Our Residents

Seven residents are chosen annually to stay an additional year as chief residents. These chief residents, in conjunction with the Program Director, work closely with the Chair and the Vice Chairs of the Department of Medicine and provide leadership throughout the residency training program. They are the liaison between the day-to-day workings of the residents, the administration of the department, and the various hospitals. They have significant teaching responsibilities and are among our future leaders in medicine.

The 2025-2026 Chief Residents are:

Thomas Chen, MD, MPH
Thomas Chen was born in Shandong, China before moving to San Diego where he spent the majority of his childhood. He received his BA from the University of Pennsylvania in Biology and Economics in 2013 and his MD/MPH from the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in 2022. As a resident, he was part of the Healthcare Leadership Track. As a Chief, his main roles are Scheduling and Grand Rounds. He is pursuing a career in Hematology/Oncology, with an interest in malignant hematology.

Emily Gore, MD
Emily Gore was born in Brooklyn and raised in northern New Jersey. She was part of a combined BA/MD program at the University of Rochester, earning a BA in Public Health in 2018 with a focus in Health, Behavior and Society, and her MD in 2022. She completed the Healthcare Leadership Track in residency. As a Chief, her main roles are Quality Improvement and Recruitment. She is pursuing a career in Gastroenterology, with interests in inflammatory bowel disease and quality improvement.

Rita Malley, MD, MS
Rita Malley earned a BA in Biology in 2013 from the College of the Holy Cross before pursuing an MS in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University in 2018. She received her MD from the Georgetown University School of Medicine in 2022. As a Chief, her main roles are Education and Recruitment. She is pursuing a career in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and is also interested in medical education.

Natalie Plick, MD
Natalie Plick was born and raised in Wynnewood, PA. She earned a BA in Neuroscience from Kenyon College in 2016 before receiving her MD from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2022. During Internal Medicine residency, she completed the Healthcare Leadership Track. As a Chief, her main roles are Quality Improvement, Education, and Recruitment. She is pursuing a career in Nephrology.

Nicholas Safian, MD
Nicholas Safian was born and raised in Brooklyn. He earned a BA in History, with a special focus on Science and Medicine, from Princeton University in 2017, before receiving his MD from the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in 2022. As a Chief, his main roles are Ambulatory, Wellness, and Global Health. He is a resident in the Integrated Internal Medicine/Geriatrics program and will pursue his Geriatrics fellowship at The Mount Sinai Hospital following completion of his Chief year. He is also interested in the medical humanities and narrative medicine.

Matthew Siano, MD
Matthew Siano was born and raised in Queens, NY. He earned a BS in Psychology from Hofstra University in 2017, followed by his MD from the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in 2022. As a chief, his primary responsibilities are scheduling and education. He is pursuing a career in cardiology and is interested in medical education.

Shaleen Thakur, MD
Shaleen was born in Jacksonville, Florida and raised in Gainesville, Florida. Shaleen Thakur earned a BS in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology from the University of Florida in 2018 before earning her MD from the Wake Forest School of Medicine in 2022. As a Chief, her main roles are Ambulatory, Grand Rounds, and Social Media. During her Internal Medicine residency, she was in the Integrated Internal Medicine/Geriatrics program and the Primary Care Track. She is pursuing a career in Cardiology, with a particular interest in Geriatric Cardiology.

The members of our PGY-3 class, 2025-2026:

The members of our PGY-2 class, 2025-2026:

The members of our categorical PGY-1 class, 2025-2026:

Most graduates from our residency program go on to pursue fellowship in a subspecialty or practice in Internal Medicine/primary care or hospital medicine. They are highly sought after and compete for the top spots throughout the country. Read more to learn about where our graduates have gone and the leadership positions they have in the world of academic medicine.

Graduating from the Internal Medicine Residency Program puts our residents in an elite group of medical professionals. They compete for and are accepted into some of the most prestigious subspecialty fellowships throughout the country. And many have used the training that they received at Mount Sinai to become national and international leaders in academic medicine.

