The class of 2027 was seated at the Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, September 12, waiting to be coated in the White Coat Ceremony, which marks the start of their medical education. Dennis Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, came up on stage and addressed the audience. He spoke about his own time in medical school.
Dennis Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, stressing the importance of a diverse student body at the White Coat Ceremony.
“Back then, medicine lacked so many of the tools we rely upon today,” Dr. Charney said. There was no sophisticated imaging equipment, nor things like DNA sequencing, but the medical field did its best to heal patients. “The world was a different place in 1973,” Dr. Charney said.
Medical science has made many breakthroughs—with Mount Sinai having played a significant role—and it faces exciting new chapters ahead. Some of these, Dr. Charney said, include integration of artificial intelligence and advanced genomics, allowing for better targeted interventions, and perhaps even for once-hard-to-treat cancers to become manageable chronic diseases. That is why the Health System has launched the Mount Sinai Million Health Discoveries Program—to usher in a new era of personalized medicine, he added.
And while science improves, so too must the field for those who work in it, and for whom it serves. Dr. Charney then pulled up a picture of himself in his class at Penn State College of Medicine. “Of 82 students, we had just 12 women and only four people of color,” Dr. Charney said. Then he showed a picture of the 120 students who comprised the cohort present in the hall. “The world has clearly changed for the better—your class is more than 50 percent women and 30 percent people of color,” he noted.
Of this year’s entering class, 53 percent are women, and 28 percent are from backgrounds considered underrepresented in medicine, including racial and economic groups. In comparison with the class that graduated 50 years ago, while race and ethnicity data was not collected back then, the class of 1977 at Icahn Mount Sinai had 24 percent women out of 91 students.
“In spite of the recent Supreme Court decision on college admissions, future classes here at Icahn Mount Sinai will continue to be highly diverse,” Dr. Charney said. “Icahn Mount Sinai will not stand down from our strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. And we will do this legally, under the law.”
The message of diversity resonated with the incoming students. “From my experience, having a diverse body is the only way to go forward as a school, as it then provides a diversity of opinion,” said Nathan Ji, Class of 2027.
“It’s very important to have representations of patients who look like them, from the physicians who treat them,” said Rico Pesce, Class of 2027. “I’m super proud to be part of a school that places importance on this.”
Click to read more about some of the students from the Class of 2027 and the journey they have taken.
Nathan Ji
What drew you to Icahn Mount Sinai?
I first came to hear of Icahn Mount Sinai through friends at Johns Hopkins, where I went for undergrad, who had gotten in through Mount Sinai’s unique FlexMed program. As someone still far removed from the medical school application process back then, I casually asked them why they had elected to commit to Mount Sinai. Their responses varied, of course, but one central theme stuck out: the commitment of the medical school to serving the community.
I remained curious but mildly doubtful of the claim, until I ended up visiting the medical school during Second Visit Weekend this past spring. It was then that I realized the distinct difference between an “East Harlem medical campus” and a “medical campus located in East Harlem.” Icahn Mount Sinai embodied the spirit of the former.
From the several medical student-run community clinics to anti-racism initiatives led by faculty physicians, it was clear that Mount Sinai cared about the community. There is still much more work to be done, of course, but Mount Sinai’s self-awareness of its responsibilities to the people in its vicinity is seldom found among its peers.
It is no coincidence that such a socially conscious school would have such a positive impact on mental health and wellness among its student body. I may not have the same support system from home, but, no matter what background you come from, there will be support for you here, I guarantee it.
What made you decide to enter medicine?
Growing up, I always thought I would become a scientist. Such was the ambitions of a lonely boy growing up in China, whose parents were thousands of kilometers away working in exciting research laboratories to change the world. I never saw myself as being sociable enough to be the “physician-type,” given my introverted personality and upbringing as an only child and perpetual new kid in school.
But that all began to change in 2015 when I returned to China with my parents for the first time since we had left when I was still a child. A sudden trip in the middle of October was no leisurely vacation; we arrived just after midnight at the ICU where my grandfather lay on his deathbed. It was there that I saw the uniquely humanistic challenges that medical professionals dealt with on a regular basis.
We, the family, consulted with the attending physicians on the ethics of pulling the plug to lay my grandfather to rest. All the while around us in the dead of night lay several other elderly patients, each with their own families and individual stories. I realized then that physicians weren’t just sociable professionals who leveraged knowledge of science to help people. Above all, they were care providers who embarked on distinctive humanistic journeys with each of their patients.
The rest, as they say, was history. Sure, there were still seven more years of high school, research internships, undergraduate classes, volunteering and exposure to medical settings, shadowing physicians, tutoring students in underprivileged backgrounds, and a million more exciting adventures along the way. But as I embark on my first medical school classes this fall, I distinctively remember that dark desolate night in Shanghai, as the spark that lit my passion for medicine.
What’s an interesting fact about you?
During orientation I would ask my classmates to guess how many schools I have attended before Icahn Mount Sinai. Most guessed four or five, as is the common pathway—elementary, middle, high schools, and university. Others guessed between six and eight. Yet all would be surprised at my eventual answer of eleven.
I lived in Shanghai, where I was born, for a whopping four months, before I was sent to live with my grandparents in Tianjin, near Beijing. Thus, I had no memories of being with my parents until we reunited when I immigrated to the United States and arrived in Chicago at the age of eight. Two years later, we would move to Salt Lake City, and then to Tampa six years after that. And then I would go to Johns Hopkins University just two years afterward.
Looking back, what really stood out about my unique upbringing is the diversity of culture that I experienced. There were so many ways of living, so many unique compositions of heritage among the people who I called my friends and neighbors throughout the various locations. That is why I want to pursue medicine in a melting pot like New York, where I can encounter people, patients, and colleagues from all walks of life.
