Mount Sinai Researcher Elected to National Academy of Medicine
Albert Siu, MD, MSPH, chair emeritus, Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Election to the NAM is considered one of the highest honors in health and medicine, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.
“Dr. Siu is an exceptional leader in health policy research and medicine,” says Dennis S. Charney, MD, the Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “His election is a well-deserved recognition of his contributions to geriatric medicine and palliative care. His knowledge of aging and health care policy will be a tremendous asset to the National Academy of Medicine.”
Dr. Siu is a recognized expert and academic leader in aging and palliative care whose career has spanned academia, government, and policy research. At The Mount Sinai Hospital, he chaired (2003-2017) the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, the nation’s first medical school department of geriatrics and the largest geriatrics and palliative care program in the nation. In 2017, serving in his current role as chair emeritus, Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, he has dedicated himself full time to building and leading the nation’s largest and most ambitious implementation of Hospital at Home. With a formidable background in health services and policy research, and keen expertise in evidence based medicine, Dr. Siu was appointed Chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in 2015. Prior to this appointment, he served on the USPSTF for nearly a decade. Dr. Siu has published prolifically, with a focus on improving outcomes for older persons within a population and health system framework. Bringing together science, policy, and health services research, Dr. Siu has made seminal contributions to evidence based practice.
Under Dr. Siu, Mount Sinai launched its Hospital at Home program, supported by an award from The Center of Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). To date, the program has provided acute hospital level care for nearly 800 patients who otherwise would have been treated in the hospital. “The Hospital at Home program has made a huge improvement in patients’ lives. Its clinical outcomes show measurable reductions in patient readmissions, emergency department visits, and transfers to skilled nursing facilities,” says Dr. Charney.
New members are elected by current, active members through a selective process that recognizes people who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, NAM is a national resource that provides independent, objective analysis and advice on health issues.
The new NAM members bring Mount Sinai’s total membership in the prestigious group to 25 present and past faculty members. The distinguished Mount Sinai faculty members whom Dr. Siu joins in earning this honor are: • Joseph D. Buxbaum, PhD • Neil S. Calman, MD, MMS•Dennis S. Charney, MD • Kenneth L. Davis, MD • Robert J. Desnick, MD, PhD • Kurt W. Deuschle, MD •Angela Diaz, MD, MPH • Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD • Bruce Gelb, MD • Alison M. Goate, DPhil • E. Cuyler Hammond, DSc • Kurt Hirschhorn, MD • Yasmin L. Hurd, PhD•Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc • Diane E. Meier, MD • Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD • Maria Iandolo New, MD • Peter Palese, PhD • Ramon E. Parsons, MD, PhD•Lynn D. Richardson, MD • Hugh A. Sampson, MD • Irving J. Selikoff, MD • Pamela Sklar, MD, PhD • Barbara G. Vickrey, MD, MPH.
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.