Press Release

Mount Sinai First Year Medical Student, Sophie Clarke, Wins “Survivor”

Sophie Clarke was awarded sole survivor of “SURVIVOR: SOUTH PACIFIC”.

New York, NY
(December 23, 2011)

First she conquered "Survivor" and then she survived med school – or at least the first semester. Sophie Clarke, a first year medical student at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, was awarded sole survivor of "SURVIVOR: SOUTH PACIFIC" on Sunday, December 18 on the CBS Television Network. Along with the title of sole survivor, Clarke took home a prize of $1 million. The production wrapped about six months ago, but Clarke didn’t learn of her win until the show’s live finale on Sunday night.

"I’d been looking forward to medical school for years, but the prospect of winning "Survivor" and becoming a new millionaire proved to be very distracting in my first semester," said Clarke. "Plus the competition took an enormous physical and emotional toll on my body. So balancing that with school was difficult. But I’m looking forward to coming back, focusing on my studies and taking full advantage of all of the opportunities here at Sinai."

The 23rd season of Survivor was filmed over six weeks in Samoa. Clarke secured her place in the final three by winning immunity in a dramatic final challenge. The first half of the challenge—a physically demanding ropes course requiring a great deal of upper body strength—favored her three male competitors. The last to begin the final puzzle of the challenge, Clarke had a lot of time to make up. But she focused on the task at hand and was the first to solve the complex puzzle, ensuring her spot in the final vote. A jury of nine players who had been eliminated earlier in the season awarded Clarke the title of Sole Survivor – and the million dollar prize – in a vote of 6-3-0.

"We're thrilled for her and proud to have her as a member of the Sinai family," said David Muller, MD, Marietta and Charles C. Morchand Chair in Medical Education and Dean for Medical Education, Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "It’s exciting to think of someone with Sophie’s intelligence, drive and determination devoting herself to the well-being of her patients and their communities. She’s going to do a world of good!"

With her first semester behind her, Clarke is currently celebrating her win but will return to school in January. "My plans for the million, right now, do not go beyond paying for medical school," said Clarke. "It’s nice to know that I will not have any loans at graduation and this, I think, will take the financial factor out of my choice of specialty. Right now, I am interested in OBGYN, Internal Medicine, and Emergency Medicine."

About The Mount Sinai Medical Center

The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses both The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Established in 1968, Mount Sinai School of Medicine is one of the leading medical schools in the United States. The Medical School is noted for innovation in education, biomedical research, clinical care delivery, and local and global community service. It has more than 3,400 faculty in 32 departments and 14 research institutes, and ranks among the top 20 medical schools both in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and by U.S. News & World Report.

The Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is a 1,171-bed tertiary- and quaternary-care teaching facility and one of the nation’s oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. In 2011, U.S. News & World Report ranked The Mount Sinai Hospital 16th on its elite Honor Roll of the nation’s top hospitals based on reputation, safety, and other patient-care factors. Of the top 20 hospitals in the United States, Mount Sinai is one of 12 integrated academic medical centers whose medical school ranks among the top 20 in NIH funding and U.S. News & World Report and whose hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Nearly 60,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients last year, and approximately 560,000 outpatient visits took place.

For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/.

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Tags: Education, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Mount Sinai Health System

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.