The Jeremy H. Boal Endowed Fund: A Legacy of Compassion and Care at Mount Sinai

In a touching ceremony attended by family, friends, and colleagues, the Mount Sinai Health System recently announced the establishment of the Jeremy H. Boal, MD, MSH ’96, Endowed Fund in recognition of Dr. Boal’s extraordinary career and enduring impact. The Fund ensures vital support for the Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors Program, which Dr. Boal co-founded in 1995 with Drs. David Muller and Laurent Adler, and the Hospice and Palliative Care Fellowship at the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine.

From his training as a Brookdale Fellow to his leadership roles, including Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System, Dr. Boal’s career exemplifies a deep commitment to improving health care for the most vulnerable. He played a pivotal role in Mount Sinai’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and championed initiatives addressing access to care.

“I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of Mount Sinai in so many ways. I’ve had clinical, academic, operational, and strategic responsibilities. I’ve been responsible for maintaining and improving the quality and safety of the entire Health System at times. It’s been a joy to have had the chance to do all of those things and learn so much.”
–Jeremy H. Boal, MD, MSH ’96

In 2023, Dr. Boal received a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the neurodegenerative disease commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Yet, even as he stepped down from his formal roles at Mount Sinai to focus on his health, Dr. Boal remains dedicated to a lifelong pursuit of compassion, empathy, and care as an active advocate for medical aid-in-dying legislation. Read Dr. Boal’s recently published essay here.

(Update: as of June 9, 2025, the New York State Senate passed the Medical Aid in Dying Act, the first time this has happened since the legislation was introduced in 2016. If signed into law by Governor Hochul, New York will become the 12th state to authorize this end-of-life care option.)

 

In His Own Words: Dr. Boal Reflects Upon a Career of Curiosity and Compassion

“I came to Mount Sinai in the early nineties as a second-year internal medicine resident. During my residency, I was curious about a number of patients in our practices who clearly needed care but were missing appointments. David Muller and I came up with the idea to use some elective time to track down some of these patients and ask them if we could go visit them in their homes to try to figure out what the gaps were in accessing care.

Even as busy as residencies are, I was developing this incredible curiosity and passion for understanding how the system works or doesn’t work and figuring out how to make it work better. That’s how the Visiting Doctors Program was started—with the intention of creating a clinical platform to bring care to patients in our communities who had great difficulty or simply couldn’t come to the hospital or our practices to get care.

When we proposed this idea to our residency director, Dr. Larry Smith, our chair of medicine, Dr. Barry Coller, and to other leaders, there was an interest and a willingness to explore it with us while recognizing that it was a daunting goal.

The response we got was: “let’s figure this out, and if you hit roadblocks, come tell us and we will help you.” It was a combination of us and our curiosity and our desire to make things better. And being lucky to be at a place like Mount Sinai that embraces taking on hard challenges. Mount Sinai has always been a place of profound curiosity and a willingness to try new things.

Since then, the program has operated continuously, caring for tens of thousands of New Yorkers all over Manhattan, significantly impacting those most vulnerable and at risk of losing access to care.

Being at Mount Sinai for most of my career and then having a chance to step away gave me an opportunity to gain a lot of insight into what makes Mount Sinai truly unique and truly special. In addition to the intense curiosity that is part of Mount Sinai’s DNA, another key characteristic is an absolute commitment to excellence and an intolerance for mediocre outcomes. If you work at Mount Sinai, you’re working at a place where we demand the best possible outcome for every patient and for our communities. And we are not afraid to be clear about that, we’re not afraid to take on really tough challenges.

Over the years, we’ve become a health system with many assets, hospitals, ambulatory sites, and virtual care, but we’ve never lost track of our vital mission and values. COVID was an extraordinary challenge and bearing witness to so much pain and suffering and so much loss transformed us as an organization. We had to flatten our hierarchy even more, create a structure where we could react and proactively act to address unpredictable challenges, at the speed at which they were occurring and experiment our way forward. This approach allowed us to save many more lives and protect our staff to a much greater degree.

I’ve had the chance to spend decades working with extraordinary people on the most important mission of all: to create a world in which everybody can live the longest and healthiest, most disability-free life possible. There’s a unique ecosystem at Mount Sinai. It’s grounded in its values and in this commitment to collaborative discovery that allows for the creation of miracles, of extraordinary change. I’ve been witness to that for decades. I’m blown away by what our medical school creates. I’m blown away by what our hospitals and our ambulatory environments create and what they deliver. There’s just a fire in the belly of this organization to not accept the status quo. And that fills me with joy and gratitude.”

