant Professor, Population Health Science and Policy, and Graduate Education, served as her capstone project advisor and helped her strengthen her research, develop her capstone, and prepare her poster for Public Health Research Day in May 2026. His guidance and support contributed greatly to her growth as a public health professional.

Ms. Riley also received support and encouragement from Maya Korin, PhD, Assistant Professor of Environmental Medicine, and Public Health. Dr. Korin provided helpful feedback on her poster and later supported her independent study focused on caregiver nutrition education and childhood undernutrition in Uganda.

All MPH students at the Icahn School of Medicine engage in practical skill-building opportunities throughout their coursework. They further develop these skills through an Applied Practice Experience and a Culminating Experience, which may be a master’s thesis, manuscript, or capstone project.

Ms. Riley completed her Applied Practice Experience with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Healthy Eating Unit. During this experience, she supported community-based nutrition and health-promotion initiatives and saw how nutrition education could help individuals and families feel more confident in making healthy choices. Her experience also helped shape her interest in developing resources that community organizations can use when formal nutrition education programs and funding are limited.

Ms. Riley’s capstone project was titled “Development of a Culturally Tailored Nutrition Education Manual to Support Community-Based Organizations Following SNAP-Ed Elimination in New York City.”

For the project, she developed a practical manual with nutrition education lessons, culturally responsive resources, facilitator guidance, and tools that community-based organizations can use to assess and address the needs of the communities they serve. The manual covers topics such as food-label literacy, balanced meals, food safety, and navigating supermarkets and community food resources.

Ms. Riley hopes to further develop and pilot the manual with community organizations, schools, churches, and other programs serving families with limited access to nutrition education. She hopes to use the resource to help organizations continue providing practical and accessible nutrition education, even when funding and formal programs are limited.

Ms. Riley plans to measure the success of the pilot through pre- and post-program surveys that assess changes in participants’ nutrition knowledge, confidence in making healthy choices, and awareness of available community food resources. She also hopes to collect feedback from participants and facilitators to determine which parts of the manual are most useful and what should be improved before expanding the program to additional communities.

Ms. Riley’s Global Health independent study was a separate project. She was originally scheduled to travel to Uganda through the Global Health Summer Program, but the in-person experience was canceled because of an Ebola outbreak. She completed the work remotely by using data bases to analyze three years of malnutrition data from the Soft Power Health Community Clinic in Jinja, Uganda. She examined the data across years and quarters to better understand trends, patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and other factors related to malnutrition.

Her vision for the future is for people to be able to avoid preventable chronic diseases while having greater food security, confidence in making informed food choices, and continued access to reliable nutrition and wellness information.

In recognition of her commitment to serving communities and advancing public health, she received the 2026 Master’s Commencement Award for Community Service and Engagement in Public Health.

Ms. Riley plans to continue building a career in chronic-disease prevention, research, nutrition education, and community health. Ultimately, she hopes to develop and lead programs that help underserved communities reduce their risk of diabetes, obesity, and related chronic diseases while gaining the knowledge and resources needed to live healthier lives.

The White Coat Ceremony formally marks the start of students on their medical career path. On Friday, July 31, the class of 2030 of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai gathered at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan to receive their trainee coats.

The incoming class is joining a field that is undergoing transformation, Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told the students.

For many students, donning the white coat is a continuation of their undergraduate studies. But for some who decided to switch fields to medicine, that garment represents a big shift in their professional identities.

“As I settled into my job as an engineer, I looked back at my most meaningful memories during college and noticed they often involved patient interactions,” said Mihir Dixit, class of 2030, who had experience as an EMT in his undergraduate days and worked at an AI health care startup before entering the Icahn School of Medicine.

Lily Steckel, class of 2030, said, “While I started my professional career in management consulting, medicine has long been ingrained in my life—I grew up with doctors in my family. However, it wasn’t until the end of college when I began to see how my own path would lead me” toward medicine.

Click on each student’s name to read more about their career shifts to medicine, and what becoming a doctor means to them.

As part of their onboarding experience, Mount Sinai residents review, via simulation training, how to call a code, how to respond, different roles on the code team, how to manage the hospital patient during a code, and how to communicate efficiently during emergencies.

At 14 sites across the five boroughs of New York City, the Mount Sinai Health System welcomed 950 new residents in late June to its hospital campuses, in addition to Valley Hospital, Elmhurst Hospital, Queens Hospital Center, and the Bronx VA.

“Our incoming class of residents is an extraordinary and talented group of young doctors,” says Michael Leitman, MD, Dean for Graduate Medical Education (GME) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a practicing surgeon.