The Internal Medicine Residency Program at Mount Sinai is designed to foster a team approach to patient care and learning. An essential component of that is creating an environment of friendship, camaraderie and well-being among residents and between residents and faculty. While the demands of residency can be intense at times, residents are always pleasantly surprised to discover that life does not need to stop during their training. There are many social activities for housestaff as well as their partners, families, and friends to enjoy around New York. These include seeing shows on Broadway, exploring different boroughs and neighborhoods, sampling the endless restaurants, attending sporting events (Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Nets, Liberty, Rangers, Jets, Giants), meeting for karaoke and bowling nights, and attending "Switch" parties at the end of each block, the Annual Winter Holiday party, and the Graduation party at the end of the year.

Housestaff Council

The Department of Medicine Housestaff Council is a peer-elected body composed of house officers that serve as advocates for their colleagues. The council meets on a monthly basis to discuss resident-related issues regarding work environment, education and morale. The chiefs facilitate these sessions, and larger concerns are brought to the Associate Program Directors, Program Director, and Vice Chair of Education at quarterly meetings.  In addition, the Housestaff Council helps  organize social events, including happy hours and orientation events for incoming residents. The Department of Medicine Housestaff Council sends representatives to the interdepartmental housestaff council to discuss hospital-wide concerns.

Housing

Mount Sinai owns several apartment buildings in the vicinity which are used for professional housing. Accommodations include shared suites,studios, and one- and two-bedroom apartments; household size is a factor in determining these assignments. All accommodations are located in proximity to the hospital. Incoming residents are eligible to apply for Mount Sinai housing. Housing offers are based on a lottery system in which applications are divided into three categories: incoming families, incoming couples, and incoming singles. All applicants will receive a housing offer based on their randomly assigned lottery number and top 10 choices.

Living in New York City

As one of the most influential and iconic cities in the world, New York offers nearly anything that you can possibly imagine. Whether you are interested in the post-modern collections at the Museum of Modern Art, the newest Broadway hit, the latest fashion trend or the independent film industry, New York boasts an array of cultural events every night. And for the adventuresome foodie or indie rocker, the city bursts with restaurants and musical acts. Each neighborhood offers a different flavor and feel, and if you grow tired of Manhattan, the outer boroughs can provide a year’s worth of activities. Many of our residents use their time at Elmhurst Hospital to explore Queens’ diverse restaurant offerings.

The Mount Sinai Health System Recreation Office offers a wide range of discounts to promote work/life balance and the enjoyment of many of New York City’s cultural events. Some of our discounted tickets, promotions and services include: Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, movies, sporting events, amusement parks, restaurants, health clubs and spas, hotels, cell phone service, car rentals, and much more.

Benefits

Mount Sinai provides health coverage for residents through UnitedHealthcare, and offers alternative coverage options through several other HMOs. Cost sharing is available if you desire family coverage. Additional benefits offered at Mount Sinai include:

• Basic health insurance, dental coverage, a prescription drug plan, and a vision plan at no cost to residents
• Enhanced dental plans and family coverage available with a cost-sharing deductible
• Short- and long-term disability, workers' compensation, life insurance, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance
• Dependent care and tax-sheltered annuity plans
• Malpractice insurance is covered for all residents

Salaries by Year

Stipend scale effective July 1, 2025

Residents receive an annual meal stipend of $1,350, and an annual educational allowance of $800.

Vacations 

In recognition of the heavy clinical demands on residents, vacations are considered an essential component of the schedule. Residents receive four weeks of vacation per year, divided into two two-week blocks. While every effort is made to provide vacations that accommodate individual needs and preferences, time for vacation is scheduled based on the clinical needs of the department.

Travel Stipends

The department also supports resident travel to clinical and research meetings for the presentation of papers and research results carried out in conjunction with faculty. Stipend includes domestic coach air travel, meeting registration and per diem expenses. Residents are eligible for up to $1000 of conference reimbursement per year for domestic travel, with an additional $500 matching from GME.