New Grant Helps Preventive Medicine Residents Forge Deeper Ties With Vulnerable Groups

Residents took a community health tour to meet local community leaders and visit the East Harlem Neighborhood Action Center, the East Harlem Asthma Center of Excellence, and the NYCHA Jefferson Houses. From left: Riana Jumamil, MD; Kierstin Luber, DO; Megha Srivastava, MD; and Betty Kolod, MD, Associate Residency Program Director.

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai General Preventive Medicine Residency Program has won a prestigious federal grant designed to reduce social inequities in health care through enhanced resident training and expanded public health intervention.

Under terms of the four-year award, the program’s six residents take an intensive summer course in health equity. Residents learn about health literacy, communication, and data analysis skills to address health disparities. They will apply these skills during a longitudinal population health rotation at several Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) throughout New York City, which specialize in homelessness, HIV, and other issues.

The $285,000-a-year grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration strengthens the General Preventive Medicine Residency Program’s longstanding focus on health equity.

Kristin Oliver, MD, MHS

“We’re excited for a deeper level of community engagement with these health centers and hope some residents continue their careers at FQHCs,” said Kristin Oliver, MD, MHS, General Preventive Medicine Residency Program Director and Associate Professor, Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Pediatrics, and Medical Education.

All of the program’s residents train in a broad range of topics including population health, quality improvement, lifestyle medicine, cancer prevention and tobacco cessation. Mount Sinai’s program is known for encouraging residents to customize their education according to individual passions. Each resident chooses a particular focus, such research or advocacy.

Recent program graduates include a resident who focused on primary care services for LGBTQ patients and worked with infectious disease doctors at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx to establish an HIV infection prevention program at the Center. Another graduate focused on research to address underrepresentation of the Black, Indigenous and People of Color community in cancer clinical trials.

Residents rotate through the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, working on issues such as COVID-19 response, measles outbreaks, and reducing pregnancy-associated mortality among Black women.  Shifting public policy is also a focus of the residency program. All residents learn to write op-eds or give oral testimony as part of their training.

“Our specialty is so broad, which is what makes our residency so fun and fabulous,” said Dr. Oliver. “Each resident has a different passion, and we help identify mentors and bring their skills to the next level to make a big impact. Everyone brings in something different, then we all gain from it.”

Laura Sirbu, MD, the program’s co-chief resident, is studying how “upstream” factors such as barriers to health care access can be addressed to allow people in nearby communities to live healthier lives.

Dr. Sirbu said she is excited about the grant and that she is enjoying the training. “It’s great to secure extra support,” she said. “Mount Sinai’s program strength is its support of residents to go down different paths, allowing them to choose from a variety of project types and research topics.”

Residents can apply to the program, which is being renamed the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Public Health and General Preventive Medicine Residency Program, after completing one year of a clinical residency or after completing a full clinical residency.

During the two-year program, residents earn a Master’s Degree in Public Health. The program has longstanding ties with East Harlem’s nonprofit groups, which enable the program to build relationships and make a bigger impact.

“It’s not just one patient at a time, it’s the entire community,” said Dr. Oliver.

A Desire to Gain New Skills in Strategy, Policy, and Patient Advocacy Led Susan S. Khalil, MD, to the Master of Science in Health Care Delivery Leadership Program

Beyond the clinical excellence she provides her patients, Susan S. Khalil, MD, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, says she wanted to learn how to communicate in a better way with health care leaders, and to have the tools that are needed to advance advocacy and help reduce barriers to care.

In the following Q&A, Dr. Khalil explains how she is already using her new skills.

What do you do in your current position?

I’m a gynecologic surgeon with a clinical focus on endometriosis and pelvic pain, as well as minimally invasive gynecologic surgery and robotic surgery. During my master’s program, I was promoted to Program Director for the Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery for The Mount Sinai Hospital, which helps hone the skills of gynecologic surgeons for minimal access as well as improved surgical outcomes for women.

You’ve been a practicing surgeon for 10 years. Why a master’s degree?

I thought a master’s degree would help me develop leadership skills. The program has taught me to think in different ways, to think not just about clinical outcomes but also about health care on a population level and about ways to innovate change in health care.

It has also helped me better understand how the various systems of health care intersect. I really enjoyed the strategy, policy, and economics classes I took, and I learned to apply these concepts to gynecology and gynecologic surgery. One of the most important things I learned is how to communicate more effectively in order to deliver the best level of services to our patients.

The master’s program also introduced me to a group of mentors who have helped support my quality improvement initiatives in surgical infections in obstetrics and gynecology, and in furthering innovation in endometriosis care.

What, specifically, did you learn?

