Featured | Mount Sinai Donor Stories

Celebrating Visionaries in Prostate Cancer Research at the 2025 Gala

Updated on May 19, 2025 | Events, Featured

On Thursday, April 10th, the Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology hosted its annual Prostate Cancer Research Gala at New York’s storied Rainbow Room in Manhattan. The evening celebrated the extraordinary patients, physicians, scientists, and caregivers committed to advancing prostate cancer research and care. Raising close to $1.3M, the event was a testament to the power of community and shared purpose.

“As we stand here tonight, remember that each step, each discovery, and each act of generosity propels us towards a better future. Together, we’re igniting hope and transforming challenges into victories. I invite you to join us in this ongoing journey. Every bit of support brings us closer to a day when prostate cancer is a story of the past, not a battle in the present,” said Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, Chair of the Department of Urology at the Mount Sinai Health System and the Kyung Hyun Kim, MD Professor of Urology at Icahn Mount Sinai, who spearheaded the gala and directs the Center of Excellence.

At the event, Sybil and David Yurman were honored with the Visionary Award for their exceptional commitment to philanthropy and dedication to improving men’s health. Dr. Tewari praised the Yurmans’ unwavering support of the Mount Sinai Health System, highlighting their role as true visionaries in the field.

The third annual Steven Southwick, MD Memorial Award was presented to Natasha Kyprianou, PhD. Named after renowned researcher and scientist Steven M. Southwick—a leading expert in psychological trauma and human resilience, who passed away in 2022 after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer—this award recognizes outstanding achievements in prostate cancer research. Dr. Kyprianou was recognized for her focus on groundbreaking research that continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in the fight against prostate cancer.

“What really drives research is what drives me since I was very young—the effort to reduce suffering of any kind… Not only to give back, but to do whatever we can as scientists, as physicians, as human beings—to help reduce the suffering of other people,” Dr. Kyprianou said of her passion for advancing scientific discovery for prostate cancer.

Ash Tewari, Sybil Yurman, David Yurman

It is estimated that more than 300,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year and more than 35,000 will die from this devastating cancer. The Prostate Cancer Research Gala is one of Mount Sinai’s signature fundraising events, providing the opportunity to celebrate our generous community of donors and partners committed to finding a cure.

Learn More About the Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology at Mount Sinai

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Becoming a World Changer: How Scholarship Support is Shaping the Future of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Updated on May 14, 2025 | Events, Featured

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.”

Give Now to the Enhanced Scholarship Initiative

Learn More About The Enhanced Scholarship Initiative

Pablo Legorreta on a Worthwhile Cause and Fostering Collaboration

Updated on Apr 29, 2025 | Donor Profile, Featured

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.

Discover How the Institute for Health Equity Research is Uniting Communities and Transforming Health

Learn More About the Center for Post-COVID Care

An Outpouring of Appreciation on Doctors’ Day

Apr 8, 2025 | Featured

National Doctors’ Day is a special day devoted to honoring the dedication, skill, and unwavering commitment of physicians who tirelessly strive to provide exceptional health care to individuals and communities worldwide. Through both triumphs and challenges, doctors stand as pillars of hope and healing, and their impact resonates deeply within our hearts and minds. This year, more than 2,000 patients shared heartwarming messages of gratitude for their Mount Sinai doctors and their teams. Here is a selection of notes that reflect their deep appreciation for the care and compassion provided.

“2018 was rough. I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and my wife with breast cancer a few months later. If not for Dr. Jagannath and everyone at the multiple myeloma program, and Dr. Port and Dr. Tiersten and all the staff at the Dubin Breast Center, we wouldn’t be here today.”

—Sergei Maslov and Katherine Loda

“It has been a little over 4 years since our daughter, Samantha, suffered an acute pulmonary embolism. Thanks to Dr. Jacob Goertz and his incredible Mount Sinai ER team, Samantha, now 27, is getting ready to run her 5th marathon! We are forever grateful!”

—Scott and Cheryl Dorn

“We are forever grateful to the Rainbow Clinic! Without them, I would not have made it through this next pregnancy after a devastating loss at full term a year ago. Thank you for taking such special care of me and my baby. I felt so seen by this team!”

—Rebecca Bachan

“Dr. Marcelo was my dad’s doctor, then my mom’s, and now mine. She is patient, kind, and makes you feel like the only patient she has. She is retiring soon and I cannot explain how much she will be missed. I am so grateful to her for her care.”

