Newswise — Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Mount Sinai Medical Center, today announced the appointment of Dennis S. Charney, M.D., Dean of Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs of The Mount Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Davis had served as Dean of the School since 2003.

Dr. Charney joined Mount Sinai in July 2004 as Dean of Research. In January 2006, he became Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs for Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Senior Vice President for Health Sciences of The Mount Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Charney is one of the world's leading experts on the neurobiology and treatment of serious mood and anxiety disorders. He has won virtually every award in his field and was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 2000. He has continued to conduct his research since his arrival at Mount Sinai by establishing the Mount Sinai Mood and Anxiety Disorder Research Program.

"Dr. Charney's arrival at Mount Sinai signaled a new era of innovation at Mount Sinai in research, education, and clinical care," said Dr. Davis. "In the last three years, Mount Sinai School of Medicine has grown in both scope and ambition. Dr. Charney has accelerated the momentum of translational research, intensified collaboration across all disciplines, and provided the impetus to reach new heights of excellence through closer integration of the research, clinical, and educational dimensions of our mission."

Dr. Charney has taken the lead in creating the School of Medicine's Strategic Plan, which builds on this momentum to facilitate even greater accomplishments. He is playing a key role in planning the new Mount Sinai Center for Science and Medicine, an innovative research building that will house disease-focused research institutes and increase research capacity by 30 percent.

Under Dr. Charney's leadership, Mount Sinai School of Medicine jumped to #20 from #25 in the National Institutes of Health ranking of medical schools based on total amount of grants awarded. This 12 percent increase in 2005 over the previous year was an enormous single year jump that was unprecedented among the top 25 medical schools in the country.

Also under his guidance, the faculty of Mount Sinai's Graduate School of Biological Sciences was recently ranked #3 in the country in the category of "Specialized Research Universities-Biomedical and Health Sciences." This ranking was based on publications, grants, and prestigious awards among faculty, and the Mount Sinai program ranked ahead of its New York City peers.

The Graduate School, under the leadership of John Morrison, Ph.D., Dean of Basic Sciences and the Graduate School of Biological Sciences, and the Medical School, led by David Muller, M.D., Dean of Medical Education, are in the midst of curriculum review which promises to result in innovative reforms that will place us among the vanguard of schools dedicated to biomedical education.

The School's Faculty Practice Associates (FPA), under the stewardship of Louis Russo, M.D., Dean for Clinical Affairs, is functioning at, perhaps, the highest level in its history, in terms of financial performance and quality of care.

"We are fortunate that our School has a faculty of visionary scientists, clinicians, and educators who are at the forefront of biomedical education, research and clinical care," said Dr. Charney. "My role as Dean is to assure that our School remains dedicated to training the next generation of great scientists and physicians and to discover better therapeutic treatments for the good of patients, both in our community and world-wide. "

"Mount Sinai is fortunate to have in Dennis Charney a Dean whose unique blend of experience, intelligence, creativity and dedication will ensure that we are at the forefront of tomorrow's medicine," said Dr. Davis.

Mount Sinai School of MedicineLocated in Manhattan, Mount Sinai School of Medicine is internationally recognized for ground-breaking clinical and basic-science research, and innovative approaches to medical education. Through the Mount Sinai Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Mount Sinai trains biomedical researchers with an emphasis on the rapid translation of discoveries of basic research into new techniques for fighting disease. One indication of Mount Sinai's leadership in scientific investigation is its receipt during fiscal year 2005 of $174.1 million in research support from the NIH. Mount Sinai School of Medicine is also known for unique educational programs such as the Humanities in Medicine program, which creates opportunities for liberal arts students to pursue medical school, and instructional innovations like The Morchand Center, the nation's largest program teaching students and physicians with "standardized patients" to become not only highly skilled, but compassionate caregivers. Long dedicated to improving its community, the School extends its boundaries to work with East Harlem and surrounding communities to provide access to health care and educational programs to at-risk populations.

The Mount Sinai Hospital The Mount Sinai Hospital is one of the nation's oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. Founded in 1852, Mount Sinai today is a 1,171-bed tertiary-care teaching facility that is internationally acclaimed for excellence in clinical care.

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