From left: Nathan E. Goldstein, MD; Daniel M. Herron, MD; Alison Goate, DPhil; Robert O. Wright, MD, MPH; Barbara G. Vickery, MD, MPH; Zahi A. Fayad, PhD; Dennis S. Charney, MD; Louis R. DePalo, MD; Luis M. Isola, MD; Leesa M. Galatz, MD; and James C. Iatridis, PhD
Ten physician-scientists—renowned leaders in the fields of community medicine, medical imaging and bioengineering, neurogenetics, neurology, oncology, orthopaedics, palliative care, pulmonary medicine, and surgery—were honored for their groundbreaking achievements at Convocation 2015. The celebratory event marks the beginning of the academic year for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Peter W. May, Chairman, Boards of Trustees, Mount Sinai Health System, welcomed the honorees, their families and friends, physicians, staff, and Mount Sinai benefactors who filled Goldwurm Auditorium at The Mount Sinai Hospital campus on Thursday, October 1.
“Since forming the Mount Sinai Health System, we have done nothing less than revolutionize scientific discovery and the delivery of medicine,” Mr. May said. “Today, we are honoring some of the remarkable physicians, scientists, and benefactors who share our vision. Through the support of our loyal donors, we have embraced innovation and entrepreneurship to implement sweeping changes that will benefit patients, transform medicine, and serve the overall medical community and the general population for generations to come.”
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, presided over the ceremony and delivered the annual State of the School address. For a copy of his presentation, visit http://icahn.mssm.edu/about/leadership/communication.
Dennis S. Charney, MD, delivers the State of the School address.
“This has been one of the most transformative years in the history of Mount Sinai,” Dr. Charney said during his State of the School presentation, which spotlighted key areas of growth and accomplishments, and outlined new plans. “The full-time faculty has grown by 56 percent since the creation of the Health System in 2013, and continued growth is expected in 2015, and in 2016, especially, when hundreds of additional hospital physicians throughout the Health System will join Mount Sinai Doctors Faculty Practice,” he said. The Mount Sinai Doctors Faculty Practice experienced a robust 10.2 percent growth in 2014.
Impressively, funding by the National Institutes of Health, described by Dr. Charney as “the coin of the realm because it is peer-reviewed,” increased by 7 percent, from $247 million in 2014, to $265 million in 2015. “This is the biggest amount in our history and places us well within the Top 20 nationally.” He also said that Icahn School of Medicine is now ranked No. 2 among U.S. medical schools in research dollars per principal investigator.
Among other topics, Dr. Charney also noted that:
The metrics for medical student applications remains extremely high: notably, the median MCAT scores were in the top 5 percent nationally for 2015 applicants.
More than 2,000 house staff train at Mount Sinai hospitals, making it the largest such program in the nation. Ten training programs are now fully integrated throughout the Health System, and two are pending for 2016. Integrated programs require rotations at each of the Health System’s six Manhattan campuses, providing more diverse training experiences.
The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences has expanded its PhD and MS programs, with an increased focus on innovation, and translational and intellectual property discovery. Dr. Charney noted affiliations with Apple and IBM, for example, to offer internship opportunities, thesis work, and training; and new collaborative grants with academic partner Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to advance biomedical discovery and entrepreneurship.
The Health System will undertake several major initiatives, including extensive renovations at Mount Sinai Beth Israel’s Phillips Ambulatory Care Center, to help improve patient care, access, and satisfaction.
A major new advertising campaign involving print ads, and digital and social media promotion, was launched to showcase Mount Sinai’s expanded presence throughout the New York region, and its contributions to breakthrough research and education.
In 2015, the Icahn School of Medicine created a state-of-the art website optimized for mobile devices that will continue to be phased in throughout 2016.
Dr. Charney told the audience in closing remarks: “We will continue to examine, invest, and build on our excellence.”