—Heather Belon

“I came to Mount Sinai knowing Dr. El-Hamamsy was a top doc in his field; what I didn’t know was how kind, humble, compassionate, and funny he was. Surgery is stressful and he eased my anxiety a lot. My family was so happy with him as well.”

—Mike Ponzio

“During what was the most difficult time for our family, Dr. Benkov stood by us, guided us, and helped us every step of the way. Milan has received the best care from him, and there aren’t enough words to express our gratitude to Dr. Benkov and his team.”

—Sasson Family

“Dr. Mirante is literally the best pediatrician anyone could ever ask for. She is brilliant, hard-working, kind, and ridiculously patient. I am an MD myself and know when I am in front of an absolute treasure. Thank you Dr. Mirante!!”

—Marissa Kaminsky, MD

“Dr. Mantu Gupta will always be my angel here on earth. He removed a tumor from my only remaining kidney 12 years ago. With his warmth and kindness ever present, I will be forever grateful for his amazing skills.”

—Kym Longus

We surprised a few doctors with notes from their grateful patients—see their surprised reactions!

The Mount Sinai-Clinique Healthy Skin Dermatology Center: A First-Year Reflection

Apr 2, 2025 | Featured

In early 2024, Clinique Laboratories made a donation of $5M to the Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine to study and better understand healthy skin. The philanthropic partnership established the Mount Sinai-Clinique Healthy Skin Center, a virtual research enterprise with Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD, Chair of the Waldman Department of Dermatology, as the inaugural director. One year later, we take a look at the unique story behind this special philanthropic partnership and what it has enabled in the Center’s first year of existence.

The story behind this donation is about two entities—a leading global prestige beauty brand and an academic medical research center—recognizing a kindred spirit in each other, despite some core differences. Since its origin in 1968, safety for sensitive skin has been the heart of Clinique’s mission. Dr. Norman Orentreich, the first President of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery and Clinique’s Founding Dermatologist was highly invested in allergy science. He pioneered Clinique’s allergy testing program; to date, Clinique has conducted over 6 million allergy-testing applications.

Norman’s son, David S. Orentreich, MD is an Assistant Clinical Professor, Voluntary Attending for the Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Together with his sister Catherine Orentreich, MD, he is also continuing his father’s legacy as Guiding Dermatologists for Clinique. Having a deep understanding of Clinique’s brand mission to support healthy skin research, Dr David Orentreich introduced Clinique’s head of Product Development to Dr. Emma Guttman, knowing she is a world-renowned expert in allergic and inflammatory skin diseases and was working on new and meaningful research at Mount Sinai. From the first conversation with Dr. Guttman, Clinique realized that a gift to establish a healthy skin center at Mount Sinai that would support this scientific research was a natural continuation of the Clinique brand mission to create great skin for all.

The Mount Sinai-Clinique Healthy Skin Center was announced in February 2024 with the ambitious aim of learning more about the aging process and how to best tackle it in different stages of life by examining healthy patients alongside those with inflammatory skin conditions like atopic dermatitis. Studying the impact of factors like diet, exercise, and stress on the skin of healthy people provided Mount Sinai’s scientists with key insights on how to turn back the clock on aging and the effects of inflammation on skin. The Department of Dermatology at Mount Sinai serves the world’s most diverse patient population, so this Center was well-positioned from the start to enroll participants from a broad range of backgrounds in research studies and clinical trials. With the launch of the Center, Mount Sinai moved into the next game-changing phase of research.

Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD

Helen He, MD

Here are highlights from the Center’s first year:

Appointed Helen He, MD, Director of Lasers and Cosmetic Surgery, as Co-Director of the Mount Sinai-Clinique Healthy Skin Center.
Introduced tape strip technology as a non-invasive method for collecting RNA to study and map skin aging and assess anti-aging treatments, applicable in both research and clinical settings.
Proposed using eczema as a disease model to drive translational research and therapeutic innovation in skin aging.
Shared preliminary findings on inflammation in skin and blood of adults over 60, with potential for monoclonal antibody treatments.
Examined advanced cosmetic dermatology tools and treatments offered by the department, including injectables, lasers, and cutting-edge technologies.
Introduced Sofwave, an ultrasound-based device that penetrates the dermis to stimulate collagen production, showing visible results after a single treatment, especially for chin, neck, and arms.
Highlighted Ellacor, a Harvard-invented device performing micro-biopsies to remove 5-10% of skin, achieving great results, particularly for the jawline. It is exclusively offered at this academic center in NYC.
Described the use of multiple lasers tailored for pigmentation treatment across diverse skin types, ensuring effective results for all phenotypes, including Asian and African-American skin.
Obtained non-invasive imaging technologies like VISIA Skin Analysis, optical coherence tomography, confocal microscopy that may be integrated and correlated with molecular tape strip data, and also incorporated in the clinic for standardized clinical assessment and development of personalized anti-aging treatment regimens.

