New York City’s oldest Department of Neurology, we opened our inpatient service in 1900. For more than a century, we have contributed to clinical and scientific research, trained generations of neurologists, and held prominent positions on the national and international neurological stage. Here are a few highlights of our history:
History
1887
Bernard Sachs, MD, published the first description in United States of amaurotic familial idiocy, later known as Tay-Sachs disease.
1890
Opened the Neurology Clinic in the Dispensary on 67th Street.
1894
Bernard Sachs, MD, became editor of the Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases.
Bernard Sachs, MD, was named president of the American Neurological Association.
1900
Established the in-patient neurological service, the first in a New York hospital.
1913
Dedicated our first neurological ward.
1918
Israel Straus, MD, and Joseph Globus, MD, described a brain tumor they call "spongioblastoma."
1919
Leo Loewe, MD, and Israel Strauss, MD, described the first experimental transmission of encephalitis lethargica.
1920
Created neuropathology laboratory.
1923
Developed residency program in neurology.
1939
Established electroencephalographic unit.
1956
Morris B. Bender, MD, classified what he called “transient circulatory disturbance of the brain,” which came to be known as transient global ischemia.
1958
Division of Clinical Neurophysiology created.
1961
Neurochemistry Lab opened.
1964
Created clinic for the study and treatment of Parkinson's disease and other extrapyramidal disorders.
1968
Neurovirology lab created.
1969
Melvin D. Yahr, MD, published a study showing L-dopa is an effective treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
1974
Established a clinical center for Parkinson's disease.
1978
Opened first U.S. clinic for patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease)
1988
Gustave L. Levy Stroke Unit opened.
1991
After Dr. Yahr's retirement in 1991, Howard Lipton was appointed Chairman and Goldschmidt Professor. Dr. Lipton was followed by C. Warren Olanow in 1994. Dr. Olanow is a world-renowned expert in Parkinson’s disease whose contributions have included fetal-nigral transplantation, the iron-infusion model of Parkinsonism, and deep brain stimulation. In 1996, the Neuroscience and Restorative Care Center was opened in the new Guggenheim Pavilion of the Hospital, enabling further integration of rehabilitation, neurosurgery, and neurology disciplines in the care of patients.
1996
Opened the Neuroscience and Restorative Care Center for patient care.
2001
Founded in 2001 and led by Dr. Fred D. Lublin, an international authority on MS, Mount Sinai's Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis continues to make significant contribution to our understanding of the disease. As the recipient of $30 million NIH grant - the largest clinical grant ever given by the NIH - the MS center is involved in groundbreaking research efforts, including CombiRx, which is the first study to assess the effectiveness of combining two FDA approved medications as the initial treatment for people with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.
2005
Became a New York State Department of Health-designated stroke center.
2006
Created the multidisciplinary Neuro-Oncology program.
2008
Mount Sinai Stroke Center earned the Joint Commission certification as a Primary Stroke Center, the first and only hospital in Manhattan to do so.
2008
In 2008, the Friedman Brain Institute was established with Neurology as one of its participating Departments. The FBI focuses on various translational research programs such as Neural Injury and Repair, Cognition, and Neuropsychiatry. The FBI is directed by Eric Nestler, MD, PhD, Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs.
2008
Stuart Sealfon, MD, determined that LSD mirrors symptoms and chemical activity of schizophrenia.
2009
Created a center for headache and pain medicine.
2013
Became the first hospital in New York State to receive Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification.
2015
Barbara Vickrey, MD, MPH, is the most recent faculty member named President of the American Neurological Association