“We make a big deal out of welcoming them because it is one of the toughest transitions for a medical doctor in training, moving out of the classroom and into the real world. I remember it well because there are so many firsts, including the moment your first patient calls you ‘doctor.’ You realize how much responsibility is on your shoulders,” says Dr. Leitman.  First year residents, previously called “interns,” will practice medicine under the guidance of an attending physician for three to seven years, depending on their chosen specialty.

“We make a big deal out of welcoming them because it is one of the toughest transitions for a medical doctor in training, moving out of the classroom and into the real world.” — Michael Leitman, MD, Dean for Graduate Medical Education

The class of 2026 residents are a highly qualified cohort who became residents at Mount Sinai after one of the most competitive years for residency matches, according to Dr. Leitman. The National Resident Matching Program, which oversees the matching of young doctors into residency posts, reported that 53,373 applicants registered for the match this year—competing for 41,126 positions and reflecting a trend of strong growth.

Mount Sinai’s GME program is the largest in the United States, according to Dr. Leitman. Each year, thousands of residents and fellows rotate through its programs, many considered among the best in the country. With more than 250 programs, Mount Sinai provides top-tier educational opportunities in almost every specialty—yet that’s just one of many aspects that makes the Icahn School of Medicine exceptional.

Residents are drawn to Mount Sinai for the wide spectrum of accredited, high-profile GME programs, the opportunity to study in one of more than 350 labs, and to do research in an institution ranked No. 11 for National Institutes of Health funding. The 2026 Doximity Residency Navigator, considered the definitive reference for top residency programs, based on peer nominations, ranks Mount Sinai’s many residency programs at the top.

“I think we’ve created an atmosphere of growth and trust. The residents have each other’s backs, and their faculty mentors really encourage an atmosphere of teamwork, where we all work for each other,” says Michael Leitman, MD.

For Dr. Leitman, much has changed since he began his journey as a medical doctor, including the specialties that future doctors choose.

“When I chose surgery, it was considered an outlier. My colleagues asked, ‘Why surgery, you won’t have enough patients to operate on; medical discoveries are eliminating the need for surgery.’ That couldn’t be farther from the truth,” says Dr. Leitman, who has held several leadership roles in Mount Sinai’s Department of Surgery.

“Radiology was not a draw back then. We all thought of radiology as being isolating, sitting in a dark room and writing reports. It’s now very popular, in large part due to advances in technology, including the introduction of AI,” says Dr. Leitman.

In fact, in addition to Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Radiology has become one of the most competitive specialties. Mount Sinai offers several top-ranked Radiology specialties, including Interventional Radiology–Integrated, Radiology Nuclear Medicine, and Radiology Diagnostic, all of them top ranked programs.

The culture at Mount Sinai has also changed, and there is now more of an emphasis on physician well-being.

“Since I was a young resident in the 1980s, the opportunities have grown in leaps and bounds. And at Mount Sinai, where we have a robust residency program, the sheer volume of talented residents and fellows means we don’t need to force them to do grueling 24-hour shifts. That was something I grew up with, and I’m glad we were able to move away from that model,” says Dr. Leitman.

“I think we’ve created an atmosphere of growth and trust. The residents have each other’s backs, and their faculty mentors really encourage an atmosphere of teamwork, where we all work for each other,” says Dr. Leitman.

Residents are drawn to Mount Sinai for the wide spectrum of accredited, high-profile GME programs, the opportunity to study in one of more than 350 labs, and to do research in an institution ranked No. 11 for National Institutes of Health funding.

The institution keeps a watchful eye on its residents and faculty and monitors physician wellness through regular surveys, taking corrective steps when the surveys suggest problems, says Dr. Leitman. In fact, Mount Sinai was among the first in the county to publish on post-traumatic stress disorder among graduate medical education trainees. As a result, the program has earned a national reputation for its innovative resources geared toward well-being.

“Physician burnout is a real thing, and we are laser focused on knowing how everyone is doing—from our newest residents to our senior faculty—so we can make changes that will optimize their work life,” says Dr. Leitman. He has found a critical partner in the institution’s Well-Being and Work Experience Core, which runs a robust program geared toward enhancing workplace culture through leadership trainings, coaching efforts, communications tools, and role modeling.

“We will never eliminate all of the challenges of health care, but we can take steps to minimize daily stressors and enhance the lives of our residents so they can focus on their true calling of doctoring,” said Dr. Leitman.

Six master’s program graduates from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences discuss how they are using their degrees to explore new paths in science, health care, and medicine.

How Zirui (Frank) Feng Found a Way To Connect His Computational Background With Real Biomedical Discovery Through a Master of Science in Biomedical Data Science and AI Degree

“The master’s program at Mount Sinai helped me move from data science into biomedical discovery, and the next step for me is to become an independent scientist who can build technologies that turn molecular insight into medicines.”

