• Press Release

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Student Named to Forbes’ 2017 30 Under 30 List

  • New York, NY
  • (January 10, 2017)

Denisse Rojas Marquez, a second-year medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), was named to Forbes’ sixth annual “30 Under 30” list, which will be featured in the January 24, 2017, Forbes magazine issue.

Ms. Marquez became one of the first two undocumented students at ISMMS in 2015. She is working toward becoming a doctor for underserved immigrant communities and a leader in shaping health care policies. She is also a co-founder of Pre-Health Dreamers (PHD), a national organization that provides advising, resources, and advocacy for other undocumented students interested in pursuing careers in health care.

“Denisse embodies all of the best values and highest aspirations of a true physician-advocate,” said David Muller, MD, Dean for Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “I have great respect for the work she has done and the lives she's changed as a result. We congratulate her on this outstanding accomplishment.”

Ms. Marquez was 10 months old when she and her family left Mexico for the United States. In their new home of Fremont, California, her family found new opportunities that enabled her and her two siblings to attend college. As an undocumented immigrant, however, Ms. Marquez was ineligible for financial aid and often felt discouraged that no career counselor could offer her guidance on her goals. This experience inspired her to co-found PHD. The organization has since reached 700 members in 42 states, and advocated for legislation to allow California licensing boards to award professional licenses to undocumented professionals. Additionally, PHD has engaged more than 50 medical schools to consider undocumented med students.

The 30 Under 30 list includes 30 honorees in 20 different categories, each judged by experts in their fields. Ms. Marquez is among the 600 honorees selected from a pool of more than 15,000 online submissions, an acceptance rate of less than 4 percent. This year, one in every six of the list members are immigrants, originating from 44 different countries and exemplifying the success of immigrants as well as the thriving American dream.  

"Over six years, the Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ list has emerged as the way that the world discovers the next generation of entrepreneurs and game-changers. These are the people that will run every field for the next 50 years,” said Randall Lane, Editor of Forbes Magazine.

For the complete list, feature stories and exclusive videos, visit: www.forbes.com/30under30.

About the Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.

Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties.

For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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