Front, from left: Thomas P. Naidich, MD; Paul R.G. Cunningham, MD, MSH; Sandra K. Masur, PhD; Wayne A. Gordon, PhD; Yasmin L. Hurd, PhD; Blaine V. Fogg, Esq. Back, from left: Burton Cohen, MD; Dennis S. Charney, MD; Bruce D. Gelb, MD; Joseph R. Masci, MD; Mary Ann McLaughlin, MD, MPH, MSH; Srinivas Ravi V. Iyengar, PhD; and Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mount Sinai Health System.
The Jacobi Medallion—one of the Mount Sinai Health System’s highest honors for distinguished achievement in medicine or extraordinary service to the school, alumni, or The Mount Sinai Hospital—was bestowed upon nine individuals this year, at a special event at The Plaza. More than 300 Mount Sinai Health System alumni, donors, faculty, and staff attended the ceremony on Thursday, March 15, which helped kick off the 50th anniversary of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Burton Cohen, MD, President of The Mount Sinai Alumni Association and Associate Clinical Professor of Radiology, delivered opening remarks. The honorees had “taken different paths,” Dr. Cohen said, but as Mount Sinai alumni, faculty, or trustees, they had all, at one point, “called Mount Sinai home.”
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, welcomed the audience. “Fifty years ago,” he said, “the Mount Sinai School of Medicine opened its doors to its first students and began its journey to become the institution that we know today: one of the country’s premier centers of innovation in research, education, and clinical care. Those whom we honor tonight, and many others in this room, have played crucial roles over this half-century in building Mount Sinai’s tradition of invention and creativity.”
A new history wall that adorns the fifth floor of the Annenberg building celebrates innovation and excellence in education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Dr. Charney said that in addition to being ranked among the nation’s 20 leading medical schools, Mount Sinai was among the top 15 in National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 research institutions worldwide, as cited in a Nature supplement. In addition, he said, “No medical school is more committed to social justice and human rights; mentoring; and student, house staff, and faculty wellness and resilience.”
Sandra K. Masur, PhD, Chair of the Jacobi Medallion Award Selection Committee, and Professor of Ophthalmology, introduced the 2018 awardees, who, she said, “were chosen from a superb group of candidates by their peers, former Jacobi recipients.”
The honorees are:
Paul R.G. Cunningham, MD, FACS, MSH ’79
Immediate Past President, North Carolina Medical Society, Dean Emeritus, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
Dr. Cunningham has held numerous appointments in surgery, medical education, and hospital administration throughout his career. Currently, he is the outgoing Dean and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. Prior to his appointments at East Carolina University, Dr. Cunningham served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the State University of New York, Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. He also served as President of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and as a Governor of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Cunningham is interested in the mentoring and career development of minority students in medicine.
Blaine V. Fogg, Esq.
Trustee, Mount Sinai Health System
Mr. Fogg joined the Mount Sinai Boards of Trustees in 1987. He chairs the Legal Committee and serves on the Executive; Compensation, Employee Benefits, and Employee Relations; Finance; and Technology Transfer committees. A corporate and securities lawyer, he has practiced at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP since 1966, and has represented clients in matters that include negotiated mergers, acquisitions, and leveraged buyouts; unsolicited tender offers; proxy contests; and corporate restructurings and reorganizations. Mr. Fogg champions numerous initiatives at Mount Sinai that support underserved populations, including the Mount Sinai Medical Legal Partnership.
Bruce D. Gelb, MD
Gogel Family Professor and Director of The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Professor of Pediatrics, and Genetics and Genomic Sciences
A member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Society for Clinical Investigation, Dr. Gelb is a physician-scientist committed to discovering improved methods for diagnosing and treating childhood diseases. He is the founder and Co-Director of the Cardiovascular Genetics Program, a multidisciplinary program that cares for patients and families with genetic-based cardiovascular disorders.
Dr. Gelb also is a site Principal Investigator for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium. In addition to establishing a Pediatric Undiagnosed Disease Program, he is a Multiple Principal Investigator for the National Human Genome Research Institute-funded Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research project.