The above is excerpted from an interview with Dr. Boal upon receiving the 2024 Jacobi Medallion, the highest award bestowed upon a member of the Mount Sinai community.

 

“We celebrate Dr. Boal for what he has done, but also for who he is; for his clinical brilliance, his leadership, his tenacity, his kindness, his thoughtfulness, his friendship, his fervent belief in equity, and for simply doing the right thing for everyone around him every time—even during the most difficult circumstances.”

Brendan G. Carr, MD, MA, MS, Chief Executive Officer, Professor and Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Distinguished Chair, Mount Sinai Health System

“Jeremy’s empathy for people and human suffering is the foundation that drove all of the work that he’s done over the course of his career. He has such empathy for human suffering. There are no awards for that.”

David Muller, MD, MSH, ’95, Dean Emeritus for Medical Education, Director, Institute for Integrity and Justice in Medical Education, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Co-founder of MSVD with Dr. Boal


About the Jeremy H. Boal, MD, MSH ’96, Endowed Fund

Through the establishment of the Jeremy Boal Endowment, Mount Sinai not only celebrates Dr. Boal’s remarkable achievements but also fortifies the future of initiatives that embody his values. This fund is a cornerstone for advancing health care delivery and education, ensuring our most vulnerable patients receive the high-quality, compassionate care they deserve.

The Fund supports the Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors Program and the Hospice and Palliative Care Fellowship at the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine.

While certain aspects of the Visiting Doctors program’s invaluable work are covered by insurance, many vital services—such as social work and caregiver support—depend on generous philanthropic contributions. The Jeremy Boal Endowed Fund ensures the sustainability of this transformative program, allowing it to amplify its reach and magnify its impact on the lives of homebound individuals and their caregivers. Generous support from donors helps Mount Sinai continue to be national leaders in home-based primary care.

About the Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors Program

Now in its 30th year, the program serves more than 1,000 homebound patients annually, providing compassionate, multidisciplinary care that addresses complex medical and social needs. The MSVD team—comprising physicians, nurses, social workers, and dedicated administrative staff—delivers personalized, multidisciplinary care directly to patients in their homes. This innovative approach encompasses not only physical examinations and medical management but also helps patients navigate essential resources and support systems, enabling them to remain in the comfort of their own homes. By doing so, MSVD has set a national standard in home-based primary care.


About the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship

Additionally, the endowed fund supports the Brookdale Fellowship, fostering the next generation of leaders in geriatrics and palliative medicine. Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness and is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment. This fellowship empowers physicians to meet the distinctive needs of ill and/or aging populations, an area where Dr. Boal has made significant strides. His legacy serves as a powerful inspiration for emerging clinicians, researchers, and advocates dedicated to providing holistic and compassionate care.


To learn more or contribute to the Jeremy Boal Endowed Fund, please contact Bryce Shaffer, Associate Director of Development, at bryce.shaffer@mountsinai.org or 929-637-3399. Together, we can honor Dr. Boal’s legacy and continue his mission of transforming care for generations to come.

Pablo Legorreta on a Worthwhile Cause and Fostering Collaboration

Growing up in a small town south of Mexico City, Pablo Legorreta learned at an early age the importance of giving back to the community.

“I was fortunate to grow up with a mother who was very socially conscious and really instilled in me and my brother and sisters this notion that we were privileged in Mexico just by the virtue of having an education, having a roof over our heads,” Legorreta said.

His mother was involved with the Red Cross, and she would sometimes take Legorreta and his siblings to a Red Cross hospital to do volunteer work. This experience, which included doing odd jobs like painting walls, cleaning up, and collecting donations, left a lasting impression.

“When I saw that we were doing these things and that people were appreciating it and benefiting,” Legorreta said, “it made a big difference, and it’s been part of my life since I was a teenager.”

That awareness of social inequities along with an abiding sense to do something to address them, has shaped Legorreta’s life and work. He and the company he founded, Royalty Pharma, have demonstrated that commitment by making generous gifts to two initiatives at Mount Sinai: $20 million to the Institute for Health Equity Research (IHER) and $500,000 to the Center for Post-COVID Care.

Royalty Pharma, where Legorreta serves as Chief Executive Officer, advances life science innovation by providing much-needed capital to biopharma research institutions. Legorreta said the company’s success triggered the philanthropic impulse he had developed thanks to his family’s influence. From his view, supporting research institutions that are advancing medicine, striving to meet unmet medical needs, and improving people’s lives is not just a natural extension of Royalty Pharma’s business interests, but a worthwhile project in its own right.

