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Commencement for Phillips School of Nursing

Mar 19, 2018 | Community, School

Azaria Belfon, RN, left, and Alexandra Jean-Toussaint, RN, celebrated at the Phillips School of Nursing Commencement.

Before hundreds of family members and friends, the Phillips School of Nursing (PSON) at Mount Sinai Beth Israel graduated 41 new nurses who received an Associate’s Degree in nursing and conferred a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree to 11 registered nurses. The Commencement was the first to include graduates of PSON’s 15-month accelerated associate’s degree program. It was held on Sunday, January 14, at Stern Auditorium at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Janet A. Green and Ruth Nerken, Co-Chairs of the Board of PSON, presided over the ceremony. Graduates received their diplomas from Ms. Green and her brother Douglas Green, grandchildren of Seymour J. Phillips, who was a Beth Israel Trustee from 1939 until his death in 1987. Their mother, Carol Green, a PSON Trustee, spoke fondly of her father’s love for the nursing school, giving graduates a glimpse of why it is named in his honor. The graduates, faculty, and staff were also welcomed by Todd F. Ambrosia, DNP, MSN, FNAP, Dean of the Phillips School of Nursing; and Jeremy Boal, MD, President of Mount Sinai Downtown, and Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System.

Twelve students were inducted into the Honor Society, which was founded in 2012. Those students successfully achieved a grade point average of 3.7 or higher. Valedictorians were Nhung Khuu, RN, BSN, for the bachelor’s degree program, and Christina Kim, RN, for the associate’s degree program. The Commencement address was given by Vivian Lien, RN, BSN, PSON Class of 2015. Ms. Lien recalled her first patient encounter as a nursing student, when she helped a frail woman shower and brush her teeth. Ms. Lien recounted the patient’s thank you, calling it a lasting lesson on how to be a good nurse: “You are helping me and caring for me from your heart—and that’s all that matters. Remember that.”

A Vision of the Future with Dennis S. Charney, MD, Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Mar 15, 2018 | Featured, School

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. From a start-up with a first-year class of 36 students, the School is now a 1,200-student research, education, and innovation powerhouse that is ranked 13th among medical schools in the United States for National Institutes of Health funding and second among U.S. medical schools in funding per principal investigator by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

To commemorate this achievement, 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, was interviewed about the School’s commitment to innovation and discovery. Groundbreaking science and a firm commitment to patient care have been the School’s primary objectives for the past 50 years. Dr. Charney aims to continue this perspective into the future.

Says Dr. Charney, “It is our responsibility—the current leadership, faculty, and students—to build on that foundation so that in the next 50 years we accomplish what they did and change the lives of our patients.”

Click here to watch Dr. Charney’s full video

Students Stay Strong Through Powerlifting

Mar 6, 2018 | Community, School

From left: Lucy O’Shaughnessy, Chuma Nwachukwu, and Sayeeda Chowdhury

Three second-year medical students, Sayeeda Chowdhury, Lucy O’Shaughnessy, and Chuma Nwachukwu, have brought the sport of powerlifting to their classmates at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Since establishing Sinai Strong, a student powerlifting club—whose advisor is 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—they have taught more than 50 of their colleagues the art of the sport.

Powerlifting, which differs from conventional weightlifting, involves three tests of strength: the squat, bench press, and deadlift, a movement in which a weighted barbell is lifted from the floor to the level of the hips. In January, Ms. Chowdhury, Ms. O’Shaughnessy, and Mr. Nwachukwu participated in the Northeast Iron Beast Winter Classic V in upstate New York, a powerlifting competition in which each competitor has three attempts at each of the three lifts to move the most weight possible. Their best lifts were a 265-pound squat, a 308-pound deadlift, and a 600-pound deadlift, respectively.

The three students competed against many other lifters of the same gender, age division, and weight class but not against each other. Ms. Chowdhury won a gold medal in the juniors age division, and Ms. O’Shaughnessy won a bronze medal in the open age division.

Recognition for Excellence in Neuroscience Research

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community, School

Lakshmi A. Devi, PhD, left, Dean for Academic Development and Enrichment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, began the year as a designated 2018 WCBR (Winter Conference on Brain Research) Pioneer for her neuroscience research on opioid and cannabinoid signaling in analgesia and addiction.

Along with her team, Dr. Devi, Professor of Pharmacology, Neuroscience, and Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine, has demonstrated that G protein-coupled receptors can function as heterodimers, with unique pharmacology and selective upregulation associated with various disease states. Dr. Devi also serves as an engaged mentor in the field of neuroscience.

The WCBR provides an annual forum for the sharing and dissemination of the latest advances in neuroscience and supports continuing education, mentorship, diversity, outreach, and financial support for junior investigators. Dr. Devi serves on the WCBR Board of Directors.

Hosting a Fellow From Puerto Rico

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Featured, School

Brenda Castillo, MD

As the University of Puerto Rico Sports Medicine Fellowship program in San Juan struggled to maintain regular clinic hours after Hurricane Maria, Mount Sinai’s Department of Rehabilitation Medicine offered to host the University’s current fellow, Brenda Castillo, MD, for an elective rotation. “Dr. Castillo’s training program is my alma mater,” says Gerardo Miranda-Comas, MD, Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and Associate Program Director of the Department’s Sports Medicine Fellowship. “When I realized that her fellowship was directly affected by the devastation, we invited her to spend some time with us.”

With the support of Joseph E. Herrera, DO, Chair and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine for the Mount Sinai Health System, fellowship coordinator Ana Peña, and the Graduate Medical Education office, Dr. Castillo worked a month at Mount Sinai’s sports medicine clinics evaluating patients and performing ultrasound-guided injections and spinal procedures—as well as helping to provide medical coverage at several local high school football games.

“Dr. Miranda-Comas and his entire staff allowed me to continue my training as a sports medicine fellow, and for that I am truly grateful,” says Dr. Castillo, who completed her rotation Friday, December 1, and has returned to Puerto Rico. “It was definitely an excellent hands-on learning experience for me.”

Medical Student Places Among the Top 100 In the New York City Marathon

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community, School

Joseph Schnitter

Second-year medical student Joseph Schnitter says the support he received from his family and friends at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai helped him place among the top 100 male runners in the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 5. He completed the 26.2-mile marathon in 2 hours, 33 minutes, and 5 seconds, his best-ever showing.

“The crowd along the course was unbelievable,” he says. “Seeing my supportive family—who made the trip from Buffalo to watch—along with so many folks from Mount Sinai, was a huge boost and a major reason why I was able to run the time I did.” In each of his two prior races—in Buffalo and Boston—Mr. Schnitter’s time was approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes. The 2017 New York City Marathon winners, Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya and American Shalane Flanagan, finished the race in 2:10:53, and 2:26:53, respectively.