Wayne A. Gordon, PhD, FACRM, ABPP
Jack Nash Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine
Since joining the faculty in 1986, Dr. Gordon has helped the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine become one of the specialty’s most successfully funded programs, placing it among the top 10 for research funding in the United States.
Dr. Gordon’s current research is focused on cognitive rehabilitation, screening for traumatic brain injury (TBI), developing and testing the utility of behavioral interventions to improve the function of individuals with TBI, and examining the relationship between pediatric TBI and criminality. He has received numerous awards, including the Gold Key Award from the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, and the William Fields Caveness Award from the Brain Injury Association of America.
Yasmin L. Hurd, PhD
Ward-Coleman Chair in Translational Research, Director, Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai, and Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Pharmacological Sciences
Dr. Hurd is an internationally recognized researcher in the field of addiction disorders who has distinguished herself as an innovative investigator, educator, and role model. Her lab has made major inroads in addiction research and has shown that marijuana use has different effects on developing brains and adult brains. In recognition of the impact of her research and commitment to informing public health and education, she was recently inducted into the National Academy of Medicine. A member of the Mount Sinai faculty since 2006, Dr. Hurd has served as Director of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s MD/PhD program, and sits on multiple Mount Sinai committees, including Women in Science and Medicine.
Srinivas Ravi V. Iyengar, PhD
Dorothy H. and Lewis Rosenstiel Professor of Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Director, Mount Sinai Institute for Systems Biomedicine, Professor of Pharmacological Sciences
An expert in systems biology and systems pharmacology, Dr. Iyengar studies signaling networks and regulatory pathways using systems biology approaches. His research is focused on understanding the design principles by which mammalian cells are constructed and drug action at a systems level. Dr. Iyengar has served as the lead Principal Investigator on a Transformative R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health Common Fund for which he and his colleagues have used computer modeling and nanotechnology and human kidney cells in ongoing research to rebuild a filtration device in vitro. A member of the faculty since 1986, Dr. Iyengar has served as Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics and Dean of Research.
Joseph R. Masci, MD
Chairman, Global Health Institute, Elmhurst Hospital Center, Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases), and Environmental Medicine and Public Health
During the Ebola epidemic in West Africa from 2014 to 2016, Dr. Masci served as the infectious diseases physician on the planning committee for Ebola of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (NYC H+H), the largest municipal hospital system in the United States. He served as Chairman of the Emergency Preparedness Council of NYC H+H and currently acts as infectious diseases consultant on Zika virus for NYC H+H. Dr. Masci has conducted two international projects directed at the care of HIV and other infectious diseases in Russia and Ethiopia. He has served as the medical director of AIDS services for the Queens Health Network and chaired the health workgroup of the New York City Health and Human Services HIV Planning Council.
Mary Ann McLaughlin, MD, MPH, MSH ’96
Medical Director, Cardiac Health Program, Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology), and Population Health Science and Policy
A physician-scientist, Dr. McLaughlin has focused on the development of clinical programs and clinical research to improve cardiovascular care in vulnerable populations. Dr. McLaughlin’s interest in gender differences and cardiovascular health led her to obtain research grant funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American College of Cardiology, and the American Heart Association. She has also received grant support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and partnered with colleagues at the World Trade Center-Clinical Centers for Excellence to design and implement research and clinical programs to evaluate cardiovascular risk in thousands of people who sustained extensive exposure to particulate matter.
Thomas P. Naidich, MD, FACR
Irving and Dorothy Regenstreif Research Professor of Neuroscience (Neuroimaging), Professor of Pediatrics, Neurosurgery, and Radiology
Dr. Naidich’s research interests have centered on the imaging display of neuroanatomy and gross pathology. Over the course of his career, Dr. Naidich has published extensively and has held numerous editorial positions with scientific journals. He was recognized by the American Society of Neuroradiology with the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Research in 2011, and the Gold Medal in 2014, and by the American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology with the Gold Medal in 2005. His additional awards include the Cornelius Dyke Award for outstanding research from the American Society of Neuroradiology.