Mount Sinai Launches Institute for Airway Sciences
On the heels of the world’s first human trachea transplant, Mount Sinai develops multidisciplinary institute focused on airway diseases
Mount Sinai Health System, where the world’s first human trachea transplant was performed one year ago, has launched the Institute for Airway Sciences (IAS), established to advance new therapies for patients with sinus, laryngotracheal airway, and lung diseases.
Under the direction of Eric Genden, MD, MHA, Dr. Isidore Friesner Professor and Chair of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Charles Powell, MD, MBA, Janice and Coleman Rabin Professor of Medicine and Chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at Icahn Mount Sinai, and Marek Mlodzik, PhD, Lillian and Henry M. Stratton Professor and Chair of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology at Icahn Mount Sinai, the Institute for Airway Sciences brings together a multidisciplinary group of researchers and clinicians throughout Mount Sinai Health System with deep scientific and clinical expertise in the diseases that impact the airway.
“This is not about the science of tomorrow; this is about taking the science of today and pioneering new, innovative solutions that will positively impact the lives of our patients,” said Dr. Genden. “The Institute for Airway Sciences will become the cornerstone for airway disease treatments and research. Key players from across multiple departments and institutes within the Mount Sinai Health System will come together as one source of education, community work and collaboration with the shared goal of eviscerating diseases that have disabled our patients.”
The IAS will further promote research and innovation through four resource cores: (1) the Black Family Stem Cell Institute; (2) the Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology; (3) the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine; and (4) the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.
With the goal of building a pipeline of physician-scientists, the IAS will award pilot grants and user scholarships to encourage innovative projects with an emphasis on medical students and residents in training. The IAS will also include seminars and research-in-progress talks focused on airway science and the diseases that impact the airway.
“Mount Sinai has a proven track record of moving the needle on patient care, and when Dr. Genden led the world’s first human trachea transplant earlier this year, we knew it could serve as a launch pad for something bigger,” said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of Icahn Mount Sinai and President for Academic Affairs of the Mount Sinai Health System. “We wanted to develop a clinical and research hub solely dedicated to the airway—from the sinuses all the way down to the lungs. The researchers and clinicians involved in this collaboration bring profound expertise and talent in their respective areas and we look forward to bringing the Institute’s mission and vision to life.”
For more information, please visit: icahn.mssm.edu/airwayinstitute
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.