Blavatnik Family Foundation Provides $10 Million Gift to Mount Sinai to Support Mission of Advancing Women’s Health
Emily and Len Blavatnik, whose significant philanthropic giving through the Blavatnik Family Foundation focuses on scientific research, higher education, and the arts, have made a $10 million gift to the Mount Sinai Health System. The gift establishes The Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and The Blavatnik Family – Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai, located at 325 West 15th Street in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City.
“Len and Emily are long-time advocates for women’s health whose generous philanthropic commitment will significantly strengthen Mount Sinai’s research program while positioning us as a leader in the field,” said Michael L. Brodman, MD, Professor and Chair, Ellen and Howard C. Katz Chairman’s Chair, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science, Mount Sinai Health System.
Elizabeth Howell, MD, MPP, will be the founding Director of The Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute. Dr. Howell, who is also Vice Chair of Research and Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science and of Population Health Science and Policy at the Icahn School of Medicine, said the Institute’s first areas of focus will be ovarian and endometrial cancers, postpartum depression, pregnancy-related deaths, and severe maternal complications—health conditions affecting one out of every three to four women in the United States.
“This is a critical time for women’s health research,” said Dr. Howell. “While a number of clinical centers exist for women’s health, few centers are aimed at advancing science in women’s health. We will aim to find solutions to common women’s health problems, close gaps in quality of care that exist for underserved populations, and improve the health and well-being of women in New York City and beyond.”
The Blavatnik Family – Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai serves as the clinical bridge to The Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute by offering a full range of health services with the comfort and intimacy of a neighborhood doctor’s office located in the heart of Chelsea. Through the Women’s Cancer Program, also located in The Blavatnik Family – Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai, patients are offered a highly specialized medical team with individualized and compassionate care. Patients are also able to receive onsite tests, procedures, imaging, radiation, and infusion treatments such as chemotherapy, as well as wellness and support services that includes working individually with social workers and nutritionists.
“Len and I are proud to support this new and innovative initiative,” said Mrs. Blavatnik. “We look forward to following the ever-increasing synergy between the new Research Institute and the expanded Medical Center, bringing scientific discoveries in women’s health directly to patients who will benefit most.”
"We are deeply grateful for the Blavatniks’ immense generosity, which will help to enhance Mount Sinai’s reputation as one of the world's leaders in women’s health and train the next generation of scientific leaders,” said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and CEO of the Mount Sinai Health System.
About the Blavatnik Family Foundation
The Blavatnik Family Foundation is an active supporter of leading educational, scientific, cultural, and charitable institutions in the United States, Europe, and throughout the world. The Foundation is headed by Len Blavatnik, an American industrialist and philanthropist. Mr. Blavatnik is the founder and Chairman of Access Industries, a privately-held U.S. industrial group with global interests in natural resources and chemicals, media and telecommunications, venture capital, and real estate. For more detailed information, please visit http://www.accessindustries.com.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties.
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