Geriatrics
AT MOUNT SINAI Spring 2022
Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine:
Advancing Care for Older Adults for 40 Years In 1982, Mount Sinai was the first hospital in the United States to establish a department of geriatrics. Under the leadership of Robert N. Butler, MD, considered the father of modern geriatrics, the Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, as it was then called, transformed the field, both in terms of specialized care for older adults, as well as medical training for the clinicians who treat them. Our Proud History Dr. Butler laid the groundwork for what would become one of the most progressive geriatrics departments in the world. He recruited many of the early leaders on aging and
Diane E. Meier, MD; Christine K. Cassel, MD; and Albert L. Siu, MD
established the first geriatrics
Administration hospital in the Bronx to create the Geriatric
fellowship program in the
Research Education and Clinical Center. The Center continues to
country, creating a national
conduct research in geriatrics and palliative care and to provide
model for training geriatrics
acute and palliative care to older veterans.
specialists. Today, the fellowship has more than 30 fellows across seven Mount Sinai hospitals.
Among Dr. Cassel’s legacies were innovations and support of Robert N. Butler, MD
palliative care. Diane E. Meier, MD, established the Lilian and
The faculty has grown from a few to more than 75. Dr. Butler was
Benjamin Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute in 1997, which provides
also a strong advocate for policies that improved health care for
care to seriously ill patients and their families throughout Mount
older adults around the world and was one of the
Sinai, with Dr. Cassel’s support. Drs. Cassel and Meier were also
first geriatricians to recognize the importance of palliative care.
the founding co-directors of the Center to Advance Palliative Care,
Christine K. Cassel, MD, who succeeded Dr. Butler in 1995, has credited him with “creating an entire field of medicine” and
a national organization devoted to increasing the number and quality of palliative care programs in the United States.
changing attitudes so that aging could be perceived positively.
Dr. Cassel’s commitment to education was evident in her
During her tenure, the Department reaffirmed its commitment
recruitment of Rosanne Leipzig, MD, PhD, an internationally
to geriatrics research and education, and became one of the
recognized leader in geriatrics, who significantly advanced the
first five academic medical centers in the country to develop a
level of fellowship training in the field. Today, Dr. Leipzig is the Vice
palliative care program. Dr. Cassel was one of the first geriatrics
Chair Emertix for Education in the Brookdale Department.
attending physicians in the fledgling department before becoming
In 2002, Albert L. Siu, MD, who had previously served as Deputy
an internationally known geriatrician and ethicist. Later, she was
Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health and
instrumental in establishing a partnership with the Veterans
Division Chief of General Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai, became Continued
Advancing Care (Continued) Chair of the Department. His focus on palliative care was reflected in the renaming of the department to the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. He helped
American Geriatrics Society Recognizes the Work of Three Outstanding Brookdale Faculty
to establish the first Martha Stewart Center for Living and
Every year, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) honors
the Wiener Family Palliative Care Unit.
researchers, clinicians, educators, and health professionals who
Under Dr. Siu’s leadership, the National Palliative Care Research Center was created to connect the community of palliative care researchers and influence health policy and clinical practice. Research in the field more than tripled during his tenure.
have made outstanding contributions to high-quality, patientcentered care for older adults. This year, they will honor three specialists from the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, marking the first time that a single institution has received more than one of these prestigious awards. Claire K. Ankuda, MD, Assistant Professor
Dr. Siu oversaw the expansion of the Department from
of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, is the
serving one hospital to six throughout the Mount Sinai Health System. He also expanded Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors to include home-based hospital-level care, complex symptom management, and palliative care.
recipient of the Dr. Harold and Golden Lamport
As part of an ongoing effort to provide
In addition to coordinating their care with
Additional services under the ALIGN
Research Award. Since completing her
comprehensive, high-quality care, the
other physicians, the team makes sure
umbrella include the Transitional Care
palliative care fellowship at Mount Sinai
Brookdale Department of Geriatrics
patients and caregivers have the resources
Management Program, which cares for
in 2018, Dr. Ankuda has demonstrated an
and Palliative Medicine has instituted
they need to carry out their doctor’s
patients recently discharged from the
innovative programs designed to address
recommendations.
the unique health needs of older adults
The team monitors
and their caregivers. These programs
medications, helps
improve care coordination, reduce
establish a health care
the number of emergency room visits
proxy if appropriate,
Looking Ahead
impressive track record of prolific research and has proven to
For more than a decade, Mount Sinai has consistently
be an emerging leader in the field.
ranked among the top five hospitals nationwide for
Amy S. Kelley, MD, MSHS, Vice Chair of
geriatrics. R. Sean Morrison, MD,
Health Policy and Faculty Development and
the Ellen and Howard C. Katz Chair
Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Care,
of the Brookdale Department since 2017, is building on the legacy of his predecessors to herald a new era in the care of older adults. Looking R. Sean Morrison, MD
ahead, his vision for the Brookdale
Department is to expand its ambulatory practices, create new programs to improve surgical, cancer, and HIV care for older adults, and enhance access to community-based palliative care services. Dr. Morrison would also like to see the expansion of the Brookdale Department’s population-based research, which focuses on addressing disparities in access to care for people with serious illness and older adults. And finally, the Brookdale Department will continue its commitment to creating health care leaders within the Mount Sinai Health System and beyond. “We can create system-level change to make the American health care system a better match for the patients we’re caring for,” says Dr. Morrison.
and hospital admissions, and enhance
will receive the 2022 Thomas and Catherine
improves their health
patients’ experiences with our health
Yoshikawa Award for Outstanding Scientific
literacy, and provides
care system. Since 2016, ALIGN (Aging,
guidance to caregivers.
