Jan 17, 2025 | Uncategorized
Get ready for an unforgettable evening of magic, purpose, and impact. The 23rd Annual MS Center Celebration is set to once again dazzle guests on Thursday, March 6, at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan. Providing key support for The Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at Mount Sinai, the gala promises a night of joy, inspiration, and entertainment.
This year’s co-chairs are Ilana Katz Sand, MD, Associate Director of the Center; Stephen Krieger, MD, Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and Anthony Rosa, Founder and CEO of Runway 7 Fashion, Advisory Board Member of the Center, and designer of the MS-themed lab coats worn by members of the Center at New York Fashion Week.
The evening will feature a special performance by David Gerard, a popular mentalist and magician, who in past years has left the audience, including the Center’s seasoned scientists, in awe.
But the true magic lies in the vital funds raised to advance the Center’s mission: transforming lives of those affected by multiple sclerosis through comprehensive and innovative patient care, groundbreaking research, and renowned education and training.
With more than 6,000 patients relying on the Center, the need for resources has never been greater. Thanks to the generosity of patients, families, and friends of the Center, proceeds from past galas have helped launch such life-changing programs as the C. Olsten Wellness Program, founded in 2020 by event co-chair Dr. Katz Sand, who also serves as the program’s co-director. This program provides a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to help participants optimize quality of life and improve their long-term prognosis. Funds raised are also critical to enabling innovative research and training for the next generation of MS care leaders.
Join us in strengthening our Center’s mission to create a brighter future for those we serve living with MS.
Learn more about the 23rd Annual MS Center Celebration and reserve your spot.
Jan 17, 2025 | Uncategorized
Two physicians at The Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis, Fred Lublin, MD, Director of the MS Center and Saunders Family Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Stephen Krieger, MD, Professor of Neurology, are among the physicians whom the Mount Sinai Office of Patient Experience recognized with the 2024 Cullman Family Award for Excellence in Physician Communication.
“The Cullman Family Award has special meaning to me as a recognition of the dedication and efforts that all of us at the Center strive to provide for the patients we care for,” said Dr. Lublin. “Receiving this award is a tribute to our co-founder and guiding spirit, the late Clifford Goldsmith, who when we started the Center directed that we were to provide outstanding, state-of-the-art, comprehensive care for patients with MS, giving them as much time and attention as needed to meet their needs.”
For Dr. Krieger, the award is a clear affirmation of the patient experience.
“What moves me the most about the Cullman Family Award is that it comes directly from how my patients have felt about their care. This award is not decided by a committee or any one person, but rather by our patients themselves. I think that effective communication, education, and compassion are the most important aspects of the role that I hope I play in the lives of the people I take care of. So, to know that I have been able to be a small force of good for them as they navigate their neurological condition means a great deal to me.”
Since 2016, this prestigious award has honored Mount Sinai providers who demonstrate exceptional communication in clinical practice. Recipients of the award were ranked in the top five percent, out of more than 117,000 providers nationwide, as measured by two communication metric questions on the Press Ganey ambulatory patient experience survey during the previous calendar year.
A total of 89 outstanding Mount Sinai providers were honored, more than ever before. Erica Rubinstein, MS, LCSW, CPXP, Vice President of Service Excellence and Patient Experience, hosted a ceremony featuring remarks by Brendan Carr, MD, MA, MS, CEO, Mount Sinai Health System, alongside other hospital leaders. Carolyn Sicher, MD, and Georgina Cullman, PhD, board members of Mount Sinai Health System and members of the Cullman family, which founded the award, also spoke at the special ceremony on Wednesday, October 30, in the Mount Sinai Hospital Stern Auditorium.
Fifty of this year’s honorees were prior-year recipients; nine providers have received the award five or more times, including Dr. Krieger. Dr. Lublin, Ilana Katz Sand, MD, and Michelle Fabian, MD, are also multiple-time awardees. Sam Horng, MD, and former Center provider Aliza Ben-Zacharia, DNP, have been honored as well.
Jul 2, 2024 | Uncategorized

Quad Gods is a real-life story of how three New Yorkers with quadriplegia meet at the Abilities Research Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital and, together with David Putrino, PhD, the Center Director and Angela Riccobono, PhD, Director of the Rehabilitation Psychology/Neuropsychology program at the Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Center, create the world’s first fully quadriplegic e-sports team.
The HBO Original documentary debuts Wednesday, July 10, at 9 pm on HBO-Max and is available to stream on Max. The film is a story of perseverance and recovery as the three compete in the billion-dollar video gaming world while bringing awareness to the potential of the human mind and spirit.
Read the press release or watch the movie trailer.
You can read a detailed article about this initiative in the Rehabilitation and Human Performance Report.
Mar 12, 2024 | Uncategorized

Have you ever noticed you might get more headaches when you change the clocks for daylight saving time? It’s not just a figment of your imagination. It’s real, according to the experts at Mount Sinai.
Fred Cohen, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a headache specialist at the David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman Center for Headache Treatment and Translational Research, says there might be some science to why this is happening. And the key to avoiding headaches is making sure you get enough quality sleep, seven to eight hours, even if you change the clocks.

