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newly matriculated PhD students

2025 Lab Coat Ceremony

Celebrate our newly matriculated PhD students as they take the next step in their academic journey.

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PhD Lab Coat Ceremony

GRADUATE

On Thursday, September 4, 2025, first year PhD and third year MD-PhD students from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai were celebrated at our 8th annual Lab Coat Ceremony. The students, faculty, family, and friends arrived at Goldwurm Auditorium for the presentation of lab coats. Mount Sinai offers PhD degrees in biomedical sciences, neuroscience, and clinical research, and a dual MD-PhD medical scientist training program degree.

Marta Filizola, PhD, the Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Sharon & Frederick A. Klingenstein-Nathan G. Kase, MD Professor, started the ceremony by highlighting the significance of providing the lab coats to students. “This ceremony holds great significance as it marks the formal beginning of our students’ academic research and training. The lab coats they receive today symbolize professionalism, responsibility, and authority they will cultivate and carry with them throughout their scholarly journeys.” Dr. Filizola spoke about how our institution is moving into new research frontiers, such as artificial intelligence and other technologies in medicine, that can help improve patient health and quality of life. She mentioned that our students are integral in this process by adding diverse perspectives and experiences that drive changes in how we conduct research.

Dr. Filizola next invited Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Interim Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine, to the podium to welcome our students and their guests. He started his remarks by mentioning that we are one of the few graduate schools in the country to have a lab coat ceremony and how important it is to recognize our incoming class and the research they will do. Dr. Nestler spoke about the current biomedical science climate, specifically how some people are questioning the value of scientific inquiry. He cautioned against the concept of “settled science” and that scientists must open to new data and new insights. Dr. Nestler said that he enjoys when a student or postdoc in the lab tells him that they’ve obtained data that conflicts with their hypothesis. He sees this as a great teaching moment, because it leads to new and advanced knowledge.

Dr. Nestler also commented that science should be neither friend nor foe to any political party. He feels that science is being politicized and that the reduction of budget for the National Institutes of Health impacts our ability to conduct meaningful research. Dr. Nestler mentioned that this is why we have a smaller PhD class, but we are lucky because some institutions have not accepted new PhD students at all. He encouraged everyone to remain optimistic because of the importance of biomedical research, specifically how the advancements in laboratory and clinic settings are transforming the way we understand, diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. Dr. Nestler was pleased to share that the Icahn School of Medicine recently renewed our overhead rate at almost the same level through 2030. He recommended better advocacy, such as working more closely with patients and their families so they can make the case to congress about the impact of our research. He also suggested better communication with the public so that they understand the power and potential of biomedical research. Dr. Nestler concluded his speech by telling the students that “you now have the opportunity to pursue great research for the benefit of humanity. We look forward to seeing the important, impactful science that you will complete during your graduate studies at Mount Sinai.”

Next up was Sarah Millar, PhD, Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs for the Icahn School of Medicine. Before introducing the keynote speaker, Alec Kimmelman, MD, PhD, Dr. Millar shared some words of encouragement and some details about her own journey as a scientist. She told the audience about how she was inspired to study science after an experiment in class when she was eleven years old. Dr. Millar then provided some details about Dr. Kimmelman, such as how he started his scientific journey at Mount Sinai as an MD-PhD student, received his medical degree from Harvard, and how he joined New York University in 2016 as the Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology.

Alec Kimmelman, MD, PhD, is the Chief Executive Officer of NYU Langone Health and the Dean of the Grossman School of Medicine. He began his remarks by encouraging students to ask the right questions through rigor, creativity, and persistence. Dr. Kimmelman shared stories about his experience and how he became a leader in this industry. He spoke about why he chose to become a physician scientist. While practicing medicine, he worked with patients suffering from pancreatic cancer. He remaked that he didn’t have a lot of treatment options and this weighed heavily on the patients and there families. Dr Kimmelman became interested in the research being done to combat this disease. He didn’t want to choose between caring for patients and moving treatments forward and realized how important it is for science and medicine to move hand in hand. Dr. Kimmelman is impressed by how quickly we can develop treatments today.

He spoke about how these students are joining science during a time of great change. Dr. Kimmelman stated that technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming how we practice and teach medicine. We can learn from every patient, and research that took weeks can now be accomplished in a matter of hours. He emphasized that technology alone is not enough, and that the student’s curiosity, discipline and integrity as scientists will determine how this power is harnessed. Dr. Kimmelman reflected on his path to becoming a leader in science. He discovered leadership is about responsibility, creating an environment where curiosity can thrive, where people support each other, and where integrity is never compromised. Dr. Kimmelman believes leadership is something students should practice in how they approach their science and their colleagues. He also believes leadership involves staying consistent and holding true to these values despite the distractions of world events. Dr. Kimmelman concluded with an encouraging message to students.

“You are stepping into calling larger than yourself. One that connects the work at your bench to life saving medicine The discoveries that you will make here are not abstract. Never underestimate the power of your ideas, they can save lives. Every experiment you run, every question you pursue, carries the potential to shape the future for patients and families. That’s why it’s important to tune out the noise, stay anchored in your why, and refuse to accept the status quo.”

Denise Dilley, Director of Alumni Relations, spoke briefly on behalf of Alexis Colvin, MD, Dean for Alumni Relations. She encouraged students to take advantage of having access to Mount Sinai alumni and to utilize their mentorship program.

Each student received a lab coat with their name embroidered on the front left. They were coated by our PhD Multidisciplinary Training Area Directors. Matthew O’Connell, PhD, Senior Associate Dean for PhD Programs, Talia Swartz, MD, PhD, Senior Associate Dean for MD-PhD Education, and Janice Gabrilove, MD, Co-Director, Clinical Research Education Program read the names of students to come up and be coated by our Multidisciplinary Training Directors. Dr. O’Connell then led the students in reciting the Oath for Doctoral Students to “to uphold the highest levels of integrity, professionalism, scholarship, and honor.” The ceremony concluded with all the coated PhD students turning to face the audience and showing their appreciation of the support they receive with a round of applause.

The ceremony was followed by a reception, which was filled with newly coated PhD students taking selfies, enjoying food, and being celebrated by family and friends. Congratulations to our participating students!

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image of o Marta Filizola

Dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Marta Filizola, welcoming our students and guests to the 7th annual Lab Coat Ceremony