When Ramone Brown first arrived as a student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, he received a journal that included the words “Icahn School of World Changers at Mount Sinai.”
The symbolism was inescapable.
“It’s a powerful statement,” Brown said, “but one that captures the spirit of the institution.”
That spirit resonates strongly for Brown, who is a beneficiary of Mount Sinai’s Enhanced Scholarship Initiative, or ESI, which is aimed at expanding opportunities for students from underprivileged or disadvantaged backgrounds with a demonstrated financial need.
A second-year student and native of Jamaica, Brown was chosen to be the student speaker at the Mount Sinai Student Scholarship Reception at The Mount Sinai Hospital on May 1. Before a group of more than 40 donors, student scholarship recipients, and the Icahn School’s leadership, he articulated how impactful ESI is—and continues to be—for recipients like him.
“As a student interested in orthopedics, I’ve been inspired by many giants in the field, like Dr. Alexis Colvin, and I’ve embraced the medical mantra ‘See one, do one, teach one,’” Brown said, referring to the School’s Associate Dean for Alumni Affairs and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. “This philosophy challenges us to learn with humility, act with purpose, and pass on our knowledge to uplift others. Your support through the ESI has allowed me to embody this.”
The Student Scholarship Reception is a unique opportunity for select faculty and scholarship recipients to socialize with the generous donors whose support makes efforts like ESI possible. Members of the Mount Sinai Boards of Trustees in attendance included Joel Ehrenkranz and Robert Friedman and his wife, Dr. Elissa Gretz-Friedman.
Those gathered also heard remarks from Dr. Steven Lev, a scholarship donor and alumnus of the Mount Sinai Medical School’s Class of 1988; Dr. David Thomas, the Icahn School’s Dean for Medical Education; and Dr. Dennis Charney, who will retire at the end of this academic year after serving as Dean of the School since 2007.
Dean Thomas provided an overview of the new ASCEND curriculum that was rolled out for first-year students last fall, while Dean Charney provided a broader overview of how well the School is positioned to face the future now that he’s stepping away from a leadership role.
But the overarching theme of the evening was ESI and the opportunities it provides to students like Ramone Brown—opportunities that otherwise might not have existed.
Opportunities to become world changers.
“Becoming a physician at Mount Sinai means seeing the interconnectedness of medicine, research, and the patient experience,” Brown told the attendees. “It means doing what we committed to in our oath to enhance the lives of our patients. And it means reaching back to teach and inspire the next generation of talented students.
“Your generosity has given me the opportunity to live out this mission. Because of you, I’m not just learning how to be an orthopedic surgeon—I’m learning to be a physician leader, an advocate, and a change-maker. But the work is far from done.”