Fred Cohen, MD
It turns out sleep is one of the most important aspects of headache health.
Sleep allows our brain time to clean itself. There are chemical substances in the brain called neuropeptides and neurotransmitters that transmit messages in your brain that you use during the day. If you don’t sleep well, the brain can’t clean itself properly. The build-up of neuropeptides can cause inflammation, and inflammation leads to headaches.
“So that’s why it’s very important that we have good quality sleep, and that’s just not sleeping too little or sleeping too much,” Dr. Cohen says. Good quality sleep means you are not repeatedly waking up during the night or experiencing problems such as snoring, gasping for air, or going to the bathroom often.
“When daylight savings comes around, whether it’s spring forward or fall back, it’s very important to preserve seven to eight hours of sleep to prevent this from causing headache attacks,” Dr. Cohen says.
However, if you notice you are having frequent headaches, it may be worthwhile to contact a headache specialist.
Feb 1, 2024 | Uncategorized

Mount Sinai Morningside, under the leadership of Sean Pinney, MD, Chief of Cardiology and an expert in heart failure, is eliminating health disparities among the communities most affected by cardiovascular disease and heart failure.
One method is to give patients access to a wide range of clinical trials that employ innovative medications and devices to detect and treat congestive heart failure.
For example, patients can benefit from a groundbreaking device that uses voice recognition to identify congestion. Patients speak into a smartphone from their homes, and special software enables doctors in the hospital to analyze their speech patterns for signs of congestion. The medical team can then act on that data to prevent future heart failure hospitalization.
One area of focus is the treatment of cardiac amyloidosis, a condition in which the body overproduces a protein that causes the heart to stiffen and eventually fail. About six percent of Black people living in New York are carriers of the gene that cause amyloidosis. Sarcoidosis, which causes pulmonary disease, heart disease, and heart arrythmias, is another condition found disproportionately in the Black population. If detected, both these conditions can be treated.
The Mount Sinai Morningside team has made it a priority to identify patients with these conditions in Harlem and Morningside Heights, and all the communities the hospital serves. Clinical trials are underway to diagnose and treat patients with more effective medications.
“These clinical trials represent the next generation of treatment for heart failure and have demonstrated their effectiveness in enabling patients to live fuller and longer lives,” said Dr. Pinney. “The Mount Sinai Morningside team is working hard to build trust for these trials and to demonstrate the potential value to those who can benefit most.”
For hospitalized patients, Mount Sinai Morningside is the lead site for a trial of aquapheresis, a treatment to remove excess fluid from patients who are experiencing a condition called fluid overload because of worsening heart failure.
One example of an innovative device is the AccuCinch® by Ancora Heart, which can be placed inside the heart with a minimally invasive procedure to reduce stress on the walls of the heart, allowing it to beat more efficiently.
The cardiology team also employs a novel ablation procedure to quiet the nerves that prevent the body’s ability to store blood, thereby preventing congestion from developing inside the chest and the lungs.
Hospitalized patients also have access to emerging devices such as a micro axial flow pump that is surgically implanted in the heart, which is used to treat patients with worsening heart failure and resulting kidney failure.
Sep 8, 2023 | Uncategorized

This hearty butternut squash soup recipe is the perfect way to warm up this fall. This plant-based soup is easy to prepare and packed with fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals—essential nutrients that boost the immune system, improve heart health, and reduce your risk for chronic disease. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 medium butternut squash
Squash seeds
6 medium carrots
1 medium onion
4 cup water, divided
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Cut the butternut squash in half. Scoop out the seeds, but save them. Place the squash halves face-down on a baking sheet covered in foil and oiled. Sprinkle the squash seeds on the baking sheet to roast as a garnish for the soup. Set aside.
Peel and chop the carrots into thirds. Chop the onions into a few pieces. Place the carrot and onion pieces alongside the squash on the baking sheet. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove the squash seeds, carrots and onion after about 30 minutes. Set the seeds aside separately, and set aside the carrots and onions. Continue baking the squash for another 30 minutes until the squash is soft enough to scoop from the skin.
Place the squash into a bowl and mash. Discard the shell.
Add half the butternut mash and half of the carrots and onions into a blender and blend on high. Add two cups of water and the pepper, paprika, garlic powder and cumin. Blend until smooth. Pour into a soup pot. Repeat the blending process with the remaining squash, carrots, onion and 2 cups of water. Add to the soup pot, combine blended portions. Stir and heat up before serving. Top with roasted squash seeds for crunch and flavor.
Nutrition
Entire Recipe:
330 calories
Carbohydrates: 40 g
Fat: 8.6 g
Protein: 4.6 g
Butternut squash to me just screams fall, so I am always trying to find the best version of this beloved soup so I can serve it during Thanksgiving. The flavors are a real crowd pleaser, and the roasted seeds make it a party.
Wendy Leon, Mount Sinai Health System, Volunteer
Click here to find more healthy recipes in Mount Sinai’s Calm & Fit Wellness Cookbook.
These recipes from faculty, staff, and students from across the Mount Sinai Health System celebrate the value of healthy eating and how cooking offers an opportunity to create community by bringing people together.