The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, a top ranked medical
school in the U.S., known for its strong culture of innovation and
scholarship, is launching a re-envisioned curriculum for MD
students. The curriculum, named ASCEND, will aim to transform
the acquisition of knowledge while retaining the school’s tradition
of early immersion in scholarly opportunities.
Icahn Mount Sinai, ranked No.
13 nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding
and among the 99th percentile in research dollars per investigator,
has established one of the most robust and expansive training
and research footprints in the nation. The ASCEND curriculum builds
on this legacy of clinical excellence and research
discovery.
Rainier P. Soriano, MD, Senior
Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs at Icahn Mount Sinai,
emphasizes the proactive nature of ASCEND: “ASCEND is designed to
navigate the abundance of information available, teaching students
to discern and absorb what's crucial at the moment it's needed
most. Students become active partners in their education journey
and are encouraged to dive deep in their learning
experiences.”
ASCEND commences with BaseCamp, an
introductory week of acclimation and immersion, followed by a
foundational module that lays down essential scientific and
clinical skills. The curriculum then advances to organ
systems-based blocks, offering a comprehensive exploration of the
human body and its functions. “This sequential learning enhances
students' understanding of how body systems interconnect and
function cohesively, and the impact when they do not,” adds Dr.
Soriano.
Central to ASCEND are areas of
curricular concentration designed to augment the core curriculum
with a focus on the following: scientific and scholarly discovery;
advocacy, social justice, and anti-oppression; health care delivery
science; and, leadership and professional identity
formation.
A cornerstone of ASCEND is the rapid
integration of students into scholarly activities, offering them
the opportunity to engage in research and scholarship early in
their education. “Introducing students to scholarship early on
equips them with a crucial understanding of how academic research
and clinical practice intertwine, enriching their learning
experience and laying a strong foundation for their professional
and career development,” Dr. Soriano elaborates.
Notably, ASCEND’s Practice of Medicine
module introduces students to longitudinal clinical mentorship from
the outset, ensuring the development of clinical competence over
the four years of medical education. “This initiative is about more
than just knowledge transfer; it's about fostering a profound,
lasting grasp of medical practice. ASCEND ensures continuous
clinical mentorship, supporting students' growth and competency
development from day one,” says Dr. Soriano.
Dr. Soriano contrasts his medical
school experience with ASCEND’s approach to mentorship: “Reflecting
on my experience, relationships with my teachers were transient.
ASCEND changes that by assigning a dedicated mentor to each student
right from the start, fostering a lasting and meaningful clinical
mentor-mentee relationship that enhances the learning experience in
which our faculty mentors can actually grow with their students.
And in this way the partnership becomes that much more
powerful.”
David C. Thomas, MD, MS, MHPE, Dean
for Medical Education and Chair of the Department of Medical
Education, agrees. “The ASCEND curriculum has been embraced within
the Mount Sinai community as a vehicle to propel the school’s
highest of standards for teaching and learning, scholarship,
innovation, mentorship, collaboration, and professionalism—and it
builds on the institution’s legacy of social justice and service to
the East Harlem community.”
To learn more about ASCEND,
visit https://icahn.mssm.edu/education/medical/program
About the Icahn School of
Medicine at Mount
Sinai
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount
Sinai is internationally renowned for its outstanding research,
educational, and clinical care programs. It is the sole academic
partner for the eight- member hospitals* of the Mount Sinai Health
System, one of the largest academic health systems in the United
States, providing care to a large and diverse patient
population.
Ranked 13th nationwide in National
Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and among the 99th percentile in
research dollars per investigator according to the Association of
American Medical Colleges, Icahn Mount Sinai has a talented,
productive, and successful faculty. More than 3,000 full-time
scientists, educators, and clinicians work within and across 44
academic departments and 36 multidisciplinary institutes, a
structure that facilitates tremendous collaboration and synergy.
Our emphasis on translational research and therapeutics is evident
in such diverse areas as genomics/big data, virology, neuroscience,
cardiology, geriatrics, as well as gastrointestinal and liver
diseases.
Icahn Mount Sinai offers highly
competitive MD, PhD, and Master’s degree programs, with current
enrollment of approximately 1,300 students. It has the largest
graduate medical education program in the country, with more than
2,000 clinical residents and fellows training throughout the Health
System. In addition, more than 550 postdoctoral research fellows
are in training within the Health System.
A culture of innovation and discovery
permeates every Icahn Mount Sinai program. Mount Sinai’s technology
transfer office, one of the largest in the country, partners with
faculty and trainees to pursue optimal commercialization of
intellectual property to ensure that Mount Sinai discoveries and
innovations translate into healthcare products and services that
benefit the public.
Icahn Mount Sinai’s commitment to
breakthrough science and clinical care is enhanced by academic
affiliations that supplement and complement the School’s
programs.
Through the Mount Sinai Innovation
Partners (MSIP), the Health System facilitates the real-world
application and commercialization of medical breakthroughs made at
Mount Sinai. Additionally, MSIP develops research partnerships with
industry leaders such as Merck & Co., AstraZeneca, Novo
Nordisk, and others.
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount
Sinai is located in New York City on the border between the Upper
East Side and East Harlem, and classroom teaching takes place on a
campus facing Central Park. Icahn Mount Sinai’s location offers
many opportunities to interact with and care for diverse
communities. Learning extends well beyond the borders of our
physical campus, to the eight hospitals of the Mount Sinai Health
System, our academic affiliates, and globally.
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* Mount Sinai Health System member
hospitals: The Mount Sinai Hospital; Mount Sinai Beth Israel; Mount
Sinai Brooklyn; Mount Sinai Morningside; Mount Sinai Queens; Mount
Sinai South Nassau; Mount Sinai West; and New York Eye and Ear
Infirmary of Mount Sinai.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of
the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area,
with 48,000 employees working across eight hospitals, more than 400
outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a
school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate
education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere,
by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our
time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and
knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating
the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and
supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all
who need it.
Through the integration of its
hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive
health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging
innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and
informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at
the center of all treatment. The Health System includes
approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 11
free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of
New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals
within the System are consistently ranked
by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, Best in
State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals”
and by U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals”
and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on
the U.S. News & World Report® “Best Hospitals” Honor
Roll for 2024-2025.
For more information,
visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai
on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Mount Sinai Press Office
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