“When I realized that the two main areas of focus for IHER were going to be trying to understand the disparity in access to health and the disparity in health outcomes, it seemed to me like those two things were really incredible purposes to actually try to get involved with,” Legorreta said.

Likewise, Legorreta personally knew people and had family members who were experiencing long-term difficulties from COVID, the complexities of which remain a mystery to medical science. But once he learned that Mount Sinai was creating a center designed specifically to study the effects of the virus, he saw an opportunity to make an impact.

“When I was talking with the senior administration at Mount Sinai, one of them shared with me this idea of creating a Center to try to initially just learn what is it, what is the long-term effects of this virus?” Legorreta said “There was a need to do a lot of research, also, to understand what treatments could be used, and then are there treatments that could be developed? When I heard about all of that I realized that it was also a very worthwhile cause. I thought it was another good thing for us to actually support at Mount Sinai.”

Royalty Pharma’s commitment to IHER, which was launched in May 2020, extends far beyond its generous financial support. The company and IHER have a collaborative relationship that also provides Mount Sinai with access to expensive data that Royalty Pharma purchases as part of its core business function, in addition to training on how to use that data, and—in some cases—time and effort that members of the Royalty Pharma team put in that extends beyond their work for the company.

“Money is important, and $20 million is a lot, but I think the contribution that the team here is doing, of time, is probably more valuable than the $20 million,” Legorreta said. “I just want to make that point.”

Sandy Balkin, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Analytics at Royalty Pharma, is most impressed by the IHER team’s commitment to not just identifying the problems with disparities in health care delivery and outcomes, but to finding actionable solutions.

“I got introduced to this, and like other people at Royalty Pharma, this has become a passion of ours,” Balkin said. “Everyone here is truly proud of our relationship with Mount Sinai, and being able to contribute our intellectual capital—however small it may be compared to the unbelievable intellectual capital that is sitting at Mount Sinai—makes us know that every piece of value that we can add to that process is contributing something. It really makes us feel that we really want to continue to do what we do, not only helping companies bring medicines to patients but also helping get patients to those medicines.”

Royalty Pharma also sponsors an annual symposium on equity at Mount Sinai that brings together experts from some of the top organizations around the country. Sometimes, giving back to the community also involves getting numerous communities to work together. It’s something Pablo Legorreta and Royalty Pharma know all too well.

“Because at the end of the day, the way we’re going to succeed in addressing a lot of these things is by having other top organizations like Mount Sinai collaborate,” Legorreta said. “Mount Sinai’s not going to be able to solve the problem for the entire nation, but if we have Mount Sinai and other similar medical institutions around the country working together, maybe we’ll make a big difference.”


About the Institute for Health Equity Research Launched in May 2020, IHER’s mission is to identify, interrogate, and combat health inequities by building a future that is more equitable for all communities, including those that are non-white, low-income, immigrant, uninsured, and LGBTQ+. The disproportionate impact of issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic on these populations has highlighted the need for more rigorous study to identify the root causes and magnitude of disparities, to devise and test innovative solutions, and to take concrete action in response to findings.

A Decade of Discovery: Celebrating the Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease

Daniel S. Loeb, Mount Sinai Health System Trustee

More than 250 members of the Mount Sinai community and guests recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, founded through a generous donation from Mount Sinai Trustee Daniel S. Loeb and his wife, Margaret Munzer Loeb. The center is named for Daniel’s father, who passed away from Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

At the event, Mr. Loeb spoke eloquently about his family’s personal experience with AD and his father’s continued legacy. “I tell his story because this is a disease that doesn’t care how kind you are or how decent you are. It is indiscriminate. And the pain that it’s caused has been severe,” he told the audience, which included leading AD clinicians and researchers. “Ultimately, you are scientists, and you look at the disease, and this is a disease that profoundly affects individuals and their families. Seeing this group come together to make such great progress over the last 10 years is really inspiring. So thank you very much for all you do.”

Today, nearly 7 million Americans have AD, a number that is expected to rise to 13 million by 2050.

The inaugural director of the Loeb Center—whose recruitment was made possible by the family’s philanthropy—is Alison Goate, DPhil, the Jean C. and James W. Crystal Professor of Genomics and Chair of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Professor of Neuroscience, and a member of the Friedman Brain Institute. Dr. Goate has recruited a roster of outstanding faculty, and their research on AD and other neurodegenerative diseases—in many cases, groundbreaking—have helped establish it as a preeminent center, known worldwide. Dr. Goate told the attendees that during its first decade, faculty recruits have doubled and National Institutes of Health funding has more than tripled.

