When we invited Dr. Mary T. Bassett, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to speak about racism in the health care system at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), we knew that it would be a powerful conversation. Not only because she has never been one to stay silent on important issues, but mostly because of what she stated during a  2015 TEDMED talk:  “Sounding the alarm about the impact of racism on health in the United States…is central to doing my job right as New York City’s Health Commissioner.”

To complement Dr. Bassett’s systems-level perspective, we invited Dr. Makini Chisolm-Straker, an emergency room doctor at Mount Sinai Brooklyn, who would be able to lend an on-the-ground angle to the discussion. On Thursday, November 9, Drs. Bassett and Chisolm-Straker spent two hours engaged in lively conversation with ISMMS students about identifying and dismantling racism in the health care system.

An important part of the conversation focused on how confronting racism and bias begins by looking in the mirror. Drs. Bassett and Chisolm-Straker relayed their self-reflective experiences to confront racism and bias within themselves and on a systemic level. In the Human Rights and Social Justice Program (HRSJ) at the Icahn School of Medicine, one of the first sessions of our elective course focuses entirely on racism, race in medicine, and societal intersections. Pointing to this intersectionality, both speakers talked explicitly about the systemic and historical underpinnings of the racism that we see today and its health impacts. The conversation ended with important reminders: Dismantling systemic racism takes time, and always push for change.

This conversation comes as part of a long chain of student-led efforts to encourage the Mount Sinai community to more openly name, discuss, and dismantle racism and bias. Previous work by students has pushed the medical school to raise awareness around issues of bias and racism in the learning environment; brought attention to the issue of institutional separation of healthcare delivery for patients with differing insurance plans within Mount Sinai; and advocated for multilingual signage at Mount Sinai. Much of this work has been done outside of the formal structure of HRSJ, and we are proud that many students Have been involved with this important work during their tenure at the School.

While this was the first time HRSJ hosted speakers at an event open to the entire Mount Sinai community, HRSJ has existed since 2011 and offers students a comprehensive curriculum in health equity, human rights, and social justice through mentorship, research, advocacy, and coursework. The goal of the program is to empower medical students with the knowledge, skill set, and conviction to become patient advocates in the broadest sense. We hope that this discussion is only the first of similar events where HRSJ is able to serve as a resource for the Mount Sinai community.

At the same TEDMED event, Dr. Bassett said, “Our role as health professionals is not just to treat our patients but to sound the alarm and advocate for change. Rightfully or not, our societal position gives our voices great credibility, and we shouldn’t waste that.” We couldn’t agree more with Dr. Bassett and we’re so grateful that she and Dr. Chisolm-Straker came to the School to share their perspectives and help prepare the next generation of physicians to sound the alarm on systemic racism and advocate for change.


ABOUT THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE PROGRAM

The Human Rights and Social Justice Program offers a group of first-year medical students a chance to develop their understanding of health equity, human rights, and social justice. Over the years, the program has served as an important community of students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who are dedicated to issues of justice and equity.

Race and Racism in Medicine: An Evening with Dr. Mary T. Bassett

When we invited Dr. Mary T. Bassett, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to speak about racism in the health care system at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), we knew that it would be a powerful conversation.
read more

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Every year, students at the Icahn School of Medicine write Op-Ed articles about topics in health care and advocacy to culminate InFocus 4. Caitlyn Braschi's article, "So How Do We Actually Die?" was one of the 10 exemplary articles selected to appear in the 2016 issue of Physicians as Advocates—InFocus 4. We share her story. 
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The History of “Histories”

Sue Li always knew she was going to be a writer. “I’ve been sort of writing my whole life,” she says. “Ever since I was a kid, I was always writing short stories in my notebook.” Growing up as an only child who emigrated from China into the United States at the age of four, she often visited the library and could always be found with her head in a book—transporting herself to new worlds almost daily. Her frequent library visits also instilled in her a desire to have her own book on the shelf one day. 
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Every year, students at the Icahn School of Medicine write Op-Ed articles about topics in health care and advocacy to culminate InFocus 4. Charlotte Austin's article, “Looking In” was one of the 10 exemplary articles selected to appear in the  Physicians as Advocates—InFocus 4, and focuses on marginalized identities. We share her story. 
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Every year, students at the Icahn School of Medicine write Op-Ed articles about topics in health care and advocacy to culminate InFocus 4. Eric Silberman's article, "Let's Not Forget About Alzheimer's" was one of the 10 exemplary articles selected to appear in the 2016 issue of Physicians as Advocates—InFocus 4. We share his story. 
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Race and Racism in Medicine: An Evening with Dr. Mary T. Bassett

When we invited Dr. Mary T. Bassett, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to speak about racism in the health care system at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), we knew that it would be a powerful conversation.
read more

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Doctors do incredible things; they treat disease and improve the health of their patient populations.  Unfortunately, this has come at a price. Literally.
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Skipping the Gym to Walk with a Doc

In a city where gym memberships run as high as $200 a month (with restrictive hours and the long term commitments), two of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s best qualities really come to a fore: 
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Maria, Maria.

