About Us

A Nurse at The Mount Sinai Medical Center is a Leader.

Our staff embraces a progressive vision – a community of nurses, leading care on behalf of patients and families. Nursing at Mount Sinai engages you not just every day, but every moment. You are inspired to accept a challenge – the challenge to define and shape a culture of healing.

Here, you are supported to focus on providing care to your patients – care that is second to none – embodied with a spirit of professionalism, clinical excellence and compassion. Collaborating with a dedicated health care team, our nurses deliver continuous, coordinated, exceptional care.

We invite you to join our community and to share your voice of professional practice.

Who We Are

Carol A. Porter

Carol Porter, DNP, RN is the Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President for Nursing at The Mount Medical Center in New York City. She has been in the CNO position since October 2005. The Mount Sinai Hospital’s Community of Nurses includes over 2000 nurses in all levels of practice as well as 1400 support staff. Dr. Porter has been in progressive nursing leadership positions for the past 23 years. She has been involved in critical care for most of her career.

Dr. Porter recently graduated from Case Western Reserve University with her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).  She was the recipient of the Madeline R. Zaworski Award for Outstanding Leadership and the Dean’s Legacy Award. Dr. Porter did her research on the Nursing Labor Management Partnership (NLMP) and the impact on nurse turnover, nurse satisfaction and nurse comfort in the work environment. Dr. Porter has a Masters Degree in Public Administration- Health Administration from Rutgers University as well as a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (BSN) from William Paterson University.

Dr. Porter was selected to attend the 2007 University of Pennsylvania Johnson & Johnson / Wharton  Fellows Program for Nurse Executives. She is currently a Johnson & Johnson Wharton Fellow and has also joined the Johnson & Johnson Wharton Advisory Board for a two year term starting in the Fall of 2008 thru 2010.

Dr. Porter is very involved in promoting nursing practice and is now also on the New York Times Health Care Advisory Board. Her role on the Board is to position nursing and nurses in an accurate, current profile of nursing practice at all levels in diverse roles, as well as looking into the future challenges of the nursing profession.

Amy Albano

Amy Marcotte Albano, RN, MBA, FACHE is the Senior Director of Nursing Operations. She joined the Mount Sinai nursing community in July 2008, bringing 28 years of experience in critical care nursing and administration, hospital operations and finance. Her professional and educational interests include business plan development, budgetary development and oversight, facilitating patient throughput, ensuring quality and cost-effective patient care, and promoting financial and business skills in nursing leadership. Ms. Albano is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, a member of AONE, AACN and Sigma Theta Tau.

Education:

1980 - Holyoke Community College, Associates Degree, Nursing

1993 - Our Lady of the Elms College, Bachelor of Arts, Business and Psychology

1998 - Western New England College, Master of Business Administration, Healthcare Administration

Regina S. Cunningham

Regina Cunningham, PhD, RN, AOCN, is a Senior Director, Oncology for the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center. In this capacity, she is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, evaluating, and improving the delivery of all cancer nursing services provided through the cancer center. Her research interests include factors influencing outcomes in patients receiving cancer treatment with a focus on the role of the oncology nurse in improving outcomes and cancer survivorship.

Dr. Cunningham has 30 years of oncology nursing experience. She has spent the past 20 years in leadership roles, including clinical nurse specialist, nurse manager, and chief nursing officer. She was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow in 2006.

Education:

BSN, The College of Mount St. Vincent

MA, New York University, Delivery of Nursing service

PhD, University of Pennsylvania, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Yale University

Susan Davis

Susan Davis, MSN, MPH, is the Director of Nursing for Medical Services. She is accountable for overall planning for nursing practice and operations for Medicine Services units including the medical intensive care unit, the respiratory care unit, and general medicine, geriatrics, and oncology units. Her professional interests include critical care nursing practice, nursing management and leadership, and patient safety. Susan earned Master’s degrees in both Nursing and Public Health from Columbia University. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Nursing Practice Degree from Case Western Reserve University. Susan is certified in advanced nursing administration. She has been actively involved in professional organizations and has held board and program planning positions with the New York City

Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN).

Education:

1982 – D’Youville College, Bachelor of Science, Nursing

1992 – Columbia University, Master of Science, Nursing

1992 – Columbia University, Master of Public Health

Lavonia Francis

Lavonia Francis, DNP, RN is the Senior Director of Nursing for Ambulatory Care at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Francis has over 31 years of experience. She has held clinical, management, administrative and teaching positions. Dr. Francis is responsible for administration of nursing services and quality initiatives in Ambulatory Care. Her areas of interest are patient and staff safety, postoperative pain management, and quality initiatives related to best practice. She is a member of the New York Organization of Nurse Executives and the American Nurses Association and certified as a Clinical Specialist in Adult Health.