Michael Lemonick
What drew you to Icahn Mount Sinai?
I was initially drawn to Mount Sinai as it is one of the most veteran-friendly medical schools in the nation. I am a veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served eight years on active duty as a surface warfare officer, and Mount Sinai’s institutional partnership program with the military allowed me to apply directly to medical school while still serving on active duty.
In fact, I actually completed my application while deployed on an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer during the height of the pandemic. Without Mount Sinai’s veteran-friendly policies, I am not sure that I ever would have been able to realize my dream of becoming a doctor, and for that I feel enormously indebted to Mount Sinai. I am also drawn to Mount Sinai’s emphasis on equitable care and leadership in addition to its standards of scientific excellence.
What made you decide to enter medicine?
As a child, I had the opportunity to witness physicians treat my family and literally save their lives: my mother and both of my grandmothers suffered from breast cancer, while my father and paternal grandfather both suffered from prostate cancer. My sister is a type 1 diabetic who, with the help of spectacular physicians, has worked hard since her diagnosis at six years old to manage her disease.
As an athlete, I suffered broken bones and other sports-related injuries throughout my childhood, teenage, and college years, and each time I was met by competent, confident, and compassionate physicians who were always able to quell my anxieties.
Inspired by those who treated my family members and me in times of need, I knew that I always wanted to become a dependable physician; one who can deliver excellent care while imbuing patients with the confidence and strength to overcome their ailments. With this experience, and with my love of science, a career in medicine always seemed an obvious choice for me.
What’s an interesting fact about you?
I am a 2015 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and I subsequently served on active duty for eight years. From 2018-2021, I was stationed in Rota, Spain, onboard a destroyer, where I served as the lead navigator on three of five deployments. I was the first navigator to make a port call in the Faroe Islands of Denmark, and I was part of a group of ships to navigate along the north coast of Russia in the Barents Sea for the first time since the Cold War.
As an athlete, I played on the varsity soccer team at the Naval Academy. I am still passionate about soccer and athletics in general, especially from the perspective of using sports as a vehicle for developing leadership, toughness, and the will to win.
I am an aspiring writer and am currently working on a memoir of my time at sea in the Navy. Finally, I lived in France for two years as an ensign in the Navy, where I completed a bilingual master’s degree in international affairs at the Paris Institute of Political Studies. I work to maintain my level of French and enjoy learning about various aspects of French culture, including its cuisine, art, and history.
Boluwatito Oladeinde
What drew you to Icahn Mount Sinai?
Its unique position on the borders of the richest and poorest ZIP codes in New York City would expose me to a variety of patient cases and interactions.
I also appreciate that it is in the northeast United States, where I have my adopted family and friends, which would be integral for me to get through the mental and physical rigors of medical school. New York City was also appealing to me as I am interested in fashion and art—what better place to experience and participate in this than in NYC?
What made you decide to enter medicine?
My choice stems from my childhood experiences growing up in Nigeria, and as an uninsured adult in the United States. My father constantly struggled with his health growing up, and between the ages of 12 and 14, he underwent four separate neurosurgery procedures in India and in the United States. This was scary because, as a family, we never knew how these surgeries were going to pan out. This was the first thing that prompted my desire for a career in medicine.
Over the course of my 18 years in Nigeria, I also witnessed the poor health care system in the country and suffered a loss due to an avoidable occurrence in the system. This further strengthened my desire to provide quality health care to my home country, and other disadvantaged communities around me.
What’s an interesting fact about you?
I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and migrated by myself to the United States at the age of 18 for college at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Looking back, it is astounding how I have successfully navigated being in a new country, culture, and system without the presence of my immediate family, who all live in Nigeria. My parents made the trip to the United States for my White Coat Ceremony and were very proud of me for being the first person in my family to go to college and medical school.
Rico Pesce
What drew you to Icahn Mount Sinai?
After the military, I did my undergraduate studies at Columbia University. There, I met a person doing post-baccalaureate studies, who did the Institutional Partnership program with Mount Sinai. When he started at Mount Sinai, he introduced me to its culture and the school.
The school’s mission and focus on developing cutting-edge technologies aligned well with my personal goals. Furthermore, every person I had talked to had nothing but positive things to say. I also love being in New York City, and Mount Sinai is certainly one of the most welcoming institutions I’ve come across.
What made you decide to enter medicine?
My interest in medicine began in high school, where for a biology class, we went to a cadaver lab. I became fascinated with the anatomy and science of the human body. Later on, I became a certified nurse assistant and worked in a dementia facility, and decided to go to school in a community college to further my career. However, I wasn’t thriving academically, left community college, and joined the military.
I became a special operations combat medic for the 75th Ranger Regiment. I ended up staying in the military for seven years, where I had been platoon medic, senior medic, battalion clinic manager, and completed five deployments in Afghanistan.
I have treated patients at their most vulnerable—even their last moments on earth—and there is not a more meaningful way to spend my time in this world than to be part of a team to help improve and prolong people’s human experience. Once I saw the impact on my patients’ lives as a medic, it drew me to want to learn more about medicine and be able to provide care in a definitive way. I then decided it was time to separate from the military to pursue my goal of becoming a physician.
Throughout my education and experience providing care on the front lines of the pandemic, I realized that the responsibilities of a physician went well beyond the one-on-one contact with patients. Physicians have such immense responsibility to their patients, and to society at a larger scale, and I have updated the vision for my future to include medical device innovation. It has been a long journey, but I am proud to continue down the path of being in medicine and advancing the field.
What’s an interesting fact about you?
I am a proud member of the gay community and my fiancé, Zach Thomas, is a third-year medical student at a nearby university. It is amazing to have a significant other who is also studying medicine because he understands what I am going through, and we can share our passion for medicine for many years to come.