On Thursday, May 9, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai celebrated its 50th Commencement with a ceremony at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall. The School granted 157 degrees. Additionally, honorary degrees were granted to Commencement speakers, Scott Gottlieb, MD, and Curtis Martin. Dr. Gottlieb is the former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Mr. Martin, a National Football League Hall of Famer, has supported Mount Sinai’s efforts to develop a safe, non-addictive, non-opioid pain medication.

Joanna C. Jen, MD, PhD, and Bernard Cohen, MD

Joanna C. Jen, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist with a special interest in the genetic and physiological basis of neurological disorders affecting eye movement control, balance, and coordination, recently joined the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai as Chief of the Division of Neuro-otology and Neurogenetics in the Department of Neurology.

She was named the Dr. Morris B. Bender Professor of Neurology, and Professor of Neurosurgery, and Otolaryngology, and will build upon the groundbreaking work of her predecessors—the late Morris B. Bender, MD, a pioneer in the neurology of the ocular motor system and a former Chair of Neurology at Mount Sinai, and Bernard Cohen, MD. An internationally renowned scientist and clinician, Dr.  Cohen considerably advanced understanding of the functions of the vestibular system, helping to discover a mechanism in the brainstem that is an essential part of the neural basis for balance that aligns the body with gravity.

In one research project that began in the 1980s—which was recently documented in the Smithsonian Institution Online Virtual Archives Dr. Cohen was asked by NASA to test the neuro-optical response of primates when orbiting the Earth in microgravity. The Cosmos Primate Rotator Chair, which was built to specifications provided by Dr. Cohen and a Russian Academy of Medicine scientist, allowed the researchers to study eye movement responses in monkeys in an upright position and at various angles of tilt, before and after spaceflight. They demonstrated for the first time that exposure to microgravity had dramatically altered an essential reflex that is part of normal eye movements, both in humans and monkeys.

Dr. Cohen with the Cosmos Primate Rotator Chair.

The laboratory established by Dr. Cohen also developed the first effective treatment for mal de débarquement syndrome (MdDS), which has since treated more than 400 patients who have sensations of continuous rocking, swaying, and bobbing after cruises on the sea. Dr. Cohen, who served as the inaugural Dr. Morris B. Bender Professor of Neurology and continues his research as Professor Emeritus, recently provided generous funding for the first fellow in neuro-otology and for research on the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying MdDS.

In her new role, Dr. Jen aims to create a comprehensive multidisciplinary clinical care and research program that spans the population health approach, from front-line evaluation and management of dizziness and imbalance, to precision medicine-based diagnosis and treatment for rare disorders of cerebellar maldevelopment and degeneration.

From left: Iris Okang, Liane Xie, and Rena Pomrantz were among the first cohort to graduate from the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

The Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel welcomed the next generation of nurses to the profession in a joyous Commencement in August. The ceremony also marked another milestone—the first 27 students graduated from the school’s new Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program (ABSN). In addition, Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees were conferred on nine registered nurses.

“The accelerated entrance option responds to current health care needs and employment demands and enjoys great popularity among applicants,” said Todd F. Ambrosia, DNP, MSN, FNAP, Dean of the Phillips School of Nursing. “Interest in our ABSN program has greatly exceeded our expectations.”

Lynne D. Richardson, MD, Professor of Emergency Medicine, and Population Health Science and Policy, and Vice Chair for Academic, Research and Community Programs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, gave an inspiring keynote address. “I’ve been in health care for almost 40 years, and I have never regretted my decision to make taking care of patients an everyday part of my life,” Dr. Richardson said. “There is nothing you can choose to do that could bring you more satisfaction.”

It has been a year of achievement for the Phillips School of Nursing. In April, its Associate of Applied Science in Nursing Program was recertified by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing through 2025, the maximum seven-year period. And in July, the school received its second consecutive four year designation as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education™ by the National League of Nursing in the category of “Enhancing Student Learning and Professional Development.”