Specifically, the Loeb Center has been at the forefront of exploring the role of microglia—the brain’s immune cells—in the development of AD, and by integrating large-scale molecular data from patients using artificial intelligence (AI), they have been able to identify new drug targets. In the next decade, Dr. Goate believes their work holds great potential for uncovering possible new treatments for patients.

Alison Goate

Alison M. Goate, DPhil, Director of the Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease; Jean C. and James W. Crystal Professor of Genomics; Chair of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences; Professor of Neuroscience; and a member of the Friedman Brain Institute

The Loeb Center has become a leading force in translational research, assuring that patients have access to the latest laboratory breakthroughs. These are often made possible by insights gained from its deep repository of human brain tissue, which has yielded new knowledge into the underpinnings of neurodegenerative disease. The Center has also recently made gains by developing novel blood biomarkers that will help toward improving early diagnosis.

Presentations from faculty also focused on the role of genomics in driving new therapeutics and highlighted their commitment to training the next generation of scientists, featuring a poster presentation from students and trainees who showcased their most recent work. Keynote speaker Jim Ray, PhD, Director of the Belfer Neurodegeneration Center at MD Anderson Cancer Center, spoke compellingly about the challenges of finding a cure for neurodegenerative diseases, but he also projected optimism, saying that research built on AI, genomics, and new disease models holds greater promise.

While the science is complex, it was made clear that the first 10 years of the Loeb Center have been pivotal in making the discoveries that will bring scientists everywhere many steps closer to improved diagnosis and treatment. These advances would not have been possible without the visionary philanthropy of Daniel and Margaret Munzer Loeb, says Dr. Goate, and it is upon that success that the Loeb Center has positioned itself as a leader in the field for decades to come.

 

 

How a Decorated Marine Continues His Military Service in an Unlikely Way

Renee and Bob Parsons

Upon his return from the Vietnam War, Bob Parsons battled post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for decades—and while doing so, grew a small software business operating out of his basement into the powerhouse internet domain registrar and web hosting company GoDaddy. From humble beginnings to becoming an entrepreneurial billionaire, nothing came easy for Bob. He talks openly about his mental health struggles following the war, and how, by 2018, just a mention of the war could trigger him to cry. Time was not healing his wounds. As Bob recalls, “I couldn’t handle it. The longer time went on, the worse it got for me.” Around this time, he read the New York Times best-selling book How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan and a glimmer of hope appeared for him. Bob developed an interest in the scientific use of psychedelics to treat depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.

“My own battle with PTSD lasted for decades,” says Bob, United States Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran and co-founder of The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation. “It was psychedelic-assisted therapy that finally brought me home after all those years, and even with the FDA’s recent decision, we’re digging in and funding more research because I have all the evidence I need—I know it works.”

Bob is referring to the 2024 decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to withhold approval for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. While it would not be surprising if donors shied away from supporting this nascent scientific field, Bob and his wife Renee, who helped establish Mount Sinai’s psychedelic psychotherapy research center in 2021, recently made a second foundational gift of $5 million.

“We are hopeful that the innovative research and training being done at Mount Sinai will go on to transform the lives of veterans and others who endure debilitating mental health conditions,” says Renee. “Bob and I know firsthand the detrimental impacts of PTSD—not only on the individual but on the entire family. We remain committed to battling the stigma surrounding mental health and shining a light on such promising treatments.”

Bob and Renee have focused some of that light here at Mount Sinai. Under the direction of internationally acclaimed researcher Rachel Yehuda, PhD, the Center has expanded and moved to a new location, increasing capacity for therapy, research, and therapist training, with a primary focus on veterans. It is now being renamed The Parsons Research Center for Psychedelic Healing to acknowledge the couple’s deep commitment to improving the lives of veterans and others struggling with PTSD.

The Parsons Center

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 17 veterans die by suicide each day on average. “New treatment options are desperately needed for the millions of people, both civilians and veterans, who have mood and anxiety disorders such as PTSD and major depression,” says Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System.

Adds Dr. Yehuda: “This is an existential moment for the field of psychedelic research in mental health, and The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation is shining a light on a path forward. With their vision and commitment, and the continued generosity of our donors, we will meet the needs of the moment.”

Renee and Bob celebrating the publication of “Fire in the Hole!”

In his recently published memoir, Fire in the Hole! Bob shares how he turned his hardships into motivation, from his mother’s mental illness to his harrowing yet transformative experience in Vietnam. A poignant and humorous storyteller, Bob reminds us that true wealth is not solely measured in financial terms but in the kindness and generosity we share with others. He discusses his healing process and his decision to donate funds aimed at impacting PTSD. For Bob and other veterans, sharing their stories is a continuation of their military service, fulfilling the promise of the soldier’s creed: I will never leave a fallen comrade.

