Why Choose Mount Sinai?
The Fellowship Training Program in Allergy and Immunology includes cross training within the Division of Clinical Immunology (Department of Medicine) and the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (Department of Pediatrics). The program is conducted at The Mount Sinai Hospital, and provides exposure to both adult and pediatric atopic and immunologic disorders. Mount Sinai offers two or three fellowship positions each academic year. Candidates from Internal Medicine, Pediatrics or Medicine/Pediatrics core residency programs may apply. We offer a two-year program designed to train fellows to excel as clinical allergist/immunologist with experience in basic science, translational and/or clinical research. The first year focuses on clinical care and the second year comprises additional elective time (dermatology, ENT, rheumatology, pulmonary, private practice), research and other scholarly activities. The clinical experience includes evaluation of a variety of common disorders ranging from anaphylaxis, angioedema, adverse drug reactions, food allergy, urticaria, allergic rhinitis, and asthma to those less common such as systemic mastocytosis, hereditary angioedema, and immune deficiencies. Inpatient experience is gained through consultations at the Mount Sinai Hospital and provides a unique opportunity to assess challenging cases. A three-year fellowship program is designed for fellows with a strong interest in a career as a physician scientist and have demonstrated sufficient accomplishment to warrant a dedicated research year.
Dr. Bela Schick and his pediatric immunology housestaff from 1938
A Storied History & Reputation
The Mount Sinai Hospital has been involved in immunology since early in the 20th century, when immunology was in its infancy. A crucial clinical test called the Schick test was invented by Dr. Béla Schick, a Mount Sinai physician from 1923 to 1936. It is used to determine whether or not a person is susceptible to diphtheria. Dr. Schick and Dr. Clemens von Pirquet first coined the term “allergy” as a clinical diagnosis. Dr. Gregory Shwartzman, a Mount Sinai physician and researcher, first developed the concept of immune hypersensitivity, a condition that later became known as the “Shwartzman phenomenon.” Dr. Shwartzman's accomplishments set a high bar for future Mount Sinai immunologists. In 1930, Dr. Joseph Harkavy and his colleagues at Mount Sinai identified a new chemical substance that is released during severe allergic reactions. The substance is what immunologists now call SRS-A, or slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis. Dr. Harkavy was also the first to link cigarette and cigar smoking to allergies and cardiovascular disease.
In 1932, New York Hospital’s Allergy Clinic, founded in 1918 by Robert A. Cooke, moved to Roosevelt Hospital. It later becomes Roosevelt Hospital’s Institute of Allergy.
In addition to these landmark discoveries, the condition “eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis” (Churg–Strauss syndrome) was first described by Dr. Jacob Churg and Dr. Lotte Strauss at Mount Sinai Hospital in 1951. In the 1950s, Dr. Kermit E. Osserman organized a Myasthenia Clinic. Dr. Osserman sensed the immunological implications of myasthenia long before it was appreciated, and wrote the first text on the subject. The Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology was found in 1978 and six years later, Lloyd Mayer, MD, became a formative division chief. Dr. Mayer was the first to show that T cells regulated immunoglobulin isotype switching in humans. And his lab was the first to show that the epithelial lining cells of the intestines regulate mucosal immune response.
In 1997, the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute was founded and has become a leader in food allergy research promoting advances in epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and public education of allergic problems and immunologic disorders. Dr. Hugh Sampson, founding director of the Institute, was the first to show that food allergy was the basis for atopic dermatitis in children and has developed formulas for food allergic infants.
Dr. Lloyd Mayer in his lab
Location
Mount Sinai sits in a unique physical space beside diverse neighborhoods and is able to serve all those of our nearby communities. This nexus allows for an amazingly diverse patient population that is both highly demanding and highly in need of coordinated care. And this offers you a unique opportunity for your training—one that most physicians don't get in their entire careers.
And of course, as a fellow at Mount Sinai you will live in New York City—one of the greatest, most diverse and exciting cities in the world. Physically, our main campus is right next to Central Park, which provides a quick escape into natural beauty for runs, walks, bike rides or just relaxation. You can participate in all the cultural and recreational activities that New York City can offer: theater, museums, concerts, restaurants, and sporting events.
Highlights of Our Training Program
Clinical
- We provide multi-disciplinary care, including comprehensive diagnostics and state-of-the-art treatment, for allergic and immunologic disorders across the age spectrum
- We care for an amazingly diverse patient population throughout the Mount Sinai Health System.
- Fellows receive extensive procedural training in allergy immunotherapy, biologics, drug challenges/ desensitization, prick and intradermal skin testing, immunoglobulin (IV, SC), patch testing, pulmonary function tests, oral food challenges, oral immunotherapy.
- Trainees work with world class faculty who advance allergy/immunology research, education and advocacy.
- Elective opportunities in dermatology, drug allergy, pulmonary, rheumatology, otolaryngology, private practice.
- Our specialists hold leadership positions nationally and internationally.
Research
- We are at the forefront of advances in epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment of allergic problems and immunologic disorders.
- Fellows have the opportunity to participate in leading-edge research (basic, clinical, and translational).
- Our faculty are recognized leaders in their fields receiving NIH funding.
- Trainees may be eligible for T32 training grants, KL2 Scholar awards and other institutional research awards. Additional opportunities include Mount Sinai’s Clinical and Translational Science Award program, Master of Science in Clinical Research Program and the Graduate Program in Public Health.
- Majority of our graduates over past 10+ years hold full-time academic faculty appointments across the country.
Conferences & Environment
- Summer crash course geared toward new fellows led by senior fellows and faculty on high yield clinical topics
- Weekly fellows’ didactics/core, curriculum sessions, journal clubs (monthly) with key faculty
- Weekly Divisional Grand Rounds, research conferences
- Wellness Curriculum including mindfulness training, social hours, optimization of work life
- Quality Improvement Initiative
- Faculty mentoring of fellows with quarterly meetings
- Gathering of current fellows, faculty and alumni at annual AAAAI meeting
- Fellows serve as teachers, role models to medical students, residents, peers
Clinical Excellence
Our program has a number of unique training avenues that provide you a breadth and depth of training that you can't get at other institutions.
Food Allergy Program
The Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, led by Dr. Scott Sicherer, aims to expand and improve basic science and clinical research, comprehensive patient care, and educational efforts in the field of food allergy. Our clinical and laboratory-based research programs strive to uncover the causes of food allergies and the best methods to treat them, and we have made a number of breakthrough discoveries. In addition, we offer treatment, counseling, and support to patients and their families through special programs led by a multidisciplinary team of medical professionals. Fellows participate in weekly continuity clinic overseen by food allergy experts.
Hereditary Angiodema
Dr. Paula Busse is a member of the Medical Advisory Board of the Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) Association and has one of the largest practices in the United States providing care to patients with HAE and other etiologies of angioedema. She is a Principle Investigator for multiple clinical trials for novel therapies of HAE. Fellows participate in weekly continuity clinic overseen by Dr. Busse and have an opportunity to care for patients with HAE.
Asthma Program
Our program for complex asthma provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art care to individuals with asthma of all causes. This multidisciplinary program features the expertise of physicians who prioritize patient education, but also provide ready access to clinical trials and other research focused on understanding the causes and best treatment of asthma. Our physicians are trained both in allergy/immunology and pulmonary disease and have been awarded grant support from the NIH and other agencies for decades. Fellows are encouraged to participate in the clinical and research program in asthma.
Hypersensitivity Program
The mission is to provide comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of all aspects of atopic diseases, including anaphylaxis, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, drug allergy, and urticaria. Pulmonary function testing, allergy testing, drug testing/ challenge/desensitization, immunotherapy and prescription of biologics are available. Fellows participate in the evaluation and management of such patients under the guidance of expert faculty.
Immune Deficiency Program
The Immune Deficiency program, led by Dr. Charlotte Cunningham-Rundles, cares for infants, children and adults with known or suspected inborn defects of the immune system. Our program has a large cohort of antibody deficiency and evaluates newborn screen for SCID and severe T cell defects. Fellows participate in weekly continuity clinic and become familiar with the manifestations, means of diagnosis, genetics and treatment of all of these defects.
Eosinophilic Esophagitis Center
Dr. Mirna Chehade is the director of the Mount Sinai Center for Eosinophilic Disorders (MSCED) at the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute. The Center provides cutting edge clinical care, research, and support for patients with eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases and their families, including eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic gastroenteritis. Dr. Chehade is one of the leading researchers of eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders, publishing a number of papers and spearheading multiple research projects to further understand how these diseases occur and explore novel therapies for EGIDs.
The Strength of Our System
As a fellow of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, you have the opportunity to leverage the expertise and resources of the largest health care provider in the New York City area. As part of the Mount Sinai Health System, which is comprised of one medical school and eight campus hospitals, our fellows have access to world-class educational, research and clinical resources at several hospitals across the system.