Education

1978 – Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Hunter College, New York, NY

1984 – Master of Science in Nursing, Hunter College, New York, NY

1998 – Post Masters Certificate in Nursing Service Administration, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York

2008 – Doctor of Nursing Practice – Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio

Elaine Holloway

Elaine Holloway, RN-BC, MA, CCRN, CPAN is the Clinical Director of the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, which is comprised of 51 phase l PACU beds, 2 Isolation rooms, 15 bed Holding Area and a staff of sixty-eight. Elaine started her career at Mount Sinai Hospital thirty years ago as a Medical Surgical nurse for six years and became a Senior Clinical Nurse. She then moved to the Post Anesthesia Care unit to advance her Critical Care skills where she has remained as a staff nurse, Clinical Nurse Manager and now Director. Elaine earned her Baccalaureate Degree from Lehman College and her Masters Degree from Brooklyn College. She is also certified as a Critical Care nurse, Medical-Surgical nurse and a Peri-Anesthesia nurse.

Ellen Hughes

Ellen Hughes, RN, MA, ANP, is the Clinical Director for Cardiothoracic Services. She started her career at Mount Sinai as an Oncology nurse and transferred to the cardiothoracic service after five years. She was the Clinical Nurse Manager of the cardiothoracic intensive care unit prior to accepting her current position as Clinical Director in 2005. In this position, she oversees the Cardio Surgical Intensive Care Unit, the Cardio Progressive Care Unit, the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and the 36-bed step-down unit. Ellen believes in constantly striving to improve the experience and care of her patients. At the heart of the Cardiothoracic service is a talented team of nurses, physician assistants and support staff who believe strongly in excellence in patient care.

Patricia Matos

Patricia Matos, DNP, RN, is Director of Nursing for the Department of Psychiatry and the Magnet Program Director for the Mount Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Matos came to Mount Sinai in 2005 with 32 years of experience in psychiatry, administration and performance improvement. She is accountable for all Nurse Practitioners in the department and for nursing and psychosocial rehabilitation on Mount Sinai’s five inpatient psychiatric units and the psychiatric emergency department.

As the Magnet Program Director she is responsible for overseeing the ongoing Magnet program, and assuring that the nursing department at Mount Sinai Medical Center is re-designated every four years. Her professional and educational interests include performance improvement and clinical excellence in the treatment of psychiatric patients. Dr. Matos is a published author in national and international professional journals and is committed to the ongoing development of nurses at all levels.

Education

1977––Pace University, Bachelor of Science, Nursing

1984––Pace University, Master of Science in Nursing

2009––Doctor of Nursing Practice, Case Western Reserve University

Michael McCarry

Michael McCarry, RN, BS, is the Senior Vice President of Perioperative Services. With an extensive background in strategic planning and organizational development, Mr. McCarry is responsible for development of organizational initiatives, the establishment of best practice models, the prudent expenditure of fiscal resources, as well as the planning and development of integrated, state-of-the-art operating rooms. An international and national perioperative consultant, he promotes interdisciplinary team building and develops systems and protocols to ensure patient safety and meet regulatory requirements.

Education:

1996—St. Joseph's College, Bachelor of Science, Healthcare Administration (Distinguished Honors).

Judy Miranda

Judy Miranda, RN, MSN, APRN, is the Associate Director of the Recanati/ Miller Transplantation Institute. Ms. Miranda is responsible for the leadership of nursing practice and operations throughout the inpatient transplantation service unit on GP-9C and the Transplantation Ambulatory Unit. She also serves as a liaison between multiple professionals in collaboration and the provision/management of patient care. Ms. Miranda works closely with the Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute Physician Leader, Dr. Jonathan Bromberg, and Administrator, Helen Hauff, RN, in ensuring that the program maintains the highest standards of patient care and is responsive to the needs of the patient and family as well as the organization.

Education:

1994—Regent's College, Bachelor of Science

2000—Fairleigh Dickinson University, Master In Science, Primary Adult Nurse Practitioner's Program, Board Certified As Adult Nurse Practitioner, July 2003 to June 2008

Eleonora Shapiro

Eleonora Shapiro, RN, MHA, is the Senior Clinical Director for Perioperative Services. With responsibility for 47 multi-specialty Operating Rooms, 3 PACUs, Endoscopy, Sterile Processing Dept, Pre-Op and Phase II Post-Op areas, Ms. Shapiro provides the leadership and direction to assure the highest quality of patient care. She is responsible for enhancing productivity, budget management, effective staff utilization, as well as promoting the effectiveness of quality initiatives and providing support and guidance to clinical managers.

Education:

1991—Long Island University, School of Nursing, Bachelor of Science

1998—Central Michigan University, Master of Science, Administration/Health Services

Audrey Schmerzler

Audrey J. Schmerzler, RN, MSN, CRRN, NE-BC, is the Director of Nursing for the Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Center. She is responsible for leadership of nursing practice and operation throughout the Rehabilitation Center including management of clinical nursing practice, staff recruitment, staff education, employee performance evaluation, labor relations, quality improvement, supply chain and budget, medical records, and internal and external regulatory and survey requirements.

