Ombuds Office

The Ombuds Office, created in 2009, is an independent service available to members of the Icahn School of Medicine (MSSM) community. We offer a safe and informal setting for individuals to discuss academic, professional, or personal issues. Medical, graduate, and postdoctoral students; faculty; and house staff are free to talk openly and confidentially about any topic. At your request, the Ombudsperson may assist you with:

• academic or career concerns
• harassment, discrimination, or other unfair treatment
• an interpersonal dispute in need of a neutral third party
• uncertainty about or unfair application of a policy
• knowledge of misconduct
• personal issues
• issues involving intellectual property

We work independently of Mount Sinai departments and are responsible only to the Dean of MSSM. While our office reports annually to the Dean, these reports are solely statistical and do not identify specific cases.

Assurances from the Ombuds Office

Confidentiality: We do not keep minutes or records of meetings or discussions. Confidentiality is assured, except in rare situations involving the commission of a crime or the risk of imminent physical harm, in which cases our office is bound by law to contact the proper authorities.

Impartiality: We are committed to remaining fair and impartial. We do not take sides in disputes. Our office is not involved in the outcomes of mediation processes. The Ombudsperson will not adjudicate, testify, or participate on the behalf of either party in any formal process.

Informality: The Ombudsperson operates outside established, formal processes of review, grievance, and appeal and does not maintain records or files on persons who seek assistance.