The program is set up in different team-led educational experiences, so it helps us see how other clinicians view medicine and health care—and how physicians and administrators can better understand each other’s perspectives and communicate more effectively. We all communicate in different silos, so this training helped to bridge that gap, teaching us how to use language that resonates with administrators as we communicate what we need for our patients, for our hospital divisions, and for the overall health care system to function effectively.

As an example, I was working with a teaching assistant from one of my classes to pitch a research idea for using artificial intelligence for my patients with endometriosis and chronic pain. I had submitted research proposals over the years and they never got much traction, but now we just won a pitch challenge and were awarded $25,000 to support my research. It’s such a big win for an underserved disease process and it’s very exciting. I attribute it to the training I got in this program, and learning how to work with other team members in health care to advance improvements for the issues we see daily, one on one, with our patients.

What are your next career goals?

I would like to take on more of a leadership position at Mount Sinai to help advance gynecology and women’s health care in general, and to have a seat at the table to help support an infrastructure that provides better health care for everyone.

How Analyzing Genetic Variants to Predict Alzheimer’s Disease Risk Put Raj Vaza on a Path to a Career as a Physician-Scientist

Raj Vaza, who received his Master of Science in Biomedical Data Science degree at Mount Sinai’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 2023, says that Mount Sinai had much to offer him, but one top opportunity was working in the Huang Lab in Computational Omics. Under the direction of Kuan-Lin Huang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Mr. Vaza worked on a capstone project that studied common and rare genetic variants to predict the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

In the following Q&A, Mr. Vaza discusses his recent achievements at Icahn Mount Sinai and his career aspirations.

What first attracted you to this area of study?

It combines my interests in human biology and computer science, and I believe having a master’s would make me a more prepared candidate for medical school. Health care will become more data-driven and personalized. For me to be an effective physician, I need to understand how massive amounts of data can improve health care. As for neurology, my grandparents had Parkinson’s disease and dementia and as a child—as early as the sixth grade—I was curious about what ailed my grandparents.

What did you find most satisfying about the work you did in Dr. Huang’s lab?

It’s very exciting to be at the forefront of Alzheimer’s research. We have all these genetic sequencing tools, and the goal of my capstone project was to see how we can take the information we already had on common genetic variants and combine it with the data we’re collecting about rare variants. We’re trying to understand the differences at the genetic level and in the future, the protein level, to enable us to predict individual risk.

Why Mount Sinai—what, specifically, are the strong points of this program?

I majored in human biology and minored in computer science, so the Biomedical Data Science program was the perfect niche for me. It enabled me to look at the intersection of computers and data science with biology and medicine. And Mount Sinai, as a massive research and health care environment, presented all kinds of resources and opportunities to explore this intersection. Mount Sinai has so many resources available for students. For example, we have our own high-performance supercomputer and a database of genetic data for 30,000 individuals.

And the classes are exceptional. The Machine Learning for Biomedical Data Science course I just finished was the most informative and tied together everything I’ve been learning throughout the years. I also thought the people I worked with during my time here were brilliant.

What particular activities interested you as a student?

I arrived on campus in 2021, and when the COVID-19 Omicron wave started a few months later, I joined the Student WorkForce [a team of medical and graduate students who took on vital non-medical roles in the Mount Sinai Health System to support physicians, staff members, researchers, and hospital operations]. I got involved in COVID-19 testing of staff. Just being part of that entire process and learning how a health system works was very insightful. It was great that Mount Sinai asked the student body to help out at a critical time, and the fact that students rose up and met those expectations was very inspiring.

I have also been involved in Story Time/Teen Talk in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Inpatient Unit at Mount Sinai Morningside. We played games with the children and had discussions with the teens to lift their spirits during their treatment. Being a part of that gave me the idea to introduce similar programs at other hospitals.

What’s next?

I’ll be attending medical school at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. I’m keeping an open mind about my area of specialization. The field that intrigues me right now is neurology, but I don’t think I’ll actually know until I get to medical school. Whatever I decide, my goal is twofold—to help patients in the clinic and advance research.

Justine Marcinek Explores Occupational and Environmental Health Issues as She Gets a Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree

Justine Marcinek received her Master of Public Health degree, specializing in Environmental Health Sciences, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 2023. In the following Q&A, Ms. Marcinek discusses how exciting research opportunities and strong mentorship helped her develop the skills she will need to make a mark in public health.

What first attracted you to this area of study?

As an undergraduate student at Stony Brook University, I worked at their Center for Prevention and Outreach, which provides education, prevention, and outreach services and resources around a number of public health concerns. When I talked to my mentors about their career journeys, I learned how public health research and policy influence so much of the world around us, and that intrigued me. I looked into an MPH degree as the next step in my education.

How did you decide to focus on Environmental Health?

