Leora Mogilner, MD, left, with Chelsea Clinton at the Reach Out and Read of Greater New York benefit gala in Central Park.
Leora Mogilner, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, recently received a Literacy Champion award from Reach Out and Read of Greater New York, part of a national nonprofit group that gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating literacy into pediatric care. Dr. Mogilner is medical director of the regional chapter and was instrumental in its founding 20 years ago. She accepted the award at a benefit gala from Chelsea Clinton, who was representing the Clinton Global Initiative, which supports early literacy.
“The idea is that you teach parents about the importance of reading to children from the time they are babies,” Dr. Mogilner says. “In my practice at Mount Sinai Pediatric Associates, we give out brand new books, and we also have volunteers in the waiting room who read to kids and model reading aloud for parents.” Her dream for the future: “I would love to see this at every clinic and every practice in New York City.”