On September 20, 2017 Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm, struck Puerto Rico, my home. It destroyed the entire island’s infrastructure and left 3.4 million people without electricity, water, and cell phone service—making internal and external communication, nearly impossible. These are facts. I’d like to get personal. I’d like to share how I was affected by this hurricane. 
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Crossing Borders to Build Future Physicians

The devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010, left the country with damaging effects, including a fractured health care system. On an annual service trip, volunteers of the ISMMS student organization, Medical Students for Haiti (MS4H), visit Haiti to train their international peers on basic medical practices, in an effort to build a cohort of competent physicians and clinicians who are ready to overturn the country’s current health care state. 
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A Night at the Oscars for a Week in Haiti

On Sunday, February 26,  Med Students 4 Haiti (MS4H) hosted an event called A Night at the Oscars in the student lounge of Aron Hall. This year’s Academy Awards was widely publicized for reaching a historic degree of diversity and inclusion among the nominees and the films that were recognized.
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How to Save a Life: Confessions from the Front Line

As is the case with most medical schools, the institution at which I receive my medical education is home to a myriad of student interest groups for nearly every clinical specialty.There’s your standard fare of IMIG, PIG, and SIG (for internal medicine, pediatrics, and surgery respectively), but then there are a few that are a bit more esoteric, such as the Transplant Surgery Interest Group (TSIG).
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Race and Racism in Medicine: An Evening with Dr. Mary T. Bassett

When we invited Dr. Mary T. Bassett, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to speak about racism in the health care system at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), we knew that it would be a powerful conversation.
read more

A Modern Family of Medicine

Whenever anyone asks how many siblings I have, I just start laughing. It’s not a very straightforward story, but the direct answer is incredibly high; something like 27. 
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Inspiring Innovation One High School Student at a Time

As the health care sector continues to face new challenges every day like rapidly rising costs and an increasing prevalence of chronic disease, the need for innovation is becoming exceedingly apparent. Now more than ever, we need people to disrupt the status quo and develop revolutionary innovations aimed at solving some of our most unsolvable problems. 
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It started with a simple Facebook post in October 2016.
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Still Waiting for Someone to Pinch Me

The White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage for beginning medical students that creates a psychological contract for professionalism and empathy in the practice of medicine. Slavena Salve Nissan, MD Candidate 2020, reflects on the ceremony's impact on her first step towards becoming a doctor. 
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It Takes a Village to Raise a Drag Queen

Earlier this year, oSTEM at Mount Sinai and the Stonewall Alliance hosted the first Mount Sinai Charity Drag Race. As one of the organizers, I can honestly say that the inception of this event started as a joke. Hosting a drag competition at a Hospital/Graduate School/Medical School was a nice thought, but it would be an over the top event that we definitely didn’t have the means to bring it into fruition. Thinking of planning such an enormous event was a little intimidating, but we figured that we could gauge interest from the Mount Sinai Community. We were shocked by the enthusiasm we received, so we kept on rolling with the punches. 
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On Thursday, September 13, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai celebrated its twenty-first annual White Coat Ceremony welcoming the Class of 2022. 
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Queer and Here: Leading Urban Youth with Pride

I was five years old when I knew for the first time that I was slightly... different. I had gotten into my mom’s closet, tried on her black strappy high heels, and found a beautiful dark red lipstick in her makeup bag. At the time, I thought that it was perfectly normally for any five year-old boy to strut up and down their parent’s bedroom in high heels, rocking the imaginary runway but alas— years later I discovered it wasn’t a shared experienced amongst my peers. 
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Fukushima

Over this past summer, after my first year of medical school, I decided to live in Fukushima for two months in order to understand how mental health is affected by large-scale disasters. My first days, and subsequent impressions, in Fukushima left me quite confused about its spirit and reputation.
read more

How to Save a Life: Confessions from the Front Line

As is the case with most medical schools, the institution at which I receive my medical education is home to a myriad of student interest groups for nearly every clinical specialty.There’s your standard fare of IMIG, PIG, and SIG (for internal medicine, pediatrics, and surgery respectively), but then there are a few that are a bit more esoteric, such as the Transplant Surgery Interest Group (TSIG).
read more

Race and Racism in Medicine: An Evening with Dr. Mary T. Bassett

When we invited Dr. Mary T. Bassett, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to speak about racism in the health care system at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), we knew that it would be a powerful conversation.
read more