Once I got to Mount Sinai, I took a required class in environmental health, which looks at how public health interacts with food, water quality, occupational health, and other related areas. That really interested me, so I took a class in environmental and occupational epidemiology, which combined knowledge I gained from that first class with computer programming skills that taught me how to use technical methods to evaluate environmental and occupational health. What I liked about Environmental Health was that I could see much of what I learned “in action” in the world around me. I took a toxicology class that looked at how toxins and toxicants can affect organ systems of the body. I rounded out my coursework with additional statistics and computer programming classes, so now I have working knowledge of the industry as well as technical competencies in the field.

What were some of your achievements as a master’s student?

In my first year at Mount Sinai, I was a contributing writer for The Scoop, the public health graduate program newsletter, and I became co-editor in 2023. Making that progression was very exciting and rewarding for me. It enabled me to take a leadership role and curate interesting pieces from different members of our school community, not just students.

One thing I am proud of is my culminating experience. Under the mentorship of Yueh-Hsiu Mathilda Chiu, ScD, I wrote a first-author manuscript about pregnant workers’ awareness and understanding of the New York City Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which grants pregnant workers more flexibility to obtain reasonable accommodations in the workplace. My mentor fielded a survey about that sector and, for my project, I looked at the survey data and we found that a majority of pregnant workers did not know about this policy. The more I dove into the work, the more I grew passionate about the subject. It lived up to its name as a culminating experience, because it drew from what I learned in all my classes, and applying what I learned to a real-world public health topic was really fulfilling. We’re planning to submit it to an academic journal.

For my applied practice experience fieldwork, I worked with the New York State Children’s Environmental Health Centers to research current asthma resources on Staten Island and put together a resource map. I then incorporated those organizations into pamphlets that will be made available to pediatricians and community partners throughout the borough.

What are the strong points of Mount Sinai’s MPH program?

There are so many. The professors and teaching assistants are so passionate about their work, and they make the classes very engaging. I was exposed to many guest speakers, each with their own area of expertise from different niches in public health, and it showed me how broad the field is. The support of faculty enabled me to challenge myself and develop my skills. The mentorship I gained through my culminating experience helped me become a stronger researcher. At Mount Sinai, students have access to a large network of resources at the Health System. They also offer professional development opportunities and events focused on topics that I might not have otherwise learned about.

What’s next?

My goal is to work in risk communication and health literacy, particularly as it relates to occupational health, making sure that working environments are safe and that workers can go home safely to their families. I think it’s important that scientific research outcomes are translated into actionable information that people can understand, and use, to make well-informed health decisions. Right now, I’m looking at positions in the city and state government and hospitals, including Mount Sinai.

Alumna Spotlight: Erica Palladino, MPH, Is Making an Impact on Maternal Health With Her Master of Public Health Degree

Erica Palladino, MPH, has held increasingly responsible positions in health communications at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services after she received a Master of Public Health degree in the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention track from Mount Sinai’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 2019.

In the following Q&A, Ms. Palladino discusses her passion for public health and how her work in federal government enables her to make a true impact on the health of women and children.

What is your current job?

I’m a health communications specialist at the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) in the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). I write about and promote how HRSA-funded programs improve the lives of mothers and their children.

After graduating with my MPH, I began as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) fellow in the Office of the Surgeon General and I then transitioned to a federal Public Health Analyst at HHS, but I knew from my time at Mount Sinai after taking some reproductive health and maternal health classes that I wanted to go in this direction.

Among my day-to-day responsibilities, I write press releases about government funding that is available and awarded to states, doctors, local health departments, and community-based organizations that help our maternal and child populations. I write speeches for HRSA leadership when they attend events about these topics, and I help create campaigns that increase awareness and highlight the work of those who have received our funding.

A very important part of what we do is use plain language to effectively communicate our programs and health impact. We discuss prevention, promote healthy behavior modifications, and provide resources available to moms. Resources include the maternal mental health hotline that allows pregnant or postpartum moms who are experiencing mental health challenges to talk to counselors and get support, so they don’t feel like they’re alone.

Far too many women die or experience life-threatening pregnancy-related complications in this country. But we also know that 80 percent of these pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. The federal government is helping in whatever ways we can. Specifically, at HRSA, we support community-based programs with a focus on increasing access to care, strengthening the maternal health workforce, and improving the quality of care especially for those who are geographically isolated, and economically, or medically vulnerable.

I love this position because it gives me the opportunity to show people that the federal funding truly impacts the communities that need it the most.

Why a master’s degree?

Public health is a very broad field, which may seem overwhelming at first, but you can do so many different things with it. So, for me, the best part of Mount Sinai was learning about my professors’ backgrounds and seeing what career options were out there. They would say, “When I was at the CDC, this is what I did,” or, “I was a contractor for the health department, and this is how I got there.” I think the stories and experiences that professors shared were helpful in influencing my journey.

I didn’t even realize I had any interest in maternal health until I took the Health Promotion Strategies class. The professor there connected me with my Applied Practice Experience advisor at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: Bureau of Maternal, Infant, and Reproductive Health. I’m thankful to Mount Sinai for highlighting the importance of health literacy within maternal health and making me realize that this is one of those areas where we can really make a difference.

What are your next career goals?

I see myself staying at HRSA MCHB for now because I love my coworkers and my job. A great aspect of working for the federal government is that you can easily transfer to other agencies so, down the line, I could go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the National Institutes of Health, or I could work for the Secretary of Health at HHS. I’m very happy that I’m in a role where I feel fulfilled and where everyone around me is so passionate about what they do.

Any advice for students?

I recommend that students—and graduates—maintain relationships with their professors and reach out to department administrators to put them in touch with alumni. These people are very well-connected and can be very helpful when looking for a job or career advice.

Mount Sinai was a great resource for internships and fellowships, and I highly recommend that students take advantage of those while pursuing their degree and after graduation. I was working full time as a pharmaceutical copywriter while getting my MPH, so I was nervous to take a fellowship after graduation. But, as an ORISE fellow, I was able to learn from a variety of leaders within HHS and home in on certain subjects. As a fellow, I attended numerous events and traveled with the Surgeon General. I got to do a lot of things that I wouldn’t have done if I had been a full-time federal employee. I’m very thankful that Mount Sinai pushed those fellowship opportunities to the graduates.

Award-Winning Research With a Top Mentor—How Denise Iliff Excelled in the Master of Science in Biomedical Science Program

Denise Iliff received her Master of Science degree in Biomedical Science with a concentration in Systems Biology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 2023. Under the mentorship of James Iatridis, PhD, Ms. Iliff conducted award-winning research in his Spine and Bioengineering Lab on spinal injuries and chronic pain. Dr. Iatridis is the Mount Sinai Endowed Chair in Orthopedic Research, Vice Chair for Research, and Director of Spine Research in the Leni and Peter W. May Department of Orthopedics at Icahn Mount Sinai.

In the following Q&A, Ms. Iliff discusses her experience at Icahn Mount Sinai and her career aspirations.

Why this area of study?

I graduated from the University of Kansas during COVID-19. My plan was to go to medical school, but I didn’t feel I was fully prepared. I wanted to find a job, and everything was super crazy, but I found a position in a lab at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Medical Campus. I had never had a research job, so I thought I would try it out, and I fell in love with it. I realized this would be a really good and logical next step for me, so I started exploring master’s programs in biomedical sciences that involved research. I was super excited to come to Icahn Mount Sinai because I could learn more about biology in the medical sense, while also doing research.

What were some of your achievements as a master’s student?

I was fortunate to work on two very interesting projects at the Iatridis Spine Bioengineering Lab and to present our findings at conferences. My work focuses on utilizing in vivo rat models to investigate how injuries to the intervertebral disc and endplates progress to spinal cord sensitization and chronic pain. The goal is to gain greater understanding of painful degenerative disc disease. For my thesis, I was given the incredible opportunity to create a project from beginning to end, all the prep work and everything up through defending the research. It has been an amazing experience.

I also had the opportunity to attend conferences, which is a great honor but, more importantly, I learned so much about how to network with scientists from many different backgrounds and how to present and speak to doctors and PhDs about my work and answer questions. I recently presented a talk at the the annual meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society in Dallas, where I received the Best Podium award for spine section research. At the Philadelphia Spine Research Symposium, I presented a poster and received the Best Poster Award for outstanding scientific research in the pain, pathobiology, and crosstalk category. It’s all super exciting stuff, all thanks to the opportunities I had with Dr. Iatridis.

What are the strong points of this program?

Mount Sinai is such a strong research institution, which was very important to me. The diversity of labs is really what attracted me. Also, Mount Sinai has an incredible array of faculty from virtually all areas of science that a student would want to pursue.

As I read up on the program, I realized that there was a strong sense of community. I was one of the directors of the Master of Biomedical Science mentorship program, where second-year students mentor the first-years. That was a very important program for me when I came here because I was moving from Kansas to New York just as things were starting to open up again after COVID-19. Of course, the administration looks out for us, but students can offer other students a different perspective on the ins and outs. It’s an incredible program that helps orient students from undergrad or wherever they’re at in life to grad school. This program is a really good part of Mount Sinai.

What’s next?

I’m going to continue my research in the Iatridis Spine Lab as a research assistant because I still have more questions I want to answer in my project. After that, I’ll apply to physician assistant (PA) school. I enjoy patient-facing work and I think becoming a PA in a surgical specialty would be a good fit for me.

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