His journey is a testament to the power of the human spirit and the importance of giving back.

Small Acts, Big Impact: Supporting the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital

In 2023, something special unfolded as Mount Sinai Health System Trustee Nathan Hoffman joined forces with the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital to launch a holiday fundraising campaign. More than 100 fashion apparel stores owned by Hoffman’s company, MadRag, invited customers nationwide to contribute at the register.

With gifts ranging from just a penny to an astonishing $1,000, 85,000 customers came together to support the Hospital, raising a total of $47,600. With an average gift of $0.56, it was a testament to the power of community and the profound impact of small acts of kindness.

A Trustee since 2022, Mr. Hoffman spoke warmly about the initiative, stating, “It is truly an honor to share the opportunity to give back to our renowned Kravis Children’s Hospital with our customers across the country. Witnessing their generosity firsthand during my visits to our MadRag stores is incredibly heartwarming.”

Now in its second year, this campaign serves as a powerful reminder that every contribution, no matter how small, can create significant change. It reflects not only a commitment to health but also the strong bond between Mount Sinai and the communities we serve, fostering hope and healing for children in need.

A Place Designed to Help Women Be Healthy: Carolyn Rowan

Carolyn Rowan focused her attention on women’s health when she realized she could help future generations of women to experience a lifetime of well-being in mind and body. Thus the vision for the Rowan Women’s Health Center at Mount Sinai emerged, with plans to open in 2025 on the northwest corner of 99th Street and Madison Avenue in the heart of the Upper East Side. The Rowan Center will elevate women’s health care to a level of luxury by bringing together women’s health services at a single location—a design element Rowan believes is central to ensuring women receive care and attention of the highest quality.

“Imagine a wellness center for women where you know you’re getting the best care, where all of the best doctors are focused on you and every interaction comes from a place of caring,” says Rowan, who recently made a transformational gift to establish the Rowan Center. I was born at Mount Sinai, my children were born at Mount Sinai, and I feel so fortunate to be able to do this with them.”

Rowan joined Mount Sinai’s Board of Trustees in 2023, crediting the decision to her lifelong fascination with health care, medicine, and wellness. That passion shows in her motivation to educate women from a young age on how to optimally care for their bodies. A philosophy of prevention will be primary to the Rowan Center and made possible in part through research, one of the foundational pillars on which Mount Sinai stands. The Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute and the newly established Women’s Biomedical Research Institute conduct basic and translational research specific to the biology of women’s health across the lifespan, and each will directly inform care at the Rowan Center.

Rowan envisions a colocation of providers who are at the top of their practice in every area of women’s health, making the Rowan Center a premier destination for the women of New York City. Not only will the convenience of accessing multiple services at the same hospital lower barriers to care, but such proximity will naturally empower provider collaboration, improving health outcomes while giving every patient certainty that care is centered on them. A range of women’s health services will be available at the 99th and Madison location, and the Rowan Center will anchor additional women’s health services provided across the Mount Sinai Health System, working intimately with the Raquel and Jaime Gilinski Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at Mount Sinai to deliver the highest level of patient-centered care.

Moreover, Rowan is enthusiastic about an infusion of integrative medicine that will give patients access to services that are typically spread across disparate offices, if available at all. By bridging practices with roots in Western as well as Eastern systems, from precision diagnostic testing, bone density testing, and pelvic floor physical therapy to acupuncture, massage, and use of medicinal herbs, the Rowan Center will expand the range of care options such that care can be personalized to an individual patient at any stage of life.

The Rowan Center will offer specialized menopause services attuned to the needs of those in midlife, with experts proactively providing care that keeps a woman feeling her best in the years before, during, and after menopause. Menopause “is not a sexy subject,” Rowan acknowledges, and so “it has been a largely dark conversation that’s recently come to light. Mount Sinai can be the foremost in that space.”

Tying it all together will be a team of dedicated patient navigators, who will be available to help patients schedule appointments as well as manage coordination of care for those following more complex treatment plans.

Rowan hopes that her gift to establish the Rowan Center will give women “something that’s just for them,” a place where they will be heard, treated compassionately, and receive recommendations specific to the female body, whether for screenings, self-care, or exercise. Most of all, she hopes to give women peace of mind, knowing they are in a place designed to help them be healthy.

“It’s great to have something you envision come to life…and I’m only one small piece. Caring faculty and staff will be the superstars who make this happen.”

 –Carolyn Rowan