Mount Sinai Doctor Joins Celebrity Campaign for Medical Research Funding
Sam E. Gandy, MD, PhD, Associate Director of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, was photographed for GQ magazine as part of a "Rock Stars of Science" public service campaign.
Mount Sinai School of Medicine’s Sam E. Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., joined rock celebrities Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, hip-hop artist and X-Men Origins: Wolverine co-star Will.i.am., Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, and Seal for a designer menswear photo shoot as a "Rock Star of Science" in the June issue of GQ Magazine, available nationally on May 25. Dr. Gandy, Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and Associate Director of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, traded in his lab coat for the launch of "Rock Stars of Science" (ROCK S.O.S.). This new public service campaign, sponsored by GEOFFREY BEENE GIVES BACK and GQ Magazine, spotlights the need for greater funding for medical research and shows how important science is as a career choice for tomorrow’s stars.
We have always known that science doesn’t seem as cool as rock and roll, said Dr. Gandy. "But the funding for medical research is in danger and it’s time to change that image and raise awareness."
Dr. Gandy is an international expert in the metabolism of the sticky substance called amyloid, which clogs the brain in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. In 1989, Gandy and his team discovered the first drugs that could lower formation of amyloid. Dr. Gandy has written more than 150 original papers, chapters and reviews on this topic. He has received continuous NIH funding for his research on amyloid metabolism since 1986. This funding is vital to important medical breakthroughs that improve and save lives.
In addition to showcasing Dr. Gandy’s work, ROCK S.O.S. will focus on other scientists and their breakthrough research in areas like cancer, HIV-AIDS, heart disease, and advances in genetics and personalized medicine. The campaign will also be supported by a website www.rockstarsofscience.org, to be launched on June 1, 2009. The site will profile the scientists, their teams and research institutions.
ROCK S.O.S. is sponsored by the designer menswear brand, GEOFFREY BEENE. One hundred percent of net profits from GEOFFREY BEENE, LLC fund philanthropic causes.
About The Mount Sinai Medical Center
The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The Mount Sinai Hospital is one of the nation’s oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. Founded in 1852, Mount Sinai today is a 1,171-bed tertiary-care teaching facility that is internationally acclaimed for excellence in clinical care. Last year, nearly 50,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients, and there were nearly 450,000 outpatient visits to the Medical Center.
Mount Sinai School of Medicine is internationally recognized as a leader in groundbreaking clinical and basic-science research, as well as having an innovative approach to medical education. With a faculty of more than 3,400 in 38 clinical and basic science departments and centers, Mount Sinai ranks among the top 20 medical schools in receipt of National Institute of Health (NIH) grants.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the nation’s leading integrated academic health systems and one of the largest in the New York metropolitan area. Its comprehensive system includes seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, over 600 research and clinical laboratories, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing. Together, the Health System comprises approximately 48,000 employees, more than 9,000 physicians, and 8,600 nurses.
As a leading learning health system, Mount Sinai combines clinical expertise with scientific discovery to improve patient care while training the next generation of health care and biomedical leaders. The Health System provides care across every stage of life, from prenatal care through geriatrics, while advancing personalized medicine through artificial intelligence, data science, and biomedical research.
Mount Sinai is consistently recognized among the nation’s leading academic health systems for patient care, research, and education. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 1 in New York by Newsweek and No. 5 on the magazine’s World’s Best Hospitals list. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ranks No. 11 among U.S. medical schools and No. 1 among freestanding medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding, reflecting the strength of its scientific enterprise and leadership in biomedical research.