Audrey Schmerzler received her RN diploma from the Beth Israel School of Nursing, BSN from the Hunter College of the City University of New York and her master's degree at Columbia University. Her master’s degree major was Clinical Nurse Specialist in Rehabilitation Nursing – at the time Columbia was only 1 of 2 schools offering a master's in this area.

Ms. Schmerzler promotes patient satisfaction from day of admission through discharge, achieving this through promoting an environment of care and concern for both the patient and staff. She rounds with patients and staff in order to become better acquainted with patient and staff issues and concerns and then actively acts to resolve any issues that may have been brought up.

Ms. Schmerzler has a strong interest in administration, staff education and development of nurses and new managers. Ms. Schmerzler fosters a collaborative working relationship among interdisciplinary teams and staff by seeking their involvement in unit decision making, program development, and staff satisfaction. She advocates equality among staff on a personal level, with individual professional roles and responsibilities identified, acknowledged and respected.

In addition, Ms. Schmerzler has coauthored a book for the Lippincott Fact Finder Series entitled, "Nursing Management of Individuals with Disabilities." Ms. Schmerzler is also a CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) surveyor.

Carol A. Torchen

Carol Torchen has been Director of Maternal/Child Health at Mount Sinai’s Kravis Children’s Hospital & Women’s Center since April 2009.  As Director, Ms. Torchen has oversight responsibility for four obstetrical units and three nurseries, one gynecological unit, two general pediatric units and two intensive care units, the NICU and PICU.  Her professional focus has always been on quality patient care and positive family-centered experiences within the hospital environment.

Ms. Torchen has over 30 years of nursing experience. She has spent much of her career in leadership roles, including director, administrator clinical services and clinical nurse manager.

Education

1979­­­––Villanova University, Villanova, PA, Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing

1988––Widener University, Chester PA, Master’s Degree of Science in Nursing, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner/Oncology

1992––ANCC Certified Nurse Administrator

2005––Wharton, Nurse Leaders Program

Maria Vezina

Maria Vezina, EdD, RN, is a Senior Director, Nursing Practice. Dr. Vezina also holds a faculty appointment in the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in the Department of Geriatrics. Dr. Vezina is accountable for the recruitment and staff development needs of the 2,000 RNs in the Department of Nursing, manages the Mount Sinai Hospital School of Continuing Education in Nursing, coordinates the credentialing of the Advanced Practice Nurses (a group of over 200 nurse practitioners, midwives and nurse anesthetists), and oversees the professional practice and research model at Mount Sinai. Her professional and educational interests include active learning models that promote critical thinking and accountability, promotion of advanced practice and project management as a model for overseeing the foundation of practicing nursing within an academic health science center. Dr. Vezina is a proponent of clinical leadership, advanced practice and nursing research as avenues to promote the profession of nursing and quality patient care. Dr. Vezina also promotes the image of professional nursing to encompass evidence-based practice, accountability and expertise as it relates to the healthcare environment of the 21st century.

Education:

1973 – Hartwick College, Bachelor of Science, Nurisng

1977 – New York University, Master's, Teaching of Nursing/Adult Health

1980 – Post Master's Nurse Practitioner, Women's Health/Adult Primary Care

1982 – Columbia University, Teachers College, Master of Education, Communication & Instructional Technology

1989 – Columbia University, Teachers College, Doctor of Education, Nursing Education, Professorial Role

Theresa Yannaco

 Theresa M. Yannaco, RN, EdD is the Director of Clinical Operations for the Derald H. Ruttenberg Treatment Center of The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Yannaco comes to Mount Sinai with over 30 years of experience in medical, surgical, and radiation oncology, administration, professional development and education. She is accountable for overall planning for nursing practice and operations for the Derald H. Ruttenberg Treatment Center.  Dr. Yannaco also holds a faculty appointment in the Columbia University School of Nursing in the Adult Oncology Nurse Practitioner Program. Dr. Yannaco is an active member of Oncology Nursing Society and Sigma Theta Tau, International. Her areas of interest focus on the development of clinical teaching and learning strategies that promote the development of oncology clinical competencies-staff and advanced practice practitioners, development of collaborative leadership models, peer-mentoring and role-modeling programs for newly hired oncology clinical practitioners. 

Education

2005—Columbia University, Teachers College, EdD, Adult and Higher Education

1987—Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY, M.S., Major Family Nursing; minor adult education with distinction

1981—Mercy College, B.S., Nursing cum laude

1977—Helen Fuld School of Registered Nursing, New York, NY, AAS, Nursing, with distinction