Celia M. Divino

Biography

As a surgical educator and leader, Dr Divino, Chief of the Division of General Surgery and Professor of Surgery, has blended the best of the past and the future in her approach to medical education. She is a proponent of the traditional values of strong mentoring by teachers as critical to young doctors’ sound decision-making.  At the same time, she has kept abreast of the latest innovations with her establishment of a Surgical Simulator Center, to hone the technical skills of the residents in both minimally invasive and traditional procedures.  An active surgeon, Dr Divino has extensive experience in advanced minimally invasive techniques, specializing in laparoscopic gastrointestinal and hernia surgery

Her accomplishments in the laboratory, the classroom, and the operating room have been repeatedly recognized with awards from Mount Sinai.  These awards include the 1997 Arthur A. Aufses, Sr., Prize in Surgery as a chief resident and twice receiving the Dr Robert Paradny Teaching Award in Surgery, the Physician of the Year Award, and the Surgical Attending of the Year Award.  Dr Divino has been honored with multiple commendations from various scientific societies and community groups including the Janet W. Glasgow Memorial Achievement Award of the American Medical Women’s Association and the Medical Leadership Award from the New York State Assembly.

Dr Divino’s service is further demonstrated by the many roles she has in hospital administration. She has taken a particular interest in intimating improvements in patient care in her role as the Chair of the Department of Surgery Quality Assurance Committee and as the Chair of the Performance Improvement Committee of the institution.  She is a member of the Graduate Medical Education Committee, and the Chair of the Surgical Education Committee. As the Program Director of the General Surgery Residency Program, she continues to institute comprehensive reform to the training and education of the surgeons of tomorrow.

She has been a recipient of research grants from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Department of Defense, the National Institute of Health, and the Association of Women’s Surgeons among others. Her current area of interest in basic science research is tumor immunology.

Dr Divino received her bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of California at Davis and her doctorate in medicine at the State University of New York - Health Science Center at Brooklyn cum laude with distinction in research. Her internship and residency were completed at Mount Sinai. Dr Divino assumed her position as Chief of the Division of General Surgery in 2003 and then in 2005, became the Vice-Chair of Education & Quality and the Director for the General Surgery Residency Program. She is currently the Stanley Edelman, MD, Professor of Surgery. 

In The News

Dr. Divino discusses gallstones in The Daily News feature The Daily Check Up. View the PDF.