In the rapidly evolving landscape of medicine, how we educate our future clinicians matters now more than ever. Equipping the next generation with clinical knowledge and skills is just the first step. To truly serve patients, our future clinicians will also need to harness the latest biomedical technology, engage as equity advocates to eradicate health disparities, and embrace self-care rituals that provide for longterm personal and professional growth.

At the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Office of Curricular Affairs is dedicated to creating a training experience that supports all of the above. We position our students for rewarding and resilient careers in medicine, which entails regularly reevaluating our own curriclum. After a multiyear effort that included students, faculty, leadership, and staff across the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, I’m thrilled to announce the launch our new MD curriculum, ASCEND. 

ASCEND represents the best of our previous training experience while leveraging new curricular methodologies that respond directly to our current moment, as well as what we know will impact the future of medicine. It embodies our commitment to four essential themes:

• Scientific and Scholarly Discovery
• Advocacy, Social Justice, and Anti-Oppression
• Healthcare Delivery Science
• Leadership and Professional Identity Formation

Throughout their educational experience, our medical students benefit from early clinical exposure, personalized career guidance, and opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research. Moreover, at Icahn Mount Sinai, we have cultivated a truly supportive community that continually prioritizes the well-being of our students along with their academic success.

As the landscape of medicine continues to evolve, we are transforming with it, while staying true to everything that has made Icahn Mount Sinai a national leader in curricular excellence: bold thinking, breakthrough science, social justice, and self-care.

This is who we are. This is who we train.

Rainier P. Soriano, MD
Senior Associate Dean, Curricular Affairs in Medical Education
Professor, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
Professor, Medical Education
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai