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 medical school. We work to foster a culture of 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 leadership development training
- Support student groups in identifying appropriate faculty and staff mentors (and potential group advisors) with relevant experience, interests, and identities.
- Provide leadership and professional development for the leaders of student groups that our office advises.
- Grow and offer student leadership development and student group advising for aspiring advisors.
- Executive coaching
- Offer executive coaching to students, trainees, and faculty, both individually and in groups, through the Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs.
- Assess the effect of coaching on career outcomes, promotions/tenure, satisfaction, and self-efficacy of students, trainees, and faculty.
- Cultural well-being
- Serve on the medical school wellness committee to collaborate on strategic initiatives.
- Amplify the importance of identity development and belonging for every student as key aspects of well-being.
- Offer monthly community socials, highlighting various cultures through food, music, and media.
- Create programming, resources, policies, and practices that enable all medical school community members to flourish.
- Pathway programming
- Collaborate on Health Careers Opportunity Program-funded multiyear programming for college students preparing for entrance to medical school. The Icahn School of Medicine’s Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs is working in partnership with Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Manhattan-Staten Island Area Health Education Center.
- Oversee the six-week North East Regional Alliance Behavioral Health Undergraduate Social Work Fellowship, which is geared to students pursuing Bachelor of Social Work degrees. The program provides students with clinical exposure and didactic training to help them prepare to apply to graduate programs in social work.
- Offer a virtual six-week certificate program for aspiring founders, social entrepreneurs, and innovators looking to develop their skills in digital health, entrepreneurship, and technology-driven projects.