Fifteen high school, college, and graduate students who aspire to careers in health care participated in recent internships throughout the Mount Sinai Health System. The initiative, which provides opportunities to students from groups underrepresented in health care, is supported by the Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) in partnership with five local organizations: the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA); All Stars Project, Inc.; Committee for Hispanic Children and Families; Prep for Prep; and YouthBridge-NY.
The students gained exposure in areas such as hospital administration, managed care, biomedical research, and the new Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program. They also had the opportunity to meet with Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System; David L. Reich, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Mount Sinai Hospital; Arthur A. Gianelli, President, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s; and Susan Somerville, RN, President, Mount Sinai Beth Israel.
“Meeting Dr. Davis was one of the greatest experiences of my internship,” says Columbia University Master of Public Health student Geraldine Massuh, one of three GNYHA interns who attended a lunchtime roundtable with Dr. Davis. Inspired by Dr. Davis’s enthusiasm for research and medicine, Ms. Massuh intends to pursue a career in health care administration.
For Amit Chowdhury, a Prep for Prep intern who will begin his freshman year at Yale University in September, the internship was both a stimulating and challenging experience. Under the supervision of Benjamin Greenbaum, PhD, Assistant Professor, Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Mr. Chowdhury says that he “wrote codes to analyze the network relatedness of different HIV and influenza proteins using a mathematical model published in a recent scientific paper.” He plans to major in physics upon entering college this fall.
Among other activities, interns learned about best practices in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) health care, facilitated by Barbara Warren, PsyD, Director, LGBT Programs and Policies, and in financial management, with Hope Bellingham, Vice President, Finance. They also had a tour of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and an introduction to the Center of Excellence in Youth Education (CEYE) programs, led by Alyson Davis, Program Manager.
High school students Sarah Rebarber and Hemali Dave, YouthBridge-NY interns, had an opportunity to meet with Gary Butts, MD, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Mount Sinai Health System, and Senior Associate Dean, Programs, Policy, and Community Affairs, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Dr. Butts encouraged us to take all the opportunities that are given to us in order to help us achieve our goals,” says Ms. Dave, who wants to attend medical school upon graduation from college.
Says Dr. Butts about the role that these internships play in advancing the talent pipeline for groups underrepresented in health care: “This program offers participants exposure to relevant issues, as well as critical opportunities for mentorship and developing professional networks for the future.”