Standing, from left: Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mount Sinai Health System; Adolfo García-Sastre, PhD; Dennis S. Charney, MD; Alexander Kirschenbaum, MD; Donald Bergman, MD, President, The Mount Sinai Alumni Association, and Clinical Professor of Medicine; Albert L. Siu, MD, MSPH; and William Lawson, MD, DDS. Seated from left: Jean C. Crystal; Jewel Mullen, MD, MPH, MPA; Sandra K. Masur, PhD, Chair, Jacobi Medallion Selection Committee, and Professor of Ophthalmology; and Rosanne M. Leipzig, MD, PhD.
Nearly 330 Mount Sinai Health System alumni, donors, faculty, students, and staff gathered at The Plaza on Wednesday, March 16, to honor seven leaders with the 2016 Jacobi Medallion, the highest award bestowed by Mount Sinai in recognition of distinguished achievement in the field of medicine or extraordinary service to the hospital, the school, or the alumni.
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, highlighted recent achievements. “As Mount Sinai continues to grow, important partnerships and opportunities are preparing our medical school and graduate students to be health care innovators and entrepreneurs,” he told the guests. He also noted that the Icahn School of Medicine, for the first time, has been ranked No. 15 nationwide in National Institutes of Health research funding. “Our 2016 Jacobi Medallion recipients are part of this extraordinary trajectory of accomplishment and embody what is best about our School of Medicine: exceptional talent, an ingrained sense of commitment, and dedication to outstanding research, patient care, and education,” said Dr. Charney.
The honorees are:
Jean C. Crystal, visionary philanthropist and Trustee of the Mount Sinai Health System
A Trustee since 1995, Ms. Crystal was recognized as an inspirational philanthropic leader and an extraordinary volunteer who has shaped many initiatives at Mount Sinai, among them The Mount Sinai Hospital Ambassador Program, whose 125 volunteers welcome and assist dozens of patients and visitors daily.
Adolfo García-Sastre, PhD, Irene and Dr. Arthur M. Fishberg Professor of Medicine; Professor, Department of Microbiology; and Director, Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute
For 25 years, Dr. García-Sastre has made landmark contributions to the influenza virus field, including the successful development of reverse genetics techniques allowing the recreation of the influenza virus from recombinant DNA.
Alexander Kirschenbaum, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Urology, and Oncological Sciences
Consistently recognized as an “America’s Top Doctor” and “America’s Top Doctor for Cancer” by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., Dr. Kirschenbaum additionally is a noted translational researcher and mentor to generations of high school, college, medical, pre- and postdoctoral students in the laboratory and clinic.
William Lawson, MD, DDS, Eugen Grabscheid Research Professor of Otolaryngology; Vice Chair, Otolaryngology; and Director of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Dr. Lawson’s clinical focus is on esthetic and functional rhinoplasty, facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, and sinonasal and anterior skull-base tumors. Among many of his surgical innovations is the pectoralis major myocutaneous flap, now a universal method used for reconstructive head and neck surgery.
Rosanne M. Leipzig, MD, PhD, Gerald and May Ellen Ritter Professor and Vice Chair for Education, Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
An internationally recognized leader in geriatrics and evidence-based medicine, Dr. Leipzig has taught and inspired hundreds of physicians, physicians-in-training, nurses, and social workers, building a geriatric program considered one of the nation’s best.
Jewel Mullen, MD, MPH, MPA, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
In a career that has spanned clinical care, research, teaching, and administrative oversight, Dr. Mullen has achieved global acclaim for improving individual and population health by strengthening coordination among community, public health, and health care systems with a focus on the underserved population.
Albert L. Siu, MD, MSPH, the Ellen and Howard C. Katz Chair in Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and Mount Sinai Health System Chair, Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
Dr. Siu’s significant achievements as a clinician, educator, and health services and policy researcher in the area of improving quality and delivery of care, particularly in geriatric populations, represent the highest expression of excellence in academic medicine.