1. Medical Education
David C. Thomas, MD, MHPE

Message From the Dean

As a national leader in equity and curricular excellence, the Medical Education Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai provides innovative training that celebrates every student’s biomedical passion while preparing them to serve patients as true pioneers.

Nestled within New York City’s preeminent Mount Sinai Health System, we are uniquely positioned to lean fully into what excites our students most about medicine. Our new ASCEND curriculum, created by the Office of Curricular Affairs, is designed with this personalization in mind, and expands opportunities toward a highly tailored training experience. Our unmatched mentorship, research, and community outreach opportunities often transform the path forward for our students, creating career possibilities they may not have otherwise considered. We also recognize the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize health care—for both providers and patients—which is why we integrated AI across our new curriculum, while ensuring our values of safety, equity, and agility remain front and center.

This personalized experience extends beyond our training spaces and serves as the foundation for our dynamic support services. We know that the best learning, teaching, and research are born from a sense of belonging at Icahn Mount Sinai, and we cultivate that inclusive atmosphere throughout the Medical Education Program. Our Office of Student Affairs works collaboratively with students and faculty to design initiatives that build community, empower that sense of belonging, and maintain an encouraging environment. As a key component of institutional excellence, we prioritize professional and career development in parallel with personal wellness.

At every level in the Medical Education Program, evidence of our active commitment to anti-racist training and patient care abounds. We are continually enhancing our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts to nurture the health of our entire community, and our award-winning activities are replicated at institutions across America. Our newly established Institute for Equity and Justice in Health Sciences Education further elevates this mission, as do our internal partnerships with the Institute for Health Equity Research and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. On this note, I encourage you to explore our East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP), which since 2004, has provided a more equitable model of care.

On behalf of patients everywhere, I invite you to lean fully into your biomedical passions—the precise reasons you chose medicine—and maximize your training experience through Icahn Mount Sinai’s Medical Education Program.

David C. Thomas, MD, MHPE
Dean, Medical Education
Chair, Department of Medical Education
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai