Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Inside, School

Jillian Shapiro
Jillian Shapiro, 25, a third-year graduate student at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, recently was named to the Forbes second annual “30 Under 30” list of young people who have made significant contributions to their respective fields.
Ms. Shapiro’s discovery of a microRNA pathway that could someday advance treatments for multiple diseases led to her recognition by Forbes, in the January 21, 2013 issue. But, she says, her most important lesson as a researcher was learning that, “You can never just rule something out. You have to take a leap of faith and investigate first.”
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Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | School
In the increasingly complex world of medicine where clinical knowledge is estimated to double every 18 months, four Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai students recognized that their education was missing an important component. Salina Bakshi, Marie Hennelly, Andrea Jakubowski and Aisha James took a critical look at the medical school curriculum and realized that while anatomy trains future surgeons and child development trains future pediatricians, there was no designated course discussing important issues in social justice. Thus, in 2011, the midst of their busy first year schedule, they started the Human Rights and Social Justice Scholars Program (HRSJ), a comprehensive one-year track giving students the tools, resources and mentorship to pursue the diverse aspects of health equity and social justice.

Salina Bakshi, Marie Hennelly, Andrea Jakubowski, Aisha James and the first eleven HRSJ scholar
I met Salina, Marie, Andrea and Aisha in the student lounge during the week before they would begin their third year clerkships. Given their tremendous accomplishment, I was expecting a rambunctious group, eagerly speaking and interrupting each other. Instead, I was met by a group which exuded quiet confidence and intelligence. They spoke thoughtfully and precisely – each contributing their unique expertise and experiences.
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Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | School
Dr. Katherine Chen is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Education for the Obstetrics/Gynecology Department at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai . She also directs the third year medical student six-week Obstetrics/Gynecology clerkship. Recognized for her excellence in teaching through various awards at Harvard Medical School and Columbia University, her most recent honor in 2012 is the Mount Sinai Institute of Medical Education Excellence in Teaching award. She was also a faculty member AOA inductee in 2010.
The Rossi editor-in-chief had a chance to sit down with Dr. Chen and discuss her philosophies on teaching, as well as her life as a physician, mother and book enthusiast.
Q: What attracted you to Mount Sinai?
I came here specifically for an administrative position in education. Prior to that, I was at Columbia University on an NIH grant, primarily doing research – 75% research, 25% clinical. Then I had a midlife crisis and decided I wanted to focus more on education. I’m very grateful to my chair Dr. Brodman for offering me the position and for supporting me in my endeavors.
Q: What was this midlife crisis?
I always knew I had a knack for teaching, even while I was a resident. But at that time, I had gotten advice that to advance in the academic world, you needed to be a clinical expert with productive research activities. So I went down that path first. I spent several years focusing on Obstetric Infectious Diseases, gathering clinical research skills, and performing studies. When I turned 40, I realized that the projects I enjoyed most were the ones I did with students and residents. I couldn’t get away from teaching.
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Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | School
In medicine, as with other fields, developing effective leaders and educators is essential to our profession. Teaching is a vital role of all physicians, and good teaching directly improves patient care. Similar to other aspects of medical practice, becoming an effective teacher requires training and experience. An increasing number of medical students, residents, and practicing physicians are seeking advanced training in education to provide them with a conceptual and scholarly foundation for their educational responsibilities, and to enhance their leadership potential and increase their effectiveness in their profession.
Mount Sinai’s Institute for Medical Education (IME) serves the vital need for creating, educating, mentoring and retaining the best educators for our students, residents and faculty. Fostering the success of our educators includes recognizing and rewarding those who display dedication and excellence in their work, and providing programs that develop and reinforce their scholarship, teaching skills and successful promotion.
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Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Inside, School
Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Mount Sinai Medical Center, and Peter W. May, Chairman of the Boards of Trustees, The Mount Sinai Medical Center, have announced that in early 2013, Mount Sinai School of Medicine will be renamed in honor of Trustee Carl C. Icahn, who has generously supported this institution for more than three decades.
The new name—the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai—was bestowed by the Boards of Trustees in recognition of Mr. Icahn’s many years of dedicated service, his leadership in advancing medical science, and his nearly $200 million in lifetime giving to Mount Sinai. Mr. Icahn’s most recent gift of $150 million is the largest in Mount Sinai’s history and among the biggest gifts made to a medical school. His previous contributions to Mount Sinai resulted in a state-of-the-art medical school research building on the Mount Sinai campus being named the Icahn Medical Institute.
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Oct 18, 2012 | School

Exploring successful models of innovation—
in and out of traditional biomedical research organizations—will be the focus of a three-day conference hosted by The Mount Sinai Medical Center.
The conference, SINAInnovations, to be held Monday through Wednesday, November 12-14, will feature prominent speakers from academia, the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, the investment community, and global media. It will highlight the most effective ways for academic medical centers to accelerate drug discovery and commercialize emerging biotechnologies, with the ultimate goal of creating better diagnostics and treatments that cure human diseases.
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