Achievement in Clinical Investigation. Her work
Life, Innovations, Goals and Needs) has
ALIGN also offers its
focuses on advancing the quality of care in older adults with serious
ensured that older adults with complex
patients a 24-hour
illness and promoting health care services and policies that help
medical illness have a comprehensive
telephone hotline to
them. Dr. Kelley is the second Brookdale faculty member to
health care plan that addresses all their
answer any questions,
receive this award.
unique needs.
provide coaching when necessary, and
hospital wh o are at risk for readmission,
allay patient and family concerns.
and the Surgery Co-Management
To date, more than 350 older adults have
Program, which optimizes outcomes for
benefited from ALIGN.
older, frail adults undergoing surgery.
Audrey K. Chun, MD; Lizette Andrango, LMSW; Stephanie Chow, MD, MPH; Jodi Payne; Danialle Coyne, NP; and Susana Lavayen, CC
Dr. Ravi Ramaswamy, MD, is the Director of
The ALIGN team assists patients,
Medical Student Education for the Department
caregivers, and their medical teams to
of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. He will
achieve a shared understanding of a
receive the 2022 AGS Outstanding Mid-
patient’s health care goals and creates a
ALIGN Director Stephanie W. Chow,
Career Clinician Educator Award for his
care plan to match those expectations.
MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of
contributions as a teacher and mentor. Among
Primary care providers identify and refer
Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, leads
his accomplishments is the development of an outcome-based
older adults who would benefit from
a team comprised of physician fellows
geriatrics curriculum for all students enrolled in the Icahn School of
ALIGN’s specialized services, including
specializing in geriatrics and palliative care,
“Traditional models of primary care
Medicine at Mount Sinai.
those with highly complex medical
a geriatrics nurse practitioner, a geriatrics
often fail to meet the unique needs of
conditions, frequent hospital visits, or
social worker, a care coordinator, and an
older adults who have multiple complex
inadequate caregiver support. The ALIGN
administrative assistant. ALIGN outcomes
concerns, cognitive and functional
team works with individuals for several
are impressive. ALIGN has led to increased
impairment, and inadequate social support
months to stabilize their acute medical and
patient and provider satisfaction, has
at home,” says Dr. Chow. “The goal of
social work challenges and enable them to
reduced caregiver burden at home, and
ALIGN is to make sure that they receive
transition back to their primary care team
reduced emergency department visits and
the comprehensive care that they need
at the outpatient Martha Stewart Center
the need for hospitalization.
and deserve.”
“It speaks to the kind of work we do and to the talented people we have working at Mount Sinai,” says Helen M. Fernandez, MD, MPH, Vice Chair of Education and Professor of Geriatrics in the
The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked number one in the care of older adults by U.S. News & World Report.
Supporting Medically Complex Aging Populations With Innovative Health Care Programs
Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. “This year’s honorees are always thinking about how they can improve the care of patients and caregivers and, more broadly, what they can do to make the health care system better meet the needs of our aging population.”
for Living-Uptown.
The team currently collaborates with general, renal transplant, oncologic, urologic, and vascular surgeons and their primary care providers.
Provider Spotlight: Siobhan Sundel, DNP, GNP-BC, ANP Her grandmother lived until the age of 98
Dr. Sundel joined Mount Sinai as a geriatrics nurse practitioner
and was active until the last year of her
23 years ago, and currently serves as the nurse manager in the
life. Siobhan Sundel, DNP, GNP-BC, ANP,
unit, still seeing patients. “I get a lot of satisfaction in determining
Clinical Director of the Martha Stewart
the cause of my patients’ illnesses,” she says. “Very often, an older
Center for Living at Mount Sinai-Union
person presents very differently than a younger person. That
Square, thinks that her grandmother
investigation is something that I’ve always found very intriguing.”
inspired her to specialize in the care of
In 2014, Dr. Sundel went back to school to get her doctorate
older adults.
degree in nursing. Her years of clinical experience and advanced
“My patients have lived remarkable lives and seen tremendous
degree offered Dr. Sundel a unique position to mentor nurse
changes in society. I really enjoy talking with them, listening to their
practitioner students starting their careers, another aspect of
stories, and getting to know who they are,” Dr. Sundel says.
her work that she really enjoys.
The Barbara and Maurice Deane Healthy Brain Initiative Mount Sinai Health System has launched a collaborative, interdisciplinary care program called the Barbara and Maurice Deane Healthy Brain Initiative. The program was developed by three of Mount Sinai’s departments: the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, the Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, and the Department of Psychiatry. The Healthy Brain Initiative is designed to help people living with cognitive symptoms achieve the best possible quality of life for themselves, their families, and their caregivers. More information on how to request an appointment at the Barbara and Maurice Deane Center for Wellness and Cognitive Health can be found at: https://icahn.mssm.edu/healthybrain.
Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1070, New York, NY 10029 (212) 659-8552 mountsinai.org/care/geriatrics @MSHSGeriPalCare