Top 14 of 2014: Patient Care and Research Achievements

Dr. Denise Feig helps a patient

As we start off the new year, we reflect on some of the most exciting accomplishments at Mount Sinai Hospital and the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute in 2014.  Here are our top 14 stories of 2014:

1. A historic stem cell discovery by Dr. Andras Nagy, an internationally recognized researcher in our Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, will help to shape the future of research and treatment around the world.  Dr. Nagy led an international team of researchers to uncover, for the first time, molecular events required for the formation of stem cells from specialized cells, a process called cellular reprogramming. The team also identified a new type of stem cell that is easier, less expensive and faster to grow, which will speed up drug screening efforts, disease modeling and eventually the development of treatments for different illnesses. These findings were published in Nature, a leading scientific journal.

2. Forty new genetic links to rheumatoid arthritis were discovered, opening the door to a personalized approach to treating the autoimmune disorder. The study was co-authored by one of Canada’s pre-eminent researchers, Dr. Kathy Siminovitch, the Director of the Office of Personalized Genomics and Innovative Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital and a Senior Investigator at the hospital’s Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute.  (Full story here.)

3. We helped pregnant women access the psychiatric support from home.  Women experience an intense period of physical and psychological changes during and after pregnancy, making them vulnerable to both new and pre-existing psychiatric disorders that too often go untreated.  This newly launched telemedicine program helps provide flexible access to essential care for women across Ontario.  (Full story here.)

4. Dr. Daniel Drucker received the world’s most valuable award for diabetes research, the 2014 Manpei Suzuki International Prize. Dr. Drucker, Senior Investigator at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, was recognized for his research in the area of gut hormones and how they control glucose and body weight, which have led to the development of two new classes of therapies for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. 

5. Mount Sinai Hospital will soon open its doors to a newly constructed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, thanks to a generous $5 million donation from the Newton Glassman Charitable Foundation.  The transformed NICU will employ the latest technology, and is designed to facilitate new models of care, offering more privacy and flexibility.  The redevelopment is part of a $500 million campaign to Renew Sinai.  (Full story here.)

6. Mount Sinai Hospital welcomed an extraordinary $10 million gift by long-standing community leaders and philanthropists, Ira Gluskin and Maxine Granovsky, to help orthopaedic patients live their lives more fully.  The newly named Granovsky Gluskin Division of Orthopaedics will help transform the area of orthopaedics at Mount Sinai by improving access to complex reconstructive orthopaedic surgeries, such as hip and knee replacement, as well as leading-edge research that will help Mount Sinai develop innovative treatments to better serve our patients.  (Full story here.)

7. A study led by Mount Sinai’s Dr. Denice Feig found that the rate of both gestational and pre-gestational diabetes doubled from 1996 to 2010.  To address this serious condition, patients at Mount Sinai Hospital with gestational diabetes are seen by a multi-disciplinary team to meet their needs and receive counseling on their postpartum risk of diabetes and strategies for prevention.  (Full story here.)

8. Mount Sinai’s Dr. Ravi Retnakaran made an important discovery for type 2 diabetes treatment that could eliminate adverse effects of the current drug treatments such as weight gain and low blood sugar levels. Published in the prestigious journal The Lancet, the treatment strategy is proving effective and safe in clinical trials worldwide.
    
9. With two-thirds of Mount Sinai’s pregnancies considered to be high-risk, the inaugural Rock N’Stroll fundraising event in the fall was a terrific success, raising more than $220,000 for high-risk births. We were delighted that legendary KISS rock stars Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, visited Mount Sinai Hospital in support of Rock N’Stroll. (Full story here.)
    
10. We’re optimizing breast milk nutrition for babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units, growing Mount Sinai’s leadership in the field and offering critical support to these fragile patients.  Thanks to a new grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Dr. Sharon Unger and colleagues will examine ways to optimize both mother’s own and donor breast milk with additional nutrients in neonatal intensive care units.  This follows the 2013 launch of the Rogers Hixon Ontario Human Milk Bank at Mount Sinai Hospital, which collects, pasteurizes, and distributes donor milk to infants in Ontario NICUs.  (Full story here.)

11.  A new study led by Dr. Ravi Retnakaran has shown that losing excess pregnancy weight in the first year after delivery is more important than ever. Recent results show that failure to lose weight between three and 12 months postpartum can cause blood pressure, cholesterol, and increase a woman’s risk for diabetes.  

12. Sinai’s Dr. Fritz Roth was one of the lead investigators that provided key insights for understanding and treating genetic traits, published in Cell, the eminent journal.   One of the central questions in human biology is to understand how our genes determine which diseases we get and how severe they might be. To do that, we must understand how proteins, the genes’ products work. Collaborating with colleagues from Harvard Medical School, scientists at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute have produced the largest ever map of human protein interactions. This publicly available resource will be invaluable to anyone trying to understand complex genetic traits and develop new disease therapies. 

13. A generous $5 million investment by RioCan will help fund our Campaign to Renew Sinai and bring us one step closer to our goal to transform our facilities, re-imagine the patient experience and further our commitment to excellence at our hospital.   Future plans for Mount Sinai include a modernized patient and family-centered lobby. This unique and welcoming space will feature the RioCan Food Hall in recognition of their generous investment.  This new food court will be an important addition to our hospital services and will help enhance the overall quality and comfort of the health-care experience at Mount Sinai.  (Full story here.)

14. Toronto Life recognition: 10 out of the 30 doctors chosen by Toronto Life as “The City’s Best Doctors” were from Mount Sinai Hospital.   (Full story here.)