At the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, these values permeate everything we do.
A Message From the Dean for Gender Equity in Science and Medicine
This year, I had the honor to be named Dean for Gender Equity in Science and Medicine here at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. This new position, which is one of the first of its kind in the country, elevates the importance of our commitment to providing all faculty, students, and trainees with the support they need to succeed. Our purpose is to ensure that everyone feels valued regardless of gender identity or gender expression.
This new post, which was created with the support and encouragement of Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine, builds off Mount Sinai’s long history of supporting gender equity in our student body. Today, 51 percent of medical students are women. Among graduate students, 63 percent are women, and women make up 72 percent of our incoming PhD class. Our commitment to gender diversity also extends to our faculty and leadership, where Mount Sinai has repeatedly broken new ground. Forty-five percent of our full-time faculty are women and there are 34 female deans across the school. In total, there are five women leading departments, including one of the first women to ever hold the position of Chair of Medicine and the first woman to be Chair of Orthopedics. In addition, women hold key leadership roles throughout the school, such as Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel, Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Human Relations Officer.
I look forward to collaborating with our leadership to meet these goals. We are here to listen to you, learn with you, and take concrete, tangible actions to achieve equity. If you have suggestions or concerns, please reach out to me. Together we can create greater equity for people of all genders and set an example for others to follow.
Carol R. Horowitz, MD, MPH
Professor of Population Health Science and Policy
Professor of Medicine
Dean for Gender Equity in Science and Medicine
Diversity and Inclusion: Part of Mount Sinai’s Values Since Its Inception
Diversity and inclusion, and addressing issues of equality and equity, have been part of Mount Sinai’s values since its inception. What has changed is the way the institution is organized and performs this critical work, according to Gary C. Butts, MD, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the Mount Sinai Health System and Dean for Diversity Programs, Policy, and Community Affairs for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
"Success in this space is not just about improving numbers but, more importantly, continuing to sustain the impact of this work across our growing institution," says Dr. Butts.
In this Q&A, Dr. Butts discusses how the Mount Sinai Health System ensures diversity and inclusion as a core institutional value and resource across the Health System.
Why is it important for senior leadership to be highly committed to these efforts?
No one can do this work alone nor do it without practical and genuine support from the most senior leadership. This includes helping to define systemwide priorities and a consistent strategy. One needs both the approval and support of the most senior leaders as well as those within each of our hospitals and the School of Medicine. We also need the accountability of the leadership of the various units.
How do you ensure employee engagement?
Internal communication is critical. If our staff doesn’t hear this message or engage in it, then we have missed the mark. We take advantage of events that allow staff to appreciate our efforts. Also, employees come together as part of our Employee Resource Groups. Each of our hospitals has a diversity council, and the hospital presidents and C-suite leadership sit on our Executive Diversity Leadership Board. Not only are employees hearing directly from leadership, but they’re participating in activities that are often run by leadership.
How do you know if your diversity and inclusion efforts are successful?
Metrics are important, but it is equally important to know what we’re looking for. Not all of the impact of good diversity and inclusion efforts is easily measured. That said, we’ve aimed to develop metrics that relate to the work people routinely do. This applies to HR recruitment as well as medical school admissions and residency recruitment. We have worked to stratify our health care performance metrics by race, ethnicity, and gender. This allows us to understand whether variations in health care and outcomes exist. When we are addressing issues that are important to senior leadership, then it’s easier to appreciate how our work is important to supporting institutional priorities.
How does diversity and inclusion drive innovation?
Mount Sinai has been my professional home for almost 40 years. It has always been a place for opportunity and to make a difference. It is also a place for driving innovation but, then again, innovation cannot happen optimally without diverse perspectives to push the conversation beyond one type of thought. When we include different voices and perspectives in defining solutions, it strengthens what we are and makes a great institution even better.
What are some examples of the success that Mount Sinai has had with its diversity efforts?
We have done well in achieving a robust level of diversity across most levels of the School of Medicine and the Health System. We are particularly intentional in how we approach outreach and recruitment for the School of Medicine, an important pool for our next generation of leaders. We have maintained black and Latino participation of close to 20 percent in our medical student body for more than 15 years. Asian students represent another 20 percent of our student body, and a substantial percent of the student body are first-generation college graduates.
What we’ve done with gender diversity in the School is also impressive. We have ensured that women apply and matriculate to our medical school in comparable numbers to those in the national pool of applicants. We are also inclusive of LGBT individuals as well. Though metrics are important, we don’t screen solely on the basis of them—we are looking to get a diverse group of exciting, interesting, and talented individuals to make up our student body. We also want to keep much of this talent in our system. This is the pool from which we can more easily draw our residents and faculty.