 Read the Q&A

With a Master of Science in Clinical Research, Taylor Ward Aims to Advance Cardiovascular Health Through Research, Education, and Community Partnership

“What drew me to Mount Sinai was its commitment to health equity and translational research. The program allowed me to work alongside clinicians, researchers, and community partners while developing the skills needed to design meaningful clinical research.”

Read the Q&A

Sameer Ahmed, Long Curious About Air Quality and Respiratory Health, Gets a Master of Public Health Degree—and a New York City Job in Asthma Prevention

“My interest in public health and asthma work is deeply personal. I was born in and spent the first 18 years of my life in Pakistan, where air pollution and poor air quality are major public health concerns.”

Read the Q&A

Intrigued by Neurobiology and Molecular Biology, Nitika Kamath Receives a Master of Science in Biomedical Science Degree as she Pursues a Career in Translational Research

“Mount Sinai provided the ideal ecosystem for me to elevate my technical expertise and grow as a researcher, largely due to the exceptional culture of mentorship and collaboration.”

 Read the Q&A

Rohitha Ravisekar, MBBS, MHA, Gets a Master of Science in Epidemiology Degree To Learn More About the Environmental, Social, and Systemic Forces that Can Shape Individual Health Outcomes

“I want to build a career at the intersection of epidemiology, environmental health, and health care improvement, with a particular focus on translating research findings into meaningful changes in clinical care.”

Read the Q&A

How a Master of Health Administration Degree Is Giving Maggie So, Fresh Perspectives on Health Care—Knowledge She Now Uses as a Hospital Office Manager

“I have always wanted to help people and felt at home whenever I was in a hospital setting. I want to advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. I believe in always treating people the way I would like me, my daughter, and my family to be treated, no matter one’s race, ethnicity, or gender.”

Read the Q&A

The Master’s Commencement ceremony at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SInai Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences celebrated the outstanding accomplishments of the close to 200 students of the 2026 class who excelled across a wide range of scholarly efforts.

A total of 182 graduates earned degrees across eight programs: Master of Science in Biomedical Science, Master of Public Health, Master of Heath Administration, Master of Science in Clinical Research, Master of Science in Epidemiology, Master of Science in Biomedical Data Science and AI, Master of Science in Biostatistics, and Master of Science in Genetic Counseling.

From Left: Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD; student speaker Nitika Kamath, MSBS; and Marta Filizola, PhD

Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Mount Sinai Health System, greeted the students, faculty, friends, and families in attendance, and congratulated the graduates on their achievements.

“Technology can accelerate discovery, but it cannot replace human judgment, imagination, or empathy,” he said. “Progress depends on smart, committed, knowledgeable people generating novel solutions. With your education and training at Mount Sinai, with your skills, passion, and drive, you are exceptionally prepared to meet the challenge…Rely not only on your technical education, but also on the growth, resilience, adaptability, and perseverance that brought you to this point. The path to greatness rarely begins with certainty. It begins with curiosity, eagerness, and a deep desire to contribute toward the greater good.”

Marta Filizola, PhD, Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Sharon & Frederick A. Klingenstein/Nathan G. Kase, MD Professor of Pharmacological Sciences, recounted the many specific achievements of this class and said:  “The graduates of 2026 are ready to make their impact on science and medicine, to drive innovative research, realize the potential of AI in medicine, advance the delivery of health care, effectively advocate for patients, eliminate health disparities, and make hospitals and health systems more efficient and cost-effective. We are very proud of all you have achieved at Mount Sinai, and we look forward to seeing the mark you will make on our world.”

Claire Pomeroy, MD, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation, was presented with an honorary doctor of science degree for her vision and action in making a positive, meaningful, and lasting impact on health by accelerating support for medical research.

Dr. Pomeroy talked about a challenging childhood being raised in a home “full of abuse and fear,” and an uncertain life. Still, she said: “I was lucky. I had foster parents who took care of me and teachers who believed in me. But I saw a lot of other foster kids who were not so lucky; kids who society was willing to ‘throw away’; kids who saw no future and therefore gave up hope.

Claire Pomeroy, MD, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation

“This formed my core values of caring for the vulnerable and fighting for social justice—and those core values have been my moral compass and have guided all that I have done since.”

She told the graduates: “Embrace your core values and understand what gives meaning to your life, so that you can define the best way for you to give meaning to other people’s lives.”

Student speaker Nitika Kamath, MSBS, asked her classmates to reflect on their shared experiences. “Every failed experiment. Every technical setback. Every difficult exam. Every critique we received. Every single moment has forged us into individuals stronger than who we were. They refined our thinking, strengthened our resolve, and prepared us for uncertainties we have yet to encounter.”

She added: “Thank you for supporting one another. Thank you for believing in one another. Lastly, thank you for helping shape one another into the people we are today.”