In its next years, the work of the Center will continue as it leverages its connections with other esteemed institutes throughout our health system, including the Precision Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine (PrIISM) and the Icahn Genomics Institute, to bring their innovative ideas to life. The team also works closely with Mount Sinai’s Skin of Color Center, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and specializes in diagnosing and treating skin conditions more common in people of color to understand how diseases manifest differently and ensure that treatments are both culturally sensitive and appropriate for differently pigmented skin.

These Year One accomplishments are possible thanks to the vital support and generosity of Clinique, which is grounded in a shared commitment to dermatological research that tangibly improves people’ lives. With a focus on actionable scientific discovery and leading-edge innovation, the Center is well on its way to transform allergy science and pioneer new solutions for skin conditions. Its first year reflects the shared vision between Clinique and Mount Sinai to deliver breakthrough advancements in dermatology that promote healthier skin for all.

Learn More About the Center

Uniting for a Cure: Mount Sinai’s Comprehensive Multiple Myeloma Program

Updated on Mar 28, 2025 | Featured

March marks Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month, and the Mount Sinai Health System stands as a beacon of hope for patients and families, leading the charge against this formidable disease. More than 30,000 people in the US are diagnosed with multiple myeloma each year, making it the second most common blood cancer—albeit a rare and complex one that has a great ability to survive and elude therapeutic interventions. It is twice as common in the Black community as in other ethnicities, and genetics and immune changes contributing to high-risk disease have not been explained.

As one of the country’s largest multiple myeloma programs, the Center for Excellence in Multiple Myeloma at the Tisch Cancer Center at Mount Sinai is poised to change this by bringing together physicians, scientists, patients, families, and donors to realize one collective goal: improving the lives of everyone with myeloma.

Philanthropy has been crucial in advancing immunotherapy and genomics research, leading to new therapies and innovative approaches to overcome treatment resistance. Samir Parekh, MD, Director of the Center, notes, “Donor support is vital to our efforts, and we are tremendously grateful for the direct role of philanthropy in helping patients at Mount Sinai and throughout the world.”

Private gifts expand promising investigations and enable applications for significant grants. For example, philanthropy led to a $7 million grant from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation for a three-year project to improve outcomes for high-risk myeloma patients. Success in securing this funding is entirely due to the incredible generosity of our donors.

Samir Parekh, MD

Sundar Jagannath, MD

“Ultimately, our research network stands to greatly improve our comprehensive understanding of high-risk myeloma and rapidly translate this knowledge into next-generation clinical trials for patients who desperately need novel therapeutic strategies,” said Sundar Jagannath, MD, Mount Sinai Professor in Multiple Myeloma and Network Director of the Center.

Such advances in translating research from the laboratory to the bedside have been nothing short of life-saving for patients like Jon Gluck:

“I donate to the Mount Sinai multiple myeloma program for the simplest of reasons: the doctors and nurses there saved my life. In 2023, twenty years and many treatments after I was initially diagnosed with myeloma, my disease was advancing at a concerning rate. Dr. Sundar Jagannath recommended a cutting-edge treatment being offered at Sinai called CAR-T therapy, and Dr. Shambavi Richard, Dr. Tarek Mouhieddine, nurse practitioner Danny Verina, and dozens of others on the Sinai team led me through that complex and difficult protocol. The result was a complete remission—my first in many years. Although no amount of money can sufficiently express my gratitude to the Sinai team, I try to do what I can to help.” Mr. Gluck is a longtime donor and the author of “An Exercise in Uncertainty,” a memoir about his myeloma journey to be published by Harmony/Random House in 2025.

With donor support, the dedicated team at Mount Sinai, and the inspiration of resilient patients, together we can advance multiple myeloma research and treatment, bringing hope to those who need it most.

Join us in support of the Center for Excellence in Multiple Myeloma

About the expansion of the Center for Excellence in Multiple Myeloma:

In addition to locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, Mount Sinai specialists currently treat multiple myeloma at Mount Sinai South Nassau sites on Long Island, and through a new partnership with Valley Health System in New Jersey. The Center also recently began an outreach program to bridge the gap between Mount Sinai and community doctors across the New York City metropolitan region to optimize care for all myeloma patients, especially the underserved.

Learn more about the Center for Excellence in Multiple Myeloma at Mount Sinai

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