A Message from Dr. Monica Kraft
Dear Colleagues:
Happy New Year!
I hope that you had the opportunity to enjoy some well-deserved time off with your loved ones during the holiday season and were able to unwind and recharge.
Since my arrival at Mount Sinai in July, I have had the opportunity of meeting and working with many of you across our health system, and this year, I look forward to keeping that momentum going. I am incredibly honored to work alongside a world-class faculty consisting of brilliant scientists, researchers, teachers, and clinicians; extraordinary trainees, and a team of administrators that, together, make the Department of Medicine one of the most robust and prestigious in the world.
The last few weeks proved to be difficult with the nurses’ strike at Mount Sinai Hospital, but you all worked tirelessly, system-wide, to ensure that our patients received safe and excellent care that they expect from us, despite the challenges. I am truly inspired by your steadfast resilience and dedication, and in true Mount Sinai fashion, “we find a way” – and we sure did. Our nurses are back in action, and I am happy that Mount Sinai and the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) came to an agreement that compensates our nurses fairly for all their hard work, while doing so responsibly. Thanks again to all our faculty, staff, and our colleagues in other departments who stepped up to help us with our patients.
On another note, the Department of Medicine has enjoyed many accomplishments this past year including our most recent fellowship match, in which 303 residents matched to the programs of their choice at some of our nation’s most respected institutions including Yale, New York Presbyterian Weill-Cornell, NYU Langone, University of Miami, and University of California – San Francisco, to name a few. Furthermore, we are fortunate that 29 residents will remain with us at Mount Sinai and continue their training with our distinguished faculty in several programs of excellence. Additionally, more than 18,000 residents from around the world considered our Medicine residencies across all hospitals in our system.
This past fall, our System Vice Chair for Education, Dr. David C. Thomas, travelled to Nepal with 21 other delegates from the Mount Sinai Health System to establish a partnership between the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Kathmandu Medical College, aiming to provide clinical education and research opportunities for their students. An agreement was signed, and both parties are thrilled to embark on this exciting venture. More to come on this wonderful initiative.
Now that the new year is upon us, we are planning on continuing to engage in active dialog with the Advisory Board as we explore philanthropic opportunities to expand research and clinical funding for some of the most cutting-edge technologies and advanced therapies, delivering the excellent care that our patients expect from us.
On the research front, we are continuing to grow at a fast pace, and are in the midst of identifying and recruiting some high-profile candidates, renowned in their fields, to join our talented faculty with expertise in clinical, translational and basic research. In collaboration with Judith Aberg, MD (in her role as Dean of System Operations for Clinical Sciences), Rosalind Wright, MD, PI of the Clinical Translational Science Grant, and Annetine Gelijns, PhD, Director, Institute for Transformative Clinical Trials, we are expanding clinical trial resources across our health system. Furthermore, Carol Gregorio, PhD, will join our department as Vice Chair for Innovation, to assist and advise faculty on how best to advance our academic and medical innovations that directly benefits clinical medicine. Also, I want to welcome Deepak Bhatt, MD, our new Director of Mount Sinai Heart and System Chief, Division of Cardiology.
Faculty wellness continues to be a priority for the Department of Medicine. Under the leadership of Dr. Neomi Shah, System Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs, our faculty have an array of resources available to them, including mentoring for junior faculty, a seamless onboarding process for new faculty, and a breadth of tools to help our faculty attain a life/work balance offered by our well-being champions in each division. The results of the Wellness survey will be available for each division very soon and can be shared with all faculty.
On the financial side, this year, we have a strong $340 million budget for the Department of Medicine at four hospital sites – Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai Morningside, and Mount Sinai West. We are continuing to work diligently on competitive compensation models for each division across the system. Additionally, we are working on identifying additional clinic sites to improve access to care for existing and new patients throughout New York City. More concrete information will be presented over the next few months.
Recently, I had the opportunity of conducting a town hall at Mount Sinai Morningside, where I had the pleasure of meeting several of you. In November and December, I gave Medical Grand Rounds at Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai West, Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai Beth Israel. Over the next couple of months, I will visit Mount Sinai West (rescheduled from January 11 due to the nurses’ strike), Mount Sinai Queens, Mount Sinai Brooklyn (February 23), and Mount Sinai South Nassau. I hope that you will attend and look forward to meeting you and engaging in discussion about the Department of Medicine and how we can move forward as one integrated system. Dates are still being scheduled and will be provided to you as they become available.
Meanwhile, I invite you to read our newsletter, which as per usual, covers your exceptional research and clinical accomplishments, provides important announcements, showcases your media engagements, and allows your colleagues to appreciate all the amazing things that are consistently being done in our department. Please remember to email our Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, Alejandro Lojo at Alejandro.Lojo@mssm.edu, to share your latest published papers and media appearances so we can promote them accordingly.
I look forward to collaborating with you all and accomplishing our goals together this year. It remains my honor and privilege to serve as your System Chair of Medicine, and my door is always open for you.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2023!
-Monica Kraft, MD System Chair of Medicine