The Patricia S. Levinson Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs is a unit in the Academic Community and Culture Core of the Office for Professional Engagement and Development within the Office of the Dean at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Our mission is to provide programs and develop partnerships that foster personal and professional development, belonging, and community for students and trainees, with a focus on expanding access, support, and opportunity for all learners. We strive to improve retention and prepare future leaders in medicine, science, and health care. Our programming supplements existing campus opportunities, with a special emphasis on the diverse cultures represented at the Icahn School of Medicine. We work to foster cultural well-being and belonging for all students. Through programs that affirm identity, strengthen community, and cultivate leadership, we support students while they are in school. At the same time, we prepare them to serve and lead across all communities as future physicians, scientists, and industry leaders.
Our programs include:
- Student Engagement and Support: We focus on developing student leadership, executive coaching, and cultural well-being. This encompasses student leadership development training. We emphasize programming, resources, policies, and practices.
- Northeast Regional Alliance (NERA) MedPrep Health Care Opportunity Program Academy: This free, multiyear summer enrichment program prepares economically and educationally disadvantaged college students for successful careers in medicine. Through a partnership among the Icahn School of Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Manhattan-Staten Island Area Health Education Center, participants receive mentoring, academic advising, clinical and research experiences, MCAT preparation, and professional development designed to strengthen their competitiveness for medical school. The program also includes a six-week NERA Behavioral Health Undergraduate Social Work Fellowship for students pursuing Bachelor of Social Work degrees, to gain clinical exposure and didactic training in preparation of applying to graduate programs in social work.
- Visiting Electives Program for Students Underserved in Medicine Fellowship: This fellowship creates opportunities for talented rising fourth-year MD and DO students—particularly those with limited access to high-quality clinical experiences—to participate in elective rotations and residency training experiences across the Mount Sinai Health System, strengthening pathways into medicine and advancing the development of